Midi controller

[PHV]

What does a midi controller?

I like bigger symphonic sounds and I'm learning Reason... is a good midi controller what I need? I almost bouht something today then I decided to come back here and rethink it.

 

[KENWOP]

yea a midi keyboard would help you alot with your sound just look around ,find out how much you wanna spend and your good

 

[sYgMa]

A midi controller is basically a keyboard with no sound. Normally, you would have it as a keyboard, but it could also take the form of a drum kit, a guitar, or a trigger...

Basically, the midi controller sends out infos to a midi device. When I say midi device, I mean a machine that can support midi inputs.

When you play it, the infos on the note you want to play (pitch, length, volume, modulations...) are read my the midi device and you hear the sounds of the midi device itself. Since Reason can accept midi inputs, that means that you can play all the sounds in Reason with the midi controller...

So, to sum everything up, if you want to play your beats (in real time) with a keyboard, a midi controller IS what you need. What you would have to look for is what kind do you need (number of keys, other accentuators like the pitch bend, modulation wheel and other knobs that can send out other infos to Reason...)

http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=products.list&ID=midikeyboardcontrollers
M-Audio got some real nice controllers

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/TriggerFinger-main.html
That's a midi trigger finger, for the drums... if you want...

 

[Elementree]

Or if you use Fl, I dont use reason that much. But in FL you dont even need a midi controller. It has piano roll, which is a built in midi controller that lets you place the notes in sequence in a pattern. This works real well with me because sometimes I have real complex melodies I want to play, that I, myself, couldnt play on a keyboard. A midi controller is good if your already a keyboard player and you want to make your beats with that

Peace,
Cincinnatti, OH.

 

[nydacaun]

Reason has a piano roll too, Elementree.

 

[sYgMa]

A midi controller is not ONLY to play a melody, the thing is, playing with a midi controller, a finger trigger, etc... is to have a more human feel to a beat. Being able to play it helps but it's not necessary to play around with it... having different velocities, having a beat with more swing makes for more interesting beats.

You can do it without a midi controller, but having the midi controller makes the process easier.