Difference b/w Midi Controller/ Midi Compatable Keybaord

[DJ ClaRk KeNt]

Hey wussup guyz....I got a question....I've been producing on Fruity Loops for about a year now and I am thinking about switching 2 Cakewalk Sonar...now I have a couple of questions,
1- Whats the difference between a "midi controller" and a "midi compatable keyboard"....because I already have a Casio CTK-100 (100$, cheap) but its midi compatable(has a plug 4 the midi cable)....so i can plug it up to the computer if i get a midi cable...the keys aren't touch sensitive tho...

now...do I need 2 buy a midi controller or can I use my existing keyboard?
2) Do midi controllers have good sound banks ?
3) Is cakewalk sonar really better than Fruity loops?...and can u record vocals in it while playing the beat? like on a diff track while playing the other ones?

lol i kno thats a lot of questions , but pleaaaaaaseee help me out...
My budget is 100-200$ and i make hip hop/trance/r &b....

 

[hatembr]

h DJ Clark

you can use your existing keyb as a controller, but if it's not touch sensitive, then you should change it
a precision: a midi controller has NO sound banks. It 's just a keyb that sends midi notes & data to control another sound module. A midi compatble keyb is a synth/arranger that has sound banks and sends&receives midi. And yes, w/ cakewalk you can record vocals while playing beats.

 

[Chiisu]

and it also kinda depends what you mean by "midi compatible". all keyboards/synths have midi, but only some rompler keyboards can conform to general midi 1/2 etc. Sonar is totally different from Fruity Loops, but you can definitely do more with it. It can do loop-based stuff, but straight linear as well, either midi sequencing or recording digital audio. if you get sonar, then you can use soft synths and samplers via Dxi, which is VERY nice. For that I would def. recommend a nice midi controller. the top names would be Fatar and Roland. They don't have sounds themselves, but if you had soft synths and samplers that doesn't matter. If you only had the midi controller, you would only need a 1 in/1 out midi interface, which i have, and it's not expensive. a decent sound card is recommended for low latency, but since everything is recorded w/in the software, you wouldn't have to worry about sampling rate, cords, etc. i think sonar would be a great choice, it is affordable and stable, and very easy to use. hope that helps!

= chiisu

 

[The Mutha]

Sonar.... NO DOUBT!!

Hi DJ ClaRk KeNt
Just to reiterate what Chiisu said, really. I have a Fatar Studiologic SL880, and I use it almost exclusively with Sonar. It's an incredibly flexible platform, and if you haven't tried it....YOU SHOULD! Fruity is great, no doubt, but you won't be disappointed with the switch.

TM