If you’re considering of becoming a musician from your own home then a midi keyboard controller is a very important must have. The controller is basically an electronic device that has piano style keys with a lot of knobs, buttons and sliders. It typically doesn’t come with its own sound system which means you need to hook it up to a computer with a sound card and speakers in order to hear anything. When searching for the model that you need to consider a couple of factors because simply buying the most expensive one with the most knobs and sliders and such doesn’t really fit everyone.

Price and quality are the foremost considerations but space limitations as well as use also come into play. Let’s face it, even if you have the money to buy a big one you won’t be able to really maximize the use of it if you don’t have the space to put it in; and if you’re always on the go lugging a 50-pound behemoth may not be all that practical. That’s why for many home-based desk-top musicians the smaller the midi keyboard controller the better. When it comes to portability and compactness then getting a 25 key unit may be the way to go.

A good choice would be the M-Audio Oxygen 25 and it has 25 velocity sensitive keys (the more you press the louder the sound it produces). It has 8 midi assignable knobs, an assignable slider and 6 dedicated transport controls. It’s USB powered (meaning no power adapter needed), is only 16-inches or so in length (can fit in front of your computer) and weighs in at only 3.8 pounds (a lightweight to carry around).

If you like, you can get a bigger midi keyboard controller (but not too big) then go up to the 49-ners (no not the football team): the Oxygen 49. As the name suggest it comes with 49 keys which are also velocity sensitive. It’s also USB powered, has the same number of knobs as the Oxygen 25 but has 8 more assignable sliders and weighs in at 6.4 pounds. Then there’s the Oxygen 61 with 61 keys and has the same number of knobs and sliders as the Oxygen 49 and weighs a little more at 7.5 pounds.

M-Audio isn’t the only manufacturer out there. Behringer also has their own versions of the 25, 49 and 61. The U-CONTROL UMX250 has 25 keys and has 8 knobs, 10 assignable switches, 2 wheels and one slider. The U-CONTROL UMX490 has 49 keys and comes with the same number of knobs and switches as the UMX250. The UMX610 is their bigger sibling with 61 keys. So you see when it comes to choosing a midi keyboard controller you have a wide variety of styles and brands to choose from. The feel and comfort level will be dependent on you so you need to actually look at it in order to see if it’s the right one for you.

In the market for a new MIDI Keyboard? Check out this awesome MIDI Keyboard Reviews page for more buying tips.

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