M-Audio Axiom Pro 61 USB/MIDI Keyboard Controller  (Used)

Comments about M-Audio Axiom Pro 61 USB/MIDI Keyboard Controller:

I like this keyboard, I'm not knocked out with the "weighted action," but I don't play it for hours at a time. I've had it for about a year. I use the Hypercontrol with Logic Pro 9. It's a little tricky when things are premapped figuring out how to automate some function in a particular plug in. Internal Logic Pro 9 stuff is easy, U-he was easy, Spectrasonics was a bit tougher even though they make learning midi controls dirt simple in their software. With Hypercontrol a much is premapped and you apparently can't write over it. I'm running OSX 10.7.3 on my MBP. I'd like to update to 10.7.5, but I can't tell from the user posts if Hypercontrol will work with that upgrade or not. Reports are mixed. I finally sent an email to the company about three weeks ago after subscribing to the FAQ page for months and monitoring mountains of interface problems to see if anybody knew the answer to my question. The company finally responded by email this week, after sending me a couple of emails telling me they would respond in 24-48 hours (Zzzz). The tech asked if I was using Hypercontrol. I said yes. After about five more days they responded that there are no known problems. I appreciate their response, but they're not in the league of Spectrasonics who is very fast and detailed. I still like this product. It's clearly deeper than my current skill set!

Comments about M-Audio Axiom Pro 61 USB/MIDI Keyboard Controller:

So I've owned the Axiom Pro for about a week now. I have to say this thing really has some options.First of all, I'm a very heavy Linux user. My entire production stack is a Linux desktop PC, the AP61 and a Keystation 88es (hopefully soon to be replaced with a Nord Stage 2). The AP61 is one heck of a MIDI controller. Except for the row immediately below the display, every single button on this thing is programmable. The four zones mean that with some work you can get some impressive layering capabilities for live stuff. Basic functionality and extended features (ASCII key strokes) work equally well with Linux, and getting the transport buttons working is mostly a question of programming your MIDI software. Though I don't use this keyboard's transport features myself, quick research indicates that anything that supports JACK's transport (rosegarden, a few others) can be made to work with this keyboard.It seems to only have channel aftertouch, as opposed to note aftertouch, which is a minor drawback. Action is above-average for a semi-weighted keyboard, and makes for a decent soloing environment.The UI has some quirks - you have to press "enter" or change focus after editing a field. Otherwise, the value isn't saved. This doesn't seem to be mentioned anywhere in the manual, nor is there any LCD feedback that tells you this. Zone editing and recall seems spotty - sometimes it recalls fine including patch settings (different voice for each zone); other times it seems as though it just doesn't. Small chance it has something to do with my USB hub which is noted for being 1-2 volts too high.I don't use the drum pads.

Comments about M-Audio Axiom Pro 61 USB/MIDI Keyboard Controller:

I like the keyboard a lot, only thing that sucks is the drum pads are lame. They will do the trick but you can tell that the triggers are cheap. They respond ok but the velocity sensitivity sucks. Feels like you really have to hit the middle of each pad to get them to fire off good and you kind of have to hit them a little hard. Light taps, they won't even fire. Velocity sensitivity IS there but kind of weak. The pads are good enough to write drum loops etc... I will have to get a better drum trigger unit though. A little disappointing thought I had an all in one solution. Like I said it is an awesome controller - the drum pads. Don't let that stop you from buying this keyboard though. It is good. You can work with the pads.. Just not awesome trigger technology.

Comments about M-Audio Axiom Pro 61 USB/MIDI Keyboard Controller:

This is the best you can get...go NO FURTHER....I got this on christmas day...hooked it right up to the computer and started making music instantly..no waiting, no installing!..The keys are great, the pads are great!..I recommend this to any and everyone that wants to make music...from beginners to professionals!

Comments about M-Audio Axiom Pro 61 USB/MIDI Keyboard Controller:

I read the reviews before I bought this product, and after using it, I have to say I pretty much agree with their assessments- this appears to be a good solid keyboard. The action on the keys is as advertised, plays very nicely.I had an issue with the Axiom Pro driver, but the Hypercontrol driver appears to work great. Therefore I use the operating system USB driver in conjunction with the Hypercontrol driver, and am not having any issues with that.As far as I can tell, this does everything it is advertised to do- it runs with my Reason 4.01 pretty much flawlessly out-of-the-box.I like the feature of being able to record a Reason track from the keyboard itself, even though I have not figured out how to use every function available on the keyboard. This is the only reason it gets a 4.5 overall, rather than a 5.0.So far, I am very pleased with this keyboard, and it does everything I could have hoped for.For the price, you can't beat this keyboard!

Comments about M-Audio Axiom Pro 61 USB/MIDI Keyboard Controller:

First reaction after opening the box :Everything was packaged neatly and I recieved the MIDI in flawless condition, despite UPS being pretty rough on the box it was in. Turning it on :I installed the drivers ( Only took a few minutes ) and then turned on Reason 4.0. After selecting my MIDI as the master keyboard, it worked instantly, pretty much plug and play.Feeling the hardware :Keys are all very smooth, and have a good "heavy-duty" feel to them, unlike many other MIDI's that have that cheap plastic feel to them. The shell however, I do feel could have been made out of higher quality stuff, simply because it's the main thing you look at. The plastic seems overly glossy and does feel a bit on the cheap side, although it's still very good quality compared to most other MIDI's in this price range. The knobs are probably the cheapest feeling part on this, they're made out of really generic plastic that seems like it won't last long. However, these are only knobs and can be easily replaced with ones of better quality for relatively cheap. Other than those two minor complaints about the knobs and the shell, everything else is top notch. The screen is bright and responsive, and is easily viewable even under a glare. The pitch bend and modulation wheels feel excellent, probably my favorite feature of the hardware. They respond to just the right amount of pressure, and don't flop around like many other cheap MIDI's on the market.They key action itself is incredibly smooth. All the knobs and sliders have a bit of " Resistance " when you spin them, so that you don't accidently turn it by touching it barely. All in all, this is a very nice piece of equipment, and as long as you don't mind the fact that you might have to swap the knobs eventually, I highly reccomend this product to anyone interested in electronic music. In my opinion, this is the best MIDI available for the price range, few others come close.

Comments about M-Audio Axiom Pro 61 USB/MIDI Keyboard Controller:

You can read the facts and features about this keyboard elsewhere. But how does it feel? Excellent. It is very reponsive, expressive, feels quick, but easy natural control of velocity from softest to hardest playing. Very easy to transition to from previously playing a true hammer action keyboard. Finish and build quality feel very good.