You should go for MIDI and digital keyboard piano if you plan to the types of piano that most suitable and will be very creatively productive for songwriting.
Songwriting has become more exciting and challenging because of the endless creative possibilities that MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) and digital keyboards are offering. Image optimizer freeware. It becomes more convenient because all the tools that you need are readily available. You just have to find the right brand and model by checking on their features and specs.
2 Major Types of Keyboards That Most Suitable For Songwriters
The NV5 is the latest addition to Kawai's NOVUS series of pianos. It features the Millennium III Hybrid upright piano action with real damper mechanism, Bluetooth MIDI and audio connectivity, and great piano sounds, including the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX grand piano sounds. What is An Upright Piano; How to Connect A MIDI Keyboard to An iPad; Menu. Best Electric Piano Under 1000 – Top Digital Pianos You Can Buy. Ordinarily, an electric piano is a very expensive gadget. That stems from the fact that it is packed with tons of elegant features. Because of this expensive aspect of the pianos, not many.
Keep in mind that the MIDI keyboard does not have an onboard sound card, so it cannot produce music by itself; it is a controller keyboard with knobs, buttons, sliders, and wheels that are used to control or manipulate the virtual instruments on your computer or other musical devices. These devices should have Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), standalone Virtual Studio Technology (VST)/Audio Unit (AU) instrument, a sound module, or an analog or digital hardware instrument with MIDI capability.
You would need the software such as Ableton Live and Maschine 2.x for Mac and PC as well as Logic Pro X only for Mac for the MIDI controller with the plug and play functionality. As soon as you plug it, the program recognizes it, and you can begin playing after loading the virtual instrument.
It is ideal if you start with something basic for your MIDI controller, such as the M-AUDIO 88 Keystation. You can download the Melodics desktop app for free (a limited time offer), which has over 60 lessons that can guide you in playing with MIDI keyboards, drums, and pad controllers. The M-AUDIO has 61 – 88 full-sized semi-weighted keys that are velocity-sensitive and has the essential controls so you can play with the notes. You can plug in an external control pedal such as the SP-2 pedal for authentic piano sustain. It comes with Ableton Live Lite that would enable composing, improvising, remixing, editing, and recording your music creations.
You can also look into a digital keyboard with a built-in sound card, so you would only need the software if you want to record your songs.
However, digital keyboard piano, I would recommend you to consider the keyboard workstation if budget is not an issue for you. The digital keyboard can be used as a standalone /all-in-one beat-making or songwriting equipment as it has a built-in sound card that can run all the sound modules independently without using DAW on your laptop or computer.
Indeed, it is enough to create unlimited music ideas as a songwriter with these essential features (substantial sound library, loping, sequencer, and recording) provided with a keyboard alone.
List of Best Keyboards (MIDI, Workstation & Piano Keyboards) For Songwriting
Here are the top keyboards for songwriting that you should know about:
The WK-7600 has an easy-to-use interface that contains 820 tones that you can modify or shape using envelopes, filters, DSP (Digital Signal Processing) effects, and other tools. There are nine sliders on the front panel that control the harmonic overtone levels of the 50 drawbar organ tones to produce the rich organ sound. With a 17-track sequencer, you can do multi-track recording so you can layer piano, bass, or guitar onto the drum part. It is capable of step and real-time recording. It has 260 preset rhythms and 100 user-created rhythms, and with access to various styles such as jazz, rock, classical, or pop, you can be more creative with the song or music that you are working on.
You can save your song creations as an audio file to Secure Digital High-Capacity (SDHC) cards or convert to Standard MIDI File (SMF) format then store it in an SD card. Casio offers free DATA Manager 6.0 computer software to convert your recording to the WAV file.
The Yamaha MX88 is a portable and lightweight synth that measures 6.6 x 52 x 16 inches and weighs 30.6 pounds. It has 88 full-sized, touch-sensitive keys and actually offers the same acoustic piano-feels with its Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) weighted action that is lighter in the high keys and heavier in the low keys.
Songwriters who are used to the traditional acoustic piano but also wanted the perks of a synth would find the perfect solution in the Yamaha MX88, which is part of the MOTIF series. It comes with 1000 voices, 8 elements, 128 notes of polyphony, and 16 track sequences to help you create music for worship service or stage performances. It can also recreate the sound of vintage effects and high-end signal processors with its VCM or Virtual Circuitry Modeling.
