My Favorite Keyboard is...(Part 2)

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Category 2) All I have is a control surface.

Korg nanoKontrol2 (figure 1)

Reason 5's Onscreen Piano Keys (figure 2)

Let's rephrase this category and call it the "I have THE control surface," because let's face it, the control surface you have is going to be the home-front for all the wicked automation and programing you are going to be doing in your music. You might have a control surface that looks like the one in figure 1 or at least one that looks similar. In the end they all do the same thing. The chances are that if you only have a control surface, you are more interested in the DJ style side of music production/creation. Although, there is always the chance that you might want to record your own melodic line and make your own loops. So if money is tight (which it has been for all of us) don't be afraid to invest in a control surface before a keyboard. In fact, most DAWs have an onscreen keyboard built in that you can interact with using your own computer keyboard (figure 2, the one you type with). Don't worry, if those keys aren't enough for you then there are some cheap alternatives for our Category 3: Midi controller with control surface. Before we jump ahead though, let's gather our options here. We have the onscreen keys that allow us to play melodic lines (and more) and we have a physical control surface that allows us edit our recorded lines in real time and record the automation. Essentially we have a working studio and enough gear to pull off a live show!