Decent value, but watch out for a few things 
by Michael Carnes from The Rockies, January 2008
Music Background:  Trained as classical composer/Also active in DSP engineering

The good:
This is a decent value. Action isn't Steinway, but it's more than reasonable for the money. My need for this particular keyboard was something lightweight and trim enough so that I could pop it right on my computer desk and program sample libraries. In that regard, it's quite serviceable.

The other:
1) I've been working with MIDI since the beginning. I always refer closely to a product's MIDI implementation chart. Oftentimes you can learn about features that were too squirrely to put into the manual. The chart for this keyboard clearly states that channel aftertouch is supported. It ain't necessarily so. You can assign aftertouch to the volume fader, but nothing happens when you press the key. I don't call that aftertouch.
2) The keyboard only transmits a fixed release velocity. That in itself isn't unusual--most of them do--but it unfortunately transmits a value of 0 (instead of a more common 64). If you have presets that respond to release velocity, you may find them acting peculiarly.
3) You can reprogram some aspects of the keyboard. For instance, you can assign the volume slider to transmit another continuous controller. Unfortunately the keyboard forgets all settings when you power down, so you have to reprogram every single time. This is just plain dumb. A serial eeprom costs less than a buck.
4) And finally, the keys are all labeled on the case just above the keys. C2, D2, E2, etc, just like a home organ from the 1950s. This is an irritant for two reasons. Many sequencers and other keyboards allow you to specify either C3 or C4 as middle C. With the 88es, you're stuck with C3. More importantly, the keys are used as buttons to reprogram aspects of the keyboard. If the keys were labeled by function, I wouldn't have to go scurrying back to the manual every time. Opportunity missed. I'll probably make up my own label and tape it over.

Conclusion:
I probably have been around the block too many times to give M-Audio a pass on what I believe are thoughtless omissions. But the keyboard feels pretty reasonable, and I will be able to make good use of it. Perhaps these issues can be dealt with in a V2.

  Great MIDI Controller 
by S.F. from Richmond, VA, November 2007
Music Background:  Composer/Musician

Exactly as advertised -- a good 88-key controller for under $200. There has been some criticism about this product because the keys do not have "piano action", but it is more responsive and has a better feel to me than my FantomX. If you are looking for an 88-key controller and don't need the frills of some of the pricier full-sized boards, you can't go wrong with this one!

  PERFECT for What it is! 
by Leslie from Cedar Lake, Michigan, October 2006
Music Background:  Pianist, recording engineer and live sound engineer.

Ok, for the price, and for what I need, this is the best thing out there. All I wanted was a basic midi controller. I don't need all the sounds (I can use virtual instruments). It feels great, with it's semi-weighted keys. It is almost a must have for a person that just needs a midi controller and need more keys to really excercise their fingers on. I highly recommend this item and will probably use it forever in my home studio (which will hopefully someday go proffessional).

  Basic, but it works 
by Zak Adams from Post Falls, ID USA, July 2006
Music Background:  Recording Engineer

This keyboard has fairly good synth action and 88 keys. It doesn't do much more than that, but I've had it for almost a year now and it's never not worked. One thing I wish it had was some M-Audio drivers. It uses the basic windows drivers so it appears in my DAW as Universal Midi Controller which makes it hard to distinguish from a couple other midi devices I have hooked up. Overall though, it works for my need, which is a simple 88 key controller.

88 Keys for $2.27 per key 
by Lance Lindley from Memphis, TN, January 2006

The Keystation 88es comes with the very basic features that you expect from a decent midi controller keyboard, including MIDI ins and outs, USB, a DC in port (but no included wall wart, which is no loss since the unit can be powered by the USB cable), an input for a damper pedal and one other footswitch. Otherwise, it's a fairly sparse, no-frills controller with only pitch bend and modulation, a volume slider and a pair of buttons that implement the octave up/down function in case you have a Bosendorfer sample or some other reason to expand beyond 88 keys. That's in stark contrast to the Pro 88, which has yards of knobs and faders that should let you control everything from your VST instrument to your DAW mixer to the small appliances in your kitchen. This is not the only significant difference, though. I played the fully weighted keys of the Pro 88 at a local retailer, and it is more pleasant than the semi-weighted keys of the 88es, which feel stiff and decidedly plastic and synth-like, more so even than my old synths, like the M1 and Juno 60. Of course, the selling feature of the 88es as opposed to the Pro 88 is the price. It's awfully hard to find a respectable 88 key controller for 200 clams, and for the money, the 88es is just fine. The velocity sensitivity is perfectly acceptable, the damper pedal very functional, the volume fader works with my computer without any additional tweaking required, and the octave function also... well, functions. The unit is light (an advantage if you have to carry it around, a disadvantage when it slides around on your stand a little) but sturdy. For the money difference -- and what I need it for, which is strictly hobbyist home recording -- the 88es has been a very good purchase. I've always had only 61 keys at my disposal before, and the jump to 88 is truly liberating, especially when using VSTs like Sythology's Ivory. The plastic-feeling semi-weighted touch is a mild perturbance, but a few minutes into any session I warm up to it and it stops bothering me.

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