Customer Reviews

M-Audio OXYGEN 8 V2 25-Key USB MIDI Controller 9900-41392-00

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

After 15 years using a Roland U-20 as a midi controller I began to wonder if upgrading would ever be needed. I figured all I needed was something that could trigger midi notes, and my old keyboard did that just fine. Then one day recently I saw a live band using a little 25 note controller to trigger Combinator patches out of Reason, connected only by a USB cable. The little dials on the keyboard were being used musically to change various parameters of the sound. It then occurred to me that maybe I should take a hard look at what has happened in the last 15 years with Midi controllers.

Escaping from my local retailer with M-Audio Oxygen 8 v2 in hand, I rushed home to see if these bells and whistles really mattered. Skipping the dated CD-ROM that came in the package, I downloaded the current M-Audio drivers using the World Wide Web. Driver installation was painless, and then I connected the hardware. After windows carefully chewed on three different hardware wizards it was all done. Not bad, although I have some sympathy for anyone who is not familiar with the Windows "Found New Hardware" wizard. Fortunately the documentation describes the procedure in detail. The creative session that unfolded over the next few hours is what prompted me to write this review. Long ago it was very difficult to pass "special" information over Midi. Users were forced to map out keyboards, sift through menus, and spend hours on configuration. Those days are over! With this current technology, mapping a function to a dial or button is a simple matter. Software like Cubase and Reason just ask for you to touch the dial you want to use. After you give the dial a little twist the software detects it and maps it to the function of your choice. I could not be more pleased with how well this works.

The Oxygen 8 V2, which can be powered from USB, has 8 dials, 2 wheels, an LCD readout, and a number of buttons. Some of the included buttons are transport controls, so you can use the keyboard to play, stop, fast forward, rewind, loop, and record. This makes the midi recording functionality feel more like a Motif or Triton, allowing the user to take their eyes off the computer monitor. By the end of the evening I realized my old Roland U-20 simply cannot take advantage of the latest features being offered by today's software. While this little 25 note keyboard is a lot smaller, it's incredibly functional, and takes up a very small footprint on my desk. With the octave button I can live without more keys. This installation has improved the Feng Shui of my workstation area, giving more features in a smaller space. When you first experience what its like to tweak a Reason or VST instrument with a physical dial, and have the software record you doing it, you will wonder why you waited so long to upgrade your giant old midi keyboard. It is truly frightening what can now be achieved with a laptop, a software program such as Reason 3, and an Oxygen 8 V2. You could sit in a coffee shop and be the next Aphex Twin. I recommend caffeinated.

Works great with Reason 3.5 on Intel Mac. One key shows signs of problems...make sure you get one with even keys. Mine may be a fluke, but I saw similar reviews with this problem elsewhere. Otherwise, a great deal.

I can recommend this controller for those that need a small keyboard due to space restraints. It's limited by it's two octave range, but for most horn or string parts it's more than adequate. I needed a keyobard with a modwheel to help enter parts into Sonar with the Garritan Personal Orchestra plugin, and so far this keyboard is perfect.

Another bonus: incredibly easy to setup. Put the CD in the drive, load the drivers, plug it into a USB port, fire up your software. It worked perfectly the first time.

I'm a digital music noob and have been putting together a modest setup on my Dell laptop running Windows Vista. I'll tell ya it hasn't been easy. Drivers that don't work, programs that won't register and are incompatible with each other, sound cards that are also inadequate, audio interfaces that have bad drivers and won't work with anything else, oh my, it's been some hard lessons learned and there are lots of regrets along the way. But my one component that has been hassle free and has worked to my expectations right out of the box is my M-Audio keyboard.

Besides being easy to set up and use, I've been impressed with the quality. It really is a heavy-duty instrument. The whole thing just as a very sturdy, substantial feel to it. The key-action is decent. It does register how hard you press the keys pretty well. The one thing I don't like is that I have a fairly "light touch" and it fails to register some of my keystrokes. It really wants you to pound the keyboard apparently. I've gotten used to it, and it's fine for putting together little tunes at home, but it's no piano replacement, that's for sure.

This thing is great! It plugs right into my macbook and immediately works with Garageband and Reason :) I haven't tried to plug it into my vista or linux because I only plan to use it with my macbook but right away you don't need any software drivers or anything to make it work.

It's much smaller than my 4' old Casio keyboard which is why i bought it and i don't regret buying it :) The Ableton software it came with is kind of crappy and not intuitive at all compared to what I already have, so I ditched it. But I didn't buy this for the free additional software it comes with. I bought it so I could bring it to me and my mac instead of bring my mac and me over to it (like my old fuller sized keyboard >.> ) and it's just the perfect size for that.

This two-octave midi controller is perfect for small spaces or travel. It fits neatly in your lap, so you don't need extra desk or table space.

It's great for jotting down ideas in a digital audio workstation -- like having a musical sketch pad. And it's full-featured enough to really fill those ideas out if you like. It even has an input for a sustain pedal, if you like using one.

I had no trouble getting it up and running. I did run the included driver disk before plugging it in (I'm running Windows XP). After the drivers were installed and the controller connected, my DAW software recognized it immediately and I was off and running.

If you connect it via USB, everything you need is in the box. If you plan to connect it with a midi cable, you'll need both the midi cable and a 12 volt DC power supply, neither of which is included. It doesn't have a battery compartment. It only runs on external power, whether from the USB connection or a power supply.

I really like that it doesn't take up much room. When I'm not using it I can stand it on end out of the way, or just tuck it on a shelf.

As other reviewers have mentioned, it does have a nice heft and it feels sturdy. The action of the keys is adequate -- I don't expect the feel of a concert grand piano at this price -- but it's more than good enough.

This is a really good choice if you're looking for a compact midi controller at a very good price.

When I purchased this product I was looking for an entry level midi controller with more than just a keyboard. The Oxygen 8 V2 was exactly what I needed. I installed the drivers in Vista 32 bit and it was instantly recognized in Reason 4. I recently upgraded to windows 7 64 bit and I am glad to say the keyboard was recognized instantly as the Oxygen 8 V2 without installing any drivers before hand. So Windows 7 64 bit users need only plug and play for full functionality.

The keys are not weighted, not a huge issue for me. They feel like a combination of rubber and plastic which is better than a pure plastic feel. The knobs are made of a similar material and when twisted have a little resistance, just the right amount. The buttons have short throws and feel very responsive. I have not played around with any of the advanced features of the keyboard such as velocity curves because it has worked great for me thus far.

The 25 keys are enough for simple melodies and chords. I am not a piano player but I do wish I had a few more keys to learn. Simply pressing the octave up/down button makes life easy.

Overall, if you are looking to play around with a keyboard in your music software of choice you can't go wrong with the Oxygen 8 V2. This product has definitely enhanced my music production experience.

Great plug and play MIDI controller. Very portable and nice to play. No complains. Great stuff from M-Audio.

I bought this product really not knowing much about MIDI. So far it has worked great with my Cubase software. I think for a starter Midi input device/keyboard it offers enough features to get any beginner starter in the right direction. Easy to install - requires no additional power supply, powered by the USB. Comes with some free software to get you started if you don't have any.

I actually use this dude for strings on stage, plugged into my EMU Proteus 2000 - it's really dependable