All user reviews for the M-Audio Keystation 88es

What motivated my choice:
- It is simply not a lot of button.
- It is lighter than 88 VKM
- A two-out midi input
- Great Works well with the iPad (for after the Studiologic videos)
- There are two input for PDAL



USE

The touch keyboard is nice but noisy. It agree with my use but sometimes the noise scares because it feels that a key will break if you attack a keyboard can strong.

The manual is in French, so you have to understand with the pictures but it is easy to use.

Setup is simple, you have to make several attempts before they understand well but it is easy to understand. Can splliter into 4 zones on a different channel. There are 50 user memories for recall presets.

on the other hand there is a big problem for fair market with the iPad and that 's really boring.

NOTICE GLOBAL

I have this keyboard for 4 months.

I have not tried many other keyboard, but the feel is more than a touch of the Clavinova pianos and others I've tried in stores. After I'm not a pianist but I like his touch.

What I wish is that it works well with the iPad but that is not the case, however, they make a commercial with the iPad. The update has not changed on that side. I exchanged a lot of mail with importers, Studiologic but for now no improvement.

The report quallité price and wrong since their thing is that it works with the iPad but that is not the case.

If I had the choice again I would take a keyboard VKM 88.

All I hope is that it will work with the iPad nikel, for the time I noticed the trick in the forum.

I chose this product because of its color black grey and white it matched the color theme of my Macbookpro and my audio interface Steinberg UR44.

This unit is very simple. It has 88 semi-weighted keys, which will give you more like playing an acoustic piano and it has a midi ins/out similar to other controller but i use the USB connection because the cable is much more cheaper

I use the m-audio sustain (sp1) and its compatible


UTILIZATION

Setting this up was very simple, just plug in play.

i use macbook pro ( mid 2012) 4 gig ram 2.66 quad-core running at osx 10.9.4 and it works very smoothly. my audio recording software that I use is Cubase 7 and theres no compatibility issues

I didnt have time to read the manual because of its thickness. but the unit itself is a plug and play so everything will just work fine

OVERALL OPINION

The Cheap plastic feel of its casing irritates me. sometimes i hear crackles when i move it to one place to another. this unit might crack if you fell it accidentally. you must place it to a flat and solid flat-form for the plastic not to squick

I tried Casio keyboard before but my heart is in the m-audio because of its simplicity and support and integration

Pros
- Natural feel of keys
-cheap
- for home studio use

Cons
- cheap plastic feel
- it doesn't feel sturdy
-some keys squeaks

A 88-key, semi-weighted, no surprise, we know what to expect.

UTILIZATION

Semi heavy touch. This is not the Fatar (I have one), but it is handy when doing a lot of scene.

MIDI setup ok.

A surfer, probably pressed to exist on the internet wrote "damage for MIDI OUT". Well no, just power the keyboard with a USB transformer, and has all the functions of the MIDI OUT to the sequencer (Cubase VST Ardour 3, etc..).

OVERALL OPINION

Used for a year. Convenient to carry when many concerts, compared to 88 Fatar keys (which remains much higher quality, for sure, and that I use in the studio).

Super value for money (I paid mine 70 euros) is to be carried and played in all situations.

Of course I would do this choice!

I bought this keyboard the last year in order to cope easily without having to press a button to go up and down an octave and also because it is very convenient with the orchestral banks to power "switcher" between different joints
to summarize I used to compose and control only a few expanders have the opportunity ...

UTILIZATION

Very nice touch semi heavy to me (I'm not "classical" pianist) since my youngest age I almost always has a touch keyboard "light" on my various synths
Otherwise all is quite well made and is not "cheap" the pitch and modulation appear "tough" (I often used)
no problems running on my mac pro or in pro tools is transparent

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for a year and I do not intend to part with it, unless you want a full model of knobs and other assignable buttons for those who want a no frills 88 keys is perfect in my opinion, there is just a plug and play / compose

88 keys, USB and understated design ... nice to work with some sound banks (Kontakt ...). on the other hand is a bit cumbersome.

