Yamaha Psr I425 or Novation Launchkey MKII 61 Keyboard

Question

I'm confused whether to buy a keyboard or a Midi keyboard for learning aw well as producing music. Basically, I'm an intermediate level keyboard player and a beginner level music producer. I want to learn/practice my music at the same time I must be able to make tunes in a DAW using the same machine. What should i go for, a normal keyboard like Yamaha Psr I425 or a midi keyboard like Novation Launchkey MKII 61 Keyboard Controller to control my DAW? Which would be more useful in my case?

Answer 1

First decide what you want to do. If you primarily want to learn and do production aside, then buy the Yamaha PSR I425. You can always buy reasonably priced equipment for production when you learn to some extent. In fact, you can also use the Yamaha keyboard as a midi keyboard, though you may not have so many midi features as the Novation one may provide. Also, bear in mind that you can use the Yamaha PSR I425 as a midi keyboard but you can't use the Novation midi keyboard as a digital keyboard for learning/performing. You need a computer to make a midi keyboard function - that's what it's meant for.

In my personal opinion, learning music well (like seriously, WELL) is always the best thing to do before moving into production or related stuff.

However, if you just want to fidget with production stuff for now and just learn a petty couple of things to get started, and don't want to seriously pursue music at the moment, then, only then, you can choose to buy the Novation midi keyboard. However, since you sound like a beginner, I'd recommend working with a (smaller) 2/3 octave midi keyboard first and then moving to a bigger keyboard. You can, for example, buy the Akai Professional LPK25 Laptop Performance MIDI Keyboard to begin with. It'll cost you about INR 5000 (USD 75 ~ approx). This is if you choose to buy a midi keyboard at all. Also note one more thing: if your preferred DAW is FL Studio, then you better get a midi keyboard because digital keyboards just fail to work properly with FL Studio when connected via midi.

[P.S. A DAW ideal for using with Digital keyboards connected as midi keyboard is Cosos Reaper.]

Answer 2

First; I am not a musician, I am an audio engineer. Second, I disagree fairly strongly with the given answer. Not that the solutions as given are wrong, but they are not the highest priority. The highest priority is, how powerful and reliable is your DAW? followed closely by do you have an audio interface?

If your DAW is new and/or under warranty, and you have an audio interface, I think that there is no point buying a Yamaha unless you like the sound. You can easily do everything you need in terms of practice with a software synth, and in my experience things like Synthesia reduce the learning curve geometrically. Even assuming you have no interface (just whatever audio is on the mainboard or an expansion card or something) you will still save learning time and have far more strategic flexibility when it comes to sounds.

Answer 3

Novation Launchkey MKII is an instrument for music makers and sound specialists to work inside their studio and Digital Audio workstations, essentially only a MIDI controller… nothing else

It doesn't have its very own sound, it has no speakers or even Phones OUT port to let you interface any speakers, it isn't so much that you take it out off box, associate the force connector and begin playing, which deciphers that you can't play anything out of the PC

Its a controller for VST instruments in DAWs ( and you need an amazing PC or Mac with Logic, Protools, FL Studio, Cubase, Ableton Live, Nuendo, Reaper, Sony ACID, Bitwig, Reason or any DAW software(purchased independently) with VSTs (again bought independently) so as to deliver sound.

It needs a DAW with loads of top-notch samplers or Virtual Studio Instruments which is really the sound source, with bunches of controls to control the impacts in the product instrument… it fills in as a thought of making a device for music makers as opposed to extraordinary playing.

Novation doesn't have a sound of its own!!!!!!

Yamaha, then again, is for performing, in front of an audience or off stage..its a total bundle. It has its own sound. You remove it from the case, interface the force supply and turn it on… you can play it. You needn't bother with a PC, a lot of screens or media speakers all things considered and can begin playing just with the console, and regardless, you need the console to be in a confounded studio, you can purchase a basic Printer Cable to associate PC and Keyboard and introduce drivers and it will work like a restricted MIDI console with no tweak haggle.

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