New To Song Writing

[Ray]

I am new to song writing; but I already have a program for writing music. So I hope to get started with a song pretty soon

I play the piano, and the saxophone.

I am thinking about getting this Midi Controller

But I am only just learning about them. So I don't know if I need anything else for it, or how it will write the music onto my program. I also want to understand what else it can do.

[Nightwolf]

Midi is a mystery to me, but I wanted to say welcome anyway!!

Your link is broken too

[Steve]

Hi Ray. Welcome to Songstuff. What do you need to know? Try to fix the link or just post the name of the item and we'll jfgi ok?

[john]

Hi Ray

Welcome to Songstuff!

What music program do you have?

What sound card do you have?

We'll try and help.

Cheers

John

[typo]

welcome ray

[sub7th]

Hey Ray!

Another noob here, good to see Im not alone.

MIDI rocks!

But a lot of new MIDI controllers can simply use USB, from there you can strap in to your recording application or DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) and use VSTs (Virtual Synths)

Once you get into VSTs you're going to be a very happy guy, especially if you play piano.

Just about any instrument you can dream up and some you cant will be right there at your finger tips.

[musicthom]

Hi and welcome

[Ray]

Hi Ray. Welcome to Songstuff. What do you need to know? Try to fix the link or just post the name of the item and we'll jfgi ok?

Here is the link to the midi controller I was looking at. http://www.zzounds.com/item--MDOKEYSTAT88ES

[Ray]

Hi Ray

Welcome to Songstuff!

What music program do you have?

What sound card do you have?

We'll try and help.

Cheers

John

The program I have, is called "Note Worthy Composer" (NWC).

But I'm not sure how to find which sound card I have.

[Rudi]

Hi Ray,

Welcome

[Steve]

Hi Ray.

The midi control keyboard looks great! And Note Worthy Composer looks pretty good too. The thing to remember with a midi controler is, it will only send information. It won't make any sounds. In other words. If you play a few notes on the keyboard, it will send the information that you have played those particular notes, at a certain volume, for a set amount of time! If you send that information to your program, it will store that information in the form of notation, but you will need to play it back through something to get any sounds out of it! SO. I would suggest you load up a midi file and see if it will play, and what kind of sounds you have available! Before we stun you with VSTs and stuff!

[sub7th]

^^Agreed^^

Another thing you may want to consider Ray, if you haven't already bought the controller (great price by the way), is that while it's tempting to get the 88key simply because it's big, as you get into MIDI and VST's it's also nice to have the extra controls.

Even in live situations you can sometimes get by with the 61 key arrangements especially if they have the octave shift buttons.

If you're playing classical... well get the 88 or you may get frustrated.

Oh and semi-weighted to M-Audio means "Not-Weighted-At-All" as far as I can tell.

Just in-case that was a selling point for you, get ready to be dissapointed, I certainly was.

I have the Axiom 61, love the controls but the keys feel like standard cheap keyboard keys to me, you get used to it though.

Oh yeah, dont forget a pedal for sustain.

When you're ready to invest in a piano VST, there are, in my opinion 2 that you should seriously consider.

Steinways "The Grand" and if you're feeling like spending a lot, "Ivory" by synthogy.

I have Ivory and... wow.

If you've ever played a Kurzweil K2600XS or heard of Kurzweils Steinway grand piano samples, Ivory has updated versions of those samples.

Edited October 29, 2007 by sub7th

[Ray]

Hi Ray.

The midi control keyboard looks great! And Note Worthy Composer looks pretty good too. The thing to remember with a midi controler is, it will only send information. It won't make any sounds. In other words. If you play a few notes on the keyboard, it will send the information that you have played those particular notes, at a certain volume, for a set amount of time! If you send that information to your program, it will store that information in the form of notation, but you will need to play it back through something to get any sounds out of it! SO. I would suggest you load up a midi file and see if it will play, and what kind of sounds you have available! Before we stun you with VSTs and stuff!

NWC has plenty of different sounds to chose from, but will it play back the sounds as I am recording the midi files? I want to here what I am playing.

[Ray]

Oh and semi-weighted to M-Audio means "Not-Weighted-At-All" as far as I can tell.

Just in-case that was a selling point for you, get ready to be dissapointed, I certainly was.

I have the Axiom 61, love the controls but the keys feel like standard cheap keyboard keys to me, you get used to it though.

Oh yeah, dont forget a pedal for sustain.

I'm just happy to have found a midi controller for $200. But I agree, It would be better to get a controller with weighted keys. It's nice to have the feel of a real piano.

[Ray]

Here is another 88-key midi controller for the same price,

I don't know if it is any better, or any worse than the first one that I posted.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Stu...amp;src=3WFRWXX

[sub7th]

I'd go with the M-audio over that one.

Simply because it has a wheel.

Honestly, when you look for a midi controller you're looking for just that "control" aside from that is the feel, but if you cant afford a fully weighted controller (and most of us cant) just look for control.

Well and quality build obviously.

You have to remember that with midi, you're not limited to just piano, you can play any intrument and/or weird noise through it that you can imagine.

All Vst's come with some controls and knobs in the digital interface but if you're like most people, you prefer having a physical knob, pad, key or wheel to turn or play with rather than a digital graphic that you have to click just right with your mouse.

You may also want to look at whether it can use USB or both MIDI and USB.

A lot of synths double as Midi controllers as well.