UTILIZATION

Very easy to use across the keyboard. The affected semi-weighted: as its name suggests it is better than a half synth hit "plastic" and it is half good as a real heavy hit ... Nothing new under the sun, what!

OVERALL OPINION

I used it for a few months and then resold for my needs and my config had changed. So, I regret a little ... I think that the ideal is to have a static 88 notes at home and a 49 nomad (I'm not a keyboardist for info ...). The strong point of this keyboard, for me, is its price / quality ratio ...

What characteristics have motivated your choice?
88-key semi-weighted and touched

What connection (MIDI pedals ...)? ...
usb power supply (optional when connected usb), midi, sustain pedal, volume pedal

UTILIZATION

The touch keyboard is it enjoyable?
I'm not a pianist, but I did not want to touch a soft synth. This one suits me but may be able to divert a pianist

Is it your use?
I use Linux, it is recognized without problem.

The general configuration is it simple?
yes, in my case nothing to do

The selection of MIDI channels, patches is easy?
I do not use these features

The manual is clear and sufficient?
Has not been read ...

OVERALL OPINION

How long have you use it?
6 months
What is the particular feature you like best and least?
most 88 keys, price, simplicity

Have you tried many other models before buying it?
This is my first master keyboard

How would you rate the quality / price?
Very good

With experience, you do again this choice? ...
Yes unless you have a bigger budget to take a close heavy touch of a real piano

I was looking for a keyboard master more than 64 keys, the keys are 76 more expensive than 88, so I took a 88 keys. What motivated my choice for this are semi-weighted and simple keys without dozens of buttons and knobs, a light footprint and approved.

The Connections:

- 1 9V power input
- 1 USB port
- 1 Midi Out
- 1 input for sustain pedal
- 1 input for an expression pedal (volume, vibrato, reverb depth).

UTILIZATION

The semi-weighted keys are very pleasant to the touch, they respond well to stress.

-The manual clearly explains the use of the facility, to troubleshooting in case of problems through advanced functions.

-The general configuration is simple enough (that's what I was looking for), so the selection of MIDI channels and patches are a bit laborious it is necessary to know the progress of each key function, that being said they are very well explained in the manual.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for a month, I was a master of the same brand 49-key keyboard that I sold to buy the 88 keys.

- I do not find it special that I dislike, but if I wanted something more programmable, I probably took a more elaborate model.

- 88 keys for 155 €, the quality is unbeatable price level, I would say that the quality is far exceeds the sale price, I would do this choice without any problem!

I bought the M-Audio Keystation 88es this summer because I needed a new, conservative, and good feeling Midi keyboard to play on. That is exactly what I got, and at an AWESOME price! I absolutely love this thing. It's a full 88 key model, with very little frills, a pitch and modulation wheel and a couple buttons for program selection. The entire thing is powered via USB so no need to plug it into the wall! It's great on stage or in the studio, and it doesn't take up much space. It only weighs about 20 pounds so it's real easy to take places.

UTILIZATION

Setting it up is as easy as plugging it in and letting it load it's drivers. No dvds or anything or extra programs to run. Very easy to use! I do everything from using Kontakt to practice piano to all of my midi sequencing in Ableton Live. The Semi-Weighted keys feel so good under your fingers. While it still can't quite compare to the real thing, this is pretty darn good. Especially considering the measly price of only 220 bucks! I use a M-Audio SP-2 Sustain Pedal along with. The board feels really good, I've had no problems with sticky keys or bad action. I am not a professional piano player, so this is more than sufficient for my needs.

OVERALL OPINION

Overall, I really like this keyboard. It is cheap, functional and ergonomic. It feels good and works great. It's perfect for voicing chords and recording midi sequences. With MIDI you literally have thousands of instruments right there at your fingertips, and this is an awesome way to utilize them. I do think it would be nice if it had included some transport controls(Play, Stop, Pause, Beginning, End, Record etc) but for the price it's more than worth the cash. While I wouldn't recommend it to a professional pianist or someone gigging a lot, it's great in the studio and at one time gigs. But personally, I really like this keyboard, and use it almost every day.

