Do you input midi from your keyboard or use your mouse?

[lavalamp360]

After watching/reading a bunch of interviews, i'm quite shocked by how many professional producers say that they prefer to draw in all of their midi on the piano roll rather than play it with their midi keyboard. Skrillex and Flux pavillion (flameshield up) both say they prefer it this way. I still don't have a midi keyboard yet (working on remedying that) and currently draw in all of my midi with my mouse and for the most part, I hate it. For simple sections it's not that bad but when i have a more complex section it is just a pain and feels. I was actually pretty shocked when in Flux's interview, he said he actually likes to write his tunes this way. I can not for the life of me write tunes with my mouse. I have to get on a keyboard or guitar or something. Either way these guys have put out songs that people absolutely love so i'm curious. How many of you guys actually use your midi keyboards?

[Echoi]

Sometimes i do, sometimes i dont, just depends how im feeling.

[outdropt]

I find something good on a key board a lot quicker, and its fun.

You can sit and create an 8 bar loop by progressing from one note to the next by, Just drawing one note, then trying x,y,z until it sounds right. Rinse and repeat.

Or you can spend 15 minutes jamming on your keyboard to a beat until you get a good lick. Its all about preference, but i think we all know which would be more fun.

Just learn to stick to a scale and learn what finger placement creates what chord. It is hard at first, but soon you will notice the patterns in the keyboard...

That is when composing gets real interesting, not to mention easy.

[wub]

Keyboard is also good for 'real' velocity variations when programming percussion lines.

[SaveMidnight]

It's all about workflow.
Sometimes while doing sound design I'll find a cool lick while I'm designing a patch, and I'll save that.
Otherwise I like to draw in Pads and long notes.
I'll use my MPK for Leads, or Long sections.
+1 to the post about learning the scales / finger placement stuff.

[outdropt]

Although everything that I record in from my MPK gets edited in the piano roll.

For me

Keyboard- find a good progression.

Piano roll- find note length, quantize, adjust velocity.

[OzoneJunkie]

Third option: use the computer/laptop QWERTY keyboard to play in notes. I find this method useful sometimes. Velocities are all the same, for one. If I'm out with just laptop, this is my preferred method. At home I use a midi controller kb...

[Turnipish_Thoughts]

I jam out on my keyboard then record in but always go back and edit the notes a bit in the piano roll after. So a bit of both really. I've been meaning to get round to finally looking in to record quantization which has been on my mind for an embarrassingly long time now... yeah, I'm that un-together...

[VirtualMark]

If i'm on my laptop - i use it's keyboard to play the virtual keyboard in Cubase, then use the touchpad to automate stuff.

If i'm at home on the desktop, i use my midi keyboard as i find it easier and more fun. Plus i have some presets on my favourite synths so that controls are already routed.