Macmice GarageKey
Audio creation applications have been around since computers were powerful enough to handle the load of multiple tracks, voice and MIDI inputs. As long as audio processing has been around, accessories have accompanied the apps. Input boxes, microphones, speakers, digital sound processing units, instruments and most importantly keyboards. Keyboards, in the digital creation area, can be made to sound like any instrument if you know the correct keys and the sound they make, you can tell the software to make that note sound like a violin, guitar, horn, drum set or the classic piano. Of course, this software was fun to use but cost a fortune to get started. This all changed when Apple purchased eMagic software in 2002 and along came its software, Logic Pro and Logic Express. The standard music software technology Apple owned was untouched until January of 2004 when Apple released a music app bundled with iLife called, Garageband. Instantly, hundreds of people were making music and tons of Garageband enthusiast websites arose where users can publish their creations.
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With the influx of amateur musicians, that 3rd part market got stronger and you saw amazing deals on all input / output products marketed to Garageband users. Just recently, Macmice (a subsidiary of DVForge) released the GarageKey. The Macmice GarageKey is a beautiful. It is a 37 keyboard with full size keys. They have decent feedback when you press a keyboard, yet are sensitive enough to really fly through music. I appreciate having larger keys to the typical small keys on MIDI keyboards and the color scheme of the GarageKey is great and matches every Mac perfectly. The removable legs of the GarageKey make the keyboard sit a few inches above your desk so you can slide your keyboard under it and this makes it great for keeping the GarageKey on your desk instead of having to unplug it each time you finish using it and want to access your keyboard.
In my experience, other USB keyboards at this price point are bulky and take up an entire desk. If you have a tower, crawling behind to unplug and store the keyboard gets old after a while. The GarageKey is only 20 inches long and 1.75 inches high at its highest point. I also love you can have your Mac up to 7 feet away and still play the keyboard. It was built for Mac users with iLife w/ Garageband but you can use it with any MIDI supported application like Soundtrack, Logic Pro & Express, and other audio apps. The GarageKey is a decent keyboard for the entry-level user and looks a lot better with your Mac than Apples endorsed 49e keyboard from M-Audio. The octave up and down buttons on t he back are a good touch but at $119.00, you have to be sure you will use it. Comparing this price to other keyboards, this is entry level, but for consumers, it is over one hundred dollars and that is too much. If you can play piano now or want to learn, this is a great starter. Garageband is nothing without a keyboard to accompany it and GarageKey from Macmice is a start.