SL-990 Weighted Key MIDI Controller Keyboard
In an earlier post I talked about the Pianoteq software which I use for all of my piano sounds and I think I also mentioned that I have an SL-990 Weighted Key MIDI Controller Keyboard to play it (and all of my other virtual instruments) with.
With this post I want to emphasize important it is to use a weighted key MIDI controller such as this one (and in my research it's the best deal around for a full 88 key weighted keyboard - that's why I bought it.)
Really there's not much point in even getting Pianoteq unless you have a weighted keyboard because what makes it special (and more realistic sounding than sampled pianos) is that it is extremely responsive to the touch of the keyboard player and that touch is only going to be right if you're playing on weighted keys.
That's not to say that I only like using the SL-990 because of Pianoteq. I love the way it feels on everything. I think it helps give the sound of my virtual drum machine (I have been using Superior Drummer 2) a more "real" sound and I even like the feel of it when playing VSTi synths (some seem to disagree on this, but I like it.)
I think people often underestimate how important velocity is in giving music it's "feel." Real people don't play every note or every drum hit or every piano note with the exact same velocity so when we have static velocity in our MIDI it gives our virtual instruments a very "robotic" sound.
So much of the "groove" is created by the differences in velocity between the different notes. It's those differences in velocity that makes the music come alive. It's what makes it human. And I think the SL-990 Weighted Key Keyboard is a great way to get your "humanity" into the MIDI in your DAW.
If you've never played a weighted key keyboard, it's definitely something to check out.
As of right now this keyboard is out of stock at Amazon, but there are many other 88 weighted key MIDI controller keyboards you could buy instead.
March 15th, 2010 at 5:22 am
I should say there’s probably nothing particularly special about this weighted key keyboard, it’s just the one I have — In fact the Yamaha ones have better reviews.
March 15th, 2010 at 5:23 am
As long as it’s got weighted keys and a MIDI connection I think it should get the job done. How important 88 keys are you… that really depends on what kind of stuff you play. I like having them all, but it’s more of a luxury than a necessity for me.