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Published on 07/14/11 at 12:17
The M-Audio Axiom 25 controller is the preferred controller of one of my dear friends, and one day, I got curious, and just had to go sneak a peek.
The first thing that struck me about the Axiom was its feel. The thing FELT well made, and looked far more expensive than it actually was. The Axiom 25 has 25 keys, obviously, and as far as connections goes, has the entire suite. It has the USB connection, which eliminates the need for an external power supply, but also has MIDI out and IN, which is very nice considering the price point. It also has connections for the sustain and expression pedals, and of course, the power jack should one choose to use the MIDI connections instead of the USB.
It also has knobs that are continuous, meaning they don't start and end anywhere. This is nice because it means that the knobs don't have certain positions "hard-coded" into them. On non-continuous knobs, if you have a parameter set to 100, but the knob is turned down to zero, and turned the knob up, the value would reset to zero before increasing with the knob. With the Axiom, there's no worrying about that at all.
The Axiom also includes drums pads which are very useful when programming beats. It is far easier to use than a keyboard, which I am stuck with most of the time.
UTILIZATION
What blew me away were the keys. Granted, with 25 keys, am I going to be playing any sonatas? No, but the semi weighted keys on the Axiom are far superior to the trampolines that plague the Keystations and Oxygens. And again, the knobs were a big deal, as were the included drum pads.
OVERALL OPINION
The Axiom is a piece of magic. Unfortunately for my spoilt keyboardist self, the lowest I can ever deal with happily is 61 keys, and the Axiom 61 is considerably more expensive than the 25. However, it is a far more comprehensive MIDI controller than the other offerings from M-Audio, and I suggest you try it out before you settle for anything less.
The first thing that struck me about the Axiom was its feel. The thing FELT well made, and looked far more expensive than it actually was. The Axiom 25 has 25 keys, obviously, and as far as connections goes, has the entire suite. It has the USB connection, which eliminates the need for an external power supply, but also has MIDI out and IN, which is very nice considering the price point. It also has connections for the sustain and expression pedals, and of course, the power jack should one choose to use the MIDI connections instead of the USB.
It also has knobs that are continuous, meaning they don't start and end anywhere. This is nice because it means that the knobs don't have certain positions "hard-coded" into them. On non-continuous knobs, if you have a parameter set to 100, but the knob is turned down to zero, and turned the knob up, the value would reset to zero before increasing with the knob. With the Axiom, there's no worrying about that at all.
The Axiom also includes drums pads which are very useful when programming beats. It is far easier to use than a keyboard, which I am stuck with most of the time.
UTILIZATION
What blew me away were the keys. Granted, with 25 keys, am I going to be playing any sonatas? No, but the semi weighted keys on the Axiom are far superior to the trampolines that plague the Keystations and Oxygens. And again, the knobs were a big deal, as were the included drum pads.
OVERALL OPINION
The Axiom is a piece of magic. Unfortunately for my spoilt keyboardist self, the lowest I can ever deal with happily is 61 keys, and the Axiom 61 is considerably more expensive than the 25. However, it is a far more comprehensive MIDI controller than the other offerings from M-Audio, and I suggest you try it out before you settle for anything less.