A great keyboard for a fantastic price!

I purchased this keyboard seven months ago for use with Reason 3.0 and ProTools 7, mainly for easy access of piano sounds and pads. It has served my purposes wonderfully. The keys feel great for a budget keyboard - they beat the plastic-y M-Audio keys by a long shot. Go try out both; see what you think. The knobs and wheels feel good, but the buttons feel a little cheap and wobbly. This keyboard also comes with software by E-Mu, which I haven't been able to take advantage of as a Mac user. For the price, though, this is a non-issue. I have used this both in home-studio and live (running through Reason) situations, and it has performed satisfactorily. A great value in the keyboard world.

Reviewed by coolwhip on 10/20/2006 who plays Folk/Alternative Rock.

E-MU XBoard 49 key controller

The XBoard controller is used in my home studio. The primary reason for purchasing was the size and USB power. It sits under my computer desk on a slide out tray normally used for the computer keyboard. So it is out of the way until needed. The keys have a good feel, but are a little 'springy'. The Velocity sensing is very hard to get consistent. However, since I always extensively modify any MIDI performances in software this is not a problem. The 16 CC faders work well, but because of their position and size are difficult to use in real time. However they work well with 'MIDI Learn' features of all of the software that features this. The controls for sending patches, changing channels, etc. are reasonable but take time to operate. Especially when you have to use some of the piano keys to key in parameters. Portability is a big plus with this keyboard because it is powered by USB and also works with my Notebook computer really well. When used with ASIO4ALL, the latency is nearly instantaneous. Power is also optionally with batteries, so this keyboard can also work standalone. My Keyboard came with some EMU ProteusX LE software that I have been using extensively. Especially the Protean Drums set of samples that were offered as a bonus - hundreds of drum kits, of which many are very realistic and can be tweaked to your satisfaction. Overall, this keyboard has never faltered or caused problems (5 months) and I have used it daily, so it is very valuable to me and because of its fit into my studio, it is a gem. Some of the results can be found at johnnypumphandle.com

Reviewed by Johnny Pumphandle on 10/10/2006 who plays many different genre.

Step up from the xboard 25

I purchased this unit because I was so impressed by the xboard 25. The unit hase the same quality as the xboard 25 yet it has more keys! The unit is sturdy, and the unit is a snap to use. The full size keys are great especialy if you have large fingers. The software included is easy to install and even easier to use.The Proteous X LE sound module is fantastic. The unit even has Ableton Lite 4 for E-MU. I use this with a PC and I have to tell you I am very impressed wtih the units performance!

Reviewed by Fuzzball on 9/26/2006 who plays all.

Great controller, even better price

I purchased the E-MU Xboard 49 USB/MIDI controller as the master keyboard for my PC-MIDI setup, and it has been everything I wanted and more. The 49 light-weighted keys, pitch and mod wheels, and the 16 rotary knobs are all great features of this compact and flexible USB/MIDI controller. I used to use it to control instruments in Propellerhead's Reason 3.0, and other soft synths, and now I find myself using it much more with the rest of my keyboard rig, controlling the same soft synths, and my stage piano. The XBoard 49 is an extremely easy to learn controller; it only took about an hour and a half of playing around to figure out how to control my soft synths, and edit parameters with the onboard controls. For any computer musician who is on a budget, I would recommend you check out the E-MU XBoard 49 USB/MIDI controller, and perhaps you will enjoy using it as much as I have.

Reviewed by Dan on 8/30/2006 who plays Progressive Metal.

This keyboard works well and also comes with E-Mu's ProteusX softsynth. The velocity is a bit touchy, but there are several different velocity curves to choose from, and this helps a lot. The buttons sometimes rattle when you play, which you may find annoying if playing at low volumes.

Reviewed by NoBrainer on 10/26/2006