What Electronic Keyboards Can Do
What Electronic Keyboards Can Do
To start with, electronic keyboards come with the latest state-of-the-art technology. You can produce the sounds of the conventional pipe, reed and tone-wheel organs, and acoustic piano without having to purchase all the instruments. You not only save time and cost, but you are also able to create quality music.
Electronic keyboards have been so successful in the music industry because of the synthesizers and various features that come with it. There are several types of synthesizers that come attached with facilities for playback, recordings, and creating exotic sounds. All these with simply the controls set on the face of the keyboard. There are music libraries of pre-programmed sounds on its menu. The synthesizers and samplers are multiimbral, which means that you can play back and combine of many sounds simultaneously.
One of its best features is the MIDI or the Musical Instrument Digital Interface. This is a standard language in music. The MIDI Controls allow electronic keyboards to be inter-connected and linked to the computer. If you are a music aficionado, this software is a must-have when you want to compose a song.
The portable 25 note electronic keyboards are compact and light. They are therefore easy to carry and store. You practically have an entire orchestra at your service with its ability to combine and create various sounds. The speakers are built in, and playing back what you just did makes it possible for you to review your music. For aspiring musicians out there, you can now send a demo without having to shell out cash just to rent a studio.
The Birth of Electronic Technology
The Birth of Electronic Technology
In the world of music, one of the most recent breakthroughs is the electronic keyboard with MIDI controllers. Manufacturers such as Novation, UMA25S, and M-Audio have incorporated software to digitalize your sound. The makers were able to put in upgraded technology in synthesizers, portable keyboards, digital pianos, organs, sound modules, sequencers, drum machines, and the like. There are buttons that allow you to switch from classical to theatre organs by means of communications and links.
You can now create studio-like music with the help of electronic keyboards, and the best part is, you can do all these from your home. All you need to do is connect it to your computer to get the feel of the real multimedia in its best form.
This digital piano can combine the various instruments with just a touch of the button. This is made possible by playing reverse digital recordings and letting out a variety of sounds when you press the keys of the piano. The ordinary piano has pedals so that you can increase and sustain the notes that you press. The electronic model does this as well, even without the actual pedal attached to it.
Some electronic keyboards are weighted so that you get the sound of an actual acoustic piano. The difference is, the newer tool is a lot cheaper and smaller. The tones are set so that you no longer need to tune and tighten the strings. Should you want privacy, you just need to attach headphones to its jack so that you don’t bother others with the noise you’ll create. The more sophisticated models have disk drives so that you can have accompaniments recordings while you play.
Features of the New 25 Note Keyboards
Features of the New 25 Note Keyboards
The features that the new 25 note keyboards come with are quite amazing. If you are a serious keyboardist, you would be interested in choosing a keyboard that come with the following attributes:
- touch response
- after touch
- polyphony (the number of notes you can play simultaneously)
- multi-timbre (you can play with more than one instrument at the same time)
- tempo
- split point (you can split the playing area into the different instruments used in the song)
- style
- synchronization
- auto harmony
- wheels and knobs (so you can control and change the settings on the keyboard)
- response (weighted or spring loaded)
Of course, you also have to consider the quality of the synthesizers. What sets the synthesizers apart from the standard electronic keyboard is that they can produce a variety of sounds by generating, combining, and distorting signals of varying frequencies. Synthesizers are often integrated into the machinery, and when you purchase your own keyboard, make sure that it comes with this feature so that you can produce an electric signal (rather than an acoustic signal) that can be played via a form of amplifier. The most known synthesizer is called the Moog Synthesizer. This played a big part in the music scene of the 1970s and 1980s. Popular bands such as Duran Duran used this in many of their songs in fact.
Check out your local stores to see which keyboard suits your needs. Compare the features before you make the purchase and check for online reviews.
25 Note Keyboard Tidbits
25 Note Keyboard Tidbits
Now that the MIDI has become a common feature, keyboards are no longer boring. Here are just a few fun facts for you to know should you decide to purchase the new 25 note keyboard:
1. Someone who plays the electronic keyboard for a living is known as a keyboardist, and not a pianist as most mistakenly use.
2. The electronic keyboard goes by many names, among which are the digital piano, the synthesizer, the electric organ, and the arranger keyboard.
