Customer Reviews

M-Audio Oxygen 61 61-Key USB MIDI Controller

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is really quite a decent controller. Velocity-sensitivity, sliders/knobs and transport controls, pitch-bend and mod wheel and good feeling keys with a 1/4" jack for sustain pedal. Definitely good feature set right off the bat. However, there are a couple things I'm not fond of.

1. No MIDI output jack - this device can only be used as a usb connection to the computer, you cannot use this with midi-based hardware (hardware synths, rackmount soundbanks, etc.) The usb driver is also a little finicky, requiring reinstallation on my windows system everytime I change the usb port it is plugged into (annoying).

2. Touch response is lacking - velocity sensitivity was actually much more refined on an old Yamaha PSR-220 that I owned. It's not totally wonky or unusable but there is definitely better to be had out there, even with adjustments via FL Studio response curve control for velocity input, it never responds very well to the lowest velocities.

3. Certain features are finicky - transport controls require MMC (MIDI machine control) to be sent to the host in the case it isn't setup to function right off the bat (integrates awesomely with Pro Tools supposedly, gee no surprise there I guess). Also, the pitch bend controller never works correctly on my setup.

4. Sustain pedal weirdness - depressing the sustain pedal doesn't by default send CC #64 message - it actually just tells the host to "hold" the note itself, which is obnoxious when trying to edit note data (screws up retriggering and you have to manually set the pedal to respond to CC64 for each individual instrument if there is a special function affected by the sustain pedal being held down).

It's usable however. Gets the job done. The sliders are pretty chintzy feeling (tons of 'give' to them, could see those snapping off real easy) and the knobs are so-so to decent. Supports a lot of advanced functions/programming but really it fails to nail the important things the way I would like so I can only give this 3 stars. It's a decent product for the money but don't expect it to knock your socks off.

Length:: 3:50 Mins

A review of the M Audio Oxygen61 MIDI keyboard and controller.

I paid $160 for this keyboard about a month or so ago. I'm not a keyboard player but I was looking for an easier way to lay down realistic sounding drum tracks. I run a PC based studio in my house using an HP Envy Laptop with Sony Acid Pro 7 as my DAW. I am able to control all the transport functions (i.e. stop, play, rec, etc.) via the keyboar as well as control the volume levels and panning for the first 8 tracks. I can configure the keyboard to do more but I haven't messed with these extra functions much beyond this. The keys are a little stiff but work well for what I primarily use it for. I'm not a piano player so I'm not sure how the keys would feel to someone who plays that is looking for a MIDI controller to use for this function. As I said, I use the keyboard to lay down drum tracks using Toontracks Drumkit From Hell and it works flawlessly. I am able to lay down complex drum tracks from 60 beats per minute to 300+ beats per minute almost effortlessly.

I recommend this keyboard to anyone that wants to add quality MIDI functionality to their setup for a small price.

It's really unfortunate the other reviews aren't more universal and fair when it comes to this MIDI Controller.

I bought it a few weeks ago, and it does EXACTLY what I expected it to (and more) ~ The materials it's made out of are perfect. On my computer it functions perfectly (my computer recognized it no problem using Vista) ~

Regardless, this keyboard fits perfectly on my desk, is solid, feels just like all my regular keyboards as far as quality goes... and well... gosh... I don't have a single complaint.

If you don't look at the system requirements before buying this keyboard --- please don't leave a negative review on it just because you failed to do your part.

It's time to upgrade your computer from Windows 3.1 folks --- and stop slamming technology around like a big angry monkey :) ~

Pardon my humor, I just love this MIDI Controller & feel sorry for the company that made it as they have to suffer unfair reviews like the ones I've seen.

"MY CAR DOESN'T WORK!!! YOUR DEALERSHIP IS HORRIBLE!!!!" --- "Did you fill it with gas sir?" --- "FILL IT WITH WHAT!?!?!" --- "Gas..." --- "STOP TALKING DOWN TO ME!!! YOU'RE ALL HORRIBLE!!!!" [stomps out of the room and walks down the street with his clothes inside out wearing his glasses upside down]

Yes, those are the kinds of people that are leaving reviews on this product :D!!!

Just to answer a quick concern I had --- YES! It does work with FL Studio 9.

If you're looking for an entry level controller with lots of keys and good functionality with some knobs and sliders, this is the one for you. Although I wish the transport controls worked with Logic 9, at the price it's hard to ask for that. The one issue I do have with the Oxygen 61 is that I seem to have to press the keys hard and fast for them to trigger the soft ware synths I use... as in the actual trigger point of the keys is at the very bottom of the key motion. The unit is light but not cheap and the action on the faders and knobs is smooth.

I have had an earlier (first, probably, though I don't know how to tell for sure) revision of the Oxygen 61 for a year or two, and been very happy with it. So needing another keyboard controller, I bought another Oxygen 61. Big mistake. They've revised it, and this is now a revision three, and is a big step backward from the original.

