Edirol PCR-50

I just bought one and had it for only 6 months and now all I have is a big piece of@#$#@%^$%^#^$#$^ plastic sitting in my home studio DONT BUY IT ROLAND BURNED ME BAD, AFTER BIENG A LOYAL CUSTOMER FOR TEN YEARS.

IT SUCKS NO KEYS WORK AFTER TIME GOES IN AND SETTLE

HATE IT

IT SUCKED *** MAJORLY

JUST SEND IT BACK AND HOPE THEY CAN FIX IT IF NOT MAY GOD RELEAVE YOU OF STRESS

LIKE I SAID IT SUCKED BIG TIME

Nice keyboard but after two years of use I have one dead key. As what I see I'm not alone.!!!

They should made it better!

Easy

Velocity sensitive keys
Wonderful feel

good velocity and aftertouch

Others have documented the key problem
I just bought a used unit via ebay and 11 keys were dead.
the following page
http://www.fixya.com/support/t451937-replacing_key_contacts
tells how to fix them
The problem is that the contacts are not conductive - apparently whatever made them conductive evaporates with time.
Very easy solution - see above - open the unit - remove the keys pull off the rubber strips.
At each pair of contacts on the strip coat them with powered graphite.
Real pain putting the strips back n - be patient
Mone now works like new!!! :)

Before I did this i tried cleaning the contacts - it made it worse.

They want $145 to replace the keyboard

I like it but the manual is hard to read

Dead Key Issue..
Roland knows they have a problem, (they said so.. amazing!)... It's out of warrenty (by a couple of years) so when they said "send it in", and they said "No charge".... I 'bout fell over. They SAY they have problem solved with new keyboard... I'm taking them at their word (at least cant beat the repair price ($0).

Used basically as a back-up board or lower board on CX3. HAve used it to run parameters on XV5050. At the time.. it was cheap, (and worked)

Since I only use basic midi I had no problem

More than I need.

Worked great when new.

DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS DEAD KEYS UNRESPONSIVE KEYS. AND DON'T TRY TO FIX IT. I DID EXACLTY WHAT ONE REVIEWER SAID AND I MADE IT WORSE. I NOW HAVE A WORTHLESS PC OF PLASTIC.

Don't know.

DON'T BUY ONE.

Contact rubber on the keys is known to dry prematurely; Roland US fixed the problem a couple of years ago; still working fine. Give it a try; it's a shame to throw a cool controller like this in the trash. Peace.

Good

Good

Keys have never had the right feeling even when new.

Stopped to work after a bit more than 1 year. I used it maybe 10 times before the keys started to not work

dont know.. never tried to contact them

Dont buy that piece of plastic is useless since it stop to work after just a year even if you leave it in his case.

Takes getting used to, but once you know how their menu system works, it's pretty easy to change parameters.

When I opted for this one over and M-audio radium, I chose the edirol for its higher resolution knobs/sliders and buttons. Compared to some of the other controllers I've tried (Raduim and EMU xboard), I still like the layout of this the best.

N/A as others have said before. However, this was my first velocity sensitive keyboard, so I was initially thrilled by the simple fact that I could be expressive when running soft synths. This one doesn't have the option to set velocity curves like the PCR-M series, and only lets you change what amounts to a "velocity threshold," the default setting of which sucks for playing piano-type sounds (too much velocity). The other thing I wish it had was real aftertouch. Shame on edirol for using that word in their advertizements; the only thing close to aftertouch is changing that particular CC with a slider--you could do that with any controller. The EMU xboard (which I now own- see below) has actual aftertouch, which is a really cool feature if you program your synth to take advantage of it.

Here's where this unit takes a big hit, but IT CAN BE REPAIRED. Like a number of others have reported, I started getting dead keys shortly after the warrenty would have expired. This was the only product I've ever had an extended warrenty on, though I had some inital trouble getting Guitar Center to make good on it. Long story short, I was able to get the Xboard for free, have a few bucks for store credit AND keep the semi-functional edirol.