It is compatible with the DAW software, software synths for PC and Mac, and iOS applications, and it is USB audio and MIDI compliant making it convenient for songwriting, recording, playing, and listening to what you are making so you can make the necessary changes to get your music right.
Content aware fill cs4. You have all that you will need for songwriting with the Korg Kross 2 synth workstation. It offers a natural weighted hammer action keybed giving you a realistic piano-style hammer that is most heavy at the lower register and goes lighter as it moves toward the higher register; it has 88 keys without aftertouch.
You can expect more power with its 120 voices polyphony, 128 programs, 1,075 presets, 27 drum track patterns, step MIDI sequencers, sample trigger pads, and sampling engine. It has many program modes to choose from depending on what you want to do, including play individual sounds or combined sounds (splits and layers) and plays in sequencer mode. You can attach a damper pedal for sustaining notes. There are knobs, buttons, and dials to access the programs and features of the synth. You would have to explore and familiarize yourself with all these so you can play and work with ease.
The Korg Kross 2-88-MB is portable so that you can bring it with you anywhere. It is not heavy at 12.3 kg, but it is long. There is a large compartment for the batteries, USB cable, and power supply cable, so you would not worry about misplacing them. You will find it more convenient to have the keyboard stand and case when you are traveling or using the synth, so make sure that you get them as these accessories are sold separately.
One of the best things about Yamaha MODX8 is having two engines, namely the AWM2 (Advanced Wave Memory 2) and the FM-X (Frequency Modulation). The AWM2 synthesis engine has 8 programmable synths with 18 different types of filter, nine low-frequency oscillations, 3-band equalizer, envelope generators (filter, pitch, and amplitude), and Virtual Circuitry Modeling for dual insert effect. The FM-X synth engine can produce Electronic Dance Music or EDM sounds. The MODX features 192-note polyphony with 128-note of AWM2 polyphony and 64-note of FM-X polyphony.
Another great feature of this Yamaha keyboard is the Seamless Sound Switching (SSS) that lets you switch from one song to another without stopping during live performances and not worry about any cutoff in effects or envelope.
It has 88-note GHS weighted keybed; a Super Knob that is able to control all 128 parameters at the same time from mix functions such as volume and effect to synth parameters such as Operators, filters, and LFOs; motion sequences that are customizable; an envelope follower; and the Audio Beat Sync that synchronizes the Motion Sequencer or MODX arpeggiator to the tempo of the external device like the drum machine or drum kit.
The Yamaha MODX8 weighs 42.4 pounds so you can bring it with you wherever you go, especially with the MODX premium case that would protect your keyboard, and it has pockets for cables and pedals.
Roland A-88MKII 88-Key MIDI Keyboard Controller (A-88MK2)
Roland boasts of the A-88MKII MIDI keyboard controller for its playability, which musicians, producers, and songwriters would greatly appreciate. When you are creating music or playing, you want to be able to do it with ease, even if you are dealing with the extensive features of your MIDI controller. The PHA-4 keybed offers 88 responsive and sensitive ivory-feel weighted keys. There are 8 control knobs and 8 pads that are assignable, keyboard split selection, built‑in arpeggiator, pitch/mod wheel, 3 key zones that are customizable, and other program controls; all of these are on the left side of the keyboard.
The A-88MK2 comes with a control app for Mac and PC that allows you to customize the program controls, knobs, and pads according to your preferences. With the SnapShot function, you can save several configurations for quick recall. It has MIDI connectivity.
The Roland A-88MKII is more suitable for the studio environment as it has a shallow depth design that can easily fit into your compact home studio desk.
The Yamaha MX61 has a MOTIF sound engine with 61 full-sized velocity-sensitive keys, more than 1000 sounds derived from the MOTIF XS series, 16-part multi-timbral and 128-note polyphony, 200 sequencer patterns, 1,106 voices, and 61 drum kits, VCM effects, dedicated split, and layer performance modes, hands-on control over DAWs and VSTs, and bi-directional interface. It has plug-and-play connectivity. It has all the essential features that would enable you to flex your creativity in writing music.
The MX61 is more suitable for the musician, especially for those beginner songwriters that are looking for a more budgeted keyboard station that packed with the essential songwriting and music-making features.
The M-Audio Oxygen MIDI controller comes with 61 full-sized synth-action velocity-sensitive keys, a set of eight velocity-sensitive pads, and assignable controls, making this keyboard controller one of the best in terms of playability.
