No sound - its a controller

Knobs, Sliders, Buttons, Keys - lots of all of them. What's not to like? 4 zones, USB interface, great value. Keyboard feel is so-so. Weighted, little mushy/heavy. Adjusting velocity curves helps a lot. Consider that you're getting the equivalent of a Mackie C4+ Keyboard in the bargain and its a great deal.

The manual is weak. Software for programming it is so-so. It takes some digging to realize potential.

Feels a bit on the cheap side - but for the price - you can't lose.

Really good value for the price I think.

Once you reach them, they are good. But long hold times....

Its pretty sexy with all those knobs, buttons, sliders, and keys.

Active Musician/Home Recordist

Rock, Pop, Alternative, Film Scoring

feature overload.

My only complaint is that the keys have a awkward bit of bounce to them -- when doing rapid drills, there is a point beyond which the keys can't keep up with your fingers.

Definitely worth the price. There was nothing anywhere near this price range that met my requirements.

This is a very pretty piece of gear.

pianist

classical / experimental

No sounds, controller only. Sounds depend on software.

You will be hard pressed to find a controller with this many features in this price range. Tons of sliders and knobs. More parameters to tweak than most 88-key controllers.

Looks mean, is absolutely HUGE and heavy. Blue backlight to screen and buttons. Key feel is good for this price range, but it is not a piano by any means, but again, look at features for cost here, and keys are weighted (but seem to bounce I agree). Does not look cheap at all.

The most functions in this price range, or even against a higher price range for that.

Have not had any previous M-Audio gear, but their web-site appears easy to use.

Looks like something you would not be embarrased with to use on stage.

Hobbyist

Alternative

I read one reviewer saying that it has sound. Yeah mine also has alot of noise in the key action.

Would be nice if like the Evolution it had templates that lable nobs and sliders for common uses. so many knobs i get lost. I usually program a four or five to do common functions on several instruments. <img src="http://www.evolution-i.net/images/fp_top_ad_right_reason.jpg....imgtag" /> Another thing that would be cool, if the LED display could be configured so that if you dont want to see every midi message its sending. Maybe you just want it to hang out and relax. I would also like to change the colors of the back light on occasion. Im happy that it is back lit! dont get me wrong.

It took me a while to learn to use it. I am more hands on learner, but i kept the manual handy for the first several months.

I had to return one. Luckily it was in the first years warranty. The keys were sticking (only comming 1/2 way back up). And they have some springy noises in them. Its not built for the road, but I use it at the big gigs. Made a custom case for it. Lighter than my 90lbs controller, but 40lbs plus another 20 for case and accessroies, its a beast to move. But its 88 weighted keys.

I believe it is the cheapest 88 key controller with the most knobs and sliders. but you get what you pay for. they didnt put in any supperior craftsmanship here. but it does a fair job.

Even though I was happy that they were so easy to get an exchange (fast too) but the new keyboard keys are still a little springy sounding. No sticky keys yet, but this one is still young.

I saw one guy who did his own repairs on his. while he had it all in peices, he went ahead and put a sweet paint job on it. I think the silver trend is comming to an end or going going gone already.

hobbyist, active musician, recording engineer. whine and cheeze meistro

Bubble Gum Pop, Jazz, Classical, Electronic, Etheral, Classic Rock, and noise.

No sounds, this is strictly a MIDI controller

Just about every MIDI control possible

The feel of the keyboard is not like a piano. The weighted keys bounce and it seems like the weight is bouncing back into place when playing the same note consecutively. Feels little strange since I'm used to my old piano, which had constant tension on the keys, not the bounce

Despite it's shortcomings, there is no other controller on the market at this price point that is quite like this. Sure there are better feeling keyboards, but they cost over $2000

Everything is still working fine

hobbyist

krautrock

I rated a 3 on sound because it doesn't have any sound. Fine with me. It is a great midi controller.

There are lots of knobs, buttons, and even 88 weighted keys. I have to say the velocity and feel are not top notch. But for $300 (on sale), it's a hell of a deal. There's no aftertouch either so I give it an 8.

If you don't know how to wire up a midi controller to a soft synth, it may take you a few days to get everything down (it's very easy if you are the slightest bit computer savvy) It is big so it is hard to put it near you computer. I have mine to the side of my computer right now and it works good for the price.

It is big. Recommend keeping the packaging to move it around. Hasn't gotten any damage on it yet so I am happy with it.

I like it for piano playing (88 keys), but I wish I would have gotten a smaller one with after touch for synth playing. Looking back on it, the Line 6 kb37 would have been pretty cool. I am content with this one though.

I gave a ten because I have never had to contact tech support.

no sexiness to it. Who cares?

Hobbyist

Metal, Rock, Techno, Dance, Pop

Makes no sound....

