CME XKEY AIR 25 Electronic Keyboard

Product Information

Also if you’re like me with a few retro sound modules, the option of being able to plug in a MIDI cable is another huge bonus. Although I don’t find myself using much aftertouch expressions when producing in the studio, aftertouch expression functions will be a godsend for stage performers. The entire travel length of the low-profile keys, however, is only 3mm or so, and although the Xkey supports the full 128-step MIDI velocity scale, it is not easy to be expressively precise in exploiting it. I like the at-your-fingertips interface of the iPad, as well as the affordability and stability of the many great-sounding synths available for it.

You can turn on the Xkey air, unlock your iPad, and utilize the hundreds upon hundreds of amazing music apps and have some truly incredible sounds at your fingertips. In the end though, playing keyboards is subjective, so trying out as many as you can would probably be the best bet. As someone who’s been in the business for 30 years you occasionally see an exciting new product that you know straight away is a gamechanger.The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products.

I tried my way through all of the smaller controllers with 37 keys available at the time, and the Korg Microkey was just be far the most playable.This significantly changes the feel from a normal pivoted key, but is probably easier to adapt to than small keys with the wrong spacing, or squishy pressure pads.

The fact that a keyboard can be so compact and yet still have full sized keys makes it perfect for practicing tough riffs in the hotel room, or simply composing with a low profile. The Xkey models are unusual not only in their keyboard design, but also in that they transmit polyphonic aftertouch (poly pressure) MIDI messages.Bill Cheney and Jim Romney are the men responsible for keeping the amazing legacy of Spectra Sonics, a legendary, if criminally unheralded, pro-audio company alive. Great care has been taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of this article but neither Sound On Sound Limited nor the publishers can be held responsible for its contents.