HOW TO FIX DEAD KEYS
Since the warrenty bought me a new board, I decided to take the Edirol apart and see if I could fix it. After opening it up and taking apart the keyboard mechanism (which involves removed the spring from the individual keys--very time consuming), you'll find a rubber contact strip, which can be pulled away from the PCB. Get a pink-type pencil eraser and lightly rub the two contact points on the PCB, then the black contact points on the strip itself. This apparently gets rid of whatever oxidation might be make the key unresponsive. I did this for every key, put it back together, and it works like new.

Here's the bummer part. After fixing it I tried to tighten the usb jack, since it was loose and breaking the connection to my computer. I broke the jack in the process--so I've got a working keyboard that I can't use through USB anymore--only MIDI. Bummer.

So, reliabilty kind of sucks, but I wanted to let people know that it is possible to repair some of those dead keys, if you've got some free time on your hands.

Difficult to set up without the PCR editor software. Multifunction keys take awhile to change settings.

Keyboard action requires a lot of pressure to get decent volume. Newer M series should help with adjustable sensitivity. The sliders and knobs worked as I expected them to.

The Chinese sure know how to make something work great until 1 day after the warranty. Same dead keys as others, though the other controls are fine.

Never called them, don't plan to ever deal with this company ever again.

If lost or stolen, I would thank them. I just put it outside for the trash.

Easy enough to use. I'm a hobbyist that just wanted something to hook up to control Reason. Easy to change knob assignments with the included editor.

I'm not qualified to answer this.

No sound - MIDI only.

The reliability is absolutly unacceptable. It doesn't get a lot of action, and is getting less and less action as more and more keys stop working. It is absolutly useless at the moment, as about 50% of the keys have stopped responding.

It's too old to bother as warranty is long gone.

I will never touch another Edirol product.

This was a waste of (unfortunatly rather limited) funds.

Two years old, minimal use at home only, now 12 keys are not responding (2 months ago only 10 not working), sliders and knobs still work (although one has a really gritty feeling). I would never buy a controller from them again.

I just use the basic functions with FLStudio. No problems here for me.

Knobs and sliders. Work Well.

No velocity curve control, this causes problems.

Not very good at all. Basically a couple of keys died.

I took it apart today to try and see if I could fix it. The guarantee ran out so hey nothing to lose.

I managed to fix the dead keys with none other than blu tac. Not sure exactly how long this repair will last but so far so good. I stuck strips of blue tac to the underside of each offending key. On the part that strikes the switch on the PCB.

No email support available.

It's the weekend so I cant call the number provided to see if I can source a replacement for the keyboard PCB

Does it's job now I've fixed it :) for the time being anyhow!

need the manual to really use all of the features. i lost mine for now so i can't figure out some stuff without it.

lots of knobs, faders and buttons. i could never get the aftertouch to work though?

this is a controller keyboard. no sounds. it used to work well with my sequencer and computer. velocity and aftertouch not working right, so it does not react to my playing.

after 2 years i am having problems with some keys not working. or they barely work with velocity of 1. more than 1/4 of the keys are not working now in different spots. really pisses me off.

of course i never sent in my registration so im screwed.

would not buy this keyboard again. i used this for awhile as a controller for a sequencer and computer, it was fun while it lasted. i like that all the controls are assignable but the damn keys quit working on me so it is very aggravating and wasting my time trying to get it working. i really hate when the keys quit working on a keyboard. i wish the keys wouldn't quit working. it doesn't help me make music now, it mostly slows me down because i'm trying to get the keys working again. edirol you truly suck for selling me this expensive piece of crap.

Not very good.
Very cryptic menu.

lots of knobs to tweak.

feels ok.
nothing to rave about.

This is where all BUYER'S BEWARE!
The unit was working fine for about 2 years in a studio set up.
Then the low Bb stopped working then the top Bb.
Now most the keys have problems. This is unacceptable.
The warranty is up and to have someone fix this is have the cost of the unit.
EDIROL YOU SUCK!!!

