Gear Review: M-Audio KeyStudio 25

I came to the realization very early on my musical career that it is basically impossible to let your creativity free-flow while programming your tunes one note at a time, either using a normal PC keyboard or by clicking on notes on the screen. Don't get me wrong, there is a place and time where alternate entry forms, like a piano roll are appropriate, but it is no match for noodling on an actual music keyboard and having tunes pop out at you.

What I Needed
My requirements were simple: I needed a keyboard controller that was not very expensive, small enough to not get in the way when I didn't need it, have some level of controls beyond just piano keys. My search led me scouring the web until I found a MIDI controller that seemed to fit the bill, and to me, seems to be completely overlooked by musicians.

What I Found
The KeyStudio 25 from M-Audio is a wonderful 25 key MIDI controller, with velocity-sensitive keys, Pitch Bender, 8 assignable knobs, 8 assignable buttons, Octave change buttons, support for a sustain pedal, volume slider, and a host of other on-board functions, it can draw power from the USB port or from an external power supply, and has a power switch so you don't have to unplug it whenever you are done with it. There, I've gotten the main list taken care of. Oh, yes, it comes bundled with Session, which pretends to be a music program but is a beginner's toy, mostly useful only if you want to see if the keyboard works. (I'll write more about Session at another time).

Ease Of Use
To get this keyboard fired up, you can just plug it into the USB port and turn it on. If you want Windows to use the proper driver, you can install M-Audio's software. I was using the keyboard fine before I ever installed from the CD. Anyway, I tried it out with REAPER, and once I changed my input to this device (which oddly shows as USB 02 In, perhaps showing off that it is in fact based on the O2 line of more expensive M-Audio controllers), it worked like a charm.

Keyed Up
The keys have a good weight to them - nowhere near as heavy as a real piano, but they have enough mass that this doesn't feel like a toy. The keys themselves seem to be OK for a home studio, but I definitely wouldn't want to take this out as a touring keyboard. The plastic keys seem like they might be a bit more fragile, though I haven't (and won't) subject the keyboard to any stress tests. In my testing, the velocity sensitivity on the keys is captured and encoded properly, so your DAW will get an accurate recording of your playing.

We Have Control
The part I like best about the keyboard is probably the assignable knobs and buttons. If you desire, you can remap nearly everything on the keyboard to an alternate MIDI command trigger. Want to send a note with a button (instead of a key)? No problem. Remap the pitch bend control to be a different control? Easy. I usually keep the knobs and buttons at their defaults and use the "MIDI Learn" in my DAW so I don't have to keep monkeying about with different settings for different songs/projects.

Software Blips and Glitches
My biggest unhappiness is really with M-Audio's software. Not only am I disappointed with their Session software, but the KeyStudio 25 manual says I can use their "Enigma" configuration and librarian software for this keyboard - just download it from their site. On their site, it does NOT list this keyboard as being compatible. I downloaded it anyway, only to discover it doesn't load at all. Apparently, Windows XP Media Center Edition is not an officially supported OS, although every other Windows OS is supported. I have seen this on other products before, and I'm really not sure why companies seem to have gone out of their way to ignore support for users who bought new PCs in the 2005-2006 time frame.
It does, however, come with 21 generally decent VSTs as part of the Session installation. These are standard VSTs, and you can point your DAW at them. There's nothing amazing about them, but they do seem to be stable and produce reliable results.
Still, I bought this for the controller. Everything else I like is gravy to me.

Big Brother
There is a big brother to this keyboard, which is a 49 key controller for about the same price. The 49 key keyboard is missing the assignable knobs and buttons, but does come with an built-in audio interface and a piano sound. Whoopee. I'd rather have the extra knobs for the control aspect, and I am using it as a programming tool more than a performance device, so who needs the piano sound?

Another Way To Get It?
I'm not positive, but I believe M-Audio's KeyRig 25 package comes with this same controller, but with their KeyRig software instead of Session. I'm not positive, but the features list and the pictures look identical.

Wrap It Up, I'll Take It
At the end of the day, I have to say I'm still very happy with my purchase of this MIDI keyboard controller. It is compact, but still feels good to play, and it gives me a mini-control surface that I can use for minor fiddling with my DAW settings. It is too small a keyboard for "serious" keyboardists and pianists, but my use is more as a scratch-pad input device. For that purpose, this is a stellar keyboard.

The major music retailers don't appear to carry this, but I've found it at Best Buy (in-store only) as well as at Amazon.com. Street price is around $100.

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