Should You Buy Drum Pads vs. MIDI Keyboard Keys

Updated: Oct 11, 2023

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In this article I want to discuss more than just “should you buy a drum pad” for making beats.

Also a heads up.. If you use the Oxygen Pro MIDI Keyboard, here’s two valuable resources:

• M-Audio Oxygen Pro 49 REVIEW
• M-Audio Oxygen Pro TEMPLATE for FL Studio

You see, your drum pads and piano keys on a MIDI Keyboard are actually the same thing.. and many producers do not realize this! So if you buy a MIDI Keyboard which includes drum pads, you are actually just getting more “notes” to play with.

Now, I understand.. drum pads “feel” more like beatmaking, especially while sampling… but my suggestion to you is to buy a drum pad controller separately if you are looking specifically for drum pads. Even though more advanced MIDI Keyboard usually come with drum pads, these drum pads on a MIDI Keyboard are often lower quality.

That’s my opinion with over 10 years of beatmaking experience (I just use my piano keys for both “sampling” and making original compositions), and find this gives me the best workflow.

Here’s a video from my M-Audio Oxygen Pro MIDI Keyboard review.. I briefly touch on the drum pads, but ultimately, share what to look for in a MIDI Keyboard when using FL Studio for the best results.

Recap on Important Points from the Video:

I talked about FL Studio and MIDI Scripting. If you use an older MIDI Keyboard that didn’t work well with FL Studio, it can now work good if there is a MIDI Script out there for you! (Or you can write one yourself.. but it’s not that easy). I actually wrote a FREE MIDI Script for the Oxygen Pro to get it working good in FL Studio.

READ: How to Install a FL Studio MIDI Script

To summarize.. if you are looking for a drum pad, I personally suggest buying an external drum pad midi controller.

Yes, drum pads come on higher-end MIDI Keyboards, but they are often middle-grade quality, and at the end of the day, there is really no difference between a Drum Pad to a MIDI Keyboard Piano Key.. it just feels different.

I’d suggest save your money for a good MIDI Keyboard with Semi-Weighted Piano keys. It will definitely improve your overall enjoyment of making beats.

Again, the M-Audio Oxygen Pro 49 has been an awesome midi keyboard for FL Studio.

About Author: GratuiTous

GratuiTous manages his Beatmaker Training Platform, authors Beatmaking Books, and hosts the "Music Production Made Simple Podcast". Introduced to FL Studio by his good friend in 2009.. he began FL Studio tutorials in 2011, eventually leading to his 35+ Courses in the platform. Fun Fact: He was an electrician for 10 Years!

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