What's minimum wage?
Are they making that there?

Brother/Sister Beware! don't be had.

it was working ok with my nuendo set up
couldn't get to work properly with more advance features
did the basic job

it looked promising

not bad not good

after a year of minimal use in my studio i started to lose some of the top keys. lost more and more now only the 1/3 of the notes work.
the garanty is over and i'm left with this useless peace of gear in the middle of recording sessions
nice work guys...

i called them a few times but they still have'nt got back to me with the number to ship it back to the company
they can talk the talk
but can they walk the walk
and keep they're credibility

i dont think it's acceptable to send product in the market
when they are not tested properly
i can see that other pcr 50 had the same fate

put your pants on guys

expectations were high
but they slowly faded

too bad

is the golden age of ROLAND over...
time will tell

you've got to read the manual and then some. I use just the basic functions to trigger vst's in cubase

lots of features for the buck

this is where I have the problem. I'm not a full time keyboard player, I mostly play guitar. So this keyboard gets lite use. After a year of sitting in front of my computer [as it never leaves the house] keys started to quit working. Some have poor response, some have low velocity and some don't work at all. I have 8 keys that don't work at all. They are spred all over the keyboard. Of all the equipment I have bought over the years [Some of it was junk] this is the worst. Don't buy this keyboard

Just a quick update on my review below, where i was unhappy about the Edirol PCR-50 not having aftertuch on the keys, and i said i was going to buy a MAudio Radium controller keyboard instead.

Well, it turns out that most midi controller keyboards dont have aftertouch on the keyboard. The only MAudio one that does have it, is the Ozonic, which is just new. But that only has 3 octaves, and is quite expensive, as it is also a firewire audio in/out device. ( Got that info directy from an MAudio technician. Very helpfull).

The best option seems to be the E-MU Xboard, which is only about #110 new. 49 or 25 key versions, PC and Mac.

The Novation Remote, and the CME range of controller keyboards seems to have aftertouch keyboards as well, though both of these are semi weighted, and cost a fair bit more.

So the EMU Xboard seems to be my best choice. Seems to have been a trend on controller keyboards not to have aftertouch. Shame. Hopefully that trend is maybe now changing.

Typical poor Roland manual. Doesent explain things very well. Be prepared to spend some time on it.

NO KEYBOARD AFTERTOUCH, I REPEAT, NO KEYBOARD AFTERTOUCH. Just bought this " Midi Controller Keyboard" yesterday. Having to buy another one tomorrow. You can only have aftertouch via a " Slider:" or "Knob" You CANT have it while playing on the keys. How pathetic is that. What king of midi controller doesent control one on the most basic features. They put alot of technology into this keyboard, and it can do alot of things. But it cant do one of the simple things it should.

Highly disapointed. Going to buy a M-Audio Radium tomorrow. That seems to have aftertouch, on the keys. Thumbs down to Edirol/Roland, big time.

Built qaulity seems resonable.

Another thing i really dont like is the depth the keys go down. They go down quite far. A good bit farther than my Korg or older Roland keyboards. Guess i like the shorter action synth keys, sort of distance. This might be designed more like a pianos action, so might suit some players more than others.

Also, you cant use the midi out port, while you have the usb cable in, unless you are controlling the device atatched to the midi out port, via the computer. This wasent a major issue for me.

No sounds built it. Its a controller keyboard.

Dont know.

They havent replied to me yet, but it is only one day, and they probably get asked this same question a million times. How do you set it up to have aftertouch on the keys, as its not mentioned anywhere in the whole, extensive manual ? Only mentions about using aftertouch on a knob or slider. I found my answer on the US Edirol site, ie Edirol.com one, in the FAQ, suprisingly enough.

