Edirol PCR-1

Software Drivers are the latest - Ver.1.0.1 for Windows XP. Setting up is very easy. You just click on the setupinf exe file and a windows tells you exactly what to do. You have to load 2 drivers, one for midi and one for audio, so Windows goes through the "found new hardware" cycle twice.

Once everything is installed, it's pretty easy to set up, though I do have to check the manual occasionally. The PCR Editor software makes life a lot easier.

I bought this for it's all-in-one capability, it's low price, and it's small form factor. It can do 24-bit 96kHz audio, though only half-duplex (either record OR playback at 96kHz, not both at the same time). It'll do 24-bit 44.1 and 48kHz full-duplex with no problem.

It can send the usual midi stuff - note velocity, CCs, limited NRPNs, limited SysEx, etc.

It has no 'real' pitch wheel or mod wheel. You can alter pitch, but's it's basically on or off, no in-between. Mod slider is the same.

It's extremely small, barely an inch high, a little wider than my 15.4" laptop, and not very deep. It's looks tiny next to even an Oxygen 8.

One thing it's lacking is Midi I/O, but I use this with a laptop and software instruments, so the Midi ports aren't needed. No aftertouch on the keys either.

The A/D-D/A audio quality is good. Not excellent, not even very good. But it's better than the built-in soundcards in both my Sony Vaio and Gateway 7000 series laptops. I've owned lots of other USB audio devices and the PCR-1 doesn't sound as good as the M-Audio DUO, Quattro, Omnistudio USB or even the 16-bit Alesis Multimix USB mixers, but the PCR-1 does sound better than the Soundblaster MP3+ USB.

The keys feel very nice, but they're shorter, so I have to be a little more careful with velocity and dynamic playing. The velocity scale from 0-127 is quicker so it takes some getting used to.

The knobs are sturdy, as are the buttons, and keys. The build quality is better than the M-Audio and Evolution keyboards. I'd say on par with the Novations.

The Edirol ASIO 2.0 drivers work great. Latency with ASIO - I couldn't believe 5ms of latency in Reason 2.5 and Reaktor 5 with the PCR-1's USB 1.1 interface. Stock soundcard in my Sony Vaio can only go down to 16ms with the Directsound drivers. In the Windows XP Control Panel, there is an icon for the PCR-1 where the master buffer size is set. I leave it at the second lowest setting there and adjust in whatever software application I'm using.

No problems with Midi. It does what it's supposed to.

Excellent build quality.

Roland-ED, Edirol is average for a large company. I never asked for help with this product, but have on upgrades to Roland synths and digital guitar stuff, and they're courteous but not very knowledgable.

I was looking for a small Midi keyboard to use with Sonar, Reason, and Reaktor on a laptop. It had to have a basic audio interface, it had to be bus-powered, it had to be small, and cheap. So basically I was looking for an all-in-one. I have had bad expereinces with USB 1.1 audio interfaces in the past and while this one is more reliable, it still isn't perfect.

We're talking about a USB 1.1 device that's routing 24-bit audio and midi data through one USB cable, not to mention the PCR-1 is powered by the USB bus. So it's probably not going to be as fast or realiable as a Firewire interface or a PC-Cardbus interface for a laptop. But then there aren't too many other all-in-one choices. The M-Audio Ozone isn't bus powered, it requires an AC adaptor. The M-Audio Firewire Ozonic is too big and too expensive, though it is Firewire. To be bus powered it requires a 6-pin Firewire port, my laptops only have 4-pin ports. The Alesis Photon X25 looks great, but I've heard about driver issues and it's audio interface is set at 48kHz which isn't too flexible. Plus it claims to have 360 encoders but the virtual on-screen knobs in software still jump when it's encoders are turned. They don't work like the Behringer BCR2000 knob box or the Waldorf synths. And most importantly, the PCR-1 was $99 brand new including shipping and it is tiny and is an all-in-one solution. So I'm more than satisfied.

I use the keyboard with a PowerBook G4 800 FW. It's very handy and thanks to the PCR editor it's easy to modify patches. The manual is very comprehensive, as we all know it from Roland products. But: don't install the drivers (it's vrsion 1.01), use the generic midi driver and forget the audio interface.

