(Top 7 High Grade, Inexpensive) Keyboards for Garageband

December 21, 2018 Cameron Musician Tips 0

Wether you’re looking for something with lots of options or something simple..

We’ve got you covered.

 

In This Article, we’ll be covering 7 Top Rated Keyboards (Budget Friendly Options). After reading this, choosing a keyboard will be a breeze.

 

 

Not Sure What to look for in a Midi Keyboard?

Here’s a Quick Check List, so you can find the right Keyboard for you:

  • Key Count: Figuring out how many keys you’ll need is essential. Most Midi keyboards have an octave up/down button so that way you will be able to hit any note you want, but some people do prefer to be able to play notes in different octaves at the same time.
  • Key Action: This refers to how the keys feel when you play them, the most common Key Action I find for good midi controllers is “Semi-Weighted” which means they have a little bit of weight to them, but not as much as you’d feel playing a grand piano.
  • Beat Pads: This is pretty simple to decide if you need them or not, If you want to make some beats as well on your keyboard….get them! Easy.
  • Other Effects: There’s all sorts of other options Keyboards have that let’s you have a little more diversity when you’re playing. The most important thing to consider with these, is if they’re in a position that you’ll feel comfortable using them. I prefer everything above the keys, you may not mind them on the side. It’s all personal preference.

 

 

Some Quick Notes about this Article: Most of the Keyboards in this list are strictly midi keyboards with some extra things that will help you make great music on Garageband, these will not play anything by themselves. They need to be plugged into Garageband or another DAW (digital audio workstation) to be used.

I have included other keyboard options as well, that will work without being plugged in case that’s what you’re interested in.

 

Let’s Get Started.

 

 

The (Top 7 high grade, inexpensive) Keyboards for Garageband

 

 

 

1. Akai mini mpk2

Lightweight and portable, the akai mpk2 is the most popular option you’ll find if you’re looking for a small midi keyboard.

It’s pretty simple to figure out why, these are extremely affordable and so easy to use. They should honestly charge more, maybe even double…..but that’s besides the point.

These work great with GarageBand and are easy and quick to set up. They come with some dope software as well, and everything you’ll need to use with GarageBand.

Here are some of the features you’ll get:

  • Arpeggiator (with a lot of options)
  • Tab Tempo
  • 8 Beat Pads (Highly Responsive. pressure sensitive)
  • Pitch Bend (Not your typical knob, but a toggle. You can get more sounds out of this type of pitch knob.)
  • Octave Buttons (So you aren’t stuck with the keys you have. If you want to go higher or lower you simply press the up or down an octave button)
  • Full Level Buttons
  • Note Repeat (Activate this and the notes on the pads will repeat themselves without you pressing them over and over. There are options of 1/4th, 1/8th, and 1/16th for how fast you want it to go.)
  • 8 effect knobs that add effects to your pads. Pretty fun to play around with.
  • Bank A/Bank B Button (These are so you can have more than one set of sounds for your drum pads. Switch from Bank A to Bank B to get some different sounds. You program these sounds yourself so you can decide what you want in each of your banks.

 

(More Info and Pricing Details on Amazon)

 

 

2. Nektar Impakt LX61

If you’re looking for a very budget friendly option with more keys, definitely check out the Nektar Impakt LX61.

The Key action feels absolutely incredible for the price, they’re velocity sensitive and have a good weight to them (these things are more important for piano players that are used to playing real pianos).

With 61 keys of course, you’ll be able to move around very easily around the keys without having to press a button to go up or down an octave which is very nice.

While this option doesn’t have a ton of bells and whistles, it does have some pretty cool features.

 

Here are some of the features you’ll get:

  • 61 velocity sensitive keys (with nice key action)
  • 8 Highly Responsive pads that are also velocity sensitive (they can be set up as toggle switches as well)
  • 8 rotary encoders
  • 9 toggle buttons
  • Pitch Bend
  • Octave Buttons

 

(More Info and pricing details on Amazon)

 

 

3. Ik multimedia irig keys Pro

If all you’re looking for is keys, and the absolute bare necessities to use with Garageband….this is a great option.

First off, I think they look phenomenal. Very sleek and nice design (besides the point but still).

37 keys, which makes it the perfect size to fit on a desk. It’s also very light compared to other keyboards this size, and not to large so it’s very easily portable.