What else could you possibly put on a Midi Controller?

This unit is made of plastic... I believe that this is a fairly standard manufacturing approach for the cost effective MIDI Controller market. I thought the keys were a little less than desired, but overall build quality and cosmetics are good.

For all of the control that this keyboard has to offer, and the fact that it is "Hammer Action" how could you go wrong.

Couldn't tell ya

Just look at it.

21 years

Video game and composing

its a controler. But the keys sort of make a anoying nois, no big deal though.

Controles galore!! It was a little confusing at first but after i downloaded enegma from the m-audio site all the controls became incredibly usfule. I use them as a mixing board and to give a more hands on feel to afects. No after touch wich i dont care about. four overlapable zones which are awsome. Good integration with software like reason and live, a few minore quibles there but thats mostly the softwares fault. Overal incredible features!

iv had mine for 6 monthes and nothings gone wrong so far. Its prity solid but im still carfule with it. Its realy heavy. There is no kebord ive played that felt like a real piano and niether does this one. The keys go down farther than most but after you get used to it, it is very cabable of expresive playing. The sliders and knobs have a very nice feel. I think it will hold up for a wile if i continue being carfule.

Its worth twice as much as it is!!! There nothing that comes close in terms of features anywere near its price range. When I went keybord shoping my budget was no more than a $1200 and i ended up getting this for $500. I know its a just a controler but still!

As i said 6 months no problem.

It looks realy cool and all its great qualitys coupled with its astounding price made me have to have it.

very serios hobby

original rock

no sound

Not sure what the last user was grumbling about, this thing has 4 different zones, a number of different velocity curves, all the knobs, buttons and faders I'll ever need, and it feels like playing a real piano.

This is a sturdy device. It is pretty heavy to lift, but I'm using mine in the studio as my main studio keyboard controller so I don't really have to carry it around. You could definitely take it on the road with you, but I'd recommend a helper. I mean, it doesn't weight any more than my Wurlitzer.

I use this thing all the time. It is a great price for what you get.

M-Audio has a great tech support department. I had a question on setting up the buttons to change presets, and they were very patient and helpful.

Its very sexy

Musician

Electronic

software dependent.

can't rate just get it

sezy

Reconding Engineer a

Contemporary gospel

Unratable

Its got built in knobs and faders that feel nice to touch and work well with the 'learn' function. the pitch and mod wheel also feel nice to touch and use,the keys sink lower than most 88 key electric pianos and give it a somewhat 'clunky' feel, but having said that, its great for hip-hop production,you'll find the 'clunky' keys are good for creating riffs,and before long you'll get used to it. it doeesnt limit you in any way during your creative process and it definately is a good midi controller to have. I gave it a 9 because it has all the features a midi controller should, i would have given it a 10 if they had thought of something unique that worked really well.

It's very easy to use,plug'n'play,power is derived from the usb 2.0 hub I gave it a 10 because it is indeed very 'easy to use'

the build is good,and it does certainly look alot more expensive than it is,all the knobs and faders feel really nice to touch, the only let down is the feel of the keys, which you get used to..and you'll only notice if youve played 'proper' EP's which this board is meant to emulate, thats the only reason i gave it an '8' because of the feel. but overall..the quality of the product is good and ive never regretted buying this. I gave it an 8 because the quality is good apart from the feel.

Its good for the money.

never needed support. (thanks god)

SEX APPEAL ? well...im sure it could have looked alot sexier..but the personality is more important than the 'looks' right ?

Producer/Sound engineer

Hip-Hop/R&B/Grime/Bashment/Rock/Alternative

I disagree with others who say this "makes no sound". Mine makes a LOT of sound, especially the middle "C" which REALLY scrapes and grinds when you press it. But let me be fair and say that other keys also scrape and make noise. It is almost laughably bad, but blowing money on bad gear is not very funny really, is it? The scraping is clearly reflected as spastic loss of rhythmic control and virtually random volume on a given key when pressed. Much like a prisoner who is "hobbled" with a weight on one leg, different keys on this keyboard take different amounts of effort to press down so anything that is velocity sensitive sounds like the volume per note is virtually random. As far as I can guess, the keyboard must be built from a number of octave subsections internally such that over time they are shifting somehow and putting pressure on something. I have read elsewhere that lots of people have "C" keys acting up and that the action is awful. Mine was bought around 2005. Are they better now? No idea, but M Audio seems to deny there being a known problem and a bit of web searching plus the lack of quality in my unit makes it clear to me that M Audio is treating people wrong. I contacted them and they seemed "baffled" as to what might cause this, suggesting I send it in so they could look at it for a fee. Charging inspection fees for known problems with defective designs is bad policy. When I bought the keyboard, it felt slightly odd and I should have returned it, but I got distracted by a new baby in the house and then the warranty was gone before I used it again (after a number of months doing very little recording). Only after sitting unused for some months (in a clean air conditioned studio) did the scraping begin. Believe me, this unit is "cheap" in EVERY sense of the word. BEWARE!!!

