M-Audio Keystation 88 ES 88-Key MIDI Controller

Feature:
This is what it is, a great, inexpensive controller. The semi-weighted keys feel great and it performs well. Could use a power supply...

Quality:
It was a surprise when it arrived, looked and played great.

Value:
Can't get a better deal on 88 keys.

Desirability:
Looks great in the studio

Sound:
Doesn't make any sounds...

Support:
M-Audio is great with updates, etc.

Overall:
Best bang for the keyboard dollar period.

Feature:
I feel bad about rating the features with only a 5, because the only reason I bought this controller is that it is the only 88 key controller that doesn't cost a fortune due to the extreme simplicity of the design. But really, this controller doesn't have many features. Pitch bend and modulation wheel, little slider, and two buttons that can EITHER change the octave up or down, change the pitch up or down a semitone, or change the midi channel the signals are sent through (maybe these buttons can do something else as well, but I don't think there was anything else worthwhile). There is only a MIDI out jack on the controller, so if you are using this as a part of a chain it has to be your first thing. I have an old keytar controller from the 80's that I like to bring out on stage every now and again just for kicks, and since that is only MIDI out as well I have to unplug one to plug in the other. Other than the one MIDI out you have a USB midi thing and a damper pedal input. I should also mention that I cannot get the controller to send the signal from the damper pedal to anything I hook up with MIDI; I have to hook the pedal up to the device I am using the controller for. It does come with a USB cable and some stuff for a computer, but I have never used this for a computer, only as a real instrument MIDI controller.

Quality:
Hard to judge to quality right now, because I have only had mine for about 6 months. However, even though it is only made of plastic, everything seems to be holding up alright so far. I use this controller all over the place, and I usually end up taking it out of my apartment once or twice a week. I've dropped it and bumped it on stuff plenty already, and although the plastic casing is scratched plenty, everything works like new still. I have heard that banging on the keys too much will cause them to stop working within a couple of years, but so far I have had no trouble.

Value:
I definitely bought this controller because it is the cheapest 88 key out there. However, for as little as it does and how terrible it is to play, and for the fact that it is 100% plastic, it seems a tad overpriced even. For the price you pay for it, it doesn't even include a power supply! I realize that most people probably only use these for USB stuff where you don't need it, but if you don't use the USB you need the power. I was fortunate that the guy at the store I worked at just gave me a power supply (since I was already spending $2300 anyway), but otherwise I would have had to have spent another 15% of the total cost of the controller itself just to power it.

Desirability:
Its not ugly, but its not really supposed to be sexy either. So just average.

Ease of Use:
Everything is easy to use about the keyboard, but the actual keys themselves are miserable to play on, for a few reasons. First of all, apparently "semi weighted" means sticking a spring(s) under each key. The end result is that the further down you press any given key, the harder it becomes to press. Also, it takes a good deal of effort to keep the keys held down, because there is so much upward force from the springs inside. Its honestly easier to press down the keys of a piano than these keys, and it is certainly easier to hold down piano keys than these. The second problem is that the keys can be pressed much further down than any piano, organ, or synth. I have no idea why they designed the keys this way, because it is really difficult to play softly or quickly on this controller. If you think about how hard it is to press the keys all the way down because of the springs, and then add the problem that the keys have to be pressed down further than a normal keyboard, the end result is an awful keyboard to play on. The final problem is that the black keys are much more sensitive to velocity than the white keys. The same amount of force played on a white key will yield a significantly different velocity signal sent than on a black key. For my M3, each patch I use is based on oscillators that make different sounds at different velocities. As a result, I have to be careful on certain patches to make sure I play the black keys more softly than the white, so that I don't accidentally make a different sound on just the black keys. Even still, just by listening anyone could easily distinguish between the white keys I play and the black keys. So like I said, this keyboard really is miserable to play on if you are used to playing a piano, organ, or synth.

Overall:
I only bought this controller because at the time, Korg was only selling the 61 key version of the M3. I am so sad that they don't have a 76 key synth weighted M3, because the keys that come with the M3 are so lovely to play! The store I bought my M3 at let me borrow the 61 key M3 for a practice with a band I was playing a gig with that weekend, but I found that 61 keys weren't quite enough. So I got the tabletop M3 and then bought the only 88 key controller I could find that I could still afford after getting the M3. It is just barely more worth it to me to have all 88 keys and to have to tolerate this terrible controller. I still give it a 6 though, because its not supposed to be a dream to play. It is just supposed to be cheap and usable. But it is barely usable, and still costs more than it is worth.