# Why is Aftertouch important?



## gohrev (May 3, 2020)

Hi everyone, could someone please explain to me why one should consider aftertouch when buying a midi keyboard?
TIA


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## mybadmemory (May 3, 2020)

It depends on if you want to use it or not. Some people like like to control certain midi CC parameters with aftertouch, but I think it's most common for people playing retro synths and synth sounds to do it that way. For orchestral sounds and samples, the more common approach is to control CC's using mod wheel, faders, breath controllers, etc. Personally I find aftertouch to be to imprecise to control things like dynamics and expression (and I guess that's why most people generally prefer 100mm faders for this as well), but whatever works for you a good way!


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## gohrev (May 3, 2020)

Thank you, @mybadmemory - all clear!
In that case, I don’t think I’ll need aftertouch, which increases my chances of finding a good keyboard


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## vitocorleone123 (May 10, 2020)

I use hardware and software synths. I won’t buy a controller without after touch.


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## zgo (May 11, 2020)

BeforeTouch is more important


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## Nick Batzdorf (May 11, 2020)

I like aftertouch. You don't have to reach for another controller to affect notes you're already holding down.

mybadmemory is right that it's not all that precise, but you can set it up to operate over a controllable range.


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## givemenoughrope (May 11, 2020)

Depends how long you've been dating


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## José Herring (May 11, 2020)

I find aftertouch only really useful if there is an envelope with it. If not then it's a brutal on/off switching type of mechanism. But if you have an ADSR envelope on the aftertouch it's very musical. 

The envelope can be either part of the controller or the instrument. The old CS80 had that feature and I think some softsynths do as well. ( got a book on vintage synths. Very informative )


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## chimuelo (May 11, 2020)

Use the envelope as a gating mechanism on reverb or delay too.

Ive got a controller at the top of the pack so I can create aftertouch curves.
So mine are set up so I can add ModWheel style modulation like those Bruno Mars/Prince synths.
But I actually use a separate Pitch shifter and de tuning combined for very deep intense synth modulations.

My feet are too busy for the simple effect and both hands are covering parts.
This works for me.


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## Rob (May 11, 2020)

Never liked aftertouch, it's either too stiff and you have to break your fingers to use it, or too loose and it gets in the way sending unwanted cc data while playing... even for synths, I never cared for it.


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## zgo (May 12, 2020)

A lot of sounds are directed to the filters with the AfterTouch, which is not so " creative", assignment to the PAN or the Wet/Dry of a delay / reverb is really interesting.
The afterTouch is an element of " creativity " ... things have to be tested to sculpt your own sounds , it is a part of our jobs, isn't it


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## AlexRuger (May 12, 2020)

I hate it. Never been able to get it to feel right. I had an old Kurzweil MidiBoard, a Roli Seaboard, etc, so I’ve tried it with all the right stuff. It looks cool in demos (MPE being the hot new thing to say your product supports now), but in real-world composing use-cases I could just never get it to work — I need more precision than that. That said, I’m not a live keyboardist and clearly tons of people get loads of mileage out of it. 

I just filter it in Cubase and map one of my faders to it in case I want to use a patch that’s programmed for it. I treat it like “the other CC1,” as they both usually control similar things.

Though, stand-alone synths with aftertouch is a different thing and pretty universally cool. Just depends on the quality of the keybed/AT mechanism.


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## Rctec (May 12, 2020)




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## Gerbil (May 12, 2020)

I use it to add a pinch of vibrato to wivi instruments. It works best with synths though. Both my old SY99 and Voyager Old School had very responsive and controllable aftertouch.


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## ptram (May 12, 2020)

Grown with hardware synths, I've for long totally excluded from my purchases any keyboard without aftertouch. Only to realize, years after, that I never used it, if not to find how useless it was for me.

Aftertouch costs a lot, falls soon, is hard to repair. It has a very limited range of values, and can be only used with some idiomatic sounds of the golden era of analog synth. Most of the time, it's great to see if the MIDI IN filters are working.

Paolo


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## Reid Rosefelt (May 12, 2020)

It was essential to the way my hardware synths worked, none of which I own anymore. As I still play many of these as software synths, I wouldn't want to be without it. It can also sometimes be quite useful and expressive with certain kinds of virtual instruments like guitars, depending on how they're set up.

Of course you can input cc information with anything you want, but there's something tactile and unique about Aftertouch that can't be compared to anything else. If a programmer made a patch years ago with aftertouch, they did it knowing how it would feel when you played it. They didn't expect you to turn a knob, push a slider, or draw it in your DAW. None of these things would translate correctly, even though I agree that aftertouch is not the most precise thing.

CC data can be input any way you want. Aftertouch is for playing live.

I think it's a good feature to have unless it adds a ton of expense. It's an option. You don't have to use it. If you get involved with vintage (and many contemporary) soft synths you may regret not having it. You won't know what those sounds were supposed to be.

It is a vital part of the MPE MIDI Spec for controllers like the ROLIs, so everybody who is involved with imagining the future of controllers thinks key pressure is an important idea worth improving. The difference is that the aftertouch on an MPE controller is a very delicate and precise thing.


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## J-M (May 12, 2020)

I love the aftertouch in my Prophet!


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## greggybud (May 12, 2020)

berlin87 said:


> Thank you, @mybadmemory - all clear!
> In that case, I don’t think I’ll need aftertouch, which increases my chances of finding a good keyboard



I have gone through 3 relatively expensive keyboard controllers in the past 15 years. Oberheim MC3000,(wish I never would have sold it) CME VX8 or later CME VX88 with identical issues (great on paper but a living nightmare in reality) and Studio Logic VMK 188+ (complete with laughable huge velocity gaps) I'm told the Physis K4 outshines even the Oberheim, but considering the limited demos in the USA, I'm not even going to try it out.

Regarding aftertouch and polyphonic aftertouch, (VFX-SD) No matter what I use, I always end up editing. But would you use it? I think it depends on what you are controlling. It could be just easier to write in after recording. However if you do a lot of expressive work for example the MemoryMoon ME80 or something similar, it could come in handy in real time...even though you will edit after.

Also keep in mind some of the newer synths aftertouch just work better than older ones. Personally I see a small improvement with Prophet 6, and even the PolyEvolver.


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## vitocorleone123 (May 12, 2020)

Yes, my OB6 desktop has an after touch section of controls that assign functions and whether they have a positive or negative value - it’s a key part of playing it. Same with the P6 (which I only wish I had). 

I also like using it with softsynths, like Repro and Hive2.


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## bill5 (May 12, 2020)

My next keyboard will have aftertouch because I hate the mod wheels and the few controllers that have a joystick made them ridiculously tiny.


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