" Q) I cannot get aftertouch working. Would welcome some help. Many thanks (submitted 10/8/2004)

A) The PCR keyboards are designed to use Aftertouch as an assignable controller. This means that you can assign it to any knob, fader, or button by using the Edit function. Aftertouch is not assignable to the keys on the PCR keyboards "

Cant belive that.

If you dont want aftertouch, you might find it usefull enough. If you do, look for a proper controller keyboard.

not applicable. Use it as a midi controller.

Several keys no longer worker, which makes playing many chords almost impossible since the keyboard doesn't have many keys to start with. Very disapointed. I did not play it hard nor very often, and covered it with the packaging sleeve while not in use to prevent cumulating dust.

I contacted them by email, and they gave me a number for the repair department, but I hadn't played the keyboard in so long that when I found the keys didn't work, it was no logner under warranty. They didn't give any indication that this was a common problem, but apperently it is. So I give them a 4 just for being closed mouth and not offereing to cover the cost of something that's obviously a materials or manufacturing defect.

The prospect of paying someone to repair and ship it back and forth doesn't excite me. So I haven't taken any further action.

Would be nice if all the keys still worked. It's just about useless to me now.

Easy to set up and get going, drivers worked straight out of the box.

Send and receives on all 16 midi channels when set up correctly, and the midi ins/outs help to control other synths, however the midi ins and outs only work when board is powered with power not usb otherwise to get the ins/outs to work you have press the v-link button and by doing this you lose some of the other features of the board. Using USB with a equencer works great and the midi ins/outs work from/to the computer.

Have had it about a year and now the keys are not responding as well 2 keys that is.

No sounds

Not now that some of the keys aren't working well.

Once dealt with edirol and they changed the board for free. Changed the rotary knobs moving up in steps of 3 to steps of 1.

Not now because the keys aren't working and not after long either!

I bought the Edirol PCR-M30 the smaller version, and it works like a charm, had no problems setting up this baby. downloaded the newest drivers from the Roland site

i needed this controller for Propellerheads Reason 3.0 and it works great. it's got it all: buttons, sliders & knobs, and they are good and precise. the keyboard feels like a real keyboard, doesn't feel like a toy in any way. i would have liked a little more buttons buts its always like that. when it comes to the size i dont think it will fit in a small bag with a laptop, so if you need something for "on the move" this may not be it... otherwise get yours today ;)

i get the sounds from the Korg Legacy Collection.... this is a midi controller = it does not have any sounds in the hardware

just got it today so i dont really know yet

haven't needed them yet

nice design.. looks cool (i got the black version) the buttons feels pro, as goes for the keys.. its looks like and is a quality product. so far it haven't been letting me down in any way. i was thinking about m-audio oxygen8, O2 or Radium49 but i'm real glad i got the Edirol instead

super easy to set up. install the drivers, go to preferences (in reason) select device (edirol pcr50) and you're done.

the actual midi in/out jacks are VERY tight, i thought that the cables i had were bent or broken or something, but they were fine, you just have to push REAL hard.

the assignable buttons are pretty sweet, set em up for start, stop, scrub, rec, etc... would be great for live use :p

i don't really use it a whole lot for playing chords or much live stuff, mainly as a midi controller for reason, which it works very well for.

could i depend on it? that's hard to say... i've had problems with one of the keys not responding very well. i've had to use that canned air stuff to get it to work properly. i think if i was into doing live stuff i would consider a different controller, or just have something else as a backup.

never had to deal with them.

lost or stolen? i would buy a korg kontrol (full size) probably, or just another cheap controller, depending on how much money i had at the time. i like the fact that reason 3.0 supports it in such a way that i don't have to configure anything, very nice ;) i don't like the key action/keyboard on it as much as i thought i would... doesn't seem as solid as the pcr30 i tried before ordering the 50 :p

i wish it had drum pads... i think all midi controllers should come equiped with velocity sensitive drum pads and NINE sliders if they want to compete...

it definately helps me make music. i could not imagine going back to an oxygen8 or, worse, NOTHING!!!

not the greatest quality, but better than most midiman/m-audio stuff imo.

