KeyRig 49 
by Mike from Texas, November 2008
Music Background:  Recording Engineer, Pro Musician, Composser

Simply Amazing.....Best 99 bucks i ever spent.

  Decent Basic Controller 
by AKB from New York, NY USA, October 2008
Music Background:  Recording Engineer/Producer

The M-Audio KeyRig is a good basic controller for the entry-level user. It also serves a a great backup when you need a quick replacement/auxiliary controller. Not really feature rich, but it gets the job done. Decent keyboard feel/responsiveness, really good for college students to use in small dorm quarters (it's what I used!).

  A Lot of Controller for the Money 
by Randy from Sherwood, AR, September 2008
Music Background:  Musician, Technician

I was looking for a larger controller to use with Reason, and came across this one for a great price. I was hesitant to buy it since I was afraid it was too cheaply made to hold up to regular use, but it has done well. My old controller was an M-Audio Ozone that only had 25 keys, but also had a lot more bells and whistles that were never used. The Ozone was also a pain to setup in Reason and frequently needed to be tweaked. In my case I only needed a keyboard controller since I have better firewire interfaces for everything else.

This one could not be more simple. 49 full size paddle style keys, Pitch Bend and Modulation Wheels, Octave Up/Down buttons and an onboard volume. The back panel is even more simple with a USB socket, Sustain pedal input, and an on/off switch.

Power is through the USB connection, and it was immediately recognized by Reason. I've been through hundreds of patches now and can say I am thrilled by its performance.

I am not a keyboard player so I don't know what I am missing on a full blown synth. The keys feel like the ones I had on a Roland Juno G that I sold because it was too bulky, and I had more sounds available on Reason. The keys velocity sensitive, and every key does what it should with a good touch for my attempts at playing it. The pitch and modulation wheels track well and evenly. My worry was that I would have latency issues with the USB connection, but, so far, I have been treated to perfect sounds.

The Key Rig software is also great. I have had a lot of fun tweaking sounds to make them work the way I need them too. It actually took more time for me to setup the Keyrig software for this controller than it did setting it up with Reason 4 which surprised me. I have a lot more sounds to play with, and a lot more control over tonal parameters, in Reason 4, but Keyrig is really great standalone software too. If you just need great classic keyboard and piano sounds then the Keyrig software may be all you need to record or perform with.

This is a great keyboard controller for a home studio style setup. You basically open your software and start playing. No delays are present on my dinosaur PC setup so it should be great on anything P4 or above. The case is all plastic and looks like it could easily crack with hard use so I don't recommend it if you have to travel or gig with it on the road regularly. It is outstanding for home use though, and the price is amazing for the quality you get. I give it 5 stars based on quality for the price.

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