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You might already own a sound module (your computer).
Best midi keyboard controller 2015 software#
MIDI controllers often have some PC/Mac software bundled. For example, Macs come with GarageBand, which has perfectly acceptable piano sounds that you can play with MIDI. This is important, because it means that a PC or a Mac - or even an iPad/tablet/phone - can become a MIDI sound module. MIDI commands can be carried over traditional 5-pin MIDI cables, but nowadays they can also be carried over USB.
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It's common for these to also have MIDI connections, so you can use them standalone, or as a controller, or as a sound module. (It's possible that internally, it's not using MIDI, but that's a detail that's not important). It's the MIDI controller, and the MIDI sound module, all in one unit. What you refer to as a "keyboard", I will call a digital piano. Let's forget about the other types of sounds, and assume you're interested only in piano sounds. Those sounds could be artificial sounding beeps, realistic sounding simulations of a real instrument, or drums. But, for the purposes of this answer, let's assume that whenever we say "MIDI controller" we mean the piano keyboard type.Ī MIDI sound module is a device which accepts MIDI commands, and produces a sound. Keyboard type MIDI controllers are only one kind. Let's be very precise about what we're talking about:Ī MIDI controller is anything that can send MIDI commands to another MIDI device.