M-Audio Keystation Pro 88

The M Audio KeyStation Pro 88 is a full midi keyboard with midi out and midi in with all of the octaves of a real piano. But don’t be fooled, this Midi keyboard does not have the feel of a real piano. The keys are weighted and it gives them a good feel, but the feel of it isn’t like a synth and its not like a real full piano. Its kind of like an in between of the two different types of keys. You can also ad sustain pedals to this board as well.

UTILIZATION

The keys feel great and it is a very sturdy keyboard, but I feel like if it left me with the urge of wanting to sit at a real piano. Its not built cheap, but it doesn’t leave you satisfied, so if you are a keyboard/piano player and you are looking for something with a real feel too it don’t go with the M Audio Keystation Pro 88.

OVERALL OPINION

I used mine for about a month and then took it back and go a different one. You mine as well go with one of the M Audio Axiom midi Keyboards. Their are midi keyboards and are not intended to feel like a real piano. M Audio fell short with this board with trying to make it have a real piano feel to it. So if you are looking for a real piano feeling midi keyboard this will leave you unsatisfied, plus the keys are too heavy to use it for your production if you are into hip hop. You wont be able to do those quick sliding melodies and synth lines with this board because the keys are too heavy. Plus the price is a little high for a midi keyboard like this when there are a ton of others on the market that will suite you better.

The characteristics that motivated my choice were the 88 weighted keys and the price. Also, the amount of programable buttons and faders certainly helped me decide on this unit. As for connection types, there is USB, Midi in/out, 2 sustain pedal inputs, and an expression pedal input.

UTILIZATION

The action of the keyboard is OK. I have played better weighted keyboards and this one does a pretty good job, but for the price, its hard to complain. I use this keyboard for the studio as well as performance and it suits all my needs. I do notice, however, that the keys are "sticky" when you first start playing. Now I don't mean sticky like there is gunk in them, I mean there is a little extra resistance when you first hit the key. This happens every time I sit down and play it, but it only happens the first time you strike the key and then it is fine and its not all the keys, but quite a few. As for the configuration and setup, its plug and play with my macbook. Assigning knobs and buttons is generally a thing you do with whatever programs you are using. Of course you can go in and change what the button/fader on the Pro 88 does, but its almost unnecessary. The manual does explain how to do that though. As for channel and patch selection, that is also something you have to assign with a program, at least thats how I did it (I use mainstage, and if you are a mac user, so should you because it rocks!!!) The manual is small and pretty much covers all the things you need to know about this keyboard.

OVERALL OPINION

I have been using it for about a year now. What I like most is I only paid $370 for it brand new, shipped to my door, thats half the price of a yamaha or a CME keyboard. What I don't like about it is I have noticed some poor craftsmanship. For example, one side of the keyboard has a much larger space between the frame and the keys than the other side, also the faders "buttons" look a little crooked. Also, the some of the keys do that sticky thing as well as some make squeaky noises. All in all though, these things make little difference to me, the unit works great and well...you get what you pay for when it comes to aesthetics. I also have M-audio's Axiom 61 (much better in the way of craftsmanship but doesn't have the weighted keys) and I also used to own a Korg TR 88. The Korg's key action was actually a little lighter which I didn't really like but despite that, the keyboard had a great feel and I could fly on that thing. Now that I am getting use to the Pro 88, I am digging it, but at first I definitely liked the Korg's better overall. My opinion of the value is a good one. For less than $400, it could have been a piece of crap, but, despite its flaws, I really like this keyboard. Yes, I would definitely do it again.

(Originally written by Micky201/translated from Audiofanzine FR)
Specs: see manufacturer's website and other reviews.

I wanted an 88-note keyboard that provided a heavier playing feel than a synth.

UTILIZATION

It doesn't provide a piano playing feel. If you're looking for a real piano feel, buy another instrument. The playing feel is heavier than a synth but not too heavy, which means you can reach the highest velocity level (127) without having to hammer on the keys. The several velocity curves provide different feels depending on the sound you're using. But it's always easy to reach the highest velocity.

It's excellent for a keyboard player like me because it allows me to have a more expressive playing than with a classic synth, while at the same time it's easy to play and not tiring at all.

OVERALL OPINION

I've been using it for one month and I'm quite satisfied with it. The Midi controls are very convenient and easy to use. The only cons are:

- Mine has a key with faulty velocity response. But I bought a demo device and I'm expecting to get a new one.

- In USB mode (for operating power and Midi data transfer) the unit uses Windows drivers. It works but they are not very reliable. The smallest voltage variation (for example when my wife uses the microwave or the blender) causes it to crash and I have to reboot my system. I installed my old USB/Midi card again to solve the problem.

The M-Audio Keystation Pro 88 is an 88 key keyboard MIDI controller. It has MIDI in and outputs and also has two outputs for sustain. It also has a USB input so you can use this as a MIDI controller for your virtual instruments, which is what I use this for most of the time. It has programmable wheels - usually for pitch and modulation, and has a ton of other programmable knobs, dials, buttons, and faders that will control different things in different situations.

UTILIZATION

The feel of this keyboard is good overall. It has weighted keys, which makes it feel more like a real piano, and while it has a ton of parameters, I usually don't end up using too many of them as I like to control my virtual instruments within the box. The uses of this MIDI controller are far and wide and you can get exact as you'd like when using this. The manual is thorough and is useful when learning exactly what everything does with this machine.

OVERALL OPINION

The M-Audio Keystation Pro 88 is one of the best and most complete MIDI controllers on the market. You can control anything you'd like when it comes to using this with a computer. It also works great for controlling rack modules if you want to use this on the go. When I first saw this I thought it would be much more expensive than it is, as it is quite reasonably priced. I have used some of the other, smaller, M-Audio MIDI keyboard controllers, but this one takes the cake by far, as it is the most complete and has a great feeling keyboard. Those looking for a professional MIDI controller to use either in the studio or in a live setting should definitely look at this unit.