1) It no longer has a MIDI out connector. The only way to use this is via USB. So you may need to buy a USB hub to go along with it, if you don't have a spare USB port available.

2) The keys are much worse. On the older generation they had a nice surface, more like a decent organ manual, where it wasn't too slippery. The keys in this new version are made with a cheaper-seeming grade of plastic, and they're shiny and slippery. It's particularly noticeable on the black keys. The springs are whimpier, too, so the touch is noticeable different from the older revision. I'm guessing the new revision will break a lot sooner, too, as it all just feels more like a toy than the old one.

3) The worst, though, is when the note-on and note-off messages are sent. In the earlier revision they were sent when the key was about mid-way depressed, which is the way things are supposed to be, at least in the organ world. With this newest revision the note-on isn't sent until the key nearly bottoms out, and the note-off correspondingly deep as well.

I am badly disappointed. If M-Audio wants to sell this piece of junk they should at least have the honesty to give it a different name, and not pretend it's the same as the decent keyboard controller they used to sell under this name. M-Audio is, I think, being foolish: not only do I feel ripped off and not want to do business with them if I can avoid it, I'd gladly pay a bit more for the better quality product they used to sell.

Now I have to go see if there's some other decent 61 note, unweighted controller someone else sells at a reasonable price. If I can find one, I'll be returning this one. Unfortunately the used early rev that Amazon had disappeared when I ordered it. And eBay right now only has a broken one that's being sold for parts.

I previously had a separate keyboard, a device with knobs and another device with faders.

After my old keyboard died, I was looking to consolidate some of the electronics sitting on my desk. Now every control I need comes from one device.

I'm mainly using it with Cubase 6 on Windows 7. After installing the drivers and plugging it in, the keyboard function worked immediately, as well as the fader bank. The first 8 faders are automatically mapped to the first 8 tracks in Cubase. I haven't bothered to figure out how to change fader banks or anything. If I want to edit the 10th track, I'll just track it down to the 8th position and then I can write volume automation by moving the 8th fader on the keyboard.

After a little Googling, I was able to find a MIDI template for this keyboard that does things like map the transport controls. I guess it's cool to have them, but I find it much quicker to use key commands than to reach over to the keyboard and use those transport buttons anyway.

I've owned many keyboards like this, including the original version of the Oxygen 8, and it's nice to see that they've improved these so much. The previous models had a very plastic look to them, which made them a little embarrassing to have in your studio, but this keyboard looks a lot more professional and it looks at home among all of my more expensive gear. Great buy at around $160.

Just got this keyboard, and it's great!!
170-ish for this is a steal by all means..As a keyboard it feels great, its got a very nice weight to it which allows you to get really sensitive with the touch.. some of the others around this price range have really terrible keys, and as a piano player i find it annoying when you cant play with some of the "feel" you would like. No such problems here. Of course its not as good as a full-weighted keyboard, but it certainly beats a lot out there in action (including the horrendous M-Audio Axiom keys, which feel like recycled baby-toy plastic.)As a control surface, DirectLink to Logic/Garageband takes a huge load off my hands, seriously, i dont have to keep fidgeting with the tiny volume levels or keep opening the mixer in Garageband, which is GREAT when you're mixing. (I have no clue about what to do with the knobs though, as I mentioned earlier I just got this..i'm assuming if you program it right you should be able to manipulate instrument cut-off and attack and what not.)
And I like how I didn't have to install any drivers to begin with, true plug n' play (except for the DirectLink Drivers which you download for your specific DAW). Along with Logic and a few Jam Packs, I'm good to go and have been using this baby nearly non-stop for 4 whole days, just took a break now to write this review and right a few wrongs with some reviewers trashing this amazing piece of hardware. MUST-BUY for anyone looking to start off with software-based music composition, and even the experts, if its only to play with the DirectLink functionality. 5/5 Stars !!

This controller is great. Takes up a lot of space, but it allows you to reach a lot of octaves. The controllers and knobs work great in FLStudio. I am very glad to have made this purchase.

Pros: Big, great FLStudio integration. Minimal setup required.

Con: Keys don't feel like a regular piano keys. They are lighter. The keyboard is also pretty big. Takes up a lot of desk space.

I purchased this product as an upgrade from a Korg nanokey. I started with the nanokey to see if MIDI boards would be something I would be interested in. I bought this as an upgrade and currently use it through both Reason and FL Studio. Both recognized the board automatically and was quick to setup. I am not a piano player, so I can't give to many comparisons as how it is compared to playing an actual piano, however it is responsive and easy enough to play. The sliders, buttons and knobs come in handy for controlling various aspects of a DAW and definitely help streamline music production. All construction is lightweight but durable. Very lightweight considering its size.
For its price This is a great MIDI board, however keep in mind that it doesn't come with any software; so I would suggest looking into a DAW or already have one before buying this board.