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acav802
Published on 03/18/09 at 12:49
The Axiom 25 is a lightweight and portable MIDI Keyboard, perfect for the modern producer's mobile studio setup. The Axiom 25 features MIDI in and out, USB, sustain, and expression pedal ports. A great feature is the USB port, which supplies both power and MIDI data, making setup simple with less cables. Pitch and mod wheel controls as well as 8 knobs and transport controls that can be assigned to work with any DAW make the Axiom 25 a great keyboard for any size studio. The transport buttons can be set up to control the play, stop, record, fast forward and rewind features inside your sequencer software. Another key feature of the Axiom series that hasn't been lost in the Axiom 25 are the eight velocity sensitive drum pads. These are an excellent feature, and can be configured to trigger samples, effects, loops, and anything you can imagine using your favorite audio sequencer software.
UTILIZATION
The Axiom 25 uses semi-weighted keys that feel and play with a great feel, and and will be a big step up for producers used to synth-action keys looking for a better feeling keyboard. The *only* downside is that it only has 25 keys, and you must use the transpose buttons to go up and down octaves. This is acceptable for the size and great value of the keyboard.
Setup for the Axiom is easy, using the included CD drivers takes about 10 minutes and is very straightforward. The included Enigma software enables users to customize and load presets that are designed to work with their favorite DAW (e.g. Logic,Reason, Cubase). I found that I didn't need to customize anything or change any settings on the Axiom, and was making music with Reason 3 right out of the box. The manual is only available digitally, but it is well-written and thorough.
OVERALL OPINION
I have used the Axiom 25 almost every day for 2.5 years and feel like its been worth every penny. The fact that it's so lightweight and portable makes it a great keyboard to own. It was my first MIDI keyboard and my experience with it has been tremendous. I would buy another one in a heartbeat. For only $179 USD, the Axiom 25 is a great value for the computer-based mobile producer, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a portable MIDI keyboard.
UTILIZATION
The Axiom 25 uses semi-weighted keys that feel and play with a great feel, and and will be a big step up for producers used to synth-action keys looking for a better feeling keyboard. The *only* downside is that it only has 25 keys, and you must use the transpose buttons to go up and down octaves. This is acceptable for the size and great value of the keyboard.
Setup for the Axiom is easy, using the included CD drivers takes about 10 minutes and is very straightforward. The included Enigma software enables users to customize and load presets that are designed to work with their favorite DAW (e.g. Logic,Reason, Cubase). I found that I didn't need to customize anything or change any settings on the Axiom, and was making music with Reason 3 right out of the box. The manual is only available digitally, but it is well-written and thorough.
OVERALL OPINION
I have used the Axiom 25 almost every day for 2.5 years and feel like its been worth every penny. The fact that it's so lightweight and portable makes it a great keyboard to own. It was my first MIDI keyboard and my experience with it has been tremendous. I would buy another one in a heartbeat. For only $179 USD, the Axiom 25 is a great value for the computer-based mobile producer, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a portable MIDI keyboard.