Need Advice: MIDI Keyboard vs Audio Interface First?

[Matt Erece]

Hope this discussion can help others as well.

So as a student with only 1 source of funds (my parents), they'll only give me as much as Php8000 (~ $160 US) which is already enough to get me EITHER an Audio Interface OR a 49-Key MIDI Keyboard.

I'm mainly a guitar player. I do have a band but due to the pandemic, we rarely get to compose songs as a band. My band and I mainly play acoustic, ballads, pop, and rock.

So which should I get first?

[Light Grenade]

Go with an interface 

• better A/D + D/A
• a headphone amp
• inputs for recording
• outputs for monitors
• you primarily play guitar  

You have a lot more options with an interface, and you can use the piano roll/step sequencer with your mouse in the meantime.

Edited August 3, 2020 by Light Grenade

[paulo]

4 hours ago, Reinielle Matt said:

So which should I get first?

A job.

?

[antler]

Depends on what will suit you better. If you need to record stuff, need low(er) latencies, or need the I/O ports that the interface will get you, get that. If you're doing fine with what you record with now, and would like a keyboard to learn to play keys, or trigger synths, get that. If you want both, look into something like this

https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/irigkeysio/?pkey=irig-keys-io-25

though I've not tried it so can't comment on quality, and I realise it's a little pricier than the amount you specified. Also, if you get the keyboard, make sure you can actually connect it, i.e. if it uses MIDI cables (as opposed to USB), make sure you have the available MIDI ports.

[Kurre]

If you don't have any midikeyboard you should get that.

Every computer have an inbuilt audio interface you can use although it's lower quality than a dedicated audio interface. But you can record audio with it and get a decent result.

A higher quality audio interface are also going to need a good microphone, That's more money needed for that.