You can get a cheap used keyboard. Not the type y'all used to, that's called a controller. I mean a keyboard that actually generate sounds.
As long as there is a MIDI in and out, you should be okay.
Now you got yourself a royalty free, all the way, samplepack.
The best part is... the cpu usage of those devices is almost zero. Hack, they don't use any cpu at all.
You can record the keyboard using Audacity, which is also a free of any charge audio editor.
Of course most keyboard that are for sale on that market are basic-sounding soundmodules.
The thing is, when you buy a good keyboard (or synth for that matter), you wanna hold on to it.
It will never need a update and you can use it in combination with any DAW that works with MIDI.
You can see it like this.
You can buy a DVD, and when you do, it doesn't matter on which device you play that DVD. As long as you make sure your DVD is clean, you can use it till the end of days. On any player.
Well, a MIDI keyboard works the same way. It does not matter if Microsoft comes up with a new version of Windows, or Apple comes up with an even better Ios, if Image-Line brings out new programs or Steinberg creates something new... Your keyboard is designed to create sound. And as long as you can plug that keyboard into the input of your soundcard, it will do the job.
You can even download trail versions of any DAW, connect it to your MIDI gear and record it using Audacity. For free.
You just need to learn how to process the sounds you have.
And as I said before, get yourself an expander. It is kinda like a compressor, but it works the other way around, giving you the ability to remove every sound (or energie) below a certain trash hold. You can record yourself on the street with your mobile and easily remove all the background noise in a few steps. This way you will always have clean sounds (samples) to work with.
If you ask me, buying a MIDI keyboard controller to use on your DAW is a waste of money, because you will need to keep updating your computer to keep up with the manufacturers who keep pushing program developers to demand ever more power. Almost every keyboard has that MIDI function anyways. Even used ones.
Be smart, get your sound out of hardware. It never fails. And you will have good quality if you are willing to pay just once. The best part is, even if your knobs are going bad, it still reacts on MIDI commands. As long as there can be a connection, there will be good sound quality.
Of course you can always record your phone with audacity
.
And never use MP3 other then to send your buddies a demo.
MP3 is something that looks good, sounds bad and a shame for everyone who loves quality sounds.
