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johnrae « Great! »
Published on 09/30/12 at 21:34I 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.
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.