Thanks to you and Chuck for the replies! My OSX and my Finale version both are current. As is my Oxygen8 driver, where the installer solved my worries about not finding the OMS folder mentioned in the manual I found. Already Chuck’s reply had me look for more options. There are so many that I probably will stay with the Oxygen8 for the near future while I consider the best match of needs and options.
I could fit a 61 keys device on my desk, but the upper octave likely would be useless for me anyway, as I only use my left hand on the MIDI keyboard while the right hand goes for the numeric part of the alphanumeric keyboard. Reaching over would be a problem, as I need to keep my eyes at a fixed distance from my monitors. As I have problems with reading from paper, I read from scanned sources on a second monitor when arranging. Full size keys would fit my sense of intervals best. Only in one matter would the mini-keys be attractive: writing for classical guitar. I can reach a tenth with full size keys, but there is no way I can reach the 2 octaves or even more often needed in guitar music. My question may be redundant to most of the list, but good replies further my own thinking, so thanks again. Klaus >________________________________ >From: Christopher Smith <[email protected]> >To: [email protected] >Sent: Monday, September 26, 2011 2:31 AM >Subject: Re: [Finale] Midi controller > >I use the Oxygen8 when I am using a laptop out of town. Download the latest >driver from the website, as the one you have may break in future OS upgrades. >I just hit the octave up and down buttons on it, and it doesn't bug me too >much. > >Sorry, no experience with the Alesis, but it's hard to imagine the limited >needs of Finale exceeding any MIDI keyboard. So you're probably good with >anything you're comfortable with. > >Christopher > > >On Sun Sep 25, at SundaySep 25 7:12 PM, Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre wrote: > >> A few days ago I asked about the M-Audio Keystation Mini 32 and got good >> replies. >> >> I used to be good at skimming manuals for the important stuff, but I lost >> some of the necessary control of my eye movements while having cataract >> problems. Not whining, only realising that I m less good a reading texts >> than I used to be. So I wanted to be sure I could find out about making a >> keyboard controller work with Finale before I invested ever so small a sum. >> >> Hence I dusted off my old controller which appeared to be an Oxygen8. Also >> found an old online manual, which scared me, as the driver should be placed >> in an OMS folder, which I remember about, but haven’t seen for years. >> However I also found a newer driver in form of an installer application. >> Which worked with current software and also found out about opening a port >> into Finale. Hurrah! >> >> So why asking again? Even if the 25 keys of the Oxygen8 lead to better >> productivity than the alphanumeric keyboard as an entry tool in Speedy, then >> I had to realise Chuck being right that 25 keys are insufficient. I found >> the alphanumeric keyboard less than intuitive. And so are the octave shifts >> necessitated by the instruments not fitting into two octaves from C through >> C. So I need more keys. >> >> Most brass instruments don’t use more than 3 octaves in the bulk of my work, >> but it takes 4 octaves to fit just about all brasses into any octave >> allocation without changing that allocation all the time. Now the question >> is about the best cut of quality, of small demands on space, and of course >> of price. I cannot do realtime entries, so sensing key velocities is not a >> main consideration. >> >> I found an Alesis Q49 at a fairly attractive price. Any experiences with >> that model? >> >> Klaus > _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
