first production keyboard

Performance & Techniques Music Production
1

first production keyboard

Hi guys,

in a couple of weeks im planning on buying my first keyboard for production, ive been using the laptop keyboard and mouse up until now, learning the basics, but cant help but feel im being held back.

I will have about £150 to spend and so am considering my options, i want something that is honestly too much for me right now but that i can grow into, i was looking at the alesis qx 49 http://www.htfr.com/p/389147/alesis_qx49_usb_midi_keyboard_controller

and the m-audio oxygen 49 http://www.htfr.com/p/389147/alesis_qx49_usb_midi_keyboard_controller

a friend of mine has the latter and swears by it, my questions are: are the drum pads essential? which is the better k/b,? and finally is there anything else that you would reccomend for the same money, just to stress i can’t go above the £150 mark.

edit: will my ni audio 4 suffice for the time being as an interface or do i need to get a specific one?

thanks in advance, brian.

2

I personally gave the AKAI MPK Mini a go and didnt regret it till this day. Youve got pads, knobs, a well built keyboard and are able to program all this stuff to your needings. works great with traktor as well. I mapped the midi-fighter deckalized mapping to it and just love it! I’m not quite sure how much it is in the UK, but here it’s 90 Euros, I got mine for just 60 on Ebay.

Greetings.

3

akai mkk’s and the newer m audio axioms (the one’s with semi weighted keys) are the only one’s I would invest my money into. Those are out of your price range though. I would grab one of the older m audio axiom 25s to get the most bang for your buck. used one before and they are pretty good and have more features than the one’s you posted for the same price range

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i use a cme uf-5… they don’t make that model anymore but damn its sexy, with actual metal weights under each key. and i have a 24/192 firewire expansion to it :smiley: such an amazing board. but if you want straight midi that works just go with m-audio, midi is midi kind of hard to screw it up :smiley: just get something that feels good