Biddle_UK
May 20, 2008

Rating: 9/10

No bells or whistles, extremely basic MIDI controller which is exactly what I was after.

I already own a M-Audio prokeys 88 and an Oxygen 8 aswell, so this was the next natural addition to my set up.

Faultless reliability, 5 minutes to install, and a great feeling, extremely cheap 49 key controller.

My only gripe - the USB lead could do with being another metre or so longer,but thats just me being fussy!

hamdi hassan
April 24, 2008

Rating: 10/10

this is a good midi controller for beginners or for experienced veretans who are on the move, i recommend this to everyone

PaWojX
April 15, 2008

Rating: 10/10

I was using these at college, and loved their easy and simple use. that's what I need at the moment. Cheap and enough to start composing:)

Oliver Charles
March 30, 2007

Rating: 7/10

Like many other people I was keen to make the move to electronic music and production (I come from a guitarist background) but wasn't too sure where to start. I had a few VST synths and such, but I really needed something to control them with.

The Keystation 49e was a great choice! The price is absolutly brilliant, especially when you consider the build quality. It's very sturdy, and the keys felt very pleasent to me, and not cheap. The manual explains the advanced functions well, but I do find myself consulting it a bit too often.

However, I think if you're looking for something to do more than just play some notes, and would really want full control of your software synths then you might want to look at another board. 1 fader, 1 wheel and 2 buttons can be assigned to MIDI CC's on this, which does not give you a great deal of flexibity.

Overall, perfect for what I need!

Jason
June 30, 2006

Rating: 10/10

If, like I was, you are bewildered about the different keyboards out there, this is the one to go for. It powers from the USB cable so no power adapter needed and more importantly, IT JUST WORKS! If you run Windows XP, your computer will recognise the 49e straight away, so once you've loaded your music program, you can start playing.

The keys are well weighted, the controls are easy to use and it's just a lot of fun to play through your PC. Everything was just so easy to get working and my wife loves it.

I would recommend you use a soundcard with a hardware synthesis table rather than the normal software table built in to Windows - the sounds are a bit better and more importantly, there's no delay, so you hear the sounds as soon as you press the keys. Software synthesis adds a few tenths of a delay (no fault of the 49e, that's just the way it is as the sounds have to be generated by Windows rather than the soundcard). Most soundcards and motherboards have hardware synthesis now but it's worth checking.

All in all, a great keyboard and fantastic value for money, highly recommended.

Michael Bird
May 25, 2006

Rating: 9/10

Having not used a midi keyboard and only just starting on the music production route, from being a dj in local clubs and bars, I wanted something that was basic and to the point and had a great value. Obviously it would be wrong to rate this amongst other midi keyboards because i dont have much experience to compare them to, but on its own merits, this keyboard is made of sturdy stuff and is a great melody maker and could not be easier to set up, My dog could set it up. Great extras for price including octave control and pitch bend and modulation, great for quick and easy effects on programmes such as reason, which i am learning to use and this keyboard has been a great help in all areas.
If you are a starter like i am and want something that dosent take a computer degree or music tech diploma, then this is perfect for the bill and trust me it does the job

Dave
February 18, 2006

Rating: 8/10

This MIDI keyboard is good value for money. It is compact and sturdy. It has limited functionality, but is adequate for use as a MIDI input device for computer-based software sequencers and sound generators. The keyboard is too springy for my liking which causes mistakes in playing. Apart from that, it's a great little keyboard.

Nellie
June 23, 2004

Rating: 9/10

The 49e is quite a well-made controller keyboard, the keys are not quite as solid as a Korg 01/Wfd but for this sort of price you wouldn't expect it. However playing the keys is still enjoyable.
Setting it up couldn't be much more simple, for Xp users you simply just plug and go with the USB connector, no need for an additional power-adaptor so that saves on lots of leads.
The controls and buttons are solid and practical, there is a pleasant blue 'glow' from the panel lights too.
The size of the keyboard might surprise you as the website photos present quite an optical illusion, at approx 81cm in length the keyboard still fits quite ok on my computer workstation with an overlap of about 5cm either end, although the rubber feet are part of this overlap the keyboard is still solid to the desk and doesn't rock about.
The included software is not particularly inspiring. If you can save the pennies then Cubase SX is well recommended, though buy a good training manual as SX is quite complex.
The only problems encountered so far is the dreaded 'latency', I have not managed to lower the latency to an acceptable natural 'feel' level yet in Cubase, despite using advised settings. Hopefully this will be resolved.
Its definately worth buying whether a beginner or an intermediate user due to its solid construction and value for money, however make sure you have some good music software of your own first!