Evolution MK249C

Very easy the use. You just have to plug the usb cable and install the drivers. If you own a recent version of Windows,like XP, drivers are already set.

The knobs are very crazy and so useful! The memory is reliable and the buttons are strong. Knobs are case-sensitive for a better performance. The pitch and the modulation buttons are important features too!

As a controler, no sounds came with it. Dah! It's a controler!
But plugged with VST plugs-in, like Absynth or any other virtual keyboard or effects processor, it's perfect.
The fact that this keyboard has a long range makes it useful and you don't have to change the octace often when you play along.

I bought it 2 years ago and it works still terribly well. I don't do shows or gig with people, but if i had too,i would sure bring this keyboard with me. You can use the 9-volts adaptor if you don't own a PC and can control samplers or other machines.

Never had to deal with them. I don't know.

If it would broke, i would surely buy another one.
And I wouldn't sell it for cash or trade it for any other controler of the same price.

I use this in the easiest possible way: plug in a power adapter and use the midi out. No computer even necessary. I had to get my own power adapter though since it doesn't come with one.

I was a bit disappointed with the key feel. I learned to play on crappy synth keyboards so that's what I'm comfortable with, but this keyboard bothers me a bit because the fulcrum for the keys is right at the end of the key, rather than being a few inches further into the case, so they have more of a slant when depressed than I'm used to -- although once I start hearing music I pretty much forget about the feel and don't have any problem playing.

I love the dedicated octave +/- keys, I use them all the time. I thought about my playing quite a bit when deciding how may keys I needed, I've got three octave keyboards that are too small and five octaves that are too big, this four octave keyboard is just right and I can use the octave switches to position the keyboard to the pitch range I want to use for the patch I'm playing.

I use the knobs but don't have much use for the number keys, I'd
prefer to be able to enter a patch number with them rather than using the patch up/down key.

The other things I wish it had are aftertouch and a breath controller or expression pedal input. An expression pedal
input could probably be hacked in to replace one of the knobs
since they're just potentiometers.

It has survived my kids dropping it on the floor a few times. I did have to fix one broken key and straighten a few bent ones, so I've had it disassembled and looked at the mechanical pieces and it all came apart and went together well and was easy to fix, it seemed well built.

This is a nice keyboard, it does what I want it to do which is set on a table in front of my computer and let me play external modules directly via the midi out or drive softsynths. If my kids break it, I'll probably get another.

no probs at all..

12 midi controller knobs, non volatile memory presets.. what more could you want?

good velocity response, no aftertouch

seems pretty well built (at least compared to the midiman oxygen 8 which I had previously and which failed within a month).. reasonably good build quality for the price

dont know..

Only had it a few hours but I am absolutely gobsmacked! The key feel is very nice with a satisfying stop at the bottom of each press (unlike the spongy midiman oxygen 8).. very nice piece of kit! The only thing that seems a little plasticky is the twiddly knobs but they do their job fine.. Best thing available for the price in my opinion.

With the supplied USB cable, it's as simple as plug-n-play. I just needed to get the most recent drivers from the evolution website. (isn't that always the case) The only thing is, the drivers don't have Microsoft's "official" blessing for use with XP, but they work for me. Changing midi channels and octaves is a breeze, and tweaking parameters with the control knobs is no problem. The only complaint i've heard from anyone (and I don't agree) is that the pitch/mod wheels are too small.

With the included USB cable, you don't need to plug it into the wall. Power comes through USB cable. (if you don't have USB, you have to buy a separate power cable)

They keys have a cheap feel, but hey, it's a cheap midi controller. With the built in midi interface, you can use it between your computer and a midi instrument if you don't have a dedicated midi connection and you connect the 249c with USB. Of course a usb/midi interface is really inexpensive anyway, so this may not really be all that useful.

The real feature that made me buy this was the 12 control knobs. For tweaking soft-synths, this is awesome. I chose this over the oxygen8 because of the 49 vs 25 keys on the oxygen. I also read a few people complain about midiman keyboards being unreliable.

Bundled software is crap. But who buys a keyboard for that?

