use keyboard controller with virtual midi piano keyboard

#Use keyboard controller with virtual midi piano keyboard how to#

You get four variations of 64 backing styles that switch Ableton-like on the next downbeat after you trigger them. In Song mode they act as transport controls for recording and playing back the currently selected song, while in Style mode they allow you to select variations of the current style, fills, intros and endings. Korg i3: Moving more into workstation territory, the slimmer-profile i3 adds more sounds and an onboard sequencer to the EK-50’s existing feature set.Ĭasio CT-X5000 (opens in new tab): Casio’s 61-key arranger keyboard has twin 15W speakers, phrase pads and is compatible with the Casio Music Space app.īacklit either red or green, the eight rubbery-feeling buttons arranged to the right of the volume control have dual function, depending on whether you have Song or Style mode selected. Yamaha PSR E473 (opens in new tab): 61-key arranger keyboard from Yamaha that features a USB interface, groove creator and over 800 tones

#Use keyboard controller with virtual midi piano keyboard how to#

The pale orange backlit LCD display will continually show the chord you’re playing in the top right corner, while a keyboard display along the bottom indicates what notes you’re currently playing, which is useful when you’re trying to work out how to play a song. Simple enough, but from the front panel decals alone, inscrutable enough to cause some head-scratching for new users. Volume adjustments seem to be mostly achieved by holding down the button for the function I wanted to adjust and then use the jog wheel to make the adjustment. This state can be returned to at any point by pressing the red Grand Piano button on the control panel.īeyond that, the interface isn’t the easiest to get to grips with - without conventional four-arrow navigation controls or an exit button, on first examination I couldn’t figure out how to change the tempo of the current style (I had to hold down the Shift button and spin the jog wheel to do this) or back out of a mode and get back to the voice selection screen.īasic adjustments like accompaniment tempo and individual part volume adjustment just aren’t obvious at first, so I resorted to reaching for the quick start guide to help. Interface-wise, the ‘turn on and play’ test was passed - a press of the power button and seconds later I had the default Grand Piano setting beneath my fingers, although for a main acoustic piano voice this had what I felt was a slightly electronic, Yamaha CP-80-esque tang to it.