At the heart of almost every music-technology lab is a keyboard. An educator designing a new lab or upgrading an older one has a wide range of keyboard choices, including low-cost consumer keyboards, keyboard synthesizers and workstations made for pro and semipro markets, digital pianos, and keyboard controllers that pair with computers. In this article, I'll clarify the differences and describe how to select the most appropriate keyboard for a lab.

Keyboards can be divided into two basic categories: keyboard controllers and keyboard instruments. Keyboard controllers cannot create sound on their own; they just send control signals to a sound generator, usually a software or hardware synthesizer, sampler, or sample player.

FIG. 1: The portability and small footprint of keyboard controllers such as the M-Audio Oxygen8 can turn a general-purpose school computer lab into a music-technology lab in minutes.

Keyboard instruments contain an internal sound source, and the quantity and quality of their sounds varies greatly. You should give consideration to what you want from the following several features before buying a keyboard for your lab.

Keyboards come equipped with one of three types of key weights: unweighted (gives no resistance), semiweighted (gives light resistance), and weighted (emulates the feel of an acoustic piano). For most applications, unweighted or semiweighted actions are fine. The main reason to spend additional money on a weighted action is if the lab's primary use is piano instruction, in which case you would most likely need an 88-note weighted keyboard.

The number of keys available on keyboards ranges from 25 notes (two octaves) to 88 notes. The primary advantage of 25-note keyboards is portability (see Fig. 1). That might be a factor for music teachers who share a general-purpose computer lab. You should consider a 25-note keyboard for settings used by elementary students (ideally, with one student per keyboard) or in labs focusing on nonperformance applications, such as notation and sound design. A 49-note keyboard is appropriate for most applications; in labs seating two students per station, each student has a range of two octaves. A 61-note keyboard is more useful for older students and for labs stressing performance techniques. You should consider an 88-note keyboard if your lab's primary purpose is piano instruction. Be aware, though, of the extra space required by keyboards of that size.

These controllers aren't needed if you are focusing on notation and piano performance. They are vital, however, if your students use music-production software or engage in any type of classroom performance other than piano. The best setup is to have both controllers available simultaneously, either as two separate wheels or assigned to different axes on an x-y-type joystick.

Most keyboards include Velocity sensitivity; many have selectable Velocity-response curves that allow you to match the response to your playing style. Aftertouch, or Pressure, is most appropriate for older students in labs stressing live-performance techniques.

Assignable controls are an important feature of keyboard controllers. Assignable sliders, knobs, and pads make it possible to control various sound parameters on software instruments. You can also control various features of music-production software, such as sequencers and effects-processing programs. Sliders and knobs allow you to increase or decrease parameter values gradually; pads can be used to trigger samples and, in some cases, to send MIDI messages. (Pads are especially useful for triggering drum sounds; many students play drum sounds more intuitively using pads instead of keys.) The more assignable controls you have available, the greater your control over the expressive qualities of a sound.

FIG. 2: The Korg Kontrol49 keyboard controller features a separate LCD above each pair of -assignable sliders and knobs. That makes it easy to identify the controllers’ functions.

At least, keyboards should have a sustainfootswitch input. In labs stressing performance techniques, a second assignable footswitch input is useful for functions such as stepping through MIDI Program Changes or switching effects on and off. Pedal inputs are useful for controlling parameters such as volume and filter cutoff.

The bigger the display, the easier it is to operate the instrument. Displays are needed on keyboard controllers to keep track of the control assignments for each knob, slider, button, and pad. Less expensive models use a small LCD; pricier models, such as the Korg Kontrol49, have a separate display above each pair of sliders and knobs (see Fig. 2). That is a powerful feature to have for classes in synthesis and sound design.

Almost every keyboard controller has the ability to store user-defined controller assignments in memory. In addition, most keyboard controllers are shipped with presets already configured for many popular software synthesizers and sequencing programs.

As noted earlier, the quantity and quality of a keyboard instrument's sounds varies greatly. That said, some of the lower-end home keyboards have surprisingly good sounds nowadays, so don't dismiss them without listening. Common sense also applies here: younger students may be satisfied with a small palette of sounds that wouldn't satisfy older students.

FIG. 3: Software synthesizers such as the Pentagon I, which is included with Cakewalk Sonar 5 and 6, have replaced hardware tone modules in many labs.

The category of keyboard instruments includes low-cost home keyboards, digital pianos, synthesizers, and workstations. An alternative to all of these is the combination of a keyboard controller that has no internal sounds and a computer that has software instruments (see Fig. 3).

