25 or 49 key controller?

[ChrisMack99]

I'm just starting out, so I think a 25 key would be perfect for my current needs and allow me to save a little cash.

My question is if I buy a 25 key now will I end up regretting it and buying a 49 key somewhere down the line?

[MacGuffin]

do you play piano with two hands?

if you do you might want at least 49, if it's just to try out patches with 1 hand anyway, 25 keys and octave buttons is enough, imho.

[crofter]

You could always buy another 25 key and have one for each hand.

[ChrisMack99]

I'm not much of a piano player, I mostly use it to make MIDI loops of sounds I've chosen/created. Usually nothing overly complex.

[MacGuffin]

Then go for the 25 keys, you can keep one of your hands free for other purposes.

[crofter]

Then go for the 25 keys, you can keep one of your hands free for other purposes.

What do you have in mind?

[beats me]

IMO you're going to find the 25 key option too short. You don't have to be a concert pianist to determine that you find composing a lot more creative when you can do chords or melodies with the right hand while doing the bass line with the left. You may not use the same sound for the high and low range but it's easier to explore different possibilities when composing. We're not all writing simpleton Electro House.

[Mister Natural]

I'm also not much of a Rachmaninoff but I found both the 25 key and 49 key boards too short

IMHO; it's gotta be no less than 61 to be truely useful and expressive

[JEpic]

25 AND 61.

25 Key should be something with a lot of knobs and a really nice pitch mod wheel like an AKAI MPK 25. The 61 Key should be just a simple keyboard like an M Audio Keystation.

The 25 key goes on your desk and is for simple bass lines and triggering loops and samples. The 61 key goes on a stand, for chords, and jamming split patches.

[MacGuffin]

You don't have to be a concert pianist to determine that you find composing a lot more creative when you can do chords or melodies with the right hand while doing the bass line with the left.

I don't play piano and do prefer 49 keys or more for the exact same reasons you mentionned, but if the OP is indeed writing "simpleton electro-house" and/or uses the chord midi plugin, or he just wants to try out some patches with velocity and tweak a few knobs... why not save 150$ and get a small keyboard? For some people who write hip-hop just an MPD controller could be enough.

[beats me]

You don't have to be a concert pianist to determine that you find composing a lot more creative when you can do chords or melodies with the right hand while doing the bass line with the left.

I don't play piano and do prefer 49 keys or more for the exact same reasons you mentionned, but if the OP is indeed writing "simpleton electro-house" and/or uses the chord midi plugin, or he just wants to try out some patches with velocity and tweak a few knobs... why not save 150$ and get a small keyboard? For some people who write hip-hop just an MPD controller could be enough.

Fair enough but to me small octave keyboards only serve the purpose of having a small work or performance space but aren't ideal for composing. It would be like buying a bass guitar that only has an E and an A string because you figure you aren't really going to need the D or G. Maybe you could live without the D and G but it would also open things up to more creative possibilities if you had them and if you determine that after the fact then you're shelling out money again for another bass.

[Punky921]

You don't have to be a concert pianist to determine that you find composing a lot more creative when you can do chords or melodies with the right hand while doing the bass line with the left.

I don't play piano and do prefer 49 keys or more for the exact same reasons you mentionned, but if the OP is indeed writing "simpleton electro-house" and/or uses the chord midi plugin, or he just wants to try out some patches with velocity and tweak a few knobs... why not save 150$ and get a small keyboard? For some people who write hip-hop just an MPD controller could be enough.

I have a 49 key keyboard and I sort of regret it, as I don't use all the extra keys, and a 25 key keyboard would really fit my needs (and my desk) better.

[v0ins315]

I would be pissed at myself If I bought a 25 Key. I'm not a piano player. Having access to 49 keys is really convenient (esp. when learning/using chords).

[djphenaproxima]

49 keys FTW. More if you're into complex melodies.

[AceLuby]

I have a 25 and don't regret it at all. Would I like a 49? Sure, but the logistics of playing live w/ a 49 key keyboard just aren't there yet for my setup, it would just take up too much space. I also find it the 25 keys to be plenty expressive and have gotten pretty good at using the octave switching key pretty seamlessly when we jam.