-No sounds
-velocity fine (can get decent dynamics put of it)
-don't believe in aftertouch (hey i'm really a bass player ok. If i were a dedicated key-man, i would probably have bought something with nice weighted action from roland or something, and bought a separate tweak box)

Hmm. It's really small and light. Fine for a cramped home setting like mine. I wouldn't feel comfortable bringing this on stage. I'd hate to think what would happen if it dropped to the floor. I also think that the keys would probably be prone to break from the extra oomph that most people use when performing for an audience. Wouldn't recommend it for travel/road-use.

I haven't had any reliability problems with it in my home though.

WHen I first bought it, I had some software issues. Tech support responded to my email almost immediately, even though I first got an automated response telling me that the staff was away at a music convention. Got very friendly help and useful support info. VERY pleased with Evolution support.

I think I would buy it again right now. The price/feature set is exactly what I was looking for to use in my home setup. I think some newer options will come along pretty soon however, so I'd keep my eyes peeled.

Overall, I like how convenient it is for me to set it up, break it down i nmy cramped little space. Only one cable to plug in and I'm ready to go. I LOVE the tweakability of the control knobs.

I'd recommend this to anyone with a small home MIDI setup who wants a little extra control over midi parameters and doesn't want to break the bank.

Simple plug and play. The manual that came with mine is crap, you need to download the pdf manual from Evolutions web site for a better understanding of the thing.

Well, the fact that it has 12 assignable knobs did it for me. They could be laid out better like on the left side instead of the far right. They are fantastic when using with any software synth, just assign em and you are in analog real time heaven.

Depends on the software.

The thing was made in China and my experience's with electronic gadgets made in China is below par. Hopefully this will prove me wrong.
Keys are cheap to say the least. Knobs are small plastic. I have tried to pull them off and it seem's like you can't so if any break you are screwed. I expect that if you abuse it you will have to pay the price. Have not hade it long enough to find out.

They anwsered my e-mail very quickly and appear to be very friendly.

If it grew legs and walked away I would hunt it down for a few blocks and give up. I was lucky and paid $50 less for it because the CD that came with it was broken in half, so it is definitly worth what I paid.
I also own a Juno-6 and if the 249c was built like the Juno-6 it would get an 11 rating from me. The knobs are very useful and I expect that companys are going to come out with MIDI controllers that look like analog synths in the near future.

This midi controller is very easy to use. Plug it in the USB port, install the drivers and you're ready to go. If you have Windows XP you won't even have to install the included drivers, Windows has some built in drivers that work fine. (Only thing you won't be able to share the midi port between different programs running at the same time). All the fuctions are easy to use and you probably won't need to refer to the manual to understand. The manual is simple but effective.

First, the keyboard action is nice. It's not as good as a Fatar or expensive controller but it's pretty decent. Doesn't have aftertouch though. The key are standard size, not smaller like some other controllers. It's 49 keys and there are 13 velocitie curves to choose from. As for the features, you get 12 assignable knobs to send continuous controller messages which is pretty useful for controlling software synths. Also, the slider and modulation wheel are also assignable ! There are 10 presets where you can store program change, LSB and MSB bank messages. Does presets stay stored in the memory even is the unit is powerd off. You can power the unit in three different ways, via the USB port, via the midi port with a cable that plugs in the soundcard's joystick port or with an AC adaptor (which isn't included). Finaly, there's a sustain pedal 1/4" input. There is one little bug I found, when you turn the knobs or wheels, it sends data from 1 to 127 by steps of 1 (7 bit resolution). However, the first 10 steps as a bug, instead of sending (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10) it sends (1,2,3,4,6,7,10) so it skips 5, 8 and 9. This isn't that bad since most soft-synths have a resolution lower than 7 bit. Also, stating at 10 all is normal, it increments by on as it should do.

About velocity, response could be a little better, but it's still a synth action so we can't ask too much. It would have been nice to have aftertouch.

For a midi controller it seems pretty solid. Probably not as reliable as a Fatar but still solid. It is sure I wouldn't dare to drop it on the floor. The interior frame seems to be made of metal since the unit is quite heavy for it's size, so that's pretty good. Buttons and knobs are ok too.

They answer email really fast (the same day or the day after) And they were quite kind.

If it was stolen I guess i'd wait until controllers get more features as they are becoming more and more popular since people use soft-synths. I especially like the fact that it's USB, so only one cable to plug in. Also the knobs are very useful. The keyboard looks good also.