M-Audio Axiom 49 MIDI Keyboard/Control Surface - Now with Conclusions

[came2play]

Thanks for the cool review.

I'm sorry to revert to such a basic, noob question but would the Axiom or Axiom G2 hold up to gigging? I would primarily be using it for that. I currently own a Korg M50-61 which I love but is not sturdy enough to depend on fo regular gigging. This means I will be changing things in my rig around a bit and will need a controller that will be able to hang.

[Anderton]

Well my AES videos are done, and it's good to be back Thanks Patrick for fielding all these questions!

As to gigging, it is plastic, but seems pretty high-impact. You would of course need a suitable way to support it, and a durable carrying case; I'd be more concerned about damaging it getting to or from the gig than at the gig itself, unless you protected it well in transit.

Given all that, I'll have to guess about reliability as I haven't abused it yet...but it strikes me as being on the same level as some of the older keyboards I gigged with in the past, like the Ensoniq EPS-12. I think as long as you're reasonably careful you shouldn't have any problems, but if you're a "pounder," or people at the gig pass out from too many beers and land on your keyboard, you'll probably wish you had something metal.

[Anderton]

 

Originally Posted by aidanpoulter

Much of this may be cos I'm a midi noobie, for which I beg your indulgence, but I am still searching for explanations for such noobs as me so I can get into those cool features you are starting to explain.

 

You might find this article helpful. It's just the basics, and perhaps too short, but it may help get you started.

I would recommend NOT being shy about asking questions. Fact is, MIDI is over 25 years old but how it's applied has changed over this time. People starting out now are at a bit of a disadvantage, because MIDI is more integrated into gear these days, and it takes a little more digging to find out what's going on.

Bottom line is that there are a lot of people who have questions about various basic aspects of MIDI, and this is as good a place to answer them as any Different pro reviews take different paths, and some of them end up being more "educational" than "opinionated." So far the Axiom 49 has been very straightforward as a piece of gear, so it may be that the value of this review is more about how apply a keyboard controller like the Axiom 49 than a description/evaluation of the various features - although of course, that will remain a part of this process.

[Nicky]

 

 

 

 

 

The Axiom Pro has a completely different keybed than previous or current Axioms. It has a much higher dynamic range, and many types of players were consulted to create the most responsive and useful velocity curves utilizing that extra range.

 

 

 

 

Patrick, what do you mean by "higher dynamic range". Isn't velocity 0-127? How can one controller transmit a wider dynamic range over another?

thanks

[Anderton]

I don't want to speak for Patrick, but I think he means more resolution to the dynamic range. One thing I've found with the Axiom 49 is that the velocity response seems quite predictable - if I hit a key with what I think is the same velocity, the keyboard reads it as the same velocity.

[msealey]

Thanks, Anderton and Patrick; I'm reading this review with real interest.

I have (yet) another non-standard perspective :-) I'm a 'classical' (orchestral, strings, woodwind, chamber music etc) composer; I currently have a Keystation 61-es. I work exclusively in Logic Pro 9… don't need synth etc.

Would either Axiom 61 be suitable for classical music? If so, which - 2nd generation, or Pro?

Would I notice a big difference in feel, Expression and Aftertouch between the Axiom and my 61-es?

Thanks!

[paurelio]

By dynamic range, I'm referring to the actual signal range the physical keybed sends before it gets translated to MIDI. The result is a more effective use of the existing 128 steps.

As far as comparing the feel to other keyboards, resistance and response are calibrated on a per project basis, so direct comparison to the Keystation or Sono Series would not apply.

As far as the weight difference, the earlier keyboard designs have a separate chassis for the keybed, whereas the newer keyboards have a lighter "unibody" design.

Specific to the feel and "predictability" of the current Axiom, the Product Manager for Axiom (who's name IS Paul) has been through the rigors of the British education system as a classically trained pianist. I was in a random conversation with him the other day, and he told me how he had worked very hard on the velocity response and is particularly proud of the project for that very reason.