It features eight knobs and nine sliders that are all assignable, dedicated transport and select track buttons, and built-in factory presets for popular virtual instruments. You have complete control over creating, mixing, editing, recording, and producing your music. It is compatible with Ableton Live, Logic, Pro Tools, Cubase, and other DAW application software.
The control layout is divided into sections for first-time users to easily navigate the music‑making tools. You can connect to an iOS device with Apple's Camera Connection Kit and then use your Oxygen keyboard to monitor and control virtual instrument apps as well as the multi-track recording.
Piano Midis Free
As you can see, all the MIDI and digital keyboards that are available today come equipped with the latest technology as well as the best specs and features. It is now only a matter of choosing what you can afford, what you need exactly, and what you can handle.
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Mention the word hybrid today and most people think of cars that combine a traditional internal-combustion engine with an electric motor to improve gas mileage and reduce emissions. By definition, a hybrid — whether a rose, a breed of dog, or a car — is a composite: the result of the combination of two different backgrounds or technologies. Now the piano has joined the ranks of the hybrids.
A hybrid piano combines electronic, mechanical, and/or acoustical aspects of both acoustic and digital pianos, in order to improve or expand the capabilities of the resulting instrument. But while the term hybrid piano is relatively new, the practice of combining elements from acoustic and digital pianos is more than 25 years old.
A hybrid piano can be created from an acoustic or a digital piano, but we need to be clear about our definitions of acoustic and digital. The essential difference between acoustic and digital pianos is in how each produces sound. In an acoustic piano, a sound is produced by the mechanical act of a hammer hitting strings, which causes the strings to vibrate. In a digital piano, the sound is produced electronically, either by playing a recording of a note previously digitally sampled (recorded) from an acoustic piano, or by physical modeling, in which a mathematical algorithm closely approximates the sound of that note on an acoustic piano. (Here we're speaking only of that aspect of a digital piano that is designed to produce a piano-like sound. Digitals typically also can produce the sounds of many other instruments and non-instruments.)
Acoustic-based Hybrids: the MIDI Controller
The first hybrid pianos were not new instruments, but modifications of already existing acoustic pianos. In 1982, with the advent of the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), a computer language for electronic musical instruments, instruments from different makers could 'speak' to one another. Soon after, various kinds of mechanical contacts were invented for placement under the keys to sense keystroke information such as note, key velocity, and duration, and convert it into MIDI data. This MIDI information was then routed to synthesizers, which turned the information into whatever instrumental sounds the attached synthesizer was programmed to produce. When one instrument is used to control another in this manner through the transmission of MIDI information, the first instrument is called a MIDI controller. At the beginning, however, the sound of the acoustic piano could not be turned off, though it could be muffled in vertical hybrids.
Early mechanical key contacts were subject to breakdown, or infiltration by dust, and their presence could sometimes be felt by sensitive players, which interfered with their playing. The more advanced key contacts or sensors used today involve touch films or optical sensors that are more reliable and accurate, and add no significant weight to the touch. In time, too, mechanisms were invented for shutting off the acoustic piano sound entirely, either by blocking the hammers from hitting the strings, or by tripping (escaping) the action's train of force earlier than normal, so that the hammers lacked the velocity needed to reach the strings. Headphones would block out any remaining mechanical noise, leaving only the sounds of the electronic instrument.
Not surprisingly, most makers of these MIDI controller/acoustic hybrid systems have been manufacturers of electronic player-piano systems. The same MIDI sensor strip used under the keys of these systems for their Record feature (which allows players to record their own playing for later playback) can also transmit the MIDI information to a digital sound source: either an internal source that comes with the piano (a soundcard) or an external source, such as a synthesizer or a computer with appropriate software installed. All player-piano systems today allow, through MIDI control, for the accompaniment of the acoustic piano sound by digitally produced sound, be they other piano-like sounds, other instrumental sounds, or even entire orchestras.
In addition to the accompaniment function, it turns out that these hybrid systems in which the acoustic piano can be silenced potentially have another very practical function. If your playing is likely to meet with objections from neighbors or family, being able to silence the piano and then play as loudly as you want, while listening through headphones, can be very handy. Realizing this, the major player-piano manufacturers make the MIDI controller feature available—without the player piano—relatively inexpensively. These MIDI controllers include a MIDI sensor strip under the keys, or optical sensors for keys and hammers, but no hardware and electronics that would make the piano keys move on their own. Usually, these systems come with a stop rail or other mechanical device to prevent the hammers from hitting the strings, as well as an internal digital sound source and headphones. When you move a lever to stop the acoustic piano sound, you turn on the digital sound source, which is heard through the headphones. Yamaha calls their version of this instrument Silent Piano; a variant whose digital piano sound is broadcast by the acoustic piano's soundboard is called TransAcoustic. Kawai calls their hybrid piano series—including one model with a soundboard speaker system—AnyTime. PianoDisc calls their two add-on systems QuietTime and ProRecord; QRS's version is SilentPNO.
