SeriesEdirol PCR

This little midi keyboard controller was being advertised for several months before anyone on the net atually had stock. I received a notfication from americanmusical.com that they had finally gotten some in, around xmas, so I ordered one from them. Selling price for this unit was 199.95...you can expect to pay the very same for it just about anywhere. The small size (I have very limited desk-space),the control-surface-like features, and the USB port simplicity are what attracted me to it. This is a great little keyboard. It has a very nice snappy feel to the keys, and looks to be very well-made. It has a total of 27 assignable controllers (8 double-duty knobs, 6 buttons, and 2 pedal ports), as well as 15 user-assignable memories to hold various midi control maps, so you can remote control certain features of your favorite software sequencer or virtual instrument (it comes with control maps for Sonar Cubase, GS, and XG already loaded...there is also a default control map(GM2) in a memory that cannot be altered. Still more Control maps (Roland-Edirol calls them "memory sets") are available at Edirol's website. What I particularly like about this unit is the fact that it can be completely powered via the USB port(no wall-wart power supply to contend with). There is a conventional midi I/O port on the back, but, since the USB cable can carry midi messages to the software, using midi cables is not even necessary in some situations...like playing virtual instruments. Pitch bend and modulation are initiated by separate controls...this is also a plus. I haven't found anything I don't like...not yet, anyway...well...maybe Roland could print a more lengthy explanation of how to use the "bulk dump" feature to upload new pre-existing midi control maps to the keyboard's memory. The construction quality is excellent...just what you'd expect from a product designed and manufactured by Roland. For the non-keyboard playing computer-music composer looking for something reasonably priced to manipulate virtual instruments this is really a great little bang-for-the-buck device. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Nice that you can save your settings in the form of a midi file. This is cool because you can load your settings for whichever software package you are currently using. Price paid $230 UTILIZATION Pretty easy to use. Although you don't need midi maps to use the product, It would've been nice if they added the midi maps on a disk with the product. You have to go to Edirol's site to download "pre-canned" (midi) format files for different software packages such as FL, Sonic, Logic, etc. OVERALL OPINION All knobs, faders and keys are pretty durable. They don't feel "plastic-y". Originally posted on FutureProducers.com Posted by: Unknown (January 2-, 2003)

8 knobs, 8 sliders and a couple of other buttons for play/stop/record and other functions. The pitch and modulation are intergrated in a single joystick, making it easier to control with a single finger. 32 keys, 2 and a half octaves, which is perfect for a compact keyboard. The only concern may be its size: it is compact, but quite big at the same time. MIDI and USB out, perfect for both usage. Price paid: $180 USD UTILIZATION Very easy to use, almost plug and play. All the drivers are included, along with a Sonar music creation program. OVERALL OPINION The M30 is very strong, resistant to shocks. You'll notice its good assembly when it gets right out of the box. Even the weakest parts like the sliders and knobs are very hard to break. It's simply magic, works perfectly, I fell in love! Originally posted on FutureProducers.com Posted by: MC Carlos ( 5-, 2006)