Reddit reviews midiplus, 32-Key Midi Controller, 32-Key (AKM320)

I'm guessing you mean hardware, but there are some fantastic software synths out there. 80's pop music is largely made from FM synthesis, which is completely out of your price range for hardware.

Dexed is modeled after a series of popular Yamaha FM synths and is free https://github.com/asb2m10/dexed

FM8 is a top-tier software alternative http://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/synths/fm8/

If you really want hardware, the Microbrute is a good option. They're great, some people on this sub hate on them for no good reason. If you watch studio tours of famous electronic musicians the Minibrute is probably the most common instrument in them.
Microbrutes are capable and fun. They're also pretty much one knob per function which is particularly good for beginners.

Another option is the Waldorf Streichfett http://www.juno.co.uk/products/waldorf-streichfett-string-synthesizer-with-the-waldorf/526565-01/
This synth was designed to emulate 70's and 80's synth pop sounds and falls into your price range nicely. It does not come with a keyboard, however, so you'd have to get one of those (small ones are really cheap/easy to find) or play it with your computer.

I'd go with the Streichfett. And this http://www.guitarcenter.com/Keith-McMillen-Instruments/K-Board-USB-Keyboard.gc or this http://www.amazon.com/midiplus-AKM320-MIDI-Keyboard-Controller/dp/B00VHKMK64/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454053448&sr=8-1&keywords=mini+midi+keyboard but used so it's a bit cheaper. That should be close to $300.

I'd say just mess around with chopping things up

i'd say buy a small MIDI keyboard (something like this or this) to start off and just play around with stuff. A lot of it is learning music theory and different chord progressions

He's 16, so this advice is probably somewhat less relevant to him than it is for most people who ask this kind of question, but I'll give the advice anyways because everyone else seems to be suggesting normal things a singer wants.

When buying a gift for a hobbyist, one of the riskiest decisions you can make is buying them something they might need for their hobby. First of all, odds are they already own it or something like it that they prefer (singing/being 16 doesn't fit very well with this advice, but bear with me). Second of all, even if they don't, it's better to let them pick it out. Consider a grandparent buying a Lego set for a grandkid. Odds are, the grandkid knows exactly what they want, so the best possible scenario for a grandparent guessing and choosing has the same outcome as the normal scenario for just giving the money straight to the kid.

Obviously, gift-giving is usually more sentimental than that, so there's an art and a nuance to it better than just "take some cash, go see a Star War", but I'd say actually buying them something you think they might need is categorically worse than either giving them something personal that will affect them in other ways (unrelated to the hobby -- something you know as much or more about than they do) or just a gift card or cash or similar.

In this case, 40 € probably won't go far. A microphone might be the obvious choice (assuming he doesn't already have one), but it will either be sufficiently low quality it will be worse than his phone or a computer, or it will require other equipment (speakers and/or an audio interface) which he probably doesn't have and will cost more than that. It's probably safest to look outside of the realm of music-making, but if you do want to get him something related to singing, your gift could be taking him to the music shop and buying something he wants, or just giving him a gift card to an online store so he can save up for something bigger like an audio interface and microphone combo.

Just my two cents as a hobbyist who sees a lot of well-intentioned but practically guaranteed-to-misfire advice out there. =)

If I had to give an exact product (or product type) recommendation and if he's technically inclined and wants to record, I might recommend a cheap MIDI piano. Something like this, maybe. This will allow him to plug the keyboard into his computer and use GarageBand or another DAW to actively create recorded music.

Hey, I'm new to the hardware world of keyboards and synthesizers. I'm looking for a hardware keyboard that's capable of synthesizing instrument sounds (piano, organ, strings, trumpets, etc) and capable of synthesizing sounds from scratch (oscillator, filters, LFO, portamento, etc). I don't care whether the synthesizer is a true analog synth or a virtual analog/analog modeling synth. Does something exist that is capable of doing both of these types of sound synthesis in one device? Or do I need to buy 2 separate devices?

