Best Midi keyboard for Pro Tools – We’ve reached the end of the journey here! All we can say is that these guys are most definitely strong contenders for the flattering title of the best MIDI controller for Pro Tools on today’s market.
Purchasing the best MIDI controller for Pro Tools is not an easy task. Not many MIDI controllers available in the market today integrate easily with this DAW. More so, when you find one that actually does work well with Pro Tools, you need to choose one that is most compatible with your playing style and music production needs.
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They all deliver, none of them will disappoint, and each of them can be described as a product you will not regret purchasing. Highly recommended, buy one today!
back to menu ↑1.Alesis V25
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2.Novation
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3.Arturia
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4.M-Audio
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5.MIDI Controller Bundle
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6.Behringer
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7.Elgato Stream Deck
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8.GK61 Keyboard
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9.RockJam
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10.EPOMAKER SKYLOONG
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Best Midi keyboard for Pro Tools – BUYER’S GUIDE
Number of Keys: Perhaps the most important factor in choosing the best MIDI keyboard is selecting the correct size for you in terms of number of keys. The smallest keyboard you can buy has 25 keys. After that it’s 49, 61, and 88 (full size pianos have 88 keys, so that’s the max). Another size you might see out in the wild is 37 keys.
Based on data from our website, 49 keys seems to be the size the majority of producers go for. That’s big enough to be able to play melodies across 4 octaves, yet won’t take up too much space on your desk. You might choose 61 to have that extra octave, but it comes down to budget and personal preference. We lean on the side of 49 keys if this is your first one. People that go for 88 key keyboards probably have a piano playing background, and can’t stand having anything that feels different.
If you’re looking for maximum portability, you’ll want to look at compact 25-key MIDI keyboards.
Portability: If your studio space is especially small, you travel and produce music on-the-go, or just prefer to play and record simpler melodies with one hand, you’ll probably want a portable controller with 25 or 37 keys. Be aware that just because a controller is 25 keys doesn’t necessarily make it portable. An Akai MPK225 25-Key controller has a pretty big footprint, and might not fit into your backpack. Then again, the slim M-Audio Keystation Mini 32 travels very easily.
Budget: Always important, your budget will dictate what keyboards you should be looking at from what brands. The biggest things that affect the price are the brand name (e.g. Akai is pricier than Behringer), number of keys, and the number of extras like pads, faders, buttons, etc. If you’re on a tight budget you’ll need to decide which of the above are most important to you, and which you can do without. Roughly, you can spend as little as $50 on a MIDI keyboard, or as much as $500 (and up).
Keyboard Feel: Acoustic pianos have set the standard for what a keyboard should feel like. Keys that feel as heavy to the touch as real piano keys are known as fully-weighted. The next grades down from that are semi-weighted, and unweighted (also called synth-action). We might catch flak for saying this, but for a MIDI keyboard for your studio, having fully-weighted piano-like keys is not crucial… unless of course you’ll be playing a lot of piano. Semi-weighted keys feel very nice, and will provide great response as you play fast synth passages.
Most MIDI keyboard controllers available today have semi-weighted or synth-action keys. You’ll also read about keys being velocity-sensitive, which just means they respond to how soft or hard you play a note. If you barely touch a key, it will register that you played a note very softly, whereas if you smash a key, it’ll register the note with max strength. Velocity sensitivity is pretty crucial, since it will capture your playing dynamics and could make for more interesting recordings.
back to menu ↑Frequently Asked Questions
back to menu ↑What are MIDI Keyboards?
We’ve seen quite a lot of advancement in the world thanks to technology. The impact of technology on music is obvious in modern music. From electric guitars to drum machines, and of course, MIDI keyboards, the presence of technology in music is everywhere.
What is a MIDI keyboard? Well, the answer is a pretty simple: a keyboard device that has the capability of sending MIDI signals to some other devices, as long as the devices share the same MIDI protocol interface. A MIDI keyboard transfer signals through a MIDI cable or a USB.
Not all MIDI keyboards use the piano-style interface. Some come equipped with pads or buttons that have the ability to transfer MIDI signals. Most of these pads are velocity-sensitive to get different sounds from the keyboard. If you’re a big fan of portamento-style, the MIDI keyboard for you is a fretless-type, known as the Continuum Fingerboard, which will enable you to change notes at will.
Another type of MIDI controller that does not use a piano-style user interface is known as a microtonal MIDI controller. The most common example of it is a Tonal Plexus Keyboard. This keyboard has the capability of providing up to 1266 different tonal pitches.
back to menu ↑WRAP UP
Pro Tools stands out as one of the most commonly utilized digital audio workstations (DAWs) and is remembered as a revolutionary tool that helped shape the course of music at the time. But much like any DAW out there, Pro Tools also functions the best when connected to a proper MIDI controller.
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