It provides 25 full size, velocity-sensitive keys with polyphonic aftertouch, is 100% MIDI compliant and is powered and upgradable via a single USB cable, no batteries required. I had some piano training many years ago, but I'm a half-ass keyboardist at best, and I will occasionally hit a bunk note here and there, requiring another take or editing of the MIDI track. So you can spend a full day traveling – or even go on a camping vacation – and still get all the music you need.

Whatever your particular use might be — programming ‘finger drums’, occasional keyboard parts, or music-making on the move — CME’s Xkey offers a very elegant and affordable solution. In this way, consumers give each other guidance and give us the opportunity to continuously improve. If I were setting something up permanently and thickness was not an issue, I'd probably use a mini keyboard with a real mod wheel or mod strip (the mod "button" is useful for things like Omnisphere to hear what the mod wheel does, but useless for orchestral libraries). I do a lot drivingand have a hard time sitting down and practicing at things because I’m always on the go so this things just comes with me.Let's acknowledge how inspiring it is to have this keyboard sit on the desk just like a second computer keyboard, while it's ready to enter notes, play library sounds through Kontakt, etc. Určitě je potřeba (podle mě) v ovládací appce nastavit menší citlivost a exponeniální křivky pro velocity i aftertouch. Portable MIDI keyboard controller from Xkey series that is lighter than an iPad, weighing only 600 g, and extremely slim - only 16 mm high.

Using it in a static installation, however, it doesn’t take long before you start hankering after another octave, if only to be able to get your bass notes further away from the rest of your chord voicings. A compact USB MIDI keyboard controller for the musician on the move, but with full-size keys and polyphonic aftertouch too!At that point, you are only limited by the apps and programs that are available on your computing device.

Those looking for something a bit more button/function heavy will want to look elsewhere, but for the simple pleasures of playing music, the Xkey is great for work and play. I was about to purchase an Akai keyboard but then I realized no matter how good a synth action is, it is just that: a synth action that's way too springy and soft for a pianist used to hammer actions. This is a long review, and I apologize for the length, but I am very fond of these items and they deserve some coverage. I tried the Xkey with a few different instruments on Cubase, from strings, piano, synths, basses and drums.I had an Edirol PCR-M1 in the past that was at the time maybe the thinnest midi controller ever made and it NEVER worked right, velocity was all over the place and eventually the keys stopped working altogether, complete waste of money. I would compare this to a high quality laptop QWERTY keyboard (you know when your pressing a specific keys with feeling alone).

It promised to be a device that could be used as an iPad cover, and featured the ability to “flip” the device into form to make a playable keyboard that worked with magnets (not springs). This significantly changes the feel from a normal pivoted key, but is probably easier to adapt to than small keys with the wrong spacing, or squishy pressure pads. So, I decided to go in the complete opposite direction and go for the ultra-portable CME Xkey 37 Air with keys that are unlike any other synth action. Note that the larger Xkey37 model, in addition to its Micro-USB port, includes a proprietary Xport connector and a breakout cable, with 5-pin DIN for MIDI output and two 1/4'' cables for sustain and expression.The keyboard is plug and play, being up and running within a couple of minutes of being lifted out of the box. The contents of this article are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or part, whether mechanical or electronic, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publishers. Overall, I've gotta give kudos to CME for rethinking the portable MIDI controller and coming up with the best music keyboard for iOS that I've used to date. In the world of iPad, the XKey Air allows me to connect to my iPad without a dongle (as it would to a newer Mac [2012? The information obtained through cookies allows us to compile ad performance statistics and serve retargeting ads on The Trade Desks advertising network.