Members Jericho-79 Posted June 9, 2014 Members Share Posted June 9, 2014 I used to own a Casio CTK-6250 portable keyboard that had built-in tones. Now I'm interested in the Akai Professional MPK49 (or MPK61). From what I understand, Akai Professional MPK49 is a MIDI/USB "keyboard controller" that creates sounds via computer software digital audio workstation. Apparently, it is very useful in the studio. But what about live performances? Can the Akai Professional MPK49 be played on stage like my old Casio portable keyboard? I mean- I was thinking that I could just go on stage, hook up the Akai Professional MPK49 to a power source, turn on the main power, and start playing a piano melody (using a built-in tone). Or does the Akai Professional MPK49 need to be interfaced with a computer (with the DAW running) at all times? Can the Akai Professional MPK49 act as a stand-alone instrument at gigs? Is it accurate that Akai Professional MPK49 will not produce any musical sounds unless it is networked with computer software? Please advise, everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ghostpaw Posted June 9, 2014 Members Share Posted June 9, 2014 It does not produce sound. It is just a controller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jericho-79 Posted June 9, 2014 Author Members Share Posted June 9, 2014 But watch the attached YouTube performance. One girl is playing the Akai Professional MPK61 and the other girl is playing the Akai Professional MPK49. And they're playing them like ordinary keyboards. I don't see any computer interfaces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ghostpaw Posted June 9, 2014 Members Share Posted June 9, 2014 If you look closely you can see three cables coming out of the back. One for power, one to interface (via MIDI or USB cable) with something out of view producing sound (a computer, synth, rompler, etc.), and the third is what I assume is a foot pedal. You can use a decent controller to pull up various patches on another unit so you wouldn't need the computer there on stage. Here is the rear panel of that keyboard taken from the manual (available online). There are no outputs for sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jericho-79 Posted June 10, 2014 Author Members Share Posted June 10, 2014 If you look closely you can see three cables coming out of the back. One for power' date=' one to interface (via MIDI or USB cable) with something out of view producing sound (a computer, synth, rompler, etc.)[/quote'] So when you're using the Akai Professional MPK49 on stage, you need something like a laptop computer (containing uploaded synth patches) in order to generate musical sounds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ghostpaw Posted June 10, 2014 Members Share Posted June 10, 2014 Correct. It is a keyboard controller that does not generate any sounds of its own. If you are determined to buy one then you will need something else to generate sounds. If you want a keyboard that DOES produce sounds then you have a number of options in that same $300-$500 price range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jericho-79 Posted June 12, 2014 Author Members Share Posted June 12, 2014 Correct. It is a keyboard controller that does not generate any sounds of its own. So it wouldn't be appropriate to regard the Akai Professional MPK49 as a "synthesizer". Right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ghostpaw Posted June 12, 2014 Members Share Posted June 12, 2014 So it wouldn't be appropriate to regard the Akai Professional MPK49 as a "synthesizer". Right? I would expect a "synthesizer" to output sound somehow. The MPK49 does not have the ability to generate or output sounds. Think of it like the keyboard and mouse you connect to your computer to tell it what you want from it. They are just control devices, nothing more. Here is a link to Akai's information concerning the MPK49. Download and review the Quick Start manual. It will answer everything you need to know. Pay particular attention to page 13. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jericho-79 Posted June 16, 2014 Author Members Share Posted June 16, 2014 Well, let's say that I use a Akai Professional MPK keyboard controller at a gig, and interface it with a laptop computer that contains digital audio workstation software. I assume that my laptop would provide the sound output. Would I have to connect my laptop to some sort of amplifier in order to allow the audience hear the sounds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kbeaumont Posted June 16, 2014 Members Share Posted June 16, 2014 Do you think the speakers in your laptop are loud enough? You could connect directly to the PA system but that would fall under the "some sort of amplifier" category wouldn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tullsterx Posted June 16, 2014 Members Share Posted June 16, 2014 You might need an audio interface as well. But, yeah, you'll need an amplifier of some sort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jericho-79 Posted June 17, 2014 Author Members Share Posted June 17, 2014 Do you think the speakers in your laptop are loud enough? You could connect directly to the PA system but that would fall under the "some sort of amplifier" category wouldn't it? Well, what if you're performing in front of thousands of people inside a hockey/basketball arena? Do you think laptop speakers will be adequate enough to carry sounds across a big venue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr Temporary Posted June 19, 2014 Members Share Posted June 19, 2014 You'd want to look into a Mainstage 3 (Apple) or Brainspawn Forte (PC) setup. I suggest a good audio interface to go with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ghostpaw Posted June 19, 2014 Members Share Posted June 19, 2014 Well' date=' what if you're performing in front of thousands of people inside a hockey/basketball arena? Do you think laptop speakers will be adequate enough to carry sounds across a big venue?