Just purchased this controller to work with the Reason 3.0 Demo.

And even though I am new to music production I really think that this controller is making it a lot simpler for me.

Its totally plug and play on Mac OSX 10.4.8 and works with Reason like a dream as there is already a built in scene.

But the best part is the 9 part LCD display that feeds back exactly what rack unit you are using, the parameter settings, its just so nice to have this feedback that you don't really get on controllers of this price.

Its early days yet and I've barely scratched the surface of its abilities, even now I know I made an excellent choice and is so well built I will be with me for a long time yet.

After buying the Korg Microkontrol from Dolphin Music, receiving it and getting it out of the box, I was very impressed by the appearance of the keyboard. Brushed alluminium and a very rugged feel make this keyboard seem a winner. However, the keys take a little getting used to as they are rather small. Not a problem any more for me. I use this with Reason 3.0 and in "Native Mode" the Mircokontrol comes into its own, with track names automatically being sent to the beautiful LCD displays. I found this particulalry useful as it meant I knew what each encoder or slider was going to affect before moving it. The 16 trigger pads work well but need some breaking in. They are more suited to triggering samples in programs such as Live as opposed to playing drum patterns on, as they are only velocity sensitive and not pressure sensitive. However, for the price of the keyboard what would you expect. You get much more than you pay for with the Microkontrol. More assignable controllers than you would ever really need for small time music production, and a rugged portable keyboard.

The only reason I gave this an 8 instead of a 9 or 10, would have to be the feel of the encoders and sliders. They feel cheap and sometimes wobble, however, if you treat them with respect and use them gently, they should last long enough.