M-Audio Oxygen 8 v2

James
April 11, 2009

Rating: 9/10

I wanted something that was affordable, portable and easy to use with Reason. Set-up was easy, I downloaded a Reason set-up patch that I found on the M-Audio home site. Works perfectly... I\\\'ve done nothing particularly advanced with the Oxygen 8, but I don\\\'t need to.

Service from Dolphin Music was excellent with fast delivery.

Sheryl Fisher
September 13, 2008

Rating: 1/10

I purchased an M-Audio Oxygen 8v2 here in Baltimore and have had nothing but
problems. The Ableton really sucks and I wonder why they are pushing Ableton.
The tech person at M-Audio told me to try Music Creator by Cakewalk with my
system and maybe it would help. I purchased Music Creator and was able to get the sound to come out (previously no sound would come out with Ableton), but when I would exit the program and come back to Cakewalk, there would be no sound from a saved file previously recorded. I have changed settings and even upgraded my computer. The store would not take the product back, and I have decided to make life easier on myself by buying no more M-Audio products. It is difficult to get into their tech support as they keep you holding on the line. The experience was confusing and frustratng. I wondered if my package had been tampered with because the box said Ableton Live Lite 4 on the box while inside was Live Lite 6. I also wondered if my drivers needed upgrading. When I went to their website the upgrading page said \"Access Denied.\" I think if people started boycotting computer products and companies that give us nightmares, the companies would be more willing to make products and software that synchronize (too much expansion too soon due to greed and mismanagement) and work more efficiently for people. They make these products quickly for money\'s sake and don\'t care whether you have problems, and it has worsened over the years. I will not buy any more M-Audio products. This was not a plug and play product, right out of the box product for me. Right now I\'m stuck with a product I can\'t use that could have been thought out a lot longer before its release. I will buy another product from a different company which will make my life easier.

Carlo
June 22, 2008

Rating: 10/10

sorry, my english is poor

this product is useful to learn the music midi

good price
and
very fast shipping! (Italy)

thanks

Matilda SM
January 3, 2008

Rating: 8/10

I got this controller because I wanted something along the lines of a synth but the idea of being able to make as many sounds as there are plugins rather than the set number on a synth was very tempting, so i opted for a midi controller instead. I\'m a novice in making computer music but i\'m computer literate. The main pro of this product is the price, it was the cheapest controller i could find with good reviews.

I\'ve had it for a couple of weeks and the actual product is pretty good, but i\'ve had various problems with software and controlling some of the features. For example there is very little literature (unless i missed out on a full manual?) that comes with the controller to tell you what the hell the Advanced button means etc, though the main buttons are self-explanatory. It\'s not very intuitive to a beginner like me and I\'m sure there are a few features I\'m not using because I don\'t know what they are. The Enigma software library recommended by the controller but not included, is useless because I haven\'t worked out what it is further than something to do with settings. Again very few support materials.

I recommend joining this site: http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/M-Audio_Enigma/ as it has many tutorials relating to not only the Enigma software but using the controller with a number of programmes and presets of the programmes are available to download.

A few niggling issues:
- You have to remember to plug in the keyboard before opening the programme otherwise it doesn\'t recognise it.
- I went through several programme demos trying to get something that worked for me and in the end settled with Fruityloops. The presets work to different exents with different programmes.
- The Ableton Live Lite serial number included expired after about two weeks, so to use the controller properly you have to pay for a decent programme, which I (naively) hadn\'t realised before.

Overall once you get it working an excellent product, the main controls are fairly self-explanatory, but i wouldn\'t recommend it to complete novices, at least be prepared to fiddle around for a bit until you get it working.

Pros:
Price
Main features do what they say on the tin
Main features compatible with all the programmes I tried.
Product feels pretty sturdy, controller knobs are responsive etc
Perfect for a beginner once working.

Cons:
Not intuitive
Lack of support materials


Not a direct con of the product, but buying this or indeed any controller means you\'ll need to buy other equipment to get the full benifit, ie a better soundcard (latency is an issue with some programmes) and a music creation programme, so if you are a novice research these before buying a controller.

Chris Skilton
November 28, 2007

Rating: 10/10

Blinding product. I purchased this for my brother, when it arrived he came to me with the problem of the knobs not being assignable to the different functions in Reason. After a quick trial and error there was instructions as to fixing this issue. Switched the Oxygen 8 v2 to the 'new version' in the manual MIDI controller setup on Reason and we were away. The Knobs have good physical resistance and respond very well to little changes. The easy to use octave change buttons made it simple to create sounds well out of the 2 octave visible range of keys. The physical layout and quality of manufacture is outstanding. It feels sturdy and the rubber feel to the buttons gives reassurance that they wont fall off if you keep it upside down in a bag. Very simple to understand. A great size. Tried with Cubase and Reason and got great results with both. An ideal tool for the beginner or advanced user for the home studio or live use environment.