It was great until the keys stopped working!

It was great until the keys stopped working!

It was great until the keys stopped working!

After about a year, certain keys stopped working, or became unreliable.
I took it apart once it was usless anyways, and wow, what a cheap piece o' junk! I tried cleaning the contacts, and this helped.. a little.
This this was used minimally for a year, and now I need a new keyboard

WASTE OF MONEY.

The rest of the features are great, but dont mean a thing when it starts to die after a year. I'll never buy an Edirol keyboard again.

Easy to program. The software the comes with it to program the controls is very easy to use.

Lots of buttons and sliders, but it doesn't control that many midi controls. It could use better sysex controls. The keyboard action is incredibly bad. It is too light, and very cheap feeling.

It's almost impossible to express anything with this crappy controller. The action is bad and the knobs send out weird, uneven values when controlling paramters

This is the worst part. I've only had it 1 year, and 2 of the keys are already broken, and also a couple of knobs. I have never gigged with it. I keep it in my studio under a cover and it still is falling apart. The thing is made of cheap plastic and weighs about 8 ounces. Save your money, and do not buy this controller! I feel ripped off.

I never tried to contact them, but I doubt they could help revive my dead pcr-50

I hope it gets stolen, so my insurance will reimburse me for this piece of junk. Now I have to find another controller, because this one died after 1 year. It is essentially a cheap piece of plastic that cost me too much money.

Easy to program, manual is easyt enough to follow (especially for Roland documentation). Changing user presets takes 3 key strokes, I would've liked increment/decrement for this (there are inc/dec, but for sending program changes).

Keyboard action is quality Roland, way better than any I've tried in this sort of controller. I was hoping for that U20/S50 type action, I thinks it's better, the keys don't make as loud a clunking noise as the older Rolands. The action, amount of controllers (especially the expression pedal) sold me. A 9th slider would be great for master in the VST mixer, and for the 9th drawbar on the NI-B4.

I have leslie speed on the foot switch, swell on the expression pedal, 8 drawbars on the sliders (the 9th I had to use one of the pots), I have all the control over the hammond as when I had a real C3. Rhythmic filter sweeps on the expression pedal while both hands are busy (find that for $350CDN). That's what this instrument delivers, expression.

A good balance between portability and durability has been achieved. I do get a problem with the pitch bend sticking out of tune when I'm going pitch bend/mod crazy. I was sent some instructions on calibrating the pitch/mod, maybe I screwed it up.

Chris at Edirol in WA is great, emails always get a reply. I bought the original version and qualified for the system board replacement to get rid of the steppy controls issue, didn't cost me a dime. I'm sure Edirol wants this thing to fly, so they seem very attentive. There's no reason why any home computer should be without one. They're inexpensive enough where any family wanting to introduce their child to music shouldn't consider the PCR50 and a decent soundcard over some cheezy combo synth.

Eventhough I would like an extra octave, and Edirol came out with the PCR60, I would still replace the PCR50 if something happened to it, as it is so darn portable, great for the open stage, jam night thingy. I can carry my whole keyboard rig in with one trip from the car.

Fairly easy when you get used to it, although the downloadable presets are useful until to get used to it.

There are lots of controllers (27 in total) which are fully programmable albeit using the PCR Editor available from the Edirol website. They keys are fairly solid and the pitch bend/expression control is different but fun when you get used to it. It also comes with General MIDI 2 support for suitable programs.

Being a MIDI controller you must use a VSTi/DXi compatiable program however the reaction and feel of the keyboard is good.

So far I have encountered no problems with this, so I would recommend this to anyone.

In comparison to my other MIDI controller (Evolution MK225C) it feels more natural and I like the layout and functionality better.

It's a typical Roland operating system, you're not going to figure it all out without the help of the manual. But the manual's pretty good and it's easy to find the stuff you need. After a little practice the setup becomes pretty straightforward. And the downloadable editor software makes it all that much easier.

