Gadgets and technology

Creative Prodikeys PC-MIDI

Can you imagine how you can work and play at the same time? Creative Prodikeys PC-MIDI keyboard is your choice. The Creative Prodikeys PC-MIDI is a keyboard that has music keys on it just like those you found on a piano or organ. It is a multimedia keyboard that allows you to have a full control of media and system applications. The Singapore based company has introduce this range of keyboard to compete with other major players such as Apple, Microsoft,and Logitech.

The keyboard works just like any other keyboard just that it has several added features. Besides the standard QWERTY keyboard and the F-keys there are multimedia buttons. The multimedia buttons are the music button, communication buttons such as internet browser, email, and instant messenger which also work as the sustain/octave shift when you are using the music keys, organizer which include calculator, address book, and calender, My Favourite buttons which you can access documents, photos, and folder easily, the system buttons which allow you to lock your computer or put your computer on stand-by, and lastly there are media playback buttons which allow you to control your media player. All these multimedia buttons is arrange with a small distant apart so that you can seperate the different function. A volume control wheel is also included on the keyboard. It is place beside the QWERTY keyboard. Will all the multimedia buttons and wheel you will never have to touch the mouse again to control your media player. The QWERTY keyboard is sleek and silent even a fast typist finds it hard to get sound out from it. But there may have some defect due to its manufacture period which you find some keys are a little bit sticky. The dept of the keys when pressed is quite shallow that you can miss some keys or spoil it when you pressed it hard.

The music keys is place under the QWERTY keyboard. You can play the music keys using the software provided such as Creative FunMix, EasyNotes and MiniKeyboard. The FunMix allows you to play various kind of sound effect and music and you can also record the Mix that you played. While the EasyNotes allows you to learn music by using midi files. The pre-installed midi files allow you to learn to play simple musics and if you want something more you can use your own or downloaded midi files to learn how to play. But not all your midi files or downloaded midi can be used using this software. The EasyNotes does not allow you to play two tracks at the same times. So if you have a midi which have several tracks you have to choose one of it to learn ( I will suggest that you use the melody track to learn) or you can learn all of the tracks and combine it using you mind. But you need time to do that if you do not know music notes at all. The MiniKeyboard software allows you to use the music key like a mini keyboard which you can play music just like playing the piano and you can record your own music. There are many instruments to choose from from piano to gunshot. The music keys somehow is not as sensitive as it seems because you will miss one or two keys when playing music fast. You need to press harder to get the tone. When you are not using the music keys, there is a cover for the music keys which works as the palm rest for your keyboard.

This keyboard is compatible to most of the software available such as Overture. You are able to use other software to record the music you played. But there are some softwares which is not compatible or are not working well with this keyboard. They appear to be lag and the key only appear a few second after you play it. So it will effect the quality and performance of your music. This keyboard is recommended to use Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi for the best result. Bundle with this keyboard is the software CD and the snap-on color faceplate which you can change your self to change the mood of the keyboard. The provided faceplate are in grey and pink. Since the installation of driver of this keyboard in Window Xp will encounter some problems, the Window Xp installation manual is also included depending on the manufacturer.

This keyboard is suitable for those who use cellphone that supports midi. It allows you to play and save music so that you can send it to your phone as a ringtone.

(photos are sample only)