M-AUDIO Oxygen Pro 61 Key USB MIDI Keyboard Controller With Beat Pads, MIDI-assignable Knobs, Buttons and Faders, and Native Instruments Sound Package (NKS Integration)

So, I recently got my hands on the M-Audio Oxygen Pro 61, and it’s been a pretty solid addition to my setup. If you’re looking for a 61-key MIDI controller that won’t empty your wallet, this one’s definitely worth considering. First off, the keys are quite responsive. They’ve got that nice bounce that’s perfect for everything from smooth melodies to those epic solos you practice when no one’s watching. They feel good to play, whether you’re just messing around or working on a serious project. The drum pads are a highlight. There are eight RGB-backlit pads that are super responsive. They’re perfect for triggering samples or laying down beats. The visual feedback from the lights is a nice touch—it makes it easy to see what’s happening at a glance, which is great for both studio work and live jams. The control section is pretty user-friendly. You’ve got knobs, faders, and buttons that you can map out to your DAW or virtual instruments. The MIDI learn function is straightforward, so you can get everything set up quickly without a lot of fuss. Setting it up with my DAWs was a smooth process. Whether it was Ableton Live, Logic Pro, or FL Studio, everything synced up nicely without any headaches. It’s nice not to have to spend hours troubleshooting just to get started. Build-wise, the Oxygen Pro 61 feels solid. It’s not too heavy, so it’s easy to move around if you need to. It’s built well enough that it should hold up over time, which is always a plus. If I had to mention a couple of drawbacks, it’s worth noting that it doesn’t have aftertouch, which might be a miss for some players. And while the pitch and modulation wheels get the job done, they’re a bit basic. Nothing too major, though—just a little something to keep in mind. Overall, the M-Audio Oxygen Pro 61 is a great choice if you’re looking for a reliable, feature-rich MIDI controller that won’t break the bank. It’s a solid piece of gear for both beginners and more experienced musicians.

Pros: - Incredible value for the features offered - Superior build quality compared to the Arturia Keylab - Versatile and well-designed keyboard controller - Responsive and dynamic playing experience Cons: - Difficulty in pulling tempo from Logic - Cumbersome drum pad programming in Logic Summary: The M-Audio Oxygen Pro 61 keyboard delivers exceptional value and boasts better build quality compared to the Arturia Keylab. It offers a versatile and well-designed keyboard controller that enhances the playing experience. However, there are a couple of challenges that arise when working with Logic, specifically regarding tempo synchronization and drum pad programming. One significant advantage of the Oxygen Pro 61 is its remarkable value, providing an impressive range of features at an accessible price point. The build quality surpasses that of the Arturia Keylab, ensuring durability and longevity for extended use. The keyboard offers a responsive and dynamic playing experience, allowing musicians to express themselves with precision and accuracy. The keys are well-designed and provide a satisfying tactile feedback, enhancing overall performance. However, there are some hurdles when it comes to integrating the Oxygen Pro 61 with Logic. Pulling tempo from Logic can be a challenging task, which may require additional troubleshooting or configuration to achieve proper synchronization. This issue can potentially disrupt the workflow and hinder seamless collaboration between the keyboard and the DAW. Additionally, programming the drum pads in Logic can be a cumbersome process. It may involve navigating through complex menus and settings, which can be time-consuming and less user-friendly compared to other platforms or controllers. Despite these challenges, the M-Audio Oxygen Pro 61 keyboard remains a highly valuable and well-built controller that enhances the overall musical experience. While the tempo synchronization and drum pad programming in Logic may require extra effort and patience, the keyboard's performance and versatility make it a worthy choice for musicians and producers. TL;DR: The M-Audio Oxygen Pro 61 keyboard offers incredible value and superior build quality compared to the Arturia Keylab. It provides a versatile and well-designed keyboard controller with a responsive and dynamic playing experience. However, there are challenges when working with Logic, including difficulty in pulling tempo and cumbersome drum pad programming. Despite these issues, the Oxygen Pro 61 remains a valuable tool for musicians, offering impressive features and performance.

