this is the M-Audio Hammer 88 Pro. it's the keyboard i was hoping M-Audio would make.
and they did it! it's a hammer action 88 key keyboard and daw controller that works with
so many DAWs including Ableton Live, FLStudio, Logic, Studio One, Reason, Cubase, Bitwig, Garageband,
Pro Tools, Reaper, and MPC Beats. Hit the like button if you heard your DAW!
i've already reviewed the 25 key version of the M-Audio Oxygen PRO line and i gave it high marks.
but this is even more special and it isn't just the keys. today i'm going to give you a tour
of the features the pros and the cons and i'll let you know if i think it's right for you. i'll
also compare two other 88 key MIDI controllers in this price range to help you make your decision.
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well. alright let's get to the exciting stuff first. the key feel. if you're a pianist you want keys
that feel good. a piano like. this keyboard feels great. the weight is slightly lighter than other
hammer action keyboards i've played. i tested it against the Native Instruments S88 Arturia Keylab
88 and keyboards by Korg and Yamaha this was the lightest. but it's also graded. which means the
lower keys are heavier than the higher keys. more like an acoustic piano. when playing, it felt good
but if you prefer heavier keys you may prefer other keyboards like the Arturia Keylab 88. still
this is a world of a difference compared to the semi-weighted keys on other models of the M-Audio
PRO line. and it's a huge jump from mini keyboards if that's what you're used to. you can just be more
expressive with this keyboard. now key feel aside this keyboard has the traditional red felt above
the keys. a nice true piano like look. in fact the premium look doesn't stop at the keyboard. this
is probably the most premium looking controller keyboard out there right now. let's talk about
the build quality. the build quality is very high. this looks and feels more like a digital piano but
remember this is a controller. the sides and front have a textured finish that feels high grade and
dare i say luxurious. i don't think i've used that word to describe a keyboard on my channel before.
the buttons and knobs feel okay. the quality is the same as the smaller keyboards in the Oxygen
PRO line. i wish they improved the quality a bit for the 88 key version to continue the premium
feel of the rest of the keyboard. the faders feel good and they sit on what feels like a metal top.
it continues the premium build quality of this keyboard. i think it's metal. it must be because
this keyboard is pretty heavy. by the way it comes with a sheet music stand which is nice to have.
alright the features! first and foremost this is a MIDI controller keyboard which means it doesn't
have internal sounds. you need to connect this to a computer to make full use of its best features.
so what can you do when you connect it with a computer? well one of the best features of
the Hammer 88 PRO is the DAW compatibility. this keyboard is compatible with more DAWs than any
other keyboard out there. and just like the other oxygen pro keyboards M-Audio got it right with the
Hammer 88. i tested this keyboard with Ableton Live, FL Studio, Logic PRO, Studio One and Reason
and the core controls worked really well. if you heard your DAW on this list i think you're going
to be happy. i had some issues with Ableton Live clip triggering which i couldn't get to work.
scene triggering worked fine though device control worked well in Ableton. but controlling instruments
and Logic didn't work for me hopefully some of these issues can be fixed through software updates.
some DAWs have more control than others but the core functions are covered by all play, stop, record
track, volume -things like that. and there are even shortcuts for save, quantize, view and undo for
certain DAWs. some DAWs will also give you control of pan and sends with the knobs. it's very rare
that a keyboard covers so many DAWs and from my tests this works pretty well. what's going to be
important is M-Audio support for DAWs as they get updated. it's really important for keyboard
manufacturers to maintain compatibility with DAWs over the years. by the way if you're looking for
a 49 or 61 key keyboard i've reviewed the best premium MIDI controllers out there right now and
you can watch that video here. alright! you've got knobs and faders on this keyboard. the knobs are
not endless encoders like so many other keyboards on the market today from Native Instruments,
Akai and Arturia. i do prefer endless encoders because the keyboard keeps track of where the
corresponding knob or fader is in your DAW but the Hammer 88 actually worked pretty well picking up
where my DAW's position left off. it's always nice to have faders on a keyboard so you can control
multiple tracks at the same time. Embody also allows you to control the included virtual
instruments with the knobs which is very innovative but the execution of this feature
wasn't optimal to control expand 2 for example you have to press the dot reset button and do
multiple other presses just to get the keyboard ready to control the instrument. it's a lot to
go through for virtual instrument control and i think some other keyboards handle this better.
the screen on the Hammer 88 PRO is useful but it's pretty small. kind of like the Arturia 88. for the
price i expect a larger screen to navigate all the features but you just get the most vital info. you
can navigate features. check out your arp, scale and chord settings and do a little bit more. you're not
going to be looking at this screen a lot but it definitely gives you some good information
on some more advanced functions. for around 250 dollars more though on the Native Instruments S88
you get large color screens which also give you excellent feedback from your DAW your tracks and
your instrument selection but of course the Native Instrument S88 doesn't include drum pads or
faders. now the screen on the M-Audio is actually useful when you start using performance features.
pressing shift and chord or scale or arp lets you access more options for those functions.
let's actually take a quick look at the scale, arp and chord features next. hey if you're writing
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your first year of membership! all right the Hammer 88 PRO performance features. first
they've included scale and chord features which are great if you're new to music theory. you turn
on chords set a scale and you'll have chords or a scale corresponding to that key. it's very useful.
set a scale and the M-Audio duplicates the correct notes.
the arc feature is pretty good and you have settings
for octave range movement, gate and swing too.
the Oxygen PRO keyboard also features a note repeat button which is super fun to
use for drums. the 'R' features are really nice when you connect this to a synth. speaking of
connection options, on the back of the keyboard you've got MIDI ins and outs, USB of course
and four pedal ports. there is an external power option which isn't included with a keyboard but
this thing actually runs off of USB power so you don't really need it. hey if you're enjoying this
video don't forget to hit the LIKE button and if you have a question leave it in the COMMENTs
below! so what else do you get with this keyboard? well software like the other Oxygen PRO keyboards
this one comes with PRO Tools First MPC Beats and Ableton Live Lite and they've included some nice
instruments from Air including Hybrid 3, Velvet, Mini Grand, Vacuum, Boom and DV33. they also throw
in a collection of sample expansion packs from Akai if you're starting out it's a pretty good
collection. so you heard me compare the M-Audio Hammer 88 PRO with the S88 from Native Instruments
and the Keylab 88 by Arturia already. as far as the key feel is concerned i think you'll be fine
with any one of these hammer action keyboards. when it comes to fully weighted hammer action
keys these three keyboards are the main contenders and the M-Audio is now the cheapest of the three.
a hundred dollars cheaper than the Arturia and $250 less than the Native Instruments. the
one thing that the Arturia, Native Instruments do better is integrate with their own software. with
Arturia you get tight integration with Arturia's analog lab software and their huge collection of
software synths and pianos. Native Instruments is fully integrated with the complete control
software which is especially great for browsing and choosing presets. if you want that sort of
integration you'll need to pay a little more to get it. Arturia also gives you some extra
connectivity with cv ports in the back of the Key Live 88. now if you don't need hammer action keys
you might get better DAW integration with Novation keyboards for Ableton or Nectar keyboards for FL
Studio users. consider that when making your choice. but i have a feeling you're here because you want
that piano like feel and M-Audio definitely delivers this. the Hammer 88 PRO is an excellent
choice if you want piano like keys and excellent DAW compatibility at a budget price. right now this
is as budget as it gets and i think you'll be happy with it. don't forget to SUBSCRIBE
and hit the LIKE button if you found this video useful. KEEP MAKING THE MUSIC YOU LOVE
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