Roland MIDI controller or Yamaha keyboard w/MIDI ?

Rusty - I use the Yamaha with Sonar X1C on Windows 7.
 
No midi ports - transmits the midi over usb. Win 7 drivers on the CD it ships with, plus a newer version on the Yamaha website I believe. Never have any issues with it.
 
In terms of playability - I find it much better than similarly priced midi controllers from EMU etc - but have not used the Roland.
 
And yes - using it independantly from the PC is a plus.  Some nice onboard sounds that can be used via line out also......

Rusty,
This is more money, but the transport controls are handy.
I have the one marked "Cakewalk", but its the same keyboard.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/A500Pro/

T

I can play piano but guitar is my primary instrument. I am working on a project creating soundtracks and sound effects for a small company that does video games/phone apps. The "songs" I am creating are really glorified Groove clips, maybe 20-30 seconds in duration and loopable. All I want to do is be able to add, for example,some short cello or synth riffs to some of these songs. I am leaning towards the keyboard because it would appear to give me the added flexibility of being able to compose on it from anywhere (assuming I'm on battery power) whereas the controller is just that, a controller and nothing more.  Am I incorrect in assuming that so long as the keyboard is recognized by Sonar as a Midi device, it will accomplish the task of allowing me to play simple riffs in the soft synth and record them?

Thanks everyone for the feedback. It is much appreciated.

I own a similar version of the Roland and what I DO like is it takes up very little space. My Son just bought the Yamaha ( not sure if its exactly the same but very close)  it is very cool to play around with millions of sounds and automated do- dads, But it is way to big to fit in my workstation. Both have the same cheap plastic feel which is all you need for what you will be doing. Waste of money to get a weighted keyboard if your not a real piano player. A controller is all you need if you never unplug it from your recording gear. The do- dads are a distraction in a way.

I checked on line and this particular model does support usb-midi, but chances are it's not a velocity sensing keyboard. Check the M-audio line of controllers. They seem to be the most popular for the price.

I'm in an almost identical position as the OP, and also appreciate the advice given here. My question: to record the onboard sounds of the Yamaha in SONAR, do you need to use a separate line-out connection, or would the USB hookup be utilized for this as well? Or is that ONLY for MIDI?

I was wrong about that midi stuff. Even though I got a USB on my synth I suppose I ought to read the manual to see what that really does. I do also have midi in and out on my synth.
Might help to ask questions though to make sure.