Customer Reviews

M-Audio Session KeyStudio

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is probably a bigger keyboard than I needed, since it has a handy "up-down" scale button on the side. The program does work very well and it's easy to record all your own tracks with a wide variety of sounds and instruments. I find myself manually changing the latency in the options a lot whenever I go between different pre-recorded noises, but otherwise it all sounds right, although personally I could go for a few more instruments and adjustments than offered. Also, for some reason there isn't a USB Stop option in my Windows for these devices, and when I went to unplug the USBs anyway, it blue screened me. So now I restart the comp after each session. Oh well. Session is still a fine program for those who wish to compile their own music without learning or playing any expensive instruments (other than one keyboard). It may not be as good as it could, but honestly I think it's the best in it's field that you can install on a PC.

The plan was to run the included program Session with the keyboard on my computer for music production but after installing and uninstalling four different times due to different progress-halting issues each time I called M-Audio and waited on hold for 45 minutes just to have a very rude associate run me through everything I already did four times (uninstalling, reinstalling which takes half an hour, etc) and then finally ask what he should have asked first, what my operating system was. It turns out that this keyboard works on every version of Windows XP EXCEPT Media Center Edition, the edition I have, because of "missing drivers" and "using this may cause both Windows XP Media Center Edition and the keyboard itself to become unstable." The M-Audio website was equally as unhelpful in my pre-sale decision, as well.

M-Audio said they could not refund me because this was my fault for not reading the fine print, fine print that was not available to the public until the keyboard was actually in your posession.

There is that, and the keyboard contains lead components so you may not want anywhere near your house if you have small children/pets/et al.

For the price, Keystudio with Sessions is a great value. You get a 4 octave keyboard plus the music composition software, which is like a PC version of the Mac's GarageBand. My two main gripes however are that there is no Midi Out port on the keyboard. So, if you've got external Midi gear, you'll have to plunk down some extra money to purchase an external Midi interface. Also, my computer is a little underpowered so I had many latency issues when running Sessions and using the real-time effects. Lastly, Sessions does not let you edit the Midi information note for note, although you can quantize your track.

On the good side, the keyboard is sturdy and is powered through the USB cable. The software works very well, with an excellent range of instruments, loops and effects. Just make certain that you're running at least a 1.6 ghz P4 with 1 gig of memory. I had less memory when I purchased my keyboard but the added memory helped the lantency problems a bit. I have a 1.2 ghz P4 which also makes Sessions less responsive, though adjusting the latency slider has helped enormously. Lasly, Sessions has just been updated to version 1.5 and while I haven't really had a chance to play around with the update, it promises to improve responce time. I really wish M-Audio would add the ability to edit Midi information to the software since this would really make Sessions a simple one-stop shop for getting your musical ideas into your computer.

in my opinion the software is terrible. the day i got it, it took 30 min. to download and it wont even work on vista. the keyboard on the otherhand is great for midi. ur best bet is to look into buying a better software such as fl studio or mixcraft

Very fast shipment, works well with the Garage Band software, and the music sounds great. This review has been edited and upgraded to 5 stars because a "missing" cable has been found, therefore was shipped as promised, and purchaser apologizes for any previous damage to seller's reputation.

This Product was advertised as "The Making-now Music Studio"...
I Agree with it.. You can make your own music (using the provide samples)... You can also upgrade your own Samples...
When I bought it, I was actually looking for something more Complete, with more choices, with more possibilities...
I have a few external MIDI expanders...
The software is nice, but limited... Is midi capable, but must be used with the provided MIDI samples... Will NOT work with external Midi Expanders...
The KeySession Keyboard is very limited... Pitch Bend, Modulation, Volume, Transpose... And that's it... No more buttons or functions...
It works well with the "Session" software, but is very limited with other Software...
All together is a good choice for who needs a software/keyboard to start with... Do NOT buy it if you are a Pro or you are looking for something more complete...
I shipped it back to Amazon.com and requested a Refund...

Product is easy to use and needs little but the imagination to have fun with.