Editing Electronic keyboard (section)

==MIDI controls==

MIDI, Musical Instrument Digital Interface, is a serial data connection which operates with any make or model of instrument which provides for it. Electronic keyboards use MIDI, a universal language for digital instruments. MIDI transmits which notes are played, their duration, and often velocity (how hard a key is pressed). Keyboards translate key pressure into MIDI velocity data, which controls the loudness of the generated sound.

MIDI data can also be used to add [[audio signal processing|digital effects]] to the sounds played, such as [[reverb]], [[Chorus effect|chorus]], [[delay effect|delay]] and [[tremolo]]. These effects are usually mapped to three of the 127 MIDI controls within the keyboard's infrastructure – one for reverb, one for chorus and one for other effects – and are generally configurable through the keyboard's graphical interface. Additionally, many keyboards have "auto-harmony" effects which will complement each note played with one or more notes of higher or lower pitch, to create an [[interval (music)|interval]] or [[chord (music)|chord]].

DSP effects can also be controlled on the fly by physical controllers. Electronic keyboards often have two wheels on the left hand side, generally known as a ''pitch bend'' and a ''modulation wheel''. The difference between these is that the pitch bend wheel always flicks back to its default position – the center – while the modulation wheel can be placed freely. By default, the pitch bend wheel controls the pitch of the note in small values, allowing the simulation of slides and other techniques which control the pitch more subtly. The modulation wheel is usually set to control a tremolo effect by default. However, on most electronic keyboards, the user will be able to map any MIDI control to these wheels. Professional MIDI controller keyboards often also have an array of knobs and sliders to modulate various MIDI controls, which are often used to control DSP effects.

Most electronic keyboards also have a socket at the back, into which a foot switch can be plugged. The most common function is to simulate the [[sustain pedal|sustain]] on a piano by turning on and off the MIDI control which adds sustain to a note. However, since they are also simple MIDI devices, foot switches can usually be configured to turn on and off any MIDI controlled function, such as switching one of the DSP effects, or the auto-harmony.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}}