Audio Science

In my previous review of the M-Audio Keystation Pro88, I mentioned that I picked up a Keystation 88es for light gigging use. I thought it would warrant a review, so I’ll just cover a few points about it.

Why get the 88es?

The Keystation 88es is ideal for a number of uses, but basically it is great for pianist-types needing all 88 keys, but in a very light package, with enough functionality to get by. The 88es weighs only 22 pounds, feeling like a feather in comparison with usual small keyboards, yet it has decent semi-weighted key action. Its action is superb for organ emulations and other originally plastic-ey electric pianos. The price is quite reasonable, readily available just about anywhere for $200. You can pick it up new or used for even less on eBay.

Key Impressions

The feel is not amazing, and at times strikes one to be a bit “springy”, but it does get the job done well enough for something so light - and thin. If it’s not too noticeable in the picture, this controller is extremely thin, making no bones about chopping off the back of the keyboard just less than 2 inches from the ends of the full-size keys. In person, it is quite noticeably thin. It occupies only half of any stand I put it on.

The keybed and body of the 88es are supposedly the same as in M-Audio’s ProKeys 88sx “lite” 88-key stage piano, but the weight on the little ProKeys is somehow five pounds lighter at 17 lbs.

The full-size ProKeys corresponds similarly to the Keystation Pro 88, with the same keybed and body, although in black. The sound quality of the full-size ProKeys 88 is better than the lightweight 88sx, as well as featuring more sounds, an effects section, and much, much more functionality.

The silver finish looks fine, but of course with the controller’s light weight, one is not rewarded with much of any sense of solidity or stability. Tapping on it produces a hollow kind of sound. Despite the slight tactile inadequacy and lacking aesthetic substantiality, the unit is quite sturdy, and stands up to drops, heavy playing, and button-mashing well. The buttons are the same as the rest on M-Audio’s other controllers, and the single master volume fader, set to the standard “Master Volume” MIDI CC# (effectively controlling the master volume of even my SysEx language Akai S5000), has a fairly adequate glide and construction to it, even though the widget on the fader sticks out a little conspicuously. You can also assign the fader to any MIDI CC#.

The pitch bend and modulation wheels are the same as on the Keystation Pro88, and actually I forgot to cover these in the last review. The pitch bend has a good resistance to it, but not overly so, and has a very firm middle point, which thankfully hits MIDI middle value 64 every time. If it didn’t, that would mean it’d be out-of tune at the neutral point (!), but these controllers cover that well.
The modulation wheel has a very fast glide to it, with almost no resistance whatsoever. I feel that it could use more resistance to it, but it is quite easy to tweak, and most mod-riders will probably appreciate that.

Programming In the Dark

The strangest part of this controller would really have to be the way it’s programmed. It only has octave + and - buttons, and… one button reading “Advanced Functions”. Now what on earth does that do? I was curious, so I delved into the manual and checked it out. Basically, when you hit that button, all 88 keys open up as function buttons of their own, but there’s no user feedback! The system is very intricate, but you have to memorize what each key does. Now I’m sure it may be easy for some, but honestly I don’t go anywhere near those functions.

For example: you hit one key to tell it to set Key Split No. 1, and then hit the lowest and highest notes to set the range for that split. You then can enter the channel you want that split to transmit on. Other functions are edited with the aid of the octave + and - buttons as increment and deciment modifiers.

I know if I had to I probably would use it, but it just seems too skimpy to me. They could have put a tiny screen and a couple more buttons on the thing, and you’d be able to do what you need to, but I guess they figured that advanced functions wouldn’t be needed enough to justify the cost. Maybe they were right, I’m not sure.

You can get easier control over the keyboard by using the Enigma librarian software with USB to the controller, which would be the easiest way to open up its full functionality.

Spec Details

Like the Keystation Pro88, the 88es sends out via either a MIDI port or USB - the USB is very convenient for computer use because you can just get a hub and plug in as many USB controllers as you want without a MIDI interface. In fact, another interesting buried feature of this keyboard is that it has a built-in MIDI interface - the MIDI out port will send MIDI out from a computer connected via USB.

Again like its larger counterpart, it can be powered by a 9v DC power supply or by USB. It has a standard sustain pedal input and expression (volume) pedal input.

The USB is OSX and MinXP class compliant, but likely may not work with Vista. You may want to look into that if you are using Vista and plan to plug in with USB a lot.

Conclusion

I got this keyboard for light backup use, and it has served very well in that role. In most situations I wouldn’t recommend making it your main controller even if you aren’t a pianist - get something with aftertouch and slightly more decisive feel. However, as a secondary controller it serves well - for instance, I am using it in a double-tiered setup right now, and its low profile and light weight complement my main controller well. Though there are drawbacks to using a lightweight MIDI controller, the advantages of using it as a secondary or backup controller are many. I would recommend the 88es as a viable option for anyone looking for a lightweight, basic MIDI controller with good semi-weighted action.

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