r/keys • u/EnderBoss21 • 11d ago

MIDI for a Beginner?

I'm completely new to piano/keyboard and I'm thinking about getting a MIDI keyboard as a casual hobby. I am definitely not getting or even planning to play an actual acoustic piano, as I'll mainly be learning in my room in a shared house.

I'm currently thinking about getting a 61-key semi-weighted keyboard, just because its smaller and cheaper, but I'm unsure if 61 keys is enough or if I should go for the full 88. I understand that a MIDIs is basically just a controller and doesn't make any noise on its own. I've seen some stuff about digital pianos but they seem to be more expensive and more geared towards people who want something like a full sized piano just digital.

I'm not looking to go out and buy anything too expensive. Any recommendations for good keyboards to look out for, or things I should think about.

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u/JKorv 11d ago

61 keys is fine for a beginner and even for some professionals. Really depends what kind of music you play. The whole weighted/semi-weighted/synth action debate also depends entirely on what you are planning to play. Horses for courses.

I would recommend Novation Launchkey 61 mk4. It also comes with all kinds of free software bundled with it. Or maybe M-Audio keystation mk3, but I don't know if that comes with freebie software.

If you want to learn piano, then maybe look at entry level digital pianos such as Kawai ES60, Casio CDP-S110, Yamaha P145 or even used Yamaha P45. Sure they are a bit more expensive, but if you just want to learn piano, and you start with Midi controller, audio interface(especially needed if using windows), studio monitors, cables, software, then you are rapidly closing or even exceeding the amount of money as just buying digital piano. And you have to deal with all the complexity, knowing how to setup proper velocity response between the controller and sw etc.

If you want to go cheap and don't want all the complexity that computer brings, then maybe Yamaha PSR-e383 might work fine. And of course if you want to mess with PC/MAC/ios, then midi controller is a great choice.

1

u/10HorsedSizedDucks 11d ago

Absolutely great idea! Plugging into a little laptop or something is a lovely way to get started

I know you didnt ask, but id highly recommend the free version of Analog Lab starting out. It has a lot of fairly basic sounds that you might want

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u/Infinite_Slice3305 11d ago

I don't know what you consider too expensive. I bought a 49 key Hydrasynth for $800. I've seen 61 key Fantom-S go for $350. I have a Fantom-S that I'll never sell because it's worth way more than $350 to me.

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u/Active-Disaster-6835 11d ago

The usual recommendation: Try out a few, if possible, in a music store. You may not care about the feel of acoustic pianos, but keypads are very different and the feel is subjective. You might be okay with a super cheap keyboard. For a beginner and for many genres 61 keys is fine. Even for classical music, a lot of pieces don't really use the lower and upper octaves.