I was looking for a keyboard 88 keys for a very reasonable price.

UTILIZATION

The semi-weighted touch is perfect for me because I'm not a pianist at the base and I was looking for a versatile keyboard that also allows to do anything other than the piano. good is not a heavy touch but very suitable for synths and even the piano is playable.

OVERALL OPINION

I've had three weeks.
It was also a Clavinova at home that has a touch heavy piano, obviously this is not the same but in the living clavinova not within reach of the home studio.
I appreciated the drivers for the Keystation 88es windows 7 64bit no pb has not been reported. Highly regarded keyboard switch which can leave the USB plugged and permanently switch to activate at the keyboard at the request, think about doing it before running cubase ... otherwise it will not be recognized as all devices noon (Akai MPD etc ...) also steinberg should do something to recognize the Peripherals midi 'hot' as it is a bit annoying to have to close and reopen if cubase we did not think to turn his Peripherals noon before launching Cubase.
Returning to the Keystation 88es, a truly unbeatable value for money! and finally able to have the 88 keys to control banks of sounds with orchestral keyswitch all directly accessible, and undeniable comfort this little keyboard I love him already!
Attention to the size of the keyboard may seem surprising at first that it is very long (1.30 m) when you have used me as a 5-octave keyboard for decades

conclusion: the feel is average, but frankly quite enough for a synthesist like me, guitarist at the base, and who just wants to compose for a pianist must see keyboards more sophisticated (DOEPFER LM2 or LM4 +, Kurzweil PCK, Fatar or other Nano or Acuna) but also much more expensive! and largest in volume level (counts!), so it would have to repeat this time I do it again this choice until we have a more suitable room and opt for a DOEPFER but that it will be in my dreams more later ...

I was looking for a master keyboard to control the sounds of ProTool, pianist being so I opted for a 88-key, then I do not think there was difference of the 49.
M Audio is a brand that pleases me well, or that choice.
The buttons are simple: A change octave (+ / -), a button to drive the sfonctions using the key, but I do not use, and two wheels (pitch bend and modulation)
USB connector or socket, which is useful if you want to plug in expander.

UTILIZATION

touch is not what is pleasant, but is passable.
For the use I make, no-brainer.

OVERALL OPINION

I would have expected a better quality in terms of velocity, especially for recording drums, and especially the lack of aftertouch which is felt, and that's why you can not really play piano with this keyboard, but the pads, percussion, ..
I recommend this keyboard, but not to play the piano, and thus the size smaller if it is to do the beatmaking!
Its weight is a +!
If you want to see what I do with:
www.youtube.com / Thomasssskill

The M Audio Keystation 88es comes with the very basic features that you expect from a decent midi controller keyboard, including MIDI ins and outs, USB, a DC in port (but no included wall wart, which is no loss since the unit can be powered by the USB cable), an input for a damper pedal and one other footswitch. Otherwise, it's a fairly sparse, no-frills controller with only pitch bend and modulation, a volume slider and a pair of buttons that implement the octave up/down function in case you have a Bosendorfer sample or some other reason to expand beyond 88 keys. That's in stark contrast to the Pro 88, which has yards of knobs and faders that should let you control everything from your VST instrument to your DAW mixer to the small appliances in your kitchen. This is not the only significant difference, though. I played the fully weighted keys of the Pro 88 at a local retailer, and it is more pleasant than the semi-weighted keys of the 88es, which feel stiff and decidedly plastic and synth-like, more so even than my old synths, like the M1 and Juno 60.


UTILIZATION

The keyboard only transmits a fixed release velocity. That in itself isn't unusual--most of them do--but it unfortunately transmits a value of 0 (instead of a more common 64). If you have presets that respond to release velocity, you may find them acting peculiarly.

OVERALL OPINION


Overall, this is a good 88-key controller for under $200. There has been some criticism about this product because the keys do not have "piano action", but it is more responsive and has a better feel to me than my FantomX. If you are looking for an 88-key controller and don't need the frills of some of the pricier full-sized boards, you can't go wrong with this one!