There’s not much to say about this keyboard, it’s nice and simply gets the job done. The nice thing though about this option is that setting this up with Garageband is extremely easy compared to other options.

 

Here’s some of what you get with this keyboard:

 

  • Soft touch Buttons 
  • Modulation Wheels
  • Pitch Bend Wheels
  • Expansion Jack (So you can add a sustain pedal if you’d like)
  • Octave Buttons
  • Volume Knob

(More Info and pricing details on Amazon)

 

 

 

4. MIDI M-audio mini keystation 32

With 32 keys, the Mini Keystation from M-audio is a very basic controller, and has even less frills and whistles than our last option.

It’s a fantastic controller, especially for those people who want a very small keyboard, but not quite as small as a 25. (I personally do find 25 key controllers to be hard to work with sometimes)

It’s very lightweight and plastic, but it is still sturdy and well built. All the features you find on this model are basic, the only effect you’ll find is the pitch bend, which is actually not on a wheel. The pitch bend is actually two buttons, one for up and one for down. Which doesn’t really give you a lot of control over the pitch bend unfortunately, but it gets the job done.

Here’s some of what you get with the M-Audio Mini Keystation (32)

  • Large Volume knob
  • Sustain Button
  • Octave up and Octave Down Buttons
  • Two pitch bend buttons (up and down)
  • Mod Button

Note: This model does come with some nice software which is very surprising looking at the price. Sometimes, this changes though but I would check to see from who you’re buying it from what comes with the controller.

 

(More Info and pricing details on Amazon)

 

 

5. Yamaha PSREW300SA 76-Key Portable Keyboard

This option, is probably best for anyone that’s looking for a standard keyboard that’s affordable.

With 71 keys, you’re getting a fairly large range so you can play almost anything on this model. You won’t be seeing a ton of features on this one like the previous keyboard, but you can actually get some cool features by integrating your phone with the keyboard. There’s a ton of apps that work well with this model, like pitch wheels and recording apps. GarageBand of course works great with the keyboard as well.

It’s good to note that this keyboard also has a mode for beginners to learn as well. The lesson mode teaches some basic songs, and even scores you on your playing.

 

Here’s most of what’s included:

  • 76 keys
  • App integration for effects
  • Quality build
  • Lesson mode
  • Duo mode

(More Info and pricing details on Amazon)

 

 

6. Alesis recital pro 88

If you’re looking for something that feels the most like an actual grand piano, this one is your best bet.

This one actually has hammer action keys, which are slightly different than semi weighted keys. Semi weighted keys are simply just weighted, whereas hammer action keys have the same thing as in a real piano so you get the similar feel.

Slightly more pricey than the other options, but still not to bad.

 

Some of the main features:

  • 12 onboard sounds
  • Headphone jack 2 line outs (mono and stereo)
  • Layer button (can play two sounds at once)
  • Chorus
  • Modulation
  • Reverb
  • Adjustable touch sensitivity on keys

 

(More Info and pricing details on Amazon)

7. Akai MPK 261

Now, I had to finish up with something for someone who wants absolutely everything, and this keyboard is that and a little more.

This has everything you can really want in a controller, it’s much more expensive than the rest…..but I’d say it’s worth it if you have the money. For anyone looking to just simply record and play in GarageBand this is kind of overkill, but it definitely has tons of cool functions that’ll make playing more enjoyable and give you more options for what you can play as well.

The main features:

  • 61 Keys
  • 8 Knobs
  • 8 Faders
  • 8 Switches
  • Pitch Bend
  • Modulation
  • Octave buttons
  • Sustain Pedal
  • 16 Pads
  • Includes Ableton Live Lite, Pro MPC essentials, and Reason Lite
  • Compatible with iOS.
  • Note Repeat
  • Arpeggiator
  • A Lot More…..

If you have the money and want to go all out, this is definitely the option for you. Having controllers like this with so many options can be a TON of fun, and is well worth it. This probably isn’t a great option however, if you don’t plan on playing it often.

(More Info and pricing details on Amazon)

 

Conclusion:

I hope you enjoyed this article! If you did and are having fun making music with garageband, I’d definitely suggest checking out this video from Carlos Castillo’s Youtube Channel on “6 Things you didn’t know you could do on Garageband”. 

There are some pretty fun tips and tricks in there on some things you can do with garageband you probably don’t know. Really is kind of like pulling back the curtain on the secrets in the program. Pretty cool.