3. The newer electronic keyboards use MIDI signals to send and receive musical data to and from the computer.
4. The MIDI function is essentially a sequence of data inputs to identify sound used, note pressed, duration of the press.
5. Many of these keyboards come with functions similar to a foot switch or sustain pedal. The foot switch rings a pressed note for a longer amount of time just like how it is with the organ or piano.
6. Electronic keyboards have been commonly built by instrument manufacturers such as Novation, UMA25S, and M-Audio to name but a few!
7. The earliest incarnations of the keyboard are the pipe organ (the oldest of the three), the hurdy gurdy, and the harpsichord.
8. One band famous for using the keyboard synthesizer is Duran Duran.
9. The first electric keyboard is said to be the Ondes Martenot. This first appeared in around 1928 and is still being played in some French conservatoires. This keyboard is famous for producing haunting and trembling notes.
Benefits of a MIDI Controller on an Electronic Piano Keyboard
Benefits of a MIDI Controller on an Electronic Piano Keyboard
Electronic piano keyboards nowadays come with a MIDI Controller. The most popular models, the 25 note keyboards, are especially handy when people want to digitalize their sound with the help of their computer. The keyboard not just improves sound quality, it is also actually able to produce a variety of sounds. The user can produce a variety of digital effects in the music being played. A few sound effects that can be integrated are: delay, reverberation, tremolo, and the popular chorus effect. These effects help in enhancing the sound sensation of the music. The listener can enjoy the variety of each tune played when different effects are incorporated to one song.
Another important feature of a 25 note keyboard is the auto harmony. The use of this button creates complementary notes of each single note. This is possible no matter what the pitch is. There are also the modulation, pitch wheels, and sustain pedals, all of which hold the notes for as long as necessary. With the dawn of the new sound technology, keyboards are no longer boring. Even those who are not as well-versed with sound production can sound like experts with this latest piece of innovation. To use it doesn’t require much help. First and foremost, the manual is there to serve as your guide. Moreover, it is basically plug and play as you experiment with the different buttons. Just hook it up to your computer, work with your favorite tune in mind, and feel like an expert composer!
Features of a MIDI Controller
Features of a MIDI Controller
Almost every electronic piano keyboard functions nowadays come with MIDI controls. They use a type of interface so that they able to send and receive data from the computer. What exactly is this data sent or received by the controls? At its most basic form, the data exchanged is the note created every single time a key is pressed on the keyboard. The signals indicate the specific note and the duration that note needs to be played. The duration is just as important as the tone for the song to come out like it should. The computer reads it exactly as how it is read on the keyboard itself. There shouldn’t be changes made once the music transfer has been completed.
Along with the signal sent and received, there are also other factors that play with it. All these aspects must work well together so that the MIDI control achieves optimal success. Each key comes with a sensor attached to it. The main function of this touch sensor is to discern the pressure being applied to the key. The depth of the sound produced vary according to the pressure exerted by the player himself. Basically, a deeper sound comes out when more pressure is applied, and in turn, a milder sound is produced when there is less pressure applied.
Years back, only the professional digital keyboards came with the MIDI feature. Today, basically most, if not all, electronic piano keyboards out in the market have it so that sound production is effective and accurate.
What is a MIDI Controller?
What is a MIDI Controller?
Everything is possible with the computer. Gone are the days when we simply relied on this piece of technology to write documents. Now, you can even create music in collaboration with your computer. How? There is this device called a MIDI Controller. For those who are not familiar with this term, a MIDI controller gives you the power to take command of any type hardware device or software program that understands MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface). This means that MIDI-addressable effects processors (such as delays, reverbs, etc.) and audio recording and editing software can be controlled with a single piece of hardware, this so-called MIDI controller.
A MIDI controller comes in handy especially when you have a variety of device spread out all over your studio floor or workstation space. The MIDI controller enables you to send a control message to the device or program you’re using that turns notes on and off, adjusts the volume, or changes any one of many addressable parameters. Simply put, you are able to make music with this wonderful technological breakthrough.
There are lots of brands available out in the market. Companies like Novation, Behringer, and M-Audio boast of their innovative 25-note keyboards. To make things even better for you, the makers have come out with accessories that help you make your job better. All you need to do is log on to the website of these companies to see which one suits you the most. Computers and music, who would have thought these two things actually work very well together?
