M-Audio Keystation 49E

I previously owned an M-Audio Ozonic, which was a beast of a MIDI Controller/Audio Interface, and I can't begin to describe the frustration that thing took to set it up. This one I brought home, installed the drivers and plugged it in, and wa la, 5 minutes max and its fully functional making tunes in Reason.

Don't intend on buying this for features, this keyboard model is made specifically just for the keyboard, and nothing more. If you want a keyboard that you could tweek knobs and adjust volume go with the Oxygen series, Axiom, or the Ozone/Ozonic [If you can find it].

I bought this keyboard to give me more keys and less junk, and it does exactly just that.

I can't say I've ever really gotten a good idea of how a grand piano plays, never owned one or played with on enough to tell. But, compared to the Ozonic these keys are much easier on the fingers and not as stiff, which could be good or bad. Took me about 5 minutes to get use to.

Well, I dropped the box about 5 feet just as I had entered the door and it looks fine to me, it does feel a little light compared to my Ozonic but this is a lot more mobile I suppose.

I've never had to talk to M-Audio about a problem with their products [I didnt think asking them about a Firewire driver update would get me anywhere]

If this was to get stolen I would probably buy again, this is a solid product, and by then the prices will probably be under $100! I might even upgrade to the 61 key, if I have room by that time.

Plug in and play; I attached the included USB cable to my MAC and was accessing sounds on Reason 3.0 after less than five minutes of start-up and set-up.

I use hardware synths for real-time, knob-twisting, synth performance playing. The Keystation 49e serves as my controller for "static" sounds: piano, electric piano, and organ. The device is exemplary for this purpose.

Attach the controller to a laptop loaded with, say, Reason, click on a patch, and play. These two together provide excellent portabilty and will fit into even a tight live performance situation.

The Keystation 49e keyboard itself has a nice feel and solid action. There are no loose front panel buttons or rickety knobs to fret over, either.

The 49 note, full-sized keyboard features octave +/- buttons above the pitch and mod wheels, which gives one access to the full range of a piano. The velocity-sensitivity is very sharp and allows a great range of nuance to be added. The sustain pedal input is plug in and play and gives great depth to piano sounds. Attached to a laptop loaded with soft-synth or soft-sample patches one has, in effect, a ten lb. grand piano!

I have owned and used my Keystation 49e for just one week, yet the device has already been integrated into my studio recording rig with satisfactory results. This silver box is solid, the lights are a pale blue and easy on the eyes, the buttons are secure, only the pitch and wheels seem a bit flimsy (in comparison to some hardware synths), yet both are still very programmable and usable.

The M-AUDIO website is fully-stocked with information and options. Product registry was quick, easy, and received instant acknowledgement.

I basically purchased a concert grand piano and a hammond B3 organ for a total of $100 US. The Keystation 49e is an excellent controller for the studio or gigging keyboardist who wants portable access to "static" preset soft-synth instrument sounds.

A dedicated headphone jack would have been a nice addition.

If stolen, I would indeed purchase myself another.

Plug and Play - I use it with an old Yamaha Piano module ifor quicki practice sessions in my office.

Very limited features Pitch bend, Mod wheel, octave shift buttons and a facility to send midi commands via the keys.

I personally like the key action and I think it compares favorably with more expensive boards.

It comes packaged with some software that seems to be of little or no value.

Sounds are great through a good sound module. I've also used this keybord with M-Audio's Key Rig software but it seems to be pretty taxing on my computer.

I discovered that my 49e has the same hardware problem as a few posters have described with the Keystation 61e. There's a firmware problem in the main circuit board that causes the midi function to shut down for a few seconds intermitantly when it is connect to a hardware sound module / tone generator. I called M-Audio and they are sending a new replacement board.

This problem didn't show up when I was using a software synth like Key Rig via a USB connection.

Otherwise, the 49e seems to be solidly built.

I called M-Audio's tech support and received quick courteous service.

Very playable, light weight, solidly built wiuth good key action.

This is a very basic midi controller. Mod wheel, pitch bend wheel, octave buttons, advanced function button, and volume slider. All you have to do is plug in a usb cable and you are ready to use any software you want. You can also use this board with a sound module, by plugging into the midi out port and using an AC adaptor. The only thing I really had to do was reverse the polarity on my sustain pedal. This can be easily done by turning on the keyboard while having the sustain pedal pushed down.

Well it really doesn't have any features beyond the specs I already mentioned. Its just a very simple midi controller, for getting started using software synthesizers and recording applications.

Very basic synth action, but I'm no keyboard player so it doesn't really bother me. I use it with Garageband and Logic, and it makes controlling the instruments in those programs very easy.

Hard plastic construction, so its light and sturdy. Great for playing around with in the studio or at home.

I've dealth with M-Audio before and they are a great company. They make very good, very inexpensive products that are very appealing to me.

For $100 I have a great controller to enhance my computer recording experience. This product is great for anybody just getting into virtual instruments and wants something to control them. I really wasnt looking for a lot of features, but if I wanted to expand there are several boards with better action and more bells and whistles, but this is a great board for now