MIDI Controller Keyboard! (M-Audio Oxygen8)

Member Name: cognition

Product:	M-Audio Oxygen8
Date:	04/11/08 (382 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 8 assignable knobs, transport keys, no audio interface needed

Disadvantages: a bit bulky and heavy considering it only has 25 keys

INTRODUCTION
The M-Audio Oxygen 8 is a MIDI controller Keyboard. The range is 2 octaves (25 keys). As the Oxygen isn't stricly a keyboard but more of a MIDI controller, it has no onboard sounds, and it has a bunch of buttons and knobs that can be assigned to control a range of MIDI parameters.

THE KEYS
This is a cheap keyboard, retailing around £50, and not surprisingly the keys feel cheap. They are on springs, and there is no aftertouch. However, they get the job done, and you can't expect anything better in this prince range.

CONNECTIVITY
-MIDI In (Normal MIDI port)
-C17 Sustain Pedal input
-Optional 12V DC input. Mains adapter is not included, and the unit will under normal circumstances run on USB power.
-MIDI Out over usb cable (included)
The keyboard connects directly to your computer over USB. This is also how MIDI signals are sent from the keyboard to the computer, so no MIDI interface is needed for using this unit. Driver files are needed for operation. These are included on a CD, but can also be downloaded from M-Audio's web site. There are drivers for both PC and MAC available.

DAW INTEGRATION
The M-Audio Oxygen 8 has 8 turnable knobs that can be assigned to anything, so in your Digital Audio Workstation, you could make the movement of a knob control an LFO filter on a software synth, or a low pass filter, or even the volume of an audio track. The keyboard also has transport controls: Play, Stop, Record, Fast Forward, Rewind and Loop/Repeat. I am personally a user of Cakewalk Sonar. All I need to do is choose the Oxygen controller preset that comes with Sonar, and the buttons will automatically respond as intended.

BOTTOMLINE
I have a bigger keyboard in my other home, which is not portable. I got the Oxygen because because I missed having a keyboard to play in this home. I deliberately got a tiny keyboard, as I have limited space, and I was assuming the keyboard would be small enough to easily be brought on the move. I was surprised by how bulky the item is, considering how few keys there are.The unit is 3.5" tall and 15.5" wide. In terms of weight it is also not particularly light. You can fit it in a backpack, but you will not have room for much more in there. So apart from not being as small and light as I was expecting, the Oxygen 8 really fits the bill for my needs. I do miss a wider range (more keys), and it feels limiting not to have the aftertouch that I am used to from my other keyboard. I think the Oxygen is probably fine for electronic music, but if you want to play proper piano pieces with both hands, you will run out of keys. All things considered, though, this is a £50 keyboard that has all the functions you need to take advanced control of your sounds. 2 octaves, a Pitch bend wheel, a Modulation wheel, Octave transpose button, 8 assignable knobs and transport controls. For this price you can't expect any better.

Summary: If you want a small, cheap keyboard that integrates smoothly into your DAW, this is it!