Samson Carbon 49 Reviews 3.6/5.0 based on 4 customer reviews
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Arne Barnardfrom Anchorage, Alaska USA March 11, 2013Music Background: Lifelong Musician and Keeper Of The Faith There Is Only ONE Reason Why This ISN'T Getting 5 StarsAnd that is because it doesn't have 127 levels of MIDI velocity control, OUT OF THE BOX!I've been assured by someone that if you "dig in" and do some editing that you CAN get the 127, but for musicians who have enough "programming duties" to worry about, this is a small pain. The 4 VC's that are included are useless, except for #3, but I still haven't "dug in". My 12 year old Casio WK-1350 had 127 OOTB, so, Zoom, please take note! 127 out of the box! Aftertouch is not in here, but I've spent most of my musical life NOT really caring about it. Think about it, does a REAL piano have "aftertouch"? NOPE! Bad news aside, I LOVE this! 99 bucks for so much! Nice, compact 49 full-size keys which are semi-weighted. I've done the hammer action ( on a REAL piano) and the synth action ( again, my Casio) and semi is a nice compromise and has given my "synth fingers" a nice workout, as of late. USB POWER! YAY! Since I only use this in my studio, one less cord "to answer" is MY idea of a good time! That Zoom doesn't even include an AC option confirms this! I'm aware of the ipad slot-it may yet come in handy in the future, but for me, it's a dead issue. Never say "Never" though. I might also be able to use the MIDI jack with my much venerated SR-16, no? For the first time also, I can actually SEE this keyboard! White is a nice change! Haven't had a chance to work with the included Komplete Elements but am looking forward to it! All I need is a DAW that can accept 3rd party plugs! I love the way that "Value Added" rigs are available today! To Studio One Free Users! The Carbon 49 plays VERY nice with this DAW! Improvements will be in the offing with this controller ( 127 Out Of The Box!) but for a picture of Mr. Franklin, you CAN do a lot worse! I am a fan of Samson/Zoom and I can't *wait* to see what they come up with......*next*.... 
D. Manningfrom St. Louis, Missouri December 3, 2012 A handy little winnerThe Carbon filled a real need in my rig, making life a lot easier. The keyboard feel is surprisingly good for the price point, my main concern. It handles trills well, which is the real acid test. I'd like a few more velocity-curve choices and the programming setup is spartan, though serviceable. The build isn't one you'd rely on for a front-line keyboard, but as a home studio tool or a back-up when playing out, it has great bang-for-buck factor going. Unless you're more into mini-keyboards and DJ setups, the Carbon is a competitive option for those who like to dig in to full-sized keys. Thumbs up!
Rickfrom FL September 3, 2012 Samson Carbon 49Nice little MIDI controller. The keyboard has a nice feel to it. The bundled Native Instruments software is another story. I had to spend a couple of hours just to figure out how to get any sounds to work. The software may be able to do quite a bit, but for a lower end controller I would expect something a bit more simplified. It's way too complex for me, and I am not a novice musician nor at MIDI. It is the "teaser" version that you get and you soon find out that you have to buy more features and upgrades to get the stuff to do all that they say it can do. There is no MIDI recording capability as far as I can see with it. When I tried to contact them, after searching on their entirely unclear website, for some help it to 2 days to get a response. And when they did respond they wanted further proof that I indeed did pay for their software. I'm using other applications to do my recording.
from United States July 19, 2012Music Background: hobbyist decent little guyThis little guy is about as plug n play as it gets. Only issue was that it did not come with the included Kontakt Elements, which Sweetwater sent within the week after I contacted them. It has some great instruments for Reaktor and I really did the Guitar Rig software for my guitar.The feel is nice. I do have some occasional weird issues like having to restart the keyboard or my DAW because sometimes the DAW isn't getting the signal but that's only upon startup as best I can tell. You might have to go into your DAW's MIDI settings and `remind' it that you want the Samson to be active, but like I said that's only on startup. Once you get it going you should be good. I plan on using this during live performances because it is cheap and therefore expendable during live gigs--not dragging my $200-300 xboard61 out to shows where the elements or people can do it harm. 
Samson Carbon 4949-key Velocity-sensitive USB MIDI Keyboard Controller With Pitch and Modulation Wheels, LCD Display, Sustain Pedal Input, iPad Stand, and Software - Mac/PC 
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