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A MIDI keyboard or controller keyboard is typically a
File:Akai MPK mini MK2 - 2014 NAMM Show (by Matt Vanacoro).jpg, Akai MPK mini MK2
File:M-Audio Oxygen 49 3 2018-11-25.jpg, M-Audio Oxygen 49
File:Samson Graphite 25 MIDI keyboard.jpg, Samson Graphite 25
File:AKAI MPK49.jpg, Akai MPK49
File:Arturia KeyLab 49 - 2014 NAMM Show (by Matt Vanacoro).jpg, Arturia KeyLab 49
MIDI Keyboard Limits
an interactive animation by Michael Schreiber,
Why MIDI matters (midi.org)
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MIDI Controller Buying GuideWaterfall KeyKeyboard RecommendationsROLI Seaboard Rise
{{DEFAULTSORT:Midi Keyboard Keyboard instruments MIDI controllers Electric and electronic keyboard instruments
A MIDI keyboard or controller keyboard is typically a piano
A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
-style electronic musical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, sho ...
, often with other buttons, wheels and sliders, used as a MIDI controller
A MIDI controller is any hardware or software that generates and transmits Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) data to MIDI-enabled devices, typically to trigger sounds and control parameters of an electronic music performance. They mos ...
for sending Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI
Musical Instrument Digital Interface (; MIDI) is an American-Japanese technical standard that describes a communication protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, ...
) commands over a USB or MIDI 5-pin cable to other musical devices or computers. MIDI keyboards lacking an onboard sound module
A sound module is an electronic musical instrument without a human-playable interface such as a piano-style musical keyboard. Sound modules have to be operated using an externally connected device, which is often a MIDI controller, of which th ...
cannot produce sounds themselves, however, some models of MIDI keyboards contain both a MIDI controller and sound module.
When it is used as a MIDI controller, MIDI information on keys or buttons the performer has pressed is sent to a receiving device capable of creating sound through modeling synthesis, sample playback, or an analog hardware instrument. The receiving device could be:
*a computer running a digital audio workstation
A digital audio workstation (DAW ) is an electronic device or application software used for Sound recording and reproduction, recording, editing and producing audio files. DAWs come in a wide variety of configurations from a single software pr ...
(DAW) or a standalone audio plugin (alternatively, the computer could be used to re-route the MIDI signal to other devices)
*a sound module
A sound module is an electronic musical instrument without a human-playable interface such as a piano-style musical keyboard. Sound modules have to be operated using an externally connected device, which is often a MIDI controller, of which th ...
*a digital (digital piano
A digital piano is a type of electronic keyboard instrument designed to serve primarily as an alternative to the traditional acoustic piano, both in how it feels to play and in the sound it produces. Digital pianos use either synthesized emula ...
/stage piano
A stage piano is an electronic musical instrument designed for use in live performances on stage (theatre), stage or in a studio, as well as for music recording in Jazz and popular music. While stage pianos share some of the same features as d ...
) or analog (synthesizer
A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
) hardware instrument with MIDI capability, such as a drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...
While many digital and analog hardware keyboards in the aforementioned categories of digital piano, stage piano, and synthesizer can be used as MIDI controllers if they have MIDI capability, they often do not offer the same level of software integration and number of MIDI-mappable controls as a dedicated MIDI keyboard. MIDI keyboards are often utilized by individuals who work with DAWs and software instruments, from hobbyists to professional musicians working in recording studios or concert stages.
Gallery
External links
MIDI Keyboard Limits
an interactive animation by Michael Schreiber,
The Wolfram Demonstrations Project
The Wolfram Demonstrations Project is an open-source collection of interactive programmes called Demonstrations. It is hosted by Wolfram Research. At its launch, it contained 1300 demonstrations but has grown to over 10,000. The site won a Pa ...
, 2007.Why MIDI matters (midi.org)
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MIDI Controller Buying Guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Midi Keyboard Keyboard instruments MIDI controllers Electric and electronic keyboard instruments