Is it really necessary to buy a midi controller?

[Mohammadyarahmad]

Hello,
Is it really necessary to buy a MIDI controller to produce EDM music?
I have one, but I rarely use it(except for practicing Piano).
Furthermore, I know music theory, and most of the time I use trial and error to achieve the chords or melodies that I want in Reason Studio editor.

[brianwdowliong]

Not necessary. However, for myself, I find that when creating melodies or chord sequences, sometimes the controller makes it easier to play more expressively than when drawing in notes with a mouse or keyboard.

[Mataya]

Nice to have buttons to twist with both hands, if you're doing automation. A few other things you can do with a midi controller, beside playing notes. Launching clips, playing drums, trying out sequences if it has a sequencer built in.

Enjoy.
M

[Mattvank]

There is in the ,,74 Strategy for music production´´ a chapter about how to become creative. And physical tools,, can´´ be helpful.
Players are well made for working without Midikeyboard.

I rather would like to know if the combinators 2 assign automatic more than 8 Knobs and Buttons?

[antic604]

No, although it's useful for finding out chord progressions and controlling MIDI parameters.

[gullum]

as your cords get into your finger and then the scales it becomes much faster and jamming usually sparks ideas you would not get by randomly mouse clicking notes in the sequencer. Not needed but very helpful

[antic604]

...by randomly mouse clicking notes in the sequencer...

Why everyone always assume it's random?

I'm drawing in a melody, sequence or indeed a chord I hear in my head, for example.

[huggermugger]

Most of the music I make, whether in Reason or Voltage Modular, is generative. Sometimes a little sequencer note action is needed in Reason, for which my Novation Remote SL is just the ticket. But mostly I don't need the Remote - I'm mousing almost exclusively to build my generative patches.

[gullum]

...by randomly mouse clicking notes in the sequencer...

Why everyone always assume it's random?

I'm drawing in a melody, sequence or indeed a chord I hear in my head, for example.

why not quote it all and use what I said jamming can spark ides rather then randomly mouse clicking. when coming up with ideas it's often improvising on a keyboard or mouse clicking. You might have the idea but maybe have it on loop till you have the melody you are satisfied with. I didn't have a midi keyboard when I started only have option to write notes in on the program I used back then, so I know it's random within the scales of the cords.

[Bes]

how do you get two notes at once if you just clicking with a mouse?

[robussc]

...by randomly mouse clicking notes in the sequencer...

Why everyone always assume it's random?

I'm drawing in a melody, sequence or indeed a chord I hear in my head, for example.

The OP did mention trial and error which seems a bit inefficient.

A MIDI controller is super cheap, a piano keyboard is super easy to learn, the efficiencies gained seem like a no brainer. If you’re entering notes in the piano roll then you can find the notes on a keyboard surely?

[TritoneAddiction]

Personally I'm so used to working directly in the sequencer that I for the most part don't even use my midi keyboard for playing or recording. I can go from a melodic idea being in my head to writing it down in the sequencer pretty easily without an instrument at this point. However whenever I trial patches and sounds I pretty much always use my midi keyboard.
On few occasions I play a bit on it to come up with ideas too.

[antic604]

Why everyone always assume it's random?

I'm drawing in a melody, sequence or indeed a chord I hear in my head, for example.

why not quote it all and use what I said jamming can spark ides rather then randomly mouse clicking. when coming up with ideas it's often improvising on a keyboard or mouse clicking. You might have the idea but maybe have it on loop till you have the melody you are satisfied with. I didn't have a midi keyboard when I started only have option to write notes in on the program I used back then, so I know it's random within the scales of the cords.

Sorry, it wasn't my intention to misrepresent what you said. Just wanted to save screen space

[Heigen5]

I play and record 80% of my midi with midi-keyboard so for me it's essential and needed.

[challism]

The fact that you are asking proves that it's not necessary.

[antic604]

The fact that you are asking proves that it's not necessary.

To be fair we've not heard his music, so I wouldn't make categorical statement like that

[dvdrtldg]

I haven’t used a midi controller or keyboard for years. Been thinking recently about getting a keyboard so that I can let my fingers wander over the keys and experiment more easily with chords, but it’s not a top priority. I really like working with sequencers and players, sending notes to the Reason sequencer and moving them around. Can come up with stuff that I would never achieve otherwise. And I also like building generative systems

[guitfnky]

trial and error is inefficient, as I think someone mentioned, but it's also the backbone of the creative process. not knowing what sound will come out because you're 'randomly' adding notes in a sequencer can be a fantastic way to find creative little things that inspire you to go in unexpected directions. but that goes for any instrument you might be unfamiliar with. randomly plunking notes on a keyboard, or on a guitar, or any other instrument you don't quite know what you're doing can yield some great results. I imagine some folks with a lot of experience working primarily with mouse and keyboard know what to expect after a while.

but, to answer the question at hand...

nope.

[selig]

how do you get two notes at once if you just clicking with a mouse?

The same way Mozart did when using pen/paper - one at a time!

For me as a life lone piano player, I was drawn to synths in the 70s because they had keyboards. I worked on modulars too, and was able to do generative or sequenced music just fine (my keyboard ‘skills’ were not a hindrance there). So of course it’s faster for me to just play stuff.

Interestingly, the same applies to fader/automation, which I learned to do with hardware. So it will always be quicker for me to record a fader move than to draw in the automation points.

That said, for someone without any of these skills there is no reason to think it would be impossible to get to the point you are just as fast with a mouse as a specific hardware controller (a mouse is still a hardware controller of sorts, your at least until mind control and AI take over!).

That said, at least at first it can be much slower as you try to learn new habits. My first experience with a Mackie HUI years ago was that it took me about a month of ‘forced’ use before I felt it was quicker than using a mouse/trackball. BUT, after putting in that time it was MUCH faster in the end. So don’t give up if it feels slower at first, it probably will be…

[DaveyG]

That are no hard and fast rules.
For EDM, where you might be triggering samples or sliced audio, it might be more inspiring to use a pad controller but it's equally valid to use nothing at all and just create on the screen with the mouse. Whatever floats your boat really.

[jklok]

This is even more important now that Mimic have been added to the sampler arsenal. This is where a keyboard makes it possible to cause all sorts of accidental damage that can occur when doing truly original work.

[WarStar]

I play keys qwerty! I keep it real lol but for real, that's what I use.. and I hardly quantize so I just play it.. considering I can type with my eyes closed its not that band.. just don't have access to some octaves at the same time but you can just add another track and overdub..

[dakta]

I use it for doodling, never got good enough to actually record (which is something to work on this and next year) but better than the pen for inspiration. If I decide i want it down, out comes the pencil tool. Absolutely not necessary, absolutely helpful.

[Ottostrom]

Interesting to see how how differently we all create.
Personally, if I could never use keys/guitar or any other physical instrument again for writing music and only got to draw midi notes then I would probably stop altogether. The playing is where I can grab a specific feeling inside me and pull it out. It's never really an already realized idea before I can hear it and feel how it resonates with me.

[Propellerhands]

Hello,
Is it really necessary to buy a MIDI controller to produce EDM music?
I have one, but I rarely use it(except for practicing Piano).
Furthermore, I know music theory, and most of the time I use trial and error to achieve the chords or melodies that I want in Reason Studio editor.

No. Anybody who says otherwise is wrong and should feel bad. I owned and sold 4 controllers during my lifetime so far. They were just collecting dust. It's nice to have it but not needed, especially not for EDM music. In my productions I use controller exactly 1% of the time.