It has been a long road to finding a great controller for my computer/soft synth setup. I've tried Oxygen 8, Evolution, and older products like the Edirol PC-300...the PCR-50 blows them all away. Finally, a computer friendly MIDI controller that actually feels like something other than a toy. The case has a decent weight to it, the knobs and sliders have a good positive feel, the keyboard action is better than the PC-300 which itself was better than any of the others I tried. Knobs and sliders are totally configurable and there are 16 full setup memory locations. You can save more setups using the editor software. The only thing I could possibly ask for is maybe more knobs and sliders (there is some empty space on the thing, they should have filled it!)

NA

Feels very solid, like most Roland gear.

Now that they've fixed the controllers so they increment in 1's, there's just nothing better than the PCR series on the market, for this kind of money. The Novation Remote 25 looks interesting but it's still not out, and it's going to be considerably more expensive. You really can't go wrong with the PCR series for your computer based MIDI setup.

I purchased its smaller brother - PCR-30 - couple of weeks ago. Being aware of "increments in 3" problem, I asked the sales guy to open the box and try it in the store. It was a new shipment - "increments in 1"! So Edirol obviously fixed this problem.

Interesting fact: they were demoing an old PCR-50 unit in the store! :)

PCR is exremely easy to use and program, especially with the supplied PCR editor. Some settings (like default power-on memory profile) are not quite clear but the manual is very helpful.

I needed a decent small MIDI keyboard with knobs and sliders. I used to own Oxygen 8 but it was too fragile and unreliable. PCR-30 is very solid and does not feel cheap, has programmable knobs, sliders and buttons!

I had the only problem so far - with velocity. The default setting of "velocity offset" is not the best one for me. Fortunately it is adjustable.

Very solid.

I did not have a reason to contact Edirol support about my PCR. But I contacted them in the past (regarding DA-2496), and they were very kind and helpful.

If it were lost or stolen, I would buy another one without hesitation. It is well worth the money I paid.

Exceptionally well-written manual. Simple installation of driver on Win98SE. Considerably easy to get up and running with controller presets for Sonar, Cubase, etc. as well as a variety of VSTi's. Also quite easy to assign and save controller presets in one of 15 memory banks (1st bank is read-only with a GM setup). Addition of new (and free) preset editor from Edirol website adds to flexibility.

Best keyboard action of all controllers at its price-point, although a tad stiff and/or springy (may well "break in" over time) - though this is a very minor and subjective observation. Controller knobs & faders have a solid feel and are consistent in their action across each of them. Buttons are rubber-surfaced and have a pleasant and responsive action - several of them are designed to light up and/or flash while patch editing, making the process more intuitive. Newly designed bender/mod wheel has a good action and improves the transmission of mod data, although this controller is not assignable. All controllers can transmit a wide variety of data including MIDI CC, SysEx & RPN/NRPN. Each controller can send data on its own dedicated MIDI channel, on one of two MIDI Out ports (using USB connection, IE - keyboard & bender transmits on USB Midi Port 1, while all controller data transmits on USB Midi Port 2 (Ch. 1-16)) Can be powered by USB or DC adapter (included). MIDI I/O via USB or standard jacks. On board MIDI I/O jacks can route external MIDI hardware through USB MIDI connection.

*The most recent shipment (as of April/03, I believe) of this controller rectifies the "controllers transmit in increments of three" issue. All controllers now respond in increments of one.*

Solid construction and build quality. Solid keyboard feel lends itself to playability. Velocity offset feature in system settings can compensate for different playing styles, although no "velocity curve" preset feature is present.

Good initial selection of controller presets downloadable from Edirol website. New Editor application (free and downloadable from the Edirol website) for PC & Mac is a great new support feature.

Technical support: N/A

Absolutely the best choice among the current keyboard/combo controllers (ie - Evolution MK-361c, M-Audio Radium - both suffer from an immediately distinctive "cheap" and "toyish" feel). Feels more like a professional piece of gear despite a few shortcomings. Resolution of the controller increment issue makes the PCR series a hands down winner (though where's the 61-key version?). May get competition from the new MK-461c if Evolution improves their keyboard action.