[vintagevibes]

 

Originally Posted by Anderton

If they supported Sonar with their DirectLink technology, that would be a big help for Sonar fans.

 

Wow I'm really glad I found this review! I was literally just about to click the purchase button at Musician's Friend for an Axiom 61 MKII. Now that I know they don't support Sonar I'll have to find another solution. It's a shame, they had a good price. Probably just as well since I've been seeing such negative post about their support.

[Anderton]

Well...hold on a second. Just because there isn’t DirectLink doesn’t mean the Axiom keyboards won’t work with Sonar, it simply means they won’t communicate in as painless a way as possible “out of the box.” The Axiom doesn’t support Studio One Pro either – and that’s a DAW that hasn’t been around as long as Sonar – so let’s see just how easy, or difficult, it is to control Studio One Pro with the Axiom 49.

Why Studio One Pro instead of Sonar? Simple - I’ve been doing a pro review on Studio One Pro for some time, and wanted to test out its instrument automation using an external controller. It’s good about mapping controls from external MIDI devices, but other DAWs have equivalent functionality, even if in some cases not implemented as elegantly. So, Studio One Pro is representative of how this process would work with any DAW, including Sonar. (Incidentally, I just downloaded Pro Tools 9, so it seems like that would be the ideal software to use when testing DirectLink.)

Let’s start off with a simple task – using Axiom 49’s encoders to vary crucial soft synth parameters. I'll do a bass line with Studio One Pro’s Presence virtual instrument, and in this case, want to vary three parameters: Filter cutoff, amplitude envelope decay, and distortion FX, using the Axiom 49’s rotary encoders. I may want to vary these while playing or tweak the controls later to add automation, but that’s a Studo One Pro issue, not Axiom 49 (FYI, Studio One Pro handles either option equally well).

Whether you need to program the rotary encoders, or can use them "out of the box," depends. Like most DAWs and virtual instruments, Studio One Pro's parameters have a "learn" function so you can simply tell a parameter to respond to whatever controller you want to throw at it. This is unlike the "bad old days," when you would more likely have had to figure out what controller a parameter responded to, then program that value into the device sending the controller messages.

However, remember that the Axiom 49 encoders are “endless” encoders, so if you’re expecting to use the stop point of a conventional control as a reference for making precise moves, that’s not going to happen – you’d be better off using the faders, although of course, you might want to use them for something else (like volume for multiple tracks). So, can you do fine adjustments with the rotary encoders?

I ran into this situation when wanting to control the amplitude envelope decay. If I turned the knob too far counter-clockwise, the decay became too short and the sound disappeared. On the other hand if I turned the knob too far clockwise, the decay became overly-long, and it was difficult to return it to a short decay setting with precision.

But, being able to program minimum and maximum encoder values solved the problem neatly. This involves the same kind of programming moves described previously on programming the pads, and yes, it can be tedious – but this does become second-nature after a while, and you can always save a patch with your desired settings. In a nutshell, the control’s Data 2 parameter sets the minimum value, and the Data 3 parameter sets the maximum value. By setting this window for the exact range I wanted, not only was I able to create the kind of control changes I wanted, but they were spread over a entire control range, making for a sort of “high-resolution adjustment” effect.

I didn’t need to do any programming of the filter and fx parameters because the full encoder range worked well with them.

[Anderton]

I want to address MV's post before continuing, as it really isn't M-Audio's place to respond and turn this into a tech support thread, either for a specific instance or for policies.

As MV says, the products are good, but he had problems with support. Fair enough. And I have to give him props for being upfront and saying that the unit wasn't packed, and hit the floor during a hard stop. However, if you look at most warranties (even though MV's was out of warranty), there's always an "out" for products that endured abuse, neglect, etc. One could argue that if you're going to carry around a piece of electronic gear, you should have a case for it, or at least pad it in something. A sudden shock to a anything electronic can be fatal; you don't need a long fall, just a hard one (I doubt, for example, that a laptop would have survived what you described, either). Couple that with the instrument being out of warranty, and at least legally, M-Audio really didn't have an obligation to replace the keyboard.

The policies