As before advised I am using Windows XP Home and Samplitude 14. None of the tutorials can help me as they seem to assume that I have the means to play the instruments
I think you just want a Controller Keyboard, which means you will not get sound from them, they are just for input. If you have a local Guitar Center or, if you rather not leave the comfort of home, call Sweetwater (Great Online/Catalogue Music Store)
I put the link here to Sweetwater, these guys are musicians as well as sales people, so you can actually ask the sales rep questions, and they really have "legitimate" answers.
Thanks very much for that prompt response john-auvil. I got on to Sweetwater,a good site. However I noticed that among some other controllers they mentioned the korg nanokey and gave it a good write up. but I couldn't get my computer to recognise it. so I'm reluctant to just buy for example the akai controller unless I can be assured that it will work with Samplitude Music Studio 14. Have you any info on that or on any controller that is known to work with M S 14 ?
Controller boards are nothing more than input devices, just like a computer keyboard or mouse. I used an old M-Audio Oxygen 8, simply because it was portable, so I could put it in a backpack with the laptop. But, as controller boards are concerned, they would all work, they are nothing more than USB hardware extensions.
In fact, there is no need to go for a named brand, it’s just a controller, and there is nothing to it other than the keys, maybe a modulation wheel.
Which synth instruments do you wanting to manipulate with a controller board?