This is the M-Audio Oxygen PRO25. It also comes in other sizes including a mini version which
is only $119 and 49 and 61 key versions. This keyboard aims to do a lot including
giving you hands-on control of Ableton Live, FL Studio, Logic, Studio One, Reaper, PRO Tools,
Cubase, Garageband and more! And while I do have a couple of things to complain about
I think they've delivered a lot. So does it live up to the hype and is it right for you? And how does
it compare to other keyboards at this price? You'll find out in this video. If you're new around here
I'm Sanjay C. I've got lots of videos about music production and the latest music and budget gear on
my channel. Consider subscribing if you haven't already. I always get to the good stuff first
in my tutorials and reviews. Shout out to zZounds for helping me get this keyboard! If you caught
my Black Friday video, you'll know that zZounds has some of the best deals on gear these days,
not sponsored, just saying. If you want to get this M-Audio keyboard you'll
find links in the video description to the best prices on zZounds, Sweetwater and
Amazon. Alright, first of all I'm going to be demo-ing the features on the 25 key version
which has full size semi-weighted keys with after touch, just like the 49 and 61 key versions.
The mini version has mini keys without aftertouch
but the mini version has 32 keys which I love. I always find that 25 keys are a little too few
but with the 25 key version you also get more pads if you move up to the larger 49 or
61 key versions you get more knobs and faders. Slightly different button layouts if you want
full size keys. My advice is to go for the 49 key version at least is it worth it for the keys. Yes I
really like the feel of the full size keys on the 25, 49 and 61 key versions of this keyboard.
The key feel exceeded my expectations at this price range. This is one of two winning features on
this keyboard. I'll get to the other one a little later. The keys are semi-weighted so don't expect a
piano like feel but still the touch is comfortable, playable and no annoying springy sounds, I've
complained about the springy sound of the keys on the Nectar keyboards but these are quiet
and premium. So how's the build quality overall? Well it's good. The knobs feel decent, the buttons
and faders feel fine, the buttons do have a loud clicky sound when you press them, I don't like
this but some of you prefer the click. The screen is bright and useful, the pads feel
good and remind me a lot of the response on Akai devices not the top tier Akai stuff but still good.
You've got pitch and mod wheels even on the mini version. I really prefer the wheels to joysticks
or strips. Very nice. On the back you've got USB out, a pedal port and a MIDI port to connect to
synths. By the way this keyboard really packs a lot of features for beginners including scale and
chord functions. I'll get to those in a bit. But first, I want to cover the second winning feature
of this keyboard. DAW control. If there's one thing that so many keyboards don't get right
it's DAW control. Things like play, stop, record, buttons, mixer control and more especially in the
budget price range. The M- Audio Oxygen PRO got it right and delivers awesome control
for so many DAWs. By the way what's more important to you? DAW control or key feel?
Comment below! I tested this keyboard with Ableton Live, FL studio, Logic PRO, Studio One and Reason.
And everything worked. Well almost everything. By the way these keyboards also provide DAW control
for PRO tools, Reaper, Cubase, GarageBand, Bitwig, and NPC beats. If you heard your DAW in this list
you're gonna be happy. Ableton Live users even get clip and scene triggering. Now some DAWs have more
control on this keyboard than others but the core features are kind of covered for every DAW
and there are even shortcuts for save, quantize, view and undo. Some DAWs will give you control
of pan and sends. It's very rare that a keyboard covers so many DAWs. Now I should mention that
I had some trouble with small things like the play button in FL studio and device control in
Ableton, but I believe these are things that can be fixed with software or firmware updates in the
future. Now I have one issue with the marketing of the Oxygen PRO keyboards. They advertise these with
one touch DAW auto mapping, making it sound as though you just select your DAW on the keyboard
and you're ready to go. But in reality there are several more steps you need to take in your DAW
to get it right. Granted this is a one-time setup and most of us just use one DAW, but still just
keep that in mind. You'll be spending several minutes getting this set up right. Anyway let's
move on. You've got faders and knobs to control different features. The knobs are not endless 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 on this keyboard you'll have to turn the knob back and forth to find its place. The
inclusion of faders on the mini version the 49 and 61 key versions is really nice. Faders will let you
control multiple tracks with one hand. Again you won't find this on most small keyboards M- Audio
also allows you to control the included virtual instruments with the knobs which is innovative but
the execution of this is not optimal to control. Expand 2 for example, you have to press the DAW
preset button then hold down the same button to enter a menu then select expand from the
menu and then you're good to go. That's a lot of steps to take for virtual instrument control. If
you use Ableton you can get to device control much faster by pressing shift and selecting
the device pad. By the way these keyboards come with a bunch of free software. I'll get to that
in a second. Now more small keyboards are including screens these days and this screen is quite useful.
You can navigate features, check out your arp scale, and chord settings and more. You're not going to be
looking at it a lot but it definitely gives you good information on the more advanced features
and the screen is larger and easier to read than the screens on the Native Instruments and Novation
keyboards. the screen is especially useful when you start using the performance features,
pressing shift plus, chord or scale or arp, lets you access more options. Let's take a look at the
performance features next. Hey if you're looking for some modern sample packs and free stuff for
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Alright the performance features of this keyboard rival the best out there. First they've included
scale and chord features which are great. If you're new to music theory turn on chords,
set a scale and you'll have chords corresponding to that scale on each key. Very useful
when you set a scale. The M- Audio keyboard eliminates the wrong notes, well actually the
scale function doesn't really eliminate wrong notes, but duplicates the correct notes which is
a little confusing if you ask me. But I grew up playing the piano so this layout actually might
work for you. The arp feature is quite extensive, not as good as the Novation keyboards, but still
good enough for most. You can set octave range, movement, gate, and swing. Now the latest novation
keyboards feature more randomizing features like DV8 which are very creative. If you
want the very best arp features check out those keyboards. The Oxygen PRO keyboards also feature
note repeat which is super fun to use for drums
so what else do you get with this keyboard? Well software, all versions of this keyboard come with
PRO tools. First MPC beats and Ableton Live lite and they've included very nice instruments from
Air including Hybrid 3, Velvet, Mini Grand, Vacuum, Boom and DB33. If you're starting out this is a
pretty good collection. Alright so how does this keyboard compare to other keyboards out
right now? Well I think it does very well. They've delivered on all the performance features and
the dock control is top notch for all the most popular DAWs. That's a huge feat. Now if you're
a hardcore Ableton user, Novation will deliver tighter integration and a couple extra features
on their Launchkey MK3 keyboards. And if you really want solid virtual instrument control,
Native Instruments and Arturia will give you much better integration with their own
virtual instrument collections including the ability to select presets. Also Native Instruments
uses the NKS standard which means better control of more plug-ins from more
plug-in companies. But Native instruments does not put drum pads on their keyboards
and they cap their knob count at eight. Even on their larger keyboards if you're looking for an
88-key keyboard with similar DAW compatibility check out the Arturia essential 88 here. Overall
I really like what M-Audio has done with this range. Now setting up the Oxygen PRO
keyboards can be a little tricky. If this is your first MIDI controller I'll add a link
in the video description to set up instructions for different DAWs if you'd like to get the M-Audio Oxygen PRO
keyboards. You'll find links to the best prices in the video description.
I think you're going to like this keyboard. Hey if you like this video, hit the like button and don't
forget to SUBSCRIBE.
Keep Making The Music YOU LOVE
and hey check out one of these videos next :)