Low-cost home keyboards are self-contained electronic instruments aimed at the consumer market. They typically have General MIDI (GM) sounds, pitch-bend and modulation controls, and footswitch inputs. The built-in speakers on home keyboards make it easy to create a classroom ensemble: simply unplug the headphones and start playing. In general, low-cost home keyboards are best suited for younger students.

Digital pianos are ideal for group piano instruction. Their use in other areas of music-technology instruction can be limited by their lack of a complete GM sound set, assignable controllers, pitch-bend and modulation controls, and Aftertouch. In addition, the large size of each instrument greatly reduces the number of workstations you can fit in a lab.

FIG. 4: The Roland Juno-D is a powerful, low-cost keyboard synthesizer.

The primary advantage of “professional” keyboard synthesizers (see Fig. 4) over low-cost home keyboards is the ability to modify internal sounds and create entirely new ones. Such synthesizers typically have high-quality sound sets and more controllers than low-cost home keyboards. They are also better suited for live performance than are a controller and software because they contain internal sounds and jacks for footswitches and pedals. And keyboard synths are convenient because students can switch on the keyboards and start playing without waiting for computers to boot up.

Keyboard workstations are all-in-one music-production studios that have a sound source, sequencing, and effects processing. Many workstations can also record and edit digital audio, and some even burn CDs. They can be good choices if you want the advantages of a keyboard synthesizer and intend to teach composition, arranging, and recording, especially if you don't have up-to-date computers.

If you have older computers or are installing a new lab, you have the option of using either keyboard instruments, software instruments with controller keyboards, or both. (Keep in mind, though, that you still might need at least one keyboard synth for live performance outside of the lab for, say, stage band and jazz choir.)

The combination of software instruments and a keyboard controller is especially powerful and intuitive for general music instruction, sound design and synthesis, composition, arranging, and recording. Software companies constantly improve their wares, and it's hard to think of a musical task in which you can't productively use a well-equipped computer. A huge variety of software instruments are available, including freeware and shareware, and extensive third-party sound libraries are available for many such instruments, so the sound palette is almost unlimited if you go that route.

But computers are complex devices, and configuring and maintaining them properly requires that you have more tech savvy or support than is needed for keyboard synths. But as long as tech concerns are not an impassible roadblock for you, the controller/software pairing deserves serious consideration.

Be aware that older computers may not have what it takes to run software instruments. In addition, newer software often does not work on older operating systems, such as Windows 98 and Mac OS 9. Further, older computers and audio interfaces sometimes have latency problems (a noticeable delay between when you play the keyboard and when the computer produces the sound). In general, if your computers are more than four years old, it's best to purchase home keyboards or keyboard synthesizers so you can use their internal sounds.

Digital pianos and workstations are usually at the bottom of the list for labs with computers. Most school labs do not focus primarily on piano instruction (at least not to the point that they would need 88-note weighted keyboards), and the redundancy of features (such as sequencers, effects, and CD burning) in large keyboard workstations makes them superfluous in a computer-equipped lab. That leaves three choices: low-cost home keyboards, keyboard synthesizers, and keyboard controllers triggering software instruments.

Some teachers use both keyboard instruments and keyboard controllers with software synthesizers. If your computers are up to speed, however, the argument for software synthesizers played by a keyboard controller is compelling from both a financial and a pedagogical perspective. Instead of dealing with the settings on keyboard instruments, students can simply open a template song file in a program such as Propellerhead Reason and instantly have a clean slate with everything ready to go. Clicking on the Save button saves literally everything: notes; tempo; mixer automation; EQ curves; synthesizer patches, edits, and automation; and effects settings and automation.

In addition, working with software synthesizers makes it extremely easy to create audio files; on most programs, it takes just a few mouse-clicks. With keyboard instruments, the audio output of the instrument must first be recorded back to the computer as an audio track. This process must take place in real time and must be repeated if you want to record different parts onto separate audio tracks.

Ultimately, the primary factors you should use to determine which keyboard to select for your lab are the type of computer you have and what your special needs are (for instance, piano instruction). As stated earlier, labs with older computers may be forced to use only keyboard instruments. For many educators updating or designing new labs, however, the future might be keyboard controllers and software synthesizers.

Don Muro (www.donmuro.com) is a member the NYSSMA Technology Committee and the TI:ME Board of Directors. He recently presented the keynote address at the NYSSMA 2006 Music Technology Music Conference. Thanks to David Mash, Ken Johnson, Tom Rudolph, and Lee Whitmore for contributing to this article.