I currently own a midiplus AKM320 (32 key usb midi keyboard), but I'm finding the number of keys limiting while trying to learn music theory. Would it be feasible to buy a larger keyboard such as the MicroArranger then feed it into another synthesizer like the microkorg/MS2000 Rack Mount to achieve both types of sound synthesis?

Thanks for the help!

better?

This question is kinda too vague to answer. What kind of music are you making? How experienced are you with keyboards? What do you want/need, and how much are you willing to spend?

Assuming you're completely a beginner, I'd recommend this:

https://www.amazon.com/midiplus-AKM320-MIDI-Keyboard-Controller/dp/B00VHKMK64/ref=sr_1_4?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1526281198&sr=1-4&keywords=midi+keyboard

As cheap and as good as it gets for the price. If you decide to invest in music more down the road, I recommend an Alesis v25/v49, or an Akai Professional MPK Mini.

This?: https://www.amazon.com/First-Act-Discovery-Portable-Keyboard/dp/B07BLGB6VZ

It is not a midi controller, looks like you would be limited to onboard sounds.

If you are going to be sending midi to a computer, I'd say go with this:
https://www.amazon.com/midiplus-32-Key-Midi-Controller-AKM320/dp/B00VHKMK64/
or this:
https://www.amazon.com/MIDITECH-Controller-i2-32-BT/dp/B078YJ5SX8

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If 5din midi out is important to you (maybe have sound module or something), spend a little more:
https://www.amazon.com/midiplus-keyboard-controller-49-Key-AK490/dp/B01IND48OY
or

https://www.amazon.com/midiplus-AK490-MIDI-Keyboard-Controller/dp/B00VHKM72Q

this guy is fine for starting out. $40 ultra portable. Upgrade when you can justify the expense to yourself. At least that's how I roll.

I get most of my VSTs from vst4free.com and vstwarehouse.blogspot.com.

Any basic recording interface would do, you usually just need an available USB port on your computer to plug it in. You can find them used for $50+, but the most popular go-to is the Focusrite Scarlett.

I recommend getting an interface with at least two channels. You may only ever use one channel if all you ever do is record your bass, but having a spare channel is always nice, for example if you are wanting to record live with a friend, or if you want to sing/play at the same time, or if you want to split a stereo signal into two mono channels, etc.

For good quality recordings you basically need a recording interface, a DAW (digital audio workstation), a computer, and an instrument.

A DAW is basically a digital studio that will allow you to lay down tracks, mix, add effects, and a whole lot more. It can be a bit daunting at first, but just keep things simple, there are a TON of features I hardly ever use in my DAWs, so don't make it too hard on yourself.

The Focusrite comes with Ableton Live Lite, which is perfectly capable for a wide range of needs and will cover all the basics. If you find later on that you want more out of your DAW then check out something like Reaper. Reaper is cool because it has a free trial that never expires (it will nag you from time to time), but if you like it then I recommend purchasing a license for $60. It's an amazingly powerful DAW for the price (not affiliated in any way, I actually use Logic Pro X, but that's a bit more pricey).

Pair your new studio with a *cheap MIDI keyboard and you'll have almost unlimited creative potential.

It's amazing how powerful this stuff is now-a-days. Back in the pure analog days all this power would have cost tens of thousands of dollars (maybe even hundreds), and now you can have it all for $150 or less.

I highly recommend people getting into recording, there are a TON of uses for it outside of just making music. I use mine constantly for practicing and reviewing my playing, which has done a ton to accelerate my progress.

If you want to continue to use FL Studio, I strongly recommend you switch over to using a PC - you will always have problems with the FL Alpha/Beta/whatever for OSX until they actually make a fully native version (which is a day that may never come.)

If you want to stick with OSX, then yes, learning Logic or Ableton is the way to go. Both are great, and really won't take you that long to get the hang of. There are also some pretty awesome deals to be had for MIDI controllers out there.

https://www.amazon.com/midiplus-AKM320-MIDI-Keyboard-Controller/dp/B00VHKMK64/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1543179918&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=midi+keyboard&dpPl=1&dpID=41oy7RP%2BghL&ref=plSrch

I have this same exact one, good beginning keyboard

https://www.amazon.com/midiplus-AKM320-MIDI-Keyboard-Controller/dp/B00VHKMK64/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536529657&sr=8-1&keywords=midiplus this is cheap and super solid

Yeye [midiplus AKM320] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VHKMK64/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_e5yo7PWg43xUi)

Can you make a recommendation on a beginner keyboard?