Ollie Laslett
September 8, 2007

Rating: 9/10

This is the best piece of Midi equipment I have ever seen at this price. I used it with reason 2 for my GCSE music and it was fantastic! Now I have it at home and stil using an older version of reason, however it is still very effective. I use the shortcuts on the controller all the time (especially the play and pause button e.t.c)
I am just about to start A levels and I am going to be taking it in to college because I find it even better than the ones at college.
I would definatley reccomend this to anyone, either proffesional or a student like me. Infact if your a student with some money floating around, GET ONE!!! It will transform your MIDI Life!!!!!

Just all round excellent value for money and such great response and flexibility. Combine it with any sequencer! (If its to small for you then get a bigger Oxygen because they are all amazing)
9/10 because you never know, there might be one out there that is better, but good luck finding that! This is the BEST
I actually use this for everything I do, you won't need another controller for a while after you have bought this. This leaves the other contollers in its dirt.
---CARLSBERG DON'T MAKE MIDI CONTROLLERS, BUT IF THEY DID IT WOULD BE THIS---

Saul
July 30, 2007

Rating: 8/10

First off, I will talk about the shape and size of the Oxygen 8v2. Obviously, it is not an ideal keyboard for a studio, but it is a very good \'second\' keyboard, just say if you are travelling around alot, it is very portable unlike a bigger version of this keyboard. It is only 25 keys, so it is most suitable for people producing bass lines and other samples. This keyboard is compatible almost every computer-music program around. I use it with Cubase SX3, and the great thing about this is you can just plug in the USB (which is supplied and this can power it) and play. You can use enigma editor, but to be honest I never did. The keyboard also has pitch bend and a mod wheel, with 8 assignable controller knobs and transport controls, which makes it easier for people who are going to be playing live. You have to assign these, but you can find out how to do this on M-AUDIOs official site.

So that is it really! It is small and has a few limited functions, but you can\'t go wrong for the price it is. Very portable and very suitable for beginners. I have had mine for about 6 months and no problems have occured what so ever!

9/10 for me

Daniel Mulhall
May 8, 2007

Rating: 10/10

Mine will be a somewhat small summary....The Keyboard is dope....does what i need, arrived fast works a treat and the beats are firing out...thanks to M-audio for producing another awesome piece of equipment and thanks to dolphin for supplying it!


Thanks


Peace

Rob Pugsley
March 16, 2006

Rating: 7/10

The Oxygen 8 doubles as a 25-note keyboard and a multi-assignable MIDI controller. The price of the new v2 model (roughly £100) is about £20 dearer than its predecessor but it is still quite reasonable and is clearly aimed at the entry-level end of the MIDI input device market.

Installation of the device is straightforward enough on the PC (sorry –not tested on Mac). The setup disk contains a Full Guide but for some reason it only installs the Quick Guide onto the PC. As the product is aimed at beginners it seems odd that the setup program chooses not to install it with the other files for easy access.

Physically the v2 has benefited from an image overhaul. The keys are bigger than before. The LED is much larger and much clearer. The silver casing feels sturdier and is more expensive looking. Overall it physically feels like a much better and more expensive piece of kit than the v1.

It was easy enough for a layman (me) to get an even spread of velocity notes ranging from 4 all the way up to 127 with regular intervals of between about 4 and 8. Device latency seems very good, or at least good enough for a beginner.

The v2 retains the 8 assignable MIDI knobs from the v1 and they are still very easy to program and adjust. The Pitch Bend and Modulation wheels have been made smaller but feel smoother. It is however missing the Data Entry slider that the V1 model carried and it suffers for this as the slider was a simple and effective way of adjusting the volume ‘on the fly.’

Rather impressively the v2 has added a bank of Transporter keys.
Rather unimpressively it is not simple to get this to work with programs such as Reason or Cubase, although it is possible. However the guides that are provided are not straightforward and it would have made more sense for M-Audio to provide a guide that supplemented the knowledge of a beginner.

In conclusion, apart from a few niggles, the Oxygen 8 v2 is a very good bit of kit, and there have been several improvements on the, already excellent, v1. However if it does have an Achilles heel it is the lack of common sense that M-Audio have applied to providing support for it’s likely customers.

For:
Price
Keyboard and MIDI controller in one
8 MIDI assignable knobs
Transporter keys
Sturdier/better designed/better laid out………than predecessor

Against:
Poorly aimed user guide / support literature
Missing data entry slider found on V1