But the accompaniment and 'silent' functions of a hybrid MIDI controller/acoustic piano are only the beginning of what it can do. Just as the MIDI signal can be sent to a synthesizer or soundcard, it can also be sent to a personal computer or transmitted over the Internet. Regardless of whether a MIDI controller originates in an acoustic or a digital piano, it enables the instrument to interact with music software to record, produce notation, control instrumental voices on a personal computer, or interact with other pianos in the same room or on different continents. The potential for hybrids in creating and teaching music is limited only by the imagination of the user. Notation softwares—e.g., MakeMusic's Finale, Avid's Sibelius, and GenieSoft's Overture—allow the hybrid piano's keystrokes to be converted to music notation. This notation can be edited, transposed, split into parts for different instruments, played back, and printed out. The possibilities for teaching are perhaps even more powerful. Taking a lesson from a teacher in a different state, or a master class from a performer in a different country, becomes feasible with hybrid technology, particularly when combined with the player-piano features. Exacting copies of performances can be sent to similarly equipped instruments for playback, and critiques—with musical examples—can be sent back to the student. Some systems enable this interaction in real time over broadband connections, complete with synchronized video.
As we've said, most of the activity in the field of acoustic hybrids has been among player-piano makers, whose offerings have been either specialized (Silent Piano) or add-ons (QuietTime, SilentPNO). However, MIDI capabilities are now standard in all acoustic pianos, vertical and grand, made by Story & Clark, a subsidiary of QRS, the only piano maker so far to have done this. If you add a stop rail to silence the piano (available from QRS) and a sound source, you could turn one of these instruments into a 'silent' hybrid like those described above. But even without those additions, a Story & Clark piano can be used with a personal computer and music software for recording, notation, controlling computer-produced instrumental voices, or any of the myriad other uses possible with a MIDI controller.
Digital-based Hybrids: Replicating the Acoustic Experience
Now, you may wonder: If you're going to use a piano to interact with a computer, play piano sounds silently, or make the sounds of other instruments, why bother with an acoustic piano at all? Why not just use a digital piano or keyboard of some kind? The reason: the experience. Digital pianos are long on functionality but short on, so to speak, atmosphere. For those used to the looks, touch, tone, or other, less tangible aspects of acoustic pianos, digital pianos, in their 'pure' form, just don't cut it—so digital piano makers have spent a great deal of time, energy, and money trying to mimic one or more of these aspects of acoustic pianos. The closer they get to duplicating the experience of playing an acoustic piano, the more they earn the right to the designation hybrid—because, when you get down to it, the purpose of playing an acoustic piano is the experience.
The first aspect of acoustic pianos that digital piano makers mimicked was, of course, their looks—indeed, a large segment of the digital piano market consists of acoustic-piano look-alikes. But that alone isn't enough to earn the label hybrid. Next, the action mechanism of the acoustic piano found its way into the digital piano. Much engineering has gone into the numerous action designs in digitals, always in the attempt to make their feel and response as close as possible to those of a 'real' piano. Many digital piano actions these days have weighted and/or wooden keys with ivory-like keytops, and other enhancements that do a reasonable job of emulating an acoustic piano action; still, advanced pianists, especially players of classical music, are unlikely to be completely satisfied by most of these.
Some digital-piano models now use real or only slightly modified acoustic-piano actions to trigger the piano's sensors (the hammers are small and don't actually strike strings). With such an action, there's no need to simulate certain action processes, such as escapement, because, mechanically, those processes are what is actually occurring. The first instrument to be formally named a Hybrid Piano was Yamaha's AvantGrand series, unveiled in 2009. The AvantGrand elevated the digital piano to a new level with a number of hybrid technologies, first of which was a real piano action. All three AvantGrand models have grand-piano actions, but whereas the model N3X is also shaped like a grand, the cabinets of the lower-cost N1 and N2 are closer to that of a vertical piano (which brings up the interesting observation that whether to call a digital piano a 'grand' or a 'vertical' is not a simple decision). In 2012, Yamaha introduced the model NU1 Hybrid Piano, the first digital piano with a real vertical-piano action.