NOTE TO MAC SONOMA USERS!! You will have issues trying to install the software, as the software isn't updated for compatability with MAC OS, Sonoma; per their support site. I use it as a stand alone MIDI controller on a rig, the remainder of this review is from that perspective. It works stand alone, no computer required! Action is good enough, it works totally stand-alone, no computer needed to program or perform with. Has zone aftertouch, 4 MIDI zones and presets including program change commands, really pretty fully featured. It's not perfect and a bit quirky here and there, but it blows away the Novation controller I purchased a few months back. The presets take a few seconds to pull up and the pads need a latch/color latch, when used to send program change they don't stay lit. Common controllers are a bit clumsy to deal with (pitch, mod, etc. I would have given an honest 4.5 star rating if you could rate a 1/2 star increment. As a secondary board in a crazy rig, it plays well with everything. You shouldn't expect much from a $300 controller, but this board is not bad and is the only one I found that does what I need it to do; control several synth modules in a live performance; and I'm a bit snobbish with keyboards. It works well.

The keyboard itself is great Has great feel I dont use it sync up to daws the screen is to small the use fluidly also do not like the pads that keep flashing colors after a while its not cute i use mine with my akai mpc x or se

At first I was hesitant because I refused to pay 300 for a midi controller. I have a donner medo, novation launch key 37 mini mk4, mvave smk25ii and now this controller and the keys on this thing are amazing and the functionality is great... The keys are soft and super responsive with aftertouch(to my observation it's channel aftertouch). I see myself using less music theory tools and playing scales pretty comfortably. I was going to pick Arturia and the keylab essential since I have a mini freak and I love that thing but I found the oxygen pro 61 to be the best value for money right now in comparison to the competition like Arturia and novation... Nothing beats this keyboard in the price range not even novations mk4 offering at the same price. At the end of the day it is up to you and how you are going to spend your hard earned money and when the time comes to select a keyboard just put this one on your list for consideration

So for the price you actually get a solid well designed midi, DAW controller. The feel of the pads and keys are very comfortable to use. the knobs are easy and the setting are spot on with today's DAWs. So far no issues with Reaper, Mixcraft, BITWIG, MPC Beats. The case is solid and well designed. It is heavier than I expected but that is always a good feeling meaning you know the casing is not cheap. *** The Perfect choice for stand alone Groove Boxes 100% compatible with Roland Verselab MV-1 100% compatible with Akai Force. The main reason I purchased this is for the 2 groove boxes listed above. It is great having one controller able to control BOTH the Akai Force and the Roland MV-1 at the same time. It also supply power to the Roland Verselab The only downside to this controller is the ARP (arpeggiator). It is very limited. You have more ARPS on the groove boxes than you do with the built in ones on the M-Audio controller. Presets you can save such as octave, pitch bends, pads, tempo and more and recall them via your song. What a neat feature for use when using groove boxes only. If you need a solid controller for groove boxes this is the one! A+++ Absolutely recommend this controller.

I bought this to use in my home studio and it works great! Plug and play. Build quality was very nice, love the feel of the keys. Very nice design with plenty of mapable buttons, knobs and faders. Excellent piece!

Edit: I'm pretty frustrated when I get a digital tool and use it pretty moderately and it just completely flakes out. The small screen is now burned in so you can barely read what is on it and some of the controls seem to randomly send signal when not touched. For some reason this causes the keyboard to send pitch bend signals that I can not manage to stop, thus making this keyboard kind of an unusable piece of trash. I did download the application on mac to see if it would be some help in trying to disable flaky controls, but the application is inoperable and loads a white screen. I submitted a support ticket and never heard back. I think I'm probably done with m-audio. Reliability matters and it's the same reason I stopped buying line-6 gear. It doesn't matter how great the product is initially if it has a lifespan of a couple years of gentle use at best before it just quits. Original review: The keybed is great. For someone what wants enough weight for this to feel good for piano, but also be able to play rock organ and synths, it's a great fit. I had the Axiom Pro before this and the keybed feels very similar. The controls all feel great-- the sliders much better than the Axiom pro was for organ. I'm using this for Mainstage and my only challenge so far has been the set of buttons under the sliders. There's some way to set them to "midi" mode, but I can't figure it out yet. If you do get it there, you'll have to set it each time you turn on the keyboard since it doesn't save which mode you're on. That said, if you put them in one of the other modes, they are still sending a midi signal, so you can just set them to "solo" mode and then map those midi signals to your Mainstage buttons. If you do get this- I found the perfect case. It's a little random, but normal 61 key cases are just too big. I found that if you search for double rifle cases, the size is perfect. I got one by a company called "Savior" that is very rugged and has great pockets for a good price.