I'm just starting to do a bit of house production on a small scale, nothing serious. I was wondering if I should grab a MIDI keyboard for 100-150 euros like a Behringer or if I should wait and save up more money for a decent one. I'm scared of wasting the money if I don't stick with it, but I also don't want something with keys that don't respond well.
Entry-level keyboards like Behringer work great for getting started, especially if you're not sure you'll stick with it. The key sensitivity is more than acceptable for the price - it's not a ripoff: they're good for learning and experimenting without risking much. The real limitation isn't so much the response as durability and cheaper materials, but if you treat it well it'll last for years.
What I'd say is grab one in the 100-150 euro range now, then upgrade later if you're really sure you want to keep going and you know exactly what features you need. A lot of people also realize the bottleneck isn't the keyboard but the software, samples, and sound design: dropping 500 euros right away when you're still figuring out your workflow is dumber than getting the cheap one now.
One thing though: before you buy, watch videos from people who've actually used it for house productions, because key sensitivity and velocity response vary from model to model even within the same price bracket. A Behringer might not work for you while another budget brand does. But the idea stays the same: start light.
Start with a Behringer, no doubt about it. If you're still in the "I'm not sure if I'll stick with this" phase, throwing 150 euros at it is already a risk, let alone 400-500. The important thing is that you start understanding the workflow: how you connect MIDI to your DAW, how to map controls, how to build a track. A cheap keyboard works great for that.
What really matters isn't the instrument but the software behind it. If you use a decent DAW with quality VST synths, the difference between a 100-euro keyboard and a 500-euro one is way less noticeable than you'd think. The key sensitivity on an entry-level Behringer does the job, sure it's not the same as professional models, but for making early house music it's more than enough. You'll hit the real limits when you get more demanding, like if you want to play complex velocity-sensitive stuff or use the keyboard live, but we're nowhere near that yet.
Wait to spend serious money once you've done a couple of productions and have a clearer idea of what you actually need. If after three months you're still going, then yeah, think about upgrading to something better. But right now it's really premature.
What nobody mentioned is how much *aftertouch* keys and velocity curve matter if you want to make decent house music. With a 150-euro Behringer the feedback is really basic, but honestly for your first productions it's enough. The real risk isn't wasting money, it's that maybe after a month boredom wins out and you forget about it - it happens to almost everyone, so the Behringer is the right choice to figure out if you actually like it.
What would bug me instead is buying a decent keyboard (like 350 - 400 euros) and ending up with crappy keys that don't respond the way they should. That's what would make you quit, because frustration is worse than boredom. If after one or two months on the Behringer you see you're still there producing, then yeah, scrape together some more cash and get an Akai or a Native Instruments that has better sensitivity. At that point the 150 euros you spent on the Behringer won't be wasted - you'll still have it and it might come in handy for other gear.
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