I'll give it a "2" because there are lots of knobs and it looks cool. That's one more point than it probably deserves because if the "feature" of at least decent action is not present, nothing else matters. (See under "sound".) Materials used? Ill-fitted, poor-quality materials is the best I can describe, at least where the key action is concerned. The pitch & mod wheels, knobs, switches and faders feel fine, but again, the KEYS don't work. It is like a bad joke.

This one REALLY needs to be a "zero". There is no way to get good sounds from this unit. I cannot properly describe how spastic and out-of-control the action is. Maybe if your hands were completely numb from cold or lack of circulation and you splashed them with warm water and then tried to play (a decent keyboard) immediately as your hands tingled and throbbed, that might cause some similar lack of control (again on a DECENT keyboard). The problem feels and sounds like unfinished wood (not even well sanded) scraping and grunting as it rubs back-and-forth when certain keys are pressed. I am at a total loss to tell you just how bad this unit is. You have been warned!

Another one that deserves a zero or a negative rating. Just plain terrible. Total junk, sorry to be so blunt. These things, at least the batch from which mine came, should have a no-time-limit warranty / recall to fix them. This did not wear out, it was sold with no fitness for a keyboard's intended purpose. Buying one of these is like buying pretty tires that explode when you drive on them except that all that the Keystations kill is your music. This is the stuff of class-action lawauits as far as I am concerned.

As a movie prop it would LOOK great. I especially like the cool blue lighting and all the buttons & knobs. Unfortunately, I make music, not movies. For my studio, this has become a blue "night light" as the backlight glows nicely and does decent night light duty if the Mac it is plugged into gets left on. That's the nicest thing I can say about it. Think of buying this like buying a really good looking car with a really, REALLY bad engine. You choose your analogy, but don't buy one of these, please.

Yep, I contacted them and they act like mine's the only one doing this-- they'e not aware of what a piece of junk it is at all. Do some web searching. It can't be true; they have to know SOMETHING. A good number of bad units clearly got out. Is that 1 in 1000 or half of them or 99% of them? Who knows, but be clear that mine just keeps getting worse. Who expects a keyboard (hardly even used-- just a few hours on it) would start to grunt and grind while sitting in a clean air conditioned studio? I have a nearly 40-year-old piano in the same room. We bought it new and there has been almost nothing done to it (apart from tuning) since it was new. That keyboard feels 100 times better than the Keystation after all these years. Avoid these keyboards like a terminal disease.

The "sex appeal" is just fine, but as I mentioned before, the thing doesn't work. It is a pretty girl in a bikini who is too dumb to tell you her own name. It really is that bad.

Recording Engineer for 20+ years.

Various styles. I'll record most anything but primarily Classical & Rock (yes, a strange mix).

controller

I've gotta admit, you get alot for the money, but what good is it if you can only save 10 presets? WTF Maybe it's a great controller for the home, but trust me, DO NOT TAKE THIS ON THE ROAD FOR LIVE USE!!

Unless you're a Midi Geek, you will not have fun programming this thing. I've been using midi gear for 20 years and still needed tech support to help me program basic commands.

This thing is basically a TOY. One guy here got it right, it's like buying a ferrari with a hundai engine. Let's put all these great features on a board, and then make it out of paper thin plastic and pressboard. I take very good care of mine, and it's all scratched up from rubbing against the inside of a well padded soft case.

I've gotta admit, for under $400 it's Quite a value, but how about this idea. Let's charge $200 more and make the thing actually useable!

Tech support will NEVER I repeat NEVER admit that they have heard of any of the endless problems that anybody who knows how to Google would find if they searched reviews of this thing. OH AND GET THIS! IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM AND IT'S UNDER WARRANTY? YOU STILL HAVE TO SHIP IT BACK TO CA FOR THEM TO FIX IT. NO AUTHORIZED SERVICE CENTERS ANYWHERE. YEAH, GOOD LUCK GETTING THAT THING BACK IN 1 PIECE AFTER SENDING IT ACROSS THE US AND BACK.

for the money it's worth getting if you need something that stays at home, and you don't mind throwing it out after it dies..

Active Pro Musician

all types

Makes no sounds of it's own ofcourse...it's a controller

Aesthetically, the unit is very attractive and seems to be a very comprehensive user-friendly interface for your modules and computer set-up.

Because the look and the lay-out of this thing was so attractive, I spent a great deal of time in a music store playing this thing and trying very hard to convince myself that it was the right board for me....I simply could not get past how lousy the keyboard action was. I'm a real keyboard player, like many who have commented before me, and if this board was meant to simulate a real piano, it comes no where close. I think it's the worst I've ever played.

