

How Many Keys Do I Need? Compact, 49, 61, or 88 Keys? Most DAWs allow up to four functions to be assigned to each pad and yes, everything is customizable.

This is especially great if you want to simulate drums, as the touch responsiveness of the pads can come in really handy. You can also map each pad to a specific sound and use the pads as a sampler or musical interface. You can use them as simple MIDI buttons were each pad will execute a MIDI function like starting or stopping a loop. These are the cool backlit square shaped rubber pads usually numbering between 8 and 16 (but can be less or more), and are another versatile feature of MIDI keyboards. Knobs are especially helpful for tweaking EQ in a mixdown, or bringing a tactile feel to tweaking a synth plugin. Turn clockwise to increase a parameter's value, and counterclockwise to decrease. Like faders on a mixing console, faders on a MIDI keyboard can help you control a mixdown within your DAW.Ī knob is essentially just a fader in a different format. Operation is as simple as sliding up to increase a parameter's value and sliding down to decrease it. You can even have groups of faders doing different types of things. If your MIDI keyboard has faders, by default they might be set up as volume faders or EQ controllers for the individual tracks, but you can change their operation to whatever you need. Traditionally faders on a mixing console control volume levels of each channel. The Akai MPK249 has faders, knobs, pads, buttons, wheels, and more. Some MIDI keyboard pack lots of features in a small space. The MIDI keyboard is so much more than just a piano for your DAW it can control one of the thousands of parameters that can be tweaked inside your DAW using faders, buttons, pads, and knobs. Two of the best things about MIDI keyboard controllers are their adaptability and versatility.

Faders, Buttons, Pads & Knobs - What Are They All For?.MIDI keyboards come in dozens of different configurations - different controls, different numbers of keys, different DAW mappings - it can be overwhelming!īefore checking out our top MIDI keyboard picks, familiarize yourself with the terminology and available features by reading through this guide. After all, it looks and feels like an instrument, but by itself it doesn't make any sound. A MIDI keyboard can be confusing to a beginner.
