Also,

Just a caution [my opinion], Music Maker is absolutely horrendous for MIDI support. I had nothing but problems and finally had to abandon it for Samplitude.

That said, if you need something cheap that'll work as well as anything in Music Maker - Take a look at Monoprices M Pro Audio series #606304.

I opened a dozen or so bugs to the MAGIX support team for bugs many months back, no fixes or updates. So tread cautiously if you want to use Music Maker with MIDI. Usability issues aside, it is especially bad for missing notes on playback, and for recorded audio not matching play back audio with MIDI.

Hi

In general most MIDI keyboard controllers will work with Music Maker, however there my be issues with assigning/using the pads on those that have them, and you may find the 2 octave range limiting - I have used 49 key midi keyboards (no pads so cannot comment on their usage) and the extended octave range is much easier to use.

. . . . planning to try my hand at composing digital music that may be used for small Indie games . . . .

If this is for commercial use then please read this article. and this summary of what you can do without the need for additional licenses

. . . . thinking of upgrading soon to Plus, Premium, or Steam version . . . .

I would advise you to get the Premium version direct from Magix, why go through a third party and be dependant on them when you can deal direct with Magix.

HTH

John EB

 

 

More keys would be great but since I am just a beginner, I only want something low cost & easy to use that I can place in front of my desk to occupy a small space between my monitor and the PC keyboard. Maybe I can just extend the sound range through the software for now? hmm... I will also check if there any 49 Key MIDI Keyboard that will fit my space and budget. 🙂

Ultimately yes, the compositions will be for commercial use. I plan to add my own sounds to the games then either distribute them for free and/or sell them. Thanks for the links you provided as they have useful information! The first one containing legalities is a little unclear but it sort of got answered by the discussion in the second forum thread. If my understanding is correct, I guess I will just not use pre-made "loops" and "pre-sets" so my work will be safe for commercial use. The commercial license for the Soundloops in Magix are quite expensive anyway for a beginner.

The reason I am considering the Steam version is it is under promo right now and very cheap. But I have to act quickly as the promo will be ending in a couple of hours. I am also considering the Premium version here in Magix as the 3rd option but it is more expensive because it also comes with many Soundpools that I won't be using and then there is the question of compatibility w/ the MIDI keyboard.

Also,

Just a caution [my opinion], Music Maker is absolutely horrendous for MIDI support. I had nothing but problems and finally had to abandon it for Samplitude.

That said, if you need something cheap that'll work as well as anything in Music Maker - Take a look at Monoprices M Pro Audio series #606304.

I opened a dozen or so bugs to the MAGIX support team for bugs many months back, no fixes or updates. So tread cautiously if you want to use Music Maker with MIDI. Usability issues aside, it is especially bad for missing notes on playback, and for recorded audio not matching play back audio with MIDI.

Thanks for the warning dark_spartan! Samplitude Pro X3's price (not yet Suite) is a bit high at US$399 and its features/complexity may be too much for a beginner. Also, the fully featured version of Propellerheads Reason 10 has a similar price and I think is much better in that regard. Maybe it would be best to get a MIDI Keyboard first so I can test that with the free version of Music Maker... but I'm not sure if that version has the capability/feature to "connect". The keyboard you recommended seems to be a generic one as I found something similar but with a different brand here [Worlde KS25A USB/MIDI Controller]. May I know if you've tested the Monoprices M Pro Audio series #606304 in what version of Music Maker?

@RendCycle

Hi

IMHO you should go to a few music shops and try different keyboards before buying. You will find there is a vast difference between a good one , not necessarily expensive however more than the ones you have mentioned, and a cheap one, personally I would avoid getting a generic or economy keyboard - it is often a case of 'buy cheap - buy twice' and limited support in the case of issues with them.

If your budget allows, go for a well known brand eg Roland (expensive but very good quality), M-Audio, Novation, Akai, Yamaha etc, you will get a better quality keyboard with a good key action, they will last longer than a cheap keyboard.

Despite dark_spartans warning, I have had no issues with a Roland or M-Audio keyboard with Music Maker - the only thing to be aware of is that you can only control/record one instrument at a time.

Note - Samplitude Pro is a true Digital Audio Workstation, Music Maker is not.

HTH

John EB

@RendCycle

Hi

IMHO you should go to a few music shops and try different keyboards before buying. You will find there is a vast difference between a good one , not necessarily expensive however more than the ones you have mentioned, and a cheap one, personally I would avoid getting a generic or economy keyboard - it is often a case of 'buy cheap - buy twice' and limited support in the case of issues with them.

If your budget allows, go for a well known brand eg Roland (expensive but very good quality), M-Audio, Novation, Akai, Yamaha etc, you will get a better quality keyboard with a good key action, they will last longer than a cheap keyboard.

Despite dark_spartans warning, I have had no issues with a Roland or M-Audio keyboard with Music Maker - the only thing to be aware of is that you can only control/record one instrument at a time.

Note - Samplitude Pro is a true Digital Audio Workstation, Music Maker is not.

