M-Audio KEYSTATION 61ES - 61 Key USB MIDI Controller Keyboard

Comments about M-Audio KEYSTATION 61ES - 61 Key USB MIDI Controller:

Excellent controller - you can't beat it for the price

Comments about M-Audio KEYSTATION 61ES - 61 Key USB MIDI Controller:

I needed a full key size keyboard with the conventional MIDI plug in the back that would trigger my Yamaha MIDI tone generator. This unit fits the ticket perfectly. It has semi weighted keys along with a great feel to it also. The item is well built not too heavy. For an additional keyboard with a Korg Radias this is perfect !! Very nice product.
Comment--I wish that they had provided an AC adapter with this item. I had to buy one for $10 but it would have made the out of the box setup very easy. To all who read this this unit is USB powered only so if you want it as a stand alone you need a wall wart AC/DV converter 12Volt.

Comments about M-Audio KEYSTATION 61ES - 61 Key USB MIDI Controller:

I live in a small apartment and live off a small budget, and for mostly these reasons the M-Audio 61es was the right product for me. I connect the keyboard to my Mac and speakers for the purpose of practicing various piano pieces and entering choral parts into a music program. Though I'd ideally have bought a fully-weighted and full-sized keyboard, it's just not in my budget or space confines, and the semi-weighted action of the 61es suffices for my uses (though I wouldn't dare play fast-tempo classical pieces). The keyboard is very intuitive and clean-looking, though I'd like some sort of reference to shortcuts somewhere on the keyboard itself.
Simply put, the keyboard does well what it is advertised to do: plug and play without complication.

Comments about M-Audio KEYSTATION 61ES - 61 Key USB MIDI Controller:

I will qualify by saying we are by no means musicians. However this is a great product to pair with Garageband and is great for the kids as an introduction to music, as well as learning to enjoy the process of listening and making music. I expect we will get a lot of enjoyment experimenting with all the features of the Keystation together with Garageband. Great price through B&H.

Comments about M-Audio KEYSTATION 61ES - 61 Key USB MIDI Controller:

This is a great MIDI controller for someone looking for the expanded range of a 61 key MIDI controller, but nothing more. The key action, while certainly better than the unweighted models, won't knock you over in amazement, but it's very functional. No frills, no nonsense. That's what this controller is. I've owned mine for over 3 years now and no problems.

Comments about M-Audio KEYSTATION 61ES - 61 Key USB MIDI Controller:

I use the product to record/play music at home.

It's durable, contains 61 keys, it works and it's not that expensive.

Keys could definitely be weighted better.

Comments about M-Audio KEYSTATION 61ES - 61 Key USB MIDI Controller:

I use this keyboard for writing my music at home and love the portability of it! I love how the keys are semi-weighted rather than not weighted at all like other keyboards. It helps with the "flow" like a real piano, although not as weighted, it gives enough pressure to help you put 'emotion' into your pieces. You do have to hook it up to a mac or pc (I have a mac..just plugged it in and opened Garageband and it worked :D) to be able to hear it...which can prove to be a downer if the power's out and you want to play some music. But I don't find that to be too much of a hassle.
Overall I LOVE this purchase and am so excited that I got it. I was going to get the 88 key but this 61 key covers enough range for me :).

Comments about M-Audio KEYSTATION 61ES - 61 Key USB MIDI Controller:

Plug and play, simple and easy midi control
with enough range for most instruments parts
great feel with the semi-weighted keys

Comments about M-Audio KEYSTATION 61ES - 61 Key USB MIDI Controller:

Works great. Semi weighted feel a bit weird at first. Plugged it right in and played great with GarageBand on a Mac!

Comments about M-Audio KEYSTATION 61ES - 61 Key USB MIDI Controller:

Keys have a good feel, pressure sensitve

Comments about M-Audio KEYSTATION 61ES - 61 Key USB MIDI Controller:

I bought this so I can rock out with my friends, and maybe we will play some small gigs. It's also nice to have in my room for practicing. It doesn't have any synthesizer / samples so you have to plug it into a computer or something else if you want to get sound out of it!

It's definitely the low-end of M-Audio gear. The higher end stuff has an overall nicer look, with more quality construction. However, if you just want a keyboard and a few controls, I think it' a good choice, especially for this price range.

The key action is kind of stiff and not very heavily weighted. Obviously it's nothing like a real piano, but you get used to it.

Most of the time I don't mind having 61 rather than 88 keys, but I found that if you are playing something where you need the full range, e.g. jazz, you don't have time to hit the octave button in the middle of a solo! It is small and light though.