THIS MACHINE IS USELESS AS A CONTROLLER. IT SENDS OUT CONTINUOUS CONTROLLER DATA IN INCREMENTS OF 3!!! FILTER SWEEPS ALL STEP, EVERYTHING SOUNDS TERRIBLE. APPARENTLY THEY ARE GOING TO FIX IT BUT WHO CARES, I JUST WASTED FOUR HOURS OF MY LIFE GOING TO THE SHOP, BUYING IT, TAKING IT HOME, UNPACKING, INSTALLING IT, AND THEN FINDING OUT IT DOESNT EVEN DO THE ONE THING EVERYONE WILL BUY IT FOR.

WASTE OF TIME.

It' s simple to program this controller Key.

better than Midiman Radium (more function) and Evolution (better keys!!). But why not 5 octave!?

no sound...only a controller

Unuseable with MAc Os 9!! I can't use it with one of my G4 set up, because it doesn't work well with OMS and the other Midi interface! I have to choose: PCR or Midisport..with a PCR oms doesn't recognize any other interface :-(

a lot of competence!!

MacOs 9 vs PCR.

For basic use, the PCR-50 is ideal. Just plug it in & go. It comes with a number of presets & the manual offers information to help set it up with different software programs. I use Cakewalk SONAR 2.0 and had a little trouble as the menues are different from those in the PCR-50 manual. Their instructions are for SONAR 1 which made it a bit of a pain. Most of the important features are accessible directly from one button or two button combinations. So it is really easy to adjust octaves, transpose keys, switch presets, and so forth.

The feature set is really impressive. In the manual there is all kinds of useful information. Even a little tutorial for creating SysEx, but I'm not very proficient at that. But I did find it useful. The programming isn't exactly intuitive, but every menu behaves the mostly the same, so once you learn one, most of the processes after that are the same.
The keys feel much better than on my friend's MK-249C. It feels more like an instrument, although changing the velocity sensitivity isn't easily accessible as I would like. After another jaunt through the manual, I found out how to do that.
The level of development on the PCR-50 is really deep. There's what's called an "H-Compatible" preset on the PCR-50 that basically emulates a HUI. Also, what I found to be the most useful for me, personally, was that the advanced control settings allow you to create a sort of range limit for your controls. It's really cool because it will prevent you from over-shooting the "useful" boundries of the parameter you're tweaking. Next I think I need to get an expression pedal for it.
I hope it pushes some of the other guys to get in the game and start making really powerful control tools with some more extended features, like aftertouch, or a ribbon control.

As I said, it was not at all intuitive to change the velocity sensitivity, but the manual is indexed, so finding out how to do that wasn't too bad. I would have liked to have better access to that feature in particular. But otherwise, it's been quite good.

The knobs don't fall off, so that's a plus. It's sturdy. If I were going to use a USB controller in performance, this is the most suitable I've seen.

If something happened to it today, I'd have to get another. After learning to program it & creating my own SONAR control setup, I've grown pretty attached to it. I would like to see who sets the next bar for computer controllers. I played around with the Oxygen & my friend MK-249C, but I can't see going to either of those after using this one. I wonder if some of the bigger keyboard companies are going to target the computer user.

Easy to program right from the controller.
A plug and play device. (but will not work if unplugged and replugged while computer is on, a software bug).
Not very heavy. Very compact. So not so hard to carry or throw in the back seat of a car.
The manual is OK, not great.

Well, its a low end inexpensive keyboard.
It does not have keyboard after touch, it does not have a million pedal inputs and breath controller input.
For $233 its great !
Better then previous PCRs and better then Midiman controllers.
It has two pedal inputs ! Including expression.
It has a user bank.
It has a pretty blue light when plugged into a powered USB port. =)
The keyboard can be powered by a powered USB port. (works on my laptop USB port)

If you want a 88 keys or 76 keys weighted keys with aftertouch and velocity settings you should not even bother playing this keyboard at a store, well hack don't even bother looking at this price range.
You can not get a Lexus all wheel drive for the price of a volkswagon.

