WORLD OF MUSIC ; PORTABLE KEYBOARD » M-Audio KEYSTUDIO 49I Keyboard-based Music Production System

The M-Audio KeyStudio 49i USB Keyboard Controller is a 49-note touch sensitive keyboard. The KeyStudio 49i is the first USB keyboard controller to incorporates 2-in/2-out integral audio interface and on-board stereo-sampled Steinway grand piano sound with 20-note polyphony, features a user-friendly and all-in-one music making solution., the M-Audio GM sound module provides you a total 128 instruments sounds from synths, bass, drums, flute, sax and many more right at your fingertips.

When designing the KeyStudio 49i keyboard, M-Audio engineers focused on songwriters need by combining everything songwriters need in a single, easy-to-use package so that technology is transparent to the creative process. Users can play the on-board piano as a stand-alone instrument with no computer or software required. In addition, users can also connect the KeyStudio 49i keyboard to a PC or Mac via USB. Musicians can record vocals and instruments as well as listen to sessions and mixes from the audio outs or headphone jacks. The feature set and compact form factor make it also ideal for classrooms. The audio interface is compatible with Pro Tools M-Powered, delivering seamless integration with industry-standard music production software. These make the M-Audio KeyStudio 49i a complete solution for songwriting and education applications that also allows for easy expansion in the future.

The M-audio KeyStudio 49i is a powerful midi controller. Although the keys are not weighted, this instrument responds expressively to subtleties in your playing. The on-board grand piano sounds are superb and the sound module has very good sounds and much better than sample from keyboards twice the price. The M-Audio KeyStudio 49i downside is that it has only 49-keys instead of the 88-keys but, if you can handle the octave buttons well then you can change your octave with just a push of the button. The portable keyboard is a perfect companion to Garageband.