I played guitar for a few years in high school, and also took a piano class that I learned very little from. I’m familiar with making music, but never really learned theory or got into anything advanced.

I’m now 10 years removed from that and looking to jump back in. I recently got an acoustic, but I’d really like to learn piano and music theory, so that I can make electronic music sometime down the road.

Do you see any obvious issues with this? https://www.amazon.com/midiplus-AKM320-MIDI-Keyboard-Controller/dp/B00VHKMK64/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=midi+keyboard&qid=1562161755&s=gateway&sprefix=midi+ke&sr=8-4

I figure it’s cheap enough that I won’t get upset if I can’t dedicate enough time to it, but cheap enough to buy it right now while the motivation is there!

Thanks in advance.

So when you say "write out" a small horn section, did you mean actual sheet music?

If so, I'd actually recommend skipping the keyboard entirely and getting Notation software instead. If you already have an understanding of how to write sheet music you will be faster writing it, compared to trying to play it on a keyboard.

I would recommend looking at Sibelius First (Trial edition) or Finale Notepad (Free Edition).

If you still think you need a keyboard - yes, a MIDI Controller is what you'd probably want. (as /u/Lt_Pineapple has recommended) This M-Audio 32 key controller might work or a small Korg Nano controller.

i have [this] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VHKMK64?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00). for 40$ it works like a fucking charm tbh

If you want a cheap synthesizer, depending on what you want to do with it, consider buying a MIDI controller instead and use it with a software synth (like the ones included in GarageBand, if you have a Mac). You can get a new MPK mini for $100 and it comes bundled with a bunch of software. Or there's this guy for $35, though it doesn't come with any software. For a full-size controller, I see someone's selling an MPK 61 on Craigslist for $250.

Hey, thanks for the reply!

I'm getting this MIDI: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VHKMK64/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1 Therefore, it will not be coming with a DAW.

I've looked at Reaper previously, but I'm not sure how the sound selections are. VSTs? Is that what they are called? Also, not sure by what you mean by "software synthesizer." My goal is to be able to play my MIDI with access to dark, ambient, drone-type sounds as my bass.

I'm willing to invest in a DAW, as long as it suits my needs, I guess. I've researched online and there are just so many . . . I just want one that will be good for making these types of music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXLi8pqbH7Y&t=328s

I am finally getting a Midi keyboard. I am looking at the midiplus AKM320
but I am worried it since it is cheap there might be some problems with it I might not know of. Does anyone have experience with this keyboard?

You might as well go with something even cheaper https://www.amazon.com/midiplus-AKM320-MIDI-Keyboard-Controller/dp/B00VHKMK64/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Just sell your controller and get one with a sustain pedal input.

You can get one for like $100. Just do it.

Edit: Here’s one for $35

midiplus 32-Key Midi Controller 32-Key AKM320 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VHKMK64/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_fwmvCb4C9XS6G

Piano. I recommend the Midiplus AKM320. It's the cheapest midi keyboard out there- a little under 40 bucks- and a great starting point for learning piano. You'll need a digital audio workstation for it to work, and there's plenty of free ones out there. You can even just use an online daw like soundtrap, which works great.

$35 midiplus, 32-Key Midi Controller, 32-Key (AKM320) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VHKMK64/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_fF8mDbVFFBC4B

https://www.amazon.com/midiplus-AKM320-MIDI-Keyboard-Controller/dp/B00VHKMK64/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473045965&sr=8-2&keywords=midi+keyboard

Been loving this... buy two?

http://www.amazon.com/midiplus-AKM320-MIDI-Keyboard-Controller/dp/B00VHKMK64?ie=UTF8&keywords=midi%20keyboard&qid=1463864301&ref_=sr_1_1&s=musical-instruments&sr=1-1

Here is the mobile version of your link