Features of the M-Audio UMA25S
Features of the M-Audio UMA25S
This ultra slim keyboard comes with a MB-3 Tone Wheel Organ so that you can emulate the classic Hammond sound. Among its standard features are the nine drawbars that are pre-mapped to M-Audio brand USB MIDI controllers, percussion and variable key click, and three chorus and three vibrato settings. You can also control the tone of your music so that you get a variety of effects from glassy jazz chords to amazing rock leads.
What is great about the UMA25S is that it makes you feel that you have an entire band to back you up as you create your very own music. The GM-4 General MIDI Module gives you a total of 128 GM instruments that comes with a GM drum kit. It is able to play GM-compatible standard MIDI files from host applications. It also gives you an easy solution should you want to sequence additional tracks in the background.
Its award winning KeyRig modules feature their own dual effects processors for delay, chorus, phaser, and more. You are also given a section for master effects if you want to further process the combined output of all modules. Plus, the internal mixer and assignment controls allow you configure independent MIDI channels. Creating splits and layers is easy because of the design of the programs.
So why get the UMA25S? Because you can take your keyboard and laptop anywhere you want. It is compatible with AU, VST, and RTAS, which means that you can use it as sound sources for your tracks in Pro Tools, Logic, Cubase, Ableton Live, and, any other popular music software.
Features of the Behringer UMA25S
Features of the Behringer UMA25S
All keyboards were created with unique features of their own, each one boasting of their own strength. The UMA25S MIDI Controller is an extremely flexible master keyboard. It comes with a control section for a wide range of applications. You can use this for on-stage performance and even podcasting. You can have control over the computer rack synthesizers, general MIDI sound modules, and sound effects. You can also operate sequencing software or computer plug-ins from a convenient remote location with the UMA25S.
To start with, this 25 note keyboard is a stage performer that offers 25 velocity-sensitive full-sized and half-action keys. It has a USB audio interface for your other instruments and computer. If you are concerned with sound quality, this has a powerful multi-platform digital audio workstation software energyXT2. the Compact Behringer Edition is included in the package. It has an audacity audio editor that allows comprehensive podcasting software of over 100 virtual instruments and 50 sound effects.
With the UMA25S, you will have a total of 21 assignable controllers. The advanced control features such as a drawbar mode for control inversion, drum triggering, and incremental value step and octave adjustment will only enhance your experience even more. Work it with your computer because it is programmed to work with both Mac OS X and Windows (XP and Vista) programs. Its separate MIDI output allows you to have full control of external samplers, synths, and other equipment.
It’s very simple and easy to use. It runs either via USB Bus, batteries, or power adapter. The high quality built within the system ensures durability. You really get your money’s worth!
• Runs via USB bus, batteries or power adapter (not included)
• High-quality components and exceptionally rugged construction ensure long life
All keyboard controllers are not created equal. This is the one with more features, more accessories and more useful software than its competition.
The M-Audio KeyRig 25
The M-Audio KeyRig 25
This ultra-slim 25 note velocity synth-action keyboard allows you to practice your talents in music anywhere you want. Compose, practice, and perform anytime you please because it is powere via the USB, and therefore no cables are required. It comes with 8 assignable knobs and buttons should you want to tweak and adjust MIDI parameters. Compose songs using the award-winning KeyRig system software made for your computer. You can play piano, synths, and organs with this tiny breakthrough in the music industry.
The M-Audio KeyRig 25 has the ability to turn your Mac or PC into a mobile keyboard workstation. You can play KeyRig’s virtual instrument sounds and compose songs with the help of music creation programs that come with the keyboard. You can also harness the power of Apple GarageBand’s virtual instrument collection on your Mac. A single USB cable instantly connects the keyboard with your computer.
You are given a choice of presets that can hold a combination of two instruments. You can also individualize your settings for Mix, Octave, Detune, Velocity and Tone. You also have a section for dual effects with each preset with its own settings including delay, chorus, phaser, and more. Creating new sounds is possible when you combine sub-presets in different ways. Play music to your liking with UMA25S. With the KeyRig Modules, you can get your music organized. All you need to do is tweak a few parameters and add in the effects that you want. Feel like a pro with this tiny piece of equipment in your hand.