New to Ableton & Push

[HighSide]

Hello there and thanks for the help. I am new to Ableton & Push (I dont own them yet, but I have them on order), but I am not new to music. I have been playing music for about 25 years as a guitarist. I have dabbled in piano and percussion. In the 1990's I dabbled in DAW, but then got busy with life (work, married, kids). I recently had the urge to dive back heavily into music. I downloaded Ableton 9 trial and bought a couple of books and going through the lessons. I am having a blast of a time.

While sitting here waiting for my push to arrive, I have been wondering if I should be picking up a MIDI keyboard. I guess my big question here, for those that already own push, do you think a midi-keyboard is going to be an important part of my Ableton setup? Or does the push really satisfy the need for someone is more of a guitarist and wouldn't consider himself a Pianist?

Also, if a keyboard should be in my setup, I have been looking at the Akai MPK line, M-Audio Axiom line, and the Novation MK2 line. I am not sure why I should go with one over the other. Also, choosing between the 25, 49, 61, and 88 key verities is difficult. Any advice for a newbie in making these choices?

Thank you very much for the help.

[lo.key]

no need at all for a keyboard, in my opinion. Very playable and expressive pads. Its -different- than playing keys, but once you learn to play it, there's no need to turn to something else. Unless you want to be able to play two separate instruments at the same time ;D

[panten]

I concur. I would hold off until you receive your Push and give it a few weeks before you decide you need a keyboard. I'm currently looking to get rid of my Axiom Pro 25 as it just sits there gathering the dust.

[HighSide]

Awesome news. Thanks for the feedback!

[gnurf]

If you're getting Push I also think you'll manage just fine without any keyboard. It's a different way to play, and you might like it better than a keyboard. If you still want a keyboard I'd say 49 keys might feel limited. At least for my use I wished for a 61-key after getting a cheap 49-key Keyrig. But I've since found good replacements via iPad apps like SoundPrism Pro and weirder inputs. SPP is somewhat along the lines of what you get with Push, I think.