From my own experience, as well as taking into account the experiences of those I've read, it's a worthless piece of gear.

Thank God I won't need M-Audio's support, because unless there is certifiably significant improvement in their quality of their products, I won't be purchasing anything from them.

Again, it "glitters", but you've heard the saying regarding things that glitter.

singer, keyboardist, composer, arranger, producer

gospel, jazz, funk, r&b

N/A

This unit is useless for live gigs. hardly any memory, no splits no zones not enough midi outs. What has happended to controllers since the A-70 or A-90 which gave you up to 8 zones/splits. Lots of memory and daisy chaining. This unit is suitable for hobbyists only.

Action is weird.

Can't use it Live.

N/A

Looking for used Roland Controller.

Active Musician

Industrial / Prog Rock

No sound, its a controller

Enough nobs and sliders no matter what your doing. Only 10 presets but if your more on the digital side of this product, you can save presets on your cpu and swap them out that way, the M-audio software helps alot as well.

Plug the USB in and go, doesnt even need a power cable. People seem to be saying great action and bad action in all these reviews. What I would say is that if your an acoustic or grand piano player you'll like the key action or get accustomed to it much easier than a non-weighted board. Personally I cannot use non-weighted keys because they are far too light and I always hit keys I dont want to. Its not exactly like an acoustic piano but its close and the keys have a nice heavy feel. Those with classically trained fingers won't have a problem making these keys do what you want. If you are normally a synth player with non-weighted, or lightly/semi weighted keys, you will probably hate this board, these keys are much heavier than you will be used too and will feel "clunky". They are a bit noisy but nothing even semi-loud wont immediately drown out. Mine have held up to alot of Beethoven and Mozart so far and still no breaks or sticks.

Everythings held up fine so far, its a heavy board, probably not a great gig board but I dont use mine for that.

For its rediculously cheap price, you get a very decent board. I got mine used and it works fine.

Havent needed it yet

It looks very nice, actually looks more expensive than it is.

It is a controller, it generates no sound.

The buttons and sliders feel fine. The keys are fully weighted and I can't feel a real difference between them and an acoustic piano. Though the middle F key makes a "bump" noise when you hit it. It sounds like the key is hitting something inside the keyboard, like it is missing a cushion that would prevent this noise from happening. This might just be my model not all.

Maybe a little cheaper would be nice.

Havn't messed with it.

It looks cool, though the blue screen becomes its clearest when your sitting down. While if your standing up playing, its faded.

there are no sounds

lost of knobs,faders, etc. They should put some pads on it.

As soon as I opened the box to my keyboard, one of the keys was sunken in. Im waiting for a response from m-audio right now.Dont buy this thing.

I got a bad product upon delivery. Dont get this thing.

Still waiting.

It looks cool, but it is a p.o.s.

it is controller (no sound)

As a MIDI controller....it was great but As a piano controller it not good enough

TOP panel is good and solid but bottom panel of the keyboard was not made from metal sheet. (What the heck is this?) Fader is very good feel.... knob is just ok. I don't think this one is good for "on the road" application

very good price for all feature they gave us

I deal with dealer they are very good

Recording producer (Part time)

POP JAZZ R&B

No sound

knobs, YEAH

My keyboard was all off set, when they put it together they left a 1/4 inch on the far left and the key furthest to the right does not play:( What the hell is that about dont they have quality controll?

maybe it would be more if all the keys worked, but I agree it does not feel realistic at all

dont know

Nah I am giving it back to guitar center ASAP

It's a controller - no sounds on board.

This keyboard is priced well below anything else in its category. It has amazingly simple and effective MIDI controls that can be programmed to control virtually every aspect of your computer studio sessions.

Keystation 88 PRO - in my experience so far - is pretty terrible in the actual performance and feel department! The first one I received had a serious velocity response problem; all of the black keys were far more sensitive than the whites. This made it nearly impossible to play a decent piano part without odd notes "boinking" out in the mix. M-Audio sent a second to me, and it has a similar problem. Poor quality control. These kinds of problems make the keyboard useless for playing expressive piano patches - especially in a live setting. Why would anyone build an 88-key, weighted controller if it can't be used effectively as a piano instrument?

Yes, it's cheap, but at what price? I have not been able to use my for decent piano patches because of its unregulated velocity response. Why would anyone buy an 88-key, weighted controller if they can't use it for decent piano work?

M-Audio has been somewhat helpful, although it's taken them some amount of time to respond to my emails each time. They did send me a replacement keyboard after I had some big problems with the velocity response of the first. Unfortunately, the replacement, while slightly better, had similar problems.