Feature:
The Keystation 49e keyboard comes with a well-written manual, a USB connection cable, start-up software, AND Ableton Live software! The back panel has a MIDI port, sustain pedal port (nice), an optional AC adaptor jack. The one feature this controller lacks (to my taste) is a dedicated headphone port.
Quality:
The unit's body is a handsome silver color and feels sturdy enough for live gigs. The keyboard is tight and springy, with the high-quality feel of a Hammond organ. Pitch bend and Mod wheels work as advertised. The three buttons (octave +/- and "advanced functions") feel solid and the guide lights are a pleasant pale blue color.
Value:
The best $100.00 keyboard controller on the market. I have hardware synths for knob-twisting and live performance. The Keystation 49e serves as my piano, organ, and clav, and for this size and quality and LIGHT WEIGHT, the Keystation 49e provides the best value for the money.
Desirability:
I whistle ever time I lay my eyes on this sexy silver missle parked in the studio!
Sound:
This is perhaps the best keyboard controller on the market if you use it to activate "static" sounds such as piano, organ, and clavinet. Connect it to a laptop computer with the included USB connection cable and you can, like me, use the Keystation 49e to access and activate sound banks on Reason, or other such software, giving you, in effect, a ten pound grand piano!
Ease of Use:
Plug-in and play if you have MAC OSX. I had to spend a whopping five minutes before I could connect it, turn it on, start it up, and play it through the studio's PA!
Support:
The M-Audio website is phat with background info and options. Product registry was acknowledged immediately.
Overall:
I shall use the M-AUDIO Keystation 49e in my studio and live rig until whichever one of us first gives up the ghost.
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