So, I want to buy my first MIDI Keyboard - PLZ Answer a Few Questions!

[Fila]

OK, so I have saved up and decided to buy my first MIDI Keyboard. I need to ask a few questions:

1. Can I use a MIDI Keyboard to play the piano roll and VST's ?

2. Can I only play the piano roll with a MIDI Controller or any keyboard with a MIDI IN/OUT?

3. What is a generic MIDI Keyboard?

4. What can I do using the pitch / modulation wheels? What are they for?

Thanks, this is my first investment in some hardware so I really appreciate any feedback or anything additional u might add.

Fila

 

[numerike]

1. Yes that's it's main purpose. Most controllers come with knobs which are assignable to other parameters such as volume/panning.

2. Any keyboard that transmits MIDI signals to the VST can be used to play the piano roll. But if you go for cheap ones you most likely wouldnt get velocity sensative keys.

3. Generic as in the cheapest? Or the most common? I'm not sure on cheapest... But the most common is probably the midiman Oxygen 8, as it is good for its value, and does what most people want out of a midi controller.

4. The pitch controller, basically controlls the pitch of a sample/synth loaded as long as the VST supports pitchchanging. If you dont know what pitch is... I don't know exactly what mod wheel is for as i dont use it, but its basically for bending the sound or something along those lines...

Good decision on this being your first hardware investment as it is a huge advantage having a controller for producers using software.