To emulate the feel of an acoustic-piano action, it's necessary to also address the feel of the dampers and pedals. When you depress the sustain pedal on most digital pianos, you're pressing a spring with constant tension. This is not how the sustain pedal feels on most acoustic pianos, in which the initial movement meets little resistance as the pedal takes up a bit of slack in the mechanism that lifts the dampers. Once the mechanism begins to actually lift the dampers, the resistance increases. Here again, the AvantGrand does a convincing job of conveying the feel and, perhaps more important, provides the degree of control available with an acoustic's sustain pedal, including half-pedaling and incremental control. Kawai's Novus NV10 Hybrid digital piano, which also uses an acoustic-piano action, goes a step further: Just as on an acoustic piano, the Novus's touch weight varies based on whether or not the sustain pedal is depressed.
Mini Upright Piano
One aspect of the traditional acoustic-vs.-digital argument that changes with the addition of a real piano action is the digital's advantage of rarely needing maintenance. While the AvantGrand, NU1, and Novus models will never need to be tuned, eventually their actions will require some degree of adjustment or regulation. (We'll bet the piano technician will be surprised when, on arriving to regulate an action, he or she finds that the 'piano' is a digital.)
Of course, makers of digital pianos have put more effort into copying the tone of the acoustic piano than any other aspect. How they've done this is beyond the scope of this article, but an interesting technique used in some models (e.g., the Kawai CS11 and CA-98) is to add to the digital an acoustic-piano soundboard, set in motion by transducers, to augment the piano's conventional speakers and give the instrument a more natural tone. Others are the installation of elaborate speaker systems, and the use of sampled concert grands. An example is the N3X's four-channel sample set and 12-speaker audio system, which easily trick the ears into thinking that considerably more than four feet of piano are in front of you. The Avant Grand and NU1 models all use samples from Yamaha concert grands for their sounds; the Novus uses samples from a Shigeru Kawai concert grand.
But there's even more to copying the acoustic-piano experience than its looks, action, and tone, and this brings us to aspects that are more difficult to precisely quantify or describe. With the AvantGrand, one of these—the vibrations generated by the strings and transmitted throughout the instrument—has been duplicated. Yamaha has added this ingredient to the N2 and N3X by connecting transducers to the action to send the appropriate frequency and degree of vibration to the player's fingers through the keys. This is where the experience of playing becomes a bit spooky. Not unlike an amusement-park ride that convinces your brain that you're dodging asteroids while hurtling through space when you are, in fact, fairly stationary, the AvantGrand's Tactile Response System quickly convinces you that you're feeling the vibrations of nonexistent strings.
One area in which digital pianos are not intended to emulate acoustic instruments is that of price. Most hybrid pianos that can provide the sound of and, in some cases, the experience of playing a concert grand, are priced similarly to a company's least expensive acoustic grands and verticals. Actually, such comparisons are barely possible—the acoustics lack many of the digitals' features, such as onboard recording, USB memory, transposition, and alternate tunings.
Which Side Are You On?
As the market for hybrid pianos grows, buyers will increasingly have to choose between acoustic pianos with digital enhancements and digital pianos that try to re-create the acoustic experience. Decisions will be made by weighing the relative quality, and importance to the buyer, of action, tone, looks, and features, as well as price. More advanced classical pianists whose digital needs are modest, and buyers who, among other things, are looking to fill a living room with a large, impressive piece of furniture, will probably tend to stick with the acoustic-based hybrid, at least for now. Those whose musical needs are more general, or who have a strong interest in digital features, may find digital-based hybrids more cost-effective.
Another factor that may come into play is that of life expectancy. Making a podcast with audacity. A good acoustic piano will typically function well for 40 or 50 years, if not longer. Few digital pianos made 15 to 20 years ago are still in use, due either to technological obsolescence or to wear. True, the relevant technologies have evolved, as has the design of digital pianos and the quality of their construction. However, if past experience is any guide, pianos that are largely acoustic but include digital enhancement may well last for many decades; digital pianos enhanced with acoustic-like features are unlikely to last as long.
Midi Piano File
The piano has evolved a great deal since Bartolomeo Cristofori invented it in 1700, and that evolution continues. Today it's possible to buy a piano with an ABS-Carbon action (Kawai), a carbon-fiber soundboard (Steingraeber Phoenix), or one that looks as if it was made for the Starship Enterprise. The hybrid piano's blending of acoustic and digital technologies is just another step—or branch—in that evolution.
