Customer Reviews

M-Audio Pro Tools Keystudio

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

 

 

What you see is not what you get! The last 3 pictures under the "See larger image and other views" are not what Amazon sends. These are pictures of the KeyStudio 49i a better M-Audio KeyStudio product with far more features than what is sent. My fault is with Amazon and giving the impression of sending the 49i. So until this false advertising is corrected the product gets a low rating.

This is an excellent USB keyboard. It works great with Win XP x86. It claims to be compatable with Vista but does not work with Vista. It does not work with XP 64 bit, Vista Ultimate, Windows 7 64bit ultimate. I never used the software tools that came with it. I used my own notation software called Encore 5. It has done an excellent job so far.

*System RequirementsIntel® or AMD processor 1.8GHz; Windows XP (SP3), Vista (32- or 64-bit) or Mac OS X 10.5.5; 1GB RAM; 4GB hard drive space; 2 USB ports; DVD-ROM drive*

I just recently purchased this keyboard with the Pro Tools M-Powered Essential software for my son who is wanting to expand his musical expertise but needed something that wasn't too large and complicated but accomplished the ability to compose music. Plugging it directly in to my Mac and using it with GarageBand was a breeze. No installation of software necessary. However, trying to get the Pro Tools M-Powered Essential software to work on my son's laptop with a 32 bit Windows Vista Home Edition was 4 hours of unnecessary time spent. When I launched the software it wouldn't recognize the keyboard. I have over 18 years of working with and configuring non-linear edit systems on both Macs and PC's and I still couldn't get the software to recognize the keyboard. Digging deeper on M-Audio/Pro Tools support site they mentioned that the error message that I received was because I didn't have a compatible keyboard. I must admit that I chuckled a bit at that. I then began to search for software that would meet my son's expectations and that was close to the GarageBand software. What I ended up finding was a software package called Mixcraft 5 from Acoustica. So the only software I am using are the latest drivers from M-Audio and Mixcraft 5 instantly recognized the keyboard. I had to make only one minor tweak to the preferences regarding the midi connection and it was up and running. There is also a video on Youtube that goes over the features of the product which was helpful. The application can be downloaded for a 14 day trial and has all the features intact up until the time that it expires so it was worth a try. The app is 75 dollars but worth it as it is definitely easy to use, very powerful, and a lot less expensive then the other midi applications on the market with similar functionality. My son really enjoys using the keyboard and the Mixcraft software together and has been playing non-stop.

I will be brief- the M-AUDIO PRO TOOLS KEYSTUDIO seems to be a fine introduction to the world of desktop composing and recording. The keyboard itself is more than acceptable with a nice feel along with entry level appearance and performance. Translation- it looks, feels and is plastic. Sound depends, of course upon the gear actually producing and recording sound. This device is nothing more than a keyboard that does what a keyboard should- enter data. It does feature the wonderful plug and play inherant to most USB devices.

The heart of this package is the M-Audio software package. This is the interface that actually turns a computer into a multi-track audio center. Unfortuanatley, I have a Macintosh that is running on the latest version of "Snow Leopard" (vs 10.6.4) M-Audio, as the nice Indian man on the other side of the world told me, is not yet compatable with this OS system. On a more optimistic note, I am told that "they are working on it".

In the meantime, I have my old standby, Apple Garage Band. This USB device works just fine with this program and was most impressive in it's ability to create BIG sounding instruments.

I cannot yet comment on this product in detail as it will not work on an up-to-date Mac. As such, that one fact makes it pretty much a dissapointment. But for $100, even when limited to GARAGE BAND, this product will open your mind and expand your musical horizons well past the limitations of stand alone keyboard synthesisers. After all is said and done, I decided that this was a keeper.

i want to say that the keyboard is great,its the only thing that works with my pc ,however the dvd rom doesnt work with my pc so the midi interface wont work either. ive called m-audio(pro tool) and they said that i would have to return the product to amazon and get a refund. the only thing that i m really mad about is that the keyboard on the website is not the same one that you get. the keys on the picture is the better one . i feel that was wrong that amazon sold me a cheap model

Great item, but the Pro-Tools software disc did not contain any virtual instruments.... where are they? The Structure Essential and the Structure Quickstart folders are empty.

This is a great midi keyboard for anyone trying to get into digital music production, I like the sleek form factor and the keys and buttons feel great. The keyboard is plug and play, there is no need to install any additional drivers just plug it in and open Pro Tools or your Digital Audio Workstation of choice and you should be good to go. I was already using Pro Tools M-Powered Essential on a Vista 64 Bit system when I got this and it worked as advertised. Being able to play the virtual instruments included in Pro Tools with a keyboard has made the entire production process much easier and much more fun.

I like the Pro tools software and it runs smoothly on my system. I never feel like the software is holding me back, whatever I can think of, I feel I can create. With that being said, it is not the full version of pro tools. It is more like a lite version, designed to introduce you to the brand and eventually persuade you to upgrade. I would recommend this package to any aspiring digital musician, even if you decide you don't like the software, the hardware can be used with almost any DAW and so the purchase still retains its value.

Great keyboard, but, sadly, the critical software will not install on Vista! Despite the claim that it has been remedied. CB