arts n entertainment

Performing artists are, more often than not, busy folks, they compose music, go to venues where they think they can find their motivation to find music, go to gigs, bars to play their music, and so on. We don't always make time to stop for an instant and have the time to clean our MIDI controllers - it is tedious and time-intensive. But admit it or not, there are still rare moments when we come to a realisation that our musical tools rather need a little cleaning. Well, for all those busy musicians out there, I have come up with three simple steps for you to give your MIDI controllers a little rest from all the dust and dirt without you having to go through a tedious and time-intensive act.

Use a clean cloth with white-colored toothpaste to wipe your keys with. You can also use milk or water and put it in a fabric but it should not be dripping wet. Rub the keys gently rather than washing them. Wipe the rest, like the knobs, faders, LED, screen with the same cloth you used for cleaning the keys.

Wait for the MIDI controller to dry and then check all of its connections as well as its condition. Plug in all the wires and plug it in before you open up the MIDI keyboard. Turn the volumes up and the other functionality as well and be observant about any sounds you are not supposed to hear or any unusual aftermath of your cleaning.

Eventually, for storage, keep the MIDI controller the wrong way up so you can minimise the accumulation of dust and dirt onto the keyboard but instead they are only on the lower side of the controller. Which will save some time and effort too.

Following these steps will not just save you from all the time and effort you will waste by taking your full MIDI controller down and individually cleaning its pieces, you may also prolong the life of your MIDI controller or MIDI keyboard.