Its a nice MIDI controller for those who have Gigastudio, Reason, etc..

It has 2 pedal inputs, 8 knobs, 8 sliders and a whole bunch of bottons.

No jog dial.

Ideal for on the road with a synth module or laptop.

A jog dial would have been nice and I would have paid $30 more for it.

I would have loved a serial connector for connecting my Palm or CE device to it. This way I can save a lot of settings for use with different synth modules.

Well, it makes a little thump sound if you hit the keys really hard.
It you drop it on a hard floor it will make a crash sound.

Quality of assemply is excellent.
I have not had it long enough to judge the quality of the components.
It is not made in Japan so I am not sure what to expect.
But I am keeping a open mind.
The quality of assembly is excellent.

Dont be silly.
Its a simple controller.

Excellent little 49 key MIDI controller.
Fair price for the features and size of the keyboard.
An excellent 2nd keyboard for controlling software synths.

I want to paint it.
The color scheme is terrible.

This is a post to the 'velocity curve' issue. There is a sort of velocity curve. See page 136 "Velocity Offset". It's actually better than a set of velocity curves! It adds to the velocity played from the keyboard. Hope this helps!

The following is for PCR-30 keyboard!

Very, very flexible programming. You even can programm sysex!

Though the workflow of programming is kind of fiddle twiddle (you won't be able without the manual in your hand). But maybe that's a compromise because of complexity.

As said: almost no limitaions in programming the knobs and sliders.

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As said by someone else: keyboard is kind of hard to push.

Even if you touch it very sensitive, it's kind of difficult to get velocity values below 30. And pushing it realy hard sends values of 110 to 120. So limited dynamic!

Directly under the keypads there is the electronic PCB board. No cover or protection in between. Hopefully nobody will have sweaty fingers while rockin the keys ;-)

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Not really recommended.

OK - USB keyboard + MIDI controllers - plug & play
Problem is that controllers sliders send values in
increments of 3.
easy & quick acces to octave change & program change
the manual is OK

the keyboard action is quite nice (far better than the MIDIMAN radium)
The velocity response is ok but there's no acces to different velocity curves

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would be a good solution for live performances because you can quickly acces program change ... but there's a big problem with the controllers sliders

EDIROL have annouced they will exchange the PCR-50 for new one with sliders in increment of 1.

not bad except for the midi controllers but it seems that the new one will be OK.
easy & quick acces to a lot of parameters
But it seems that all the new USB MIDI keyboard with controllers sliders have an average key action compared to none USB & none midi controllers keyboard.

This is a post in reply to the previous message. The keyboard 'does' have velocity curves so you should be able to get better response than what you got. Also, I spoke with Edirol today as I wanted to get more info on the value increments moving in 3's and 4's at a time instead of 1 and this is what they said. "The current keyboards (PCR-50 and PCR-30) knobs and sliders move in increments of 3, but in March the new shipment will have the updated encoders to move in 1 value increments. Anyone who has purchased one of the 'older' units can send them back to Edirol (you pay shipping to them) and they will upgrade the board for you and ship it back (no charge). So there you have it! Hope this info has been useful to someone!

This is really short review.
Bought it because it looks really nice and has sliders.
Made in China.
Keys send velocity value of 30 when all my other keyboards send 90 (when I strike them medium hard).
All sliders and knobs send values in increments of 3-4 (1-3-7-11-15 etc)
Evolution controllers send values in incremets of 1.
Mod lever sends only 8 values.
Keyboard action is way too tight.
My fingers started to hurt after plaing it for half an hour.
Pitch Bend Lever is coarse too.
No velocity curves.
Returned it in exchange for Evolution controller.
My verdict: nice looking junk.