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James... « Keys feel cheap but then again... »
Published on 08/16/11 at 20:18This is a really cheap 49 key board. Features? What features? It has a mod wheel and that's about it. This is truly a product geared toward budget studios. That's exactly the application I bought it for way back when. I was starting up a studio and needed a good USB keyboard to play instruments. I didn't need any frills or crazy controls. This one has none. The price was right so I got one.
UTILIZATION
Setup is easy enough. Just install the driver and plug it in. M-audio generally has pretty good drivers. Any issues I've had with them have always been my own error. No need for a manual since this thing is literally a piano and nothing more. I guess it would be nice if there was a velocity selection. It's not like it matters though. This is truthfully a beginners unit. The price and features reflect that.
OVERALL OPINION
My big gripe with this keyboard, has to be the keys themselves. Yes I understand that this is a very cheap and budget unit, but you would think that for what we lose in features, we could get some good keys. Or some decent keys. They are advertised as semi weighted I believe but they don't feel like it. This keyboard is comparable in feel to those $50 Wal mart keyboards you buy for your daughter at Christmas. I have used a few other M-audio keyboards like the Axiom series and I must say the key quality and feel on those is much much better. The difference in price makes it worth it imo. I suppose though if you are a beginner and you don't care about the feel, this is a fine studio unit. I mean it gets the job done. Never junked out on me. I wish M-audio would make a no-feature keyboard with good keys though. I don't need all the crazy knobs that the axioms have and would like one of those with good keys alone. I guess a good way to sum up my thoughts is that I am upset with the quality but for the price I really don't feel right complaining. You get what you pay for.
UTILIZATION
Setup is easy enough. Just install the driver and plug it in. M-audio generally has pretty good drivers. Any issues I've had with them have always been my own error. No need for a manual since this thing is literally a piano and nothing more. I guess it would be nice if there was a velocity selection. It's not like it matters though. This is truthfully a beginners unit. The price and features reflect that.
OVERALL OPINION
My big gripe with this keyboard, has to be the keys themselves. Yes I understand that this is a very cheap and budget unit, but you would think that for what we lose in features, we could get some good keys. Or some decent keys. They are advertised as semi weighted I believe but they don't feel like it. This keyboard is comparable in feel to those $50 Wal mart keyboards you buy for your daughter at Christmas. I have used a few other M-audio keyboards like the Axiom series and I must say the key quality and feel on those is much much better. The difference in price makes it worth it imo. I suppose though if you are a beginner and you don't care about the feel, this is a fine studio unit. I mean it gets the job done. Never junked out on me. I wish M-audio would make a no-feature keyboard with good keys though. I don't need all the crazy knobs that the axioms have and would like one of those with good keys alone. I guess a good way to sum up my thoughts is that I am upset with the quality but for the price I really don't feel right complaining. You get what you pay for.