[/quote'] Absolutely. Anything more would be overkill. You only need those bigger systems when playing in football arenas. Anyone who tells you otherwise is just trying to sell you more than you need. Laptop speakers will easily fill a baseball arena with quality sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members doromi Posted June 19, 2014 Members Share Posted June 19, 2014 I play in a cover band using just an MPK61 and an iPad in an Alesis iO Dock. So just bear in mind that it doesn't have to be a computer that you use, just some type of MIDI capable sound module. And an amp of course! Or you could run the output through the PA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JeffLearman Posted June 20, 2014 Members Share Posted June 20, 2014 So it wouldn't be appropriate to regard the Akai Professional MPK49 as a "synthesizer". Right?Correct. A synthesizer synthesizes audio waveforms. A controller does not. The MPK49 is a controller keyboard, not a synthesizer. Would I have to connect my laptop to some sort of amplifier in order to allow the audience hear the sounds? Yes. There are different solutions for different size venues. Who needs to be able to hear you? You, your bandmates, and the audience. Most of us carry our own monitor system, so we and our bandmates can hear us. The minimum there is a smallish powered PA speaker. In smaller venues, that's all we need. In bigger venues, we also send the signal to the main PA so the audience can hear. We generally carry our own monitors because many small venues only have one monitor feed, and we don't want to muddy up the vocal monitors with too much keyboards. However, bigger venues and gigs where a pro sound team is providing the sound, usually have multiple monitor feeds and quality monitors, and we can leave our own at home and let them take care of us. At the pro-am level, that's usually not the case. Folks above mentioned an audio interface. I gigged with a laptop for about 5 years, and usually used the built-in on my laptop, because it sounded good enough. Whenever I used my MOTU nobody noticed a difference, and it was more gear to set up, so why bother? But it depends on how good your laptop's built-in soundcard is. You can always start out using the built-in and upgrade later. A laptop live has pros and cons. The sound is great -- I got better tone using my laptop than the hardware I replaced it with. In those 5 years, about 2 or 3 times I had issues with the laptop, bluescreen or not working for some reason, and I was always glad that I had a keyboard with built-in sounds as a backup (I could get by just playing piano, for example.) In over 3 decades of gigging, I have never had a keyboard instrument fail on the gig, other than Rhodes a tine breaking (which kills just that one one note). Or maybe a string breaking on a CP70. In your situation, I'd get a used keyboard instrument rather than a keyboard controller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the_big_e Posted June 20, 2014 Members Share Posted June 20, 2014 Absolutely. Anything more would be overkill. You only need those bigger systems when playing in football arenas. Anyone who tells you otherwise is just trying to sell you more than you need. Laptop speakers will easily fill a baseball arena with quality sound. Cool, I've got an old laptop that runs Windows 3.1, I'll just hook that up. Wembley stadium, here I come.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ghostpaw Posted June 20, 2014 Members Share Posted June 20, 2014 Cool, I've got an old laptop that runs Windows 3.1, I'll just hook that up. Wembley stadium, here I come.... Be careful about turning it up too loud though. You might damage your audience's hearing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus Lozada Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Can the Akai Professional MPK49 be played on stage like a regular musical keyboard? YES. BUT You will need something to be controlled with it, like (a) a computer with virtual synthesizers and / or (b) a hardware synth in "module" format (as in "no keys", just the digital brain). If it's (a), a computer, you can, of course, just use a cable to connect its internal audio output (which is usually CRAP and with a lot of latency, specially in PCs) to a mixer or an amplifier or whatever you want to use to amplify its sound. It will be a better idea to use an AUDIO INTERFACE to get the audio out from your computer. Google it. Ask specific questions if you have them. If it's (b) a hardware synth module, you don't need anything else because hardware modules have their own audio ouput. Just use a cable an connect the synth's outputs to a mixer or an amplifier. This is what I have been using the last SIX months, in all kind of venues, including small clubs and stadiums. It is a MPK61, not a 49, though. You can see my audio interface next to my computer. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tullsterx Posted June 25, 2014 Members Share Posted June 25, 2014 You'd want to look into a Mainstage 3 (Apple) or Brainspawn Forte (PC) setup. I suggest a good audio interface to go with it. Yep, I use Cantabile (PC), and it's awesome, but it's no longer actively supported. But, I've heard good things about Forte. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Suilebhain Posted July 28, 2014 Members Share Posted July 28, 2014 WARNING - INCOMING DINOSAUR ALERT!!! I'm not a big fan of using laptops for live performance, though many do and it seems to be "the thing". Laptops are far too fragile and susceptible to failure for live performance to me, whether through hardware, software, or user error. There are a multitude of rackmount or desktop modules available that do exactly what you want to do. I guess most of the old timers have drifted away from here, otherwise this thread would have been a dozen pages long with suggestions on favorite hardware modules (unless I have actually gotten tar babied into a troll thread). If this thread is for real, just check eBay or Craigslist for used modules, though I would recommend staying away from many E-Mu modules that have ROM slots because the current trend it so remove the slot and sell an empty box due to the fact that the ROM chips can be inserted into other modules. I am currently selling an Ultraproteus in my sig that does not have removable ROM chips, but there are many others that can be had for a reasonable amount if using a controller is what you want to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ghostpaw Posted July 28, 2014 Members Share Posted July 28, 2014 I do think it was a strange attempt at a troll thread. I was on board until the laptop speakers question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members keybdwizrd Posted July 31, 2014 Members Share Posted July 31, 2014 This is what I have been using the last SIX months, in all kind of venues, including small clubs and stadiums. Gus, you are a god amongst men. Or at least KSSers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RockPianoman Posted August 4, 2014 Members Share Posted August 4, 2014 I have used many controller keyboards over the years, but I'm about to quit (I have a Roland A-37 controller keyboard as my bottom keyboard now) but I want to get a Yamaha Motif XS7 or XF7 and use it instead.....that would be soooooo much more convenient !!!! They have 76 keys which is enough but aren't so terribly heavy as the Motifs with 88 weighted keys.....the sound sets on these fit my needs perfectly and it's soooooo much easier having all the sounds built in (and getting such a nice sequencer and sampler built in as well)..... I don't like the build quality of the "budget" Motifs....the MO6 / MO8 weren't too bad but newer models are made super cheaply and I want the 'real' Motifs.....they are built like a tank.....I have a Motif ES6 now, but sample loading is too slow (this was corrected in the XS) and 61 keys isn't enough for me on my main board.....I'll probably never sell it as it's an awesome board, but those two things make me want an XS7.....the XF7 can only hold 128 MB of DIMM memory (it's built in) as flash memory sucks and doesn't work right for detailed sample editing.....I wish they would have allowed 2 GB of DIMM's to be added like the XS can as the flash is really nice for holding finished samples that never need to be reloaded..... I still prefer my Korg Karma as my top synth....it's the perfect top synth for me.....it covers so much of what my right hand needs as my left hand holds the rhythm......I MIDI the Korg Karma into a Roland XV-5050, Roland XV-3080 and a Motif rack.....I would probably move it and MIDI the Motif XS7 or XF7 into my Roland XV-3080 for easy layering.....I know the racks I mentioned are old, but they really fit what I do and sound really good to my ears.....I find that making your own sounds makes them not sound dated as using many of the presets does.....they seem to really have what is needed inside them if you bring it out..... The Roland XV-3080 and the Motif rack are both 128 note polyphony.....the XV-3080 can read over 1000 user sounds from the Smart Media card WITHOUT LOADING and this leaves the 128 voice user bank free for whatever.....this is a definite plus......another thing, even though the display on the XV-3080 isn't as big as the display on the XV-5080, it's way better than the display on the XV-5050.....I find the editing on the XV-3080 way easier than editing on the XV-5050 (editing from the front panel and not a computer)..... I put this post on under my other name on here a while back: http://www.harmonycentral.com/forum/...97213-36445521 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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