M-Audio Axiom Pro 61 USB MIDI Keyboard with HyperControl

Axiom Pro 61 - the perfect companion to Logic Studio

My initial feeling for this keyboard was cautious, as the first one I received had a dead key after only a day or so of usage. Dolphin Music\'s first class customer service though resolved the problem immediately and arranged for a swap around, so I was soon back with the Axiom Pro 61 and ready to connect it to my iMac running Logic 8 studio.

First impressions unpacking the keyboard were very good. The keyboard feels reassuringly heavy and well made, the controls seem to feel that they should last many years of use. As I pointed out earlier, this was my second model as the first developed a dead key after just a few days of use, but I guess that I was just unlucky! I quickly unpacked the axiom, installed the hypercontrol drivers for Logic and plugged in the USB cable. Turning on the keyboard I was greeted by the backlit blue on white LCD display showing software version number and then a general midi patch with onscreen sliders. The display is very clear and easy to read from a wide angle, unlike some other keyboards I have owned with colour screens. Although there is no contrast control, I have no issues with the screen. I prefer the white text on blue screen though so I quickly changed that setting in main menu. I was immediately pleased at how easy the keyboard was to use, despite having not even opened the manual! Perhaps though the most amazing surprise was when Logic Studio started up and I opened a previous song I had been working on. The display immediately reflected the settings of my track and I was able to change tracks, control the transport (play, stop, rewind etc) and adjust the mixer... without having to set any maps up or delve into menus! Opening up one of Logic\'s plug in synths the display of the Axiom immediately reflected the controls and I was able to tweak filters, resonance and just about everything from the keyboard\'s knobs! Awesome! If you prefer to use the sliders for voice tweaking, a setting on the keyboard enables you to swap around the functions of the sliders and knobs, with one set of controls adjusting synth or effect parameters and the other controls adjusting levels.
Very soon I was feeling at home with the Axiom, able to interact with Logic without having to resort to mouse and computer keyboard. The controls of the axiom felt very responsive, I particularly liked the infinite rotating knobs which means whatever the existing setting is of a parameter, you can touch the knob and adjust it as if the knob was already at that position. The sliders have a similar feature except they have a sort of clutch which prevents parameters from suddenly jumping to the new slider position. Instead when you move a slider, the onscreen display of the axiom shows where the existing value of the parameter that you are adjusting is and it waits for you to move the slider to that position before the parameter changes.
My previous keyboard controller had a synth action and so playing piano parts felt somewhat expressionless. The Axiom Pro 61 has a semi weighted more piano like keyboard, it feels more like a piano but still offers a light enough synth action for quicker parts. It feels much better quality than other controllers I have used and I particularly welcome the aftertouch which enables you to press the keys at the bottom of their travel to provide an additional pressure control to sounds.
The Axiom 61 also features drum pads, these are just great for not only programming percussion parts (they are big enough to use two fingers for flams and conga patterns), but you can use them to trigger just about anything midi! A particularly neat feature of the axiom pro is that you can set them to either velocity or pressure sensitive, and there are a number of different velocity and pressure curves available.
Above the pitch bend and modulation wheels are two large data +/- switches. By default these can be used to shift octave up and down, or by pressing twice you can transpose. Above these is a numeric keypad that is fully programmable, for example using the preset patch 14 you get a set of 12 shortcuts for Logic Pro for saving project, undo, toggling metronome, quantizing and so on... but of course you can change these to whatever you please.

The keyboard has both a sustain pedal and expression pedal input, USB and standard MIDI 5 pin din IN and OUT sockets. You can use it without a computer via MIDI but that requires an additional DC power supply which is not included.

Having now played the Axiom pro 61 for a few weeks, I am very pleased with the quality and flexibility of this controller and would recommend it most highly as an integrated controller for popular Digital Audio Workstations. I only wished they did a 72 note version!
The Axiom Pro 61 is considerably more expensive than most 61 note controller keyboards, but given the time it saves in mapping directly to all your effect and instrument plug in\'s in your DAW, not to mention the high quality semi weighted keys with aftertouch, quality slider and rotary encoders, pressure and velocity pads, you get what you pay for.

I would have liked to have seen a full printed instruction manual included, I\'m not a fan of electronic manuals on CD\'s and ended up having to print and bind my own copy for reference. I also felt that the LCD display could be slightly larger, it\'s not that it is too small (size is 7cm by 3.5cm viewable area) but some of the information can appear a bit cramped and the abbreviations are not always easy to understand. It would also be nice if there was some sort of user programmable sleep mode on the display, as this would avoid me from having to switch off the keyboard to prolong the backlight (though it might be that its LED\'s).
Overall then if you are a Logic, Pro Tools or Cubase user (or indeed any of the DAW\'s that the axiom supports) then you should seriously consider the Axiom Pro 61 if you are shopping for a controller keyboard. The Hypercontrol technology gives you immediate control over plug ins, mixer panel and voices without having to spend hours and hours programming. The transport controls on the keyboard are just great and save you having to take your hands aways from the keys and control your computer by mouse or computer keyboard. 10 Stars!