# Midi Keyboard really necessary (orchestral music) - or is a StagePiano/Digital Piano enough



## pulpfiction (Jul 17, 2021)

Hi

I wonder if it is really necessary to use a midi keyboard for music production (especially orchestral music). 

Isn't a stage piano/digital piano with a midi controller for the modulations enough?

Does a stage piano have any other disadvantages compared to a midi keyboard (apart from the modulation functions - faders, knobs etc.)?

What is your workflow in relation to this topic?

Thanks!


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## Markrs (Jul 17, 2021)

pulpfiction said:


> Hi
> 
> I wonder if it is really necessary to use a midi keyboard for music production (especially orchestral music).
> 
> ...


I use a Roland FP-10 digital piano and a nanoKontrol2 and that works well as a setup. The only thing I miss is a pitch bend wheel. To get around that I might eventually get a basic 25 key controller


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## Ray Cole (Jul 17, 2021)

I am considering the new Yamaha DGX-670 + a nanoKontrol, so I will follow this thread with interest.


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## easyrider (Jul 17, 2021)

ROLAND F130-R here as main and Native Instruments M32 for modwheel and pitch bend.

I use Faderport 16 in midi mode for expression and dynamics. Yummy 100mm faders but also a comprehensive Control Surface too.


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## wahey73 (Jul 17, 2021)

I use my Korg Krome 88 with the Korg NanoKontrol 2 and it just works fine 😊


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## Nando Florestan (Jul 17, 2021)

If you add a cheap MIDI controller (with 8 or more faders, which are better than knobs) to your existing digital piano, you are missing very little. Just make sure the software you're going to use supports input from more than one MIDI input simultaneously, otherwise you'll need more software to combine the 2 MIDI signals before they go into the synth.

After that a breath controller is always an intriguing thought.


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## chimuelo (Jul 21, 2021)

I use a Kawai MP8 and an Oberheim MC3000D.
Kawai has a great hardware/software interaction and the Oberheim makes MIDI Control really fun. 

Programmable velocity tables for light or heavy touch, acoustic vrs electro-mechanical.

The Oberheim is rare though. Nobody sells them that owns one.
They’re 24 years old but only a Physis K4 comes close.

Probably overkill for mist but really has no equal in automations and build quality.


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## rudi (Jul 21, 2021)

It's about finding what you are most comfortable with and what suits your workflow.

Some people prefer piano weighted actions; personally I prefer a light synth action, as I find it easier to play fast passages, and get a softer attack or play rhythmic patterns.

Same with controllers, some prefer sliders, others wheels, or dials, or touch surfaces. There are also difference between products in terms of quality, smoothness etc. I've got a Korg Nano Control 2, but I prefer the sliders on my Oxygen61 keyboard.

I am also fine with using the transpose facility to change octaves, but others prefer to have a full length keyboard.

One of the reasons I got the Oxygen was to have dedicated transport controls, only to find that I actually prefer to use shortcuts on my qwerty keyboard... I've become so used to using the record shortcut and rotating my office chair to play my MIDI keyboard during the count-in, that it feels weird to press the dedicated record button on my Oxygen61.

And lets not forget that some people actually prefer using a stylus, mouse or keyboard shortcuts to write music.


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## mybadmemory (Jul 21, 2021)

Many people use a digital piano plus a separate fader controller. The only thing you might find lacking is control over midi velocity curves, though some DPs offer that as well.


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## CeDur (Jul 21, 2021)

I think it depends. For example if you need aftertouch, only high end digital pianos like Kurzweil Forte etc. offer it. Also playing some fast passages on synth or organ with proper glissando is harder on weighted digital piano. On the other hand, it's easier to control velocity with weighted keys.



mybadmemory said:


> Many people use a digital piano plus a separate fader controller. The only thing you might find lacking is control over midi velocity curves, though some DPs offer that as well.


Controlling MIDI velocity curve can be easily solved by using dedicated plugin in your DAW (for example Piz MIDI) - it gives much more control compared to velocity curves usually available in DPs. I use Roland FP10 (one of the cheapest Roland DP), but with great PHA4 Standard action. I'm only missing Pitchbend and Modwheel, so currently looking for cheap external controller.


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