It's a simple MIDI master keyboard without sounds but with assignable knobs, like other PCR keyboards from edirol. Sliders are absennt, but they exist as a second layer of the rotational controls. This way you have 2x8 pots.
There's also a 24 bit audio interface, but even the headphone out from the Powerbook sounds better. There are discrete frequencies and some strange aliasing. Reminds me on 12 bit hardware.

The key dip is very small, so you have to adapt yourself to it. After some time, it's OK.
Unfortunately, pitch bend and modulation are switches. This is Ok for the emagic evb3, which can process those controls as toggle or switch or linear controller.

With generic midi driver selected it really rocks. --> 10.
The drivers crash the system and cause very fancy grafic glitches. --> 1.
Unfortunately, without the drivers you can't use the audio. That's fine for me, as I have an A26 from emagic. But I think, many buyers want this functionality, so my rating is a 1!

If the drivers were stable and the audio interface would sound better, I'd say, it's a steal for that money. But under MacOSX the use is restricted to a MIDI master keyboard. That's a bit disappointing. Dear edirol guys, you have to ork at that!

Easy to use controller. Thin form factor seems especially well suited for use with laptop. Built-in audio interface. Edirol supplies downloadable templates for various softsynth/sequencer programs, and these are easy to install and use. One USB cable is all that's needed (and it's supplied). Good manual.

Unusual configuration due to form factor - this keyboard has no MIDI I/O's because they would be too big! The PCR-1 is a USB-device, both for power and for audio/midi connections. RCA-plug stereo I/O only, with the exception of the headphone output which also doubles as an optical SPDIF output (output sample rate not provided by manual, so unknown). So even though this controller has the audio interface built-in, there is no mic input. Can record up to 24bit/96khz, and latency is very low. The headphone output drives headphones very well and has plenty of volume. The USB interface allows for two virtual MIDI ports to be configured - one for playing and the other for the control knobs. The knobs feel nice as do the buttons, and there is plenty of controls to twiddle with (8 knobs plus master volume, 13 buttons, modulation "bar" and pitch bend). The pitch bend control is also unique and has a one-finger depression in the center, but it feels fine.

It would have been nice if Edirol had included some kind of option for a dongle to allow MIDI I/O and a mic input and battery power though. As it is, the PCR-1 is strictly a computer accessory forevermore.

Ok, here's where most people will be put off by the PCR-1: because of the super-thin form factor Edirol went with a "S.L.I.M." keyboard action, which basically means the keys travel about half the depth of a regular electronic keyboard or other controllers like the M-Audio Oxygen 8. The keys are full-size and fully velocity-sensitive, but the initial reaction to playing it is that it feels like a toy. I got comfortable with it very quickly, but if key feel is your first priority then you should go with an Oxygen 8 or it's cousin with the built-in audio interface, the M-Audio Ozone (beware though - the Ozone requires a wall-wart and is not USB-powered like the PCR-1 is). Once you get past the unusual keyboard feel, you realize that the PCR-1 is a great laptop accessory - it's by far the lightest and most portable unit there is. And it drives a set of headphones to painful levels. Considering that Edirol had to create a unique keyboard for this incredibly thin form factor, I think they should be given high credit indeed. So even though the action/feel is not at all what we're used to in controllers, I'm going to give this category an "8" because Edirol went to a lot of trouble to make this work as well as it does, and for the form factor I don't think anyone else could do better. It's not perfect, but it's extremely handy.

Yeah I'm sure this is reliable. My bet is that the entire unit is mounted on one big "monolithic" circuit board.

Edirol is a good company with good support. The website is very good (http://www.edirol.com) and I especially found the downloadable templates for Reason to be a great feature.

Been playing around with the PCR-1 for about two weeks and I love it. I also own an Oxygen 8 which I plan on keeping, but the PCR-1 will get a lot more usage than the Oxygen 8 because I love the way it works and it aesthetically matches my laptop. Finally - one USB cable and nothing else for hookup. Beefy headphone output. I'm not too crazy about the PCR-1's modulation bar/thingy... like all Roland products it doesn't stay in one place but returns to center, which sucks if you use it with the B4 softsynth for leslie control... but that can always be assigned to other buttons/dials so I guess it's bearable. Wish it had a dongle for MIDI I/O and mic preamp - then it'd be the perfect controller. But even without those things it's just too darn cute and handy not to have. It's cool.