HTH

John EB

 

Yes, would not get the generic keyboard and I might just buy the Akai Professional MPK Mini MKII (25 Keys), Novation Launchkey 49, or M-AUDIO Keyboard Controller KEYSTATION MINI32II. What do you mean by "the only thing to be aware of is that you can only control/record one instrument at a time"? Is that normal for MIDI Controllers? Also, if Music Maker will suite my initial needs, I am fine with it even if its not a true DAW since I am just starting out. :-)

Please be informed that I just gave in and bought the 2017 Premium Steam Edition. Will quickly check it out and see if it will fit my requirements else will refund it from Steam. So far everything seems ok but I found a bug I think with the Virtual Keyboard which I posted in a separate thread here if you're interested.

Hi

. . . . What do you mean by "the only thing to be aware of is that you can only control/record one instrument at a time"? . . . .

Another way of putting this is you have to lay down the music down track by track.

As an example - if you have a drum instrument on track 1 and electric bass on track 2, you can only play/record the drums or the bass, not both at the same time.

IMHO good choices for the MIDI controllers, they all have good keyboards, if you can, try them before ordering on-line, you may prefer ones key dynamics over the others.

HTH

John EB

Hi

. . . . What do you mean by "the only thing to be aware of is that you can only control/record one instrument at a time"? . . . .

Another way of putting this is you have to lay down the music down track by track.

As an example - if you have a drum instrument on track 1 and electric bass on track 2, you can only play/record the drums or the bass, not both at the same time.

IMHO good choices for the MIDI controllers, they all have good keyboards, if you can, try them before ordering on-line, you may prefer ones key dynamics over the others.

HTH

John EB

I see, that could work. For the true DAWs, is there an option to record everything while playing?

Yes, I would visit a brick-and-mortar store this week to try some of the aforementioned MIDI Keyboards. :-)

Hi

. . . . For the true DAWs, is there an option to record everything while playing? . . . .

Samplitude Pro, like many other DAWs, has the capability to record multiple audio sources and MIDI simultaneously, eg for live recordings.

i would suggest you read the specifications and features here.

John EB

Hi

. . . . For the true DAWs, is there an option to record everything while playing? . . . .

Samplitude Pro, like many other DAWs, has the capability to record multiple audio sources and MIDI simultaneously, eg for live recordings.

i would suggest you read the specifications and features here.

John EB

Oh I see. That means its the software that's limited and not the MIDI Keyboard/Controller. Having a "true" DAW is a big convenience. Now that makes me think further...

Just a final update. I have bought the Akai Professional MPK Mini II and have tested it with Magix Music Maker 2017 Steam Editiion version 24.1.5.115 (UDST). I can confirm the device works with Magix Music Maker without any other driver installation but there is a quick configuration required and the settings resets every time the program is closed. I followed the steps mentioned in this video:

...but have also ticked "Send MIDI synchronization" and selected the "MPKmini2" device under the Program Settings -> Project Settings -> Synchronization tab. Here is an illustration.

Many thanks for the assistance! I might look at a different software for now.

Also,

Just a caution [my opinion], Music Maker is absolutely horrendous for MIDI support. I had nothing but problems and finally had to abandon it for Samplitude.

That said, if you need something cheap that'll work as well as anything in Music Maker - Take a look at Monoprices M Pro Audio series #606304.

I opened a dozen or so bugs to the MAGIX support team for bugs many months back, no fixes or updates. So tread cautiously if you want to use Music Maker with MIDI. Usability issues aside, it is especially bad for missing notes on playback, and for recorded audio not matching play back audio with MIDI.

any chance you also had the problem of key getting stuck when pushing/releasing multiple keys?

@RendCycle

For the guy who did the video; he got it a bit wrong. You can use the Direct Sound driver for recording an instrument, but you won't hear anything. You can use it for playback, not recording and monitoring. You have to use either the WASAPI driver, one of the Magix low latency drivers, or another ASIO driver like ASIO4All or there will be no sound when you play the keyboard.

Secondly, the idea is to select a VST instrument for the track rather that the "Microsoft GS Wavetable SW synth" piano which is given by default. If you can't play the keyboard at the bottom of the instrument screen, then you have the wrong driver for monitoring. With Direct sound, you cannot get the keys to depress. Note that you cannot record using the keyboard at the bottom of the instrument screen, only with the keyboard at the bottom of the main screen or an external keyboard.

As for missing notes, check that the notes themselves are within the range of the instrument. You can check this by looking at the instrument keyboard to see the range. You can record a note that is not in the range, but nothing will play back.

Here is an example. Only the white keys will play. If you have a note recorded outside of these, there will be no sound. With some instruments, there are articulation keys, as shown in the image. Pressing (or inserting in the piano roll) one of these notes from the keyboard, not by pressing the instrument keyboard shown in the image, will change the sound of the instrument to the selected articulation, until a new articulation is selected (and recorded). If you use articulations, you should note these and what they do with each instrument.

EDIT: For clarity, only the yellowish keys work for articulations, the black ones do not. As well, some of the articulations limit the number of notes playable (the ones in white (and black) range, so you may have to check these as well. Where I show "Only white keys used" I should have meant this zone, as the black keys also work within the range.

John CB