Nektar SE49 49-Key MIDI Keyboard Controller - Black, White & Grey | Perfect for Music Production, Live Performance & Studio Recording

OK, I’m not a professional or even an amateur musician, but this keyboard is a great way to get into learning to play (using GarageBand on my 2019 MacBook Pro or iPad Pro 11"—see photo for the latter setup). You need nothing more than a simple USB to USB-C adapter, and you are off and running. The keyboard is close enough to a standard piano keyboard to allow your fingers to play freely and well, and the velocity sensor does a good job of interpreting the strength of my key strikes. I added a Donner pedal for sustain, and that works flawlessly. So now I have a great practice keyboard and pedal for well under $100, and I can use this set-up for much more as I get better experienced with GarageBand and Skoove (the latter has good lessons for beginners like me).Pretty amazing what is available and what quality is available, when you start to look around! Nektar deserves an award for bringing economical instruments (backed by a great website and software) to market. The keyboard fits nicely on my existing pull-out keyboard tray. It’s not too tall, yet substantial enough to feel real! In the photo, you will note that I connected the SE49 to an old SONOS Play 5 or headphones, using an old USB splitter that I connected to the USB-C (Apple Thunderbolt compatible)-to-USB converter. I then plug the headphones into a USB-to-Audio jack converter for private practice or I plug the SONOS (using the SONOS 1 app) into the headphone line for out-loud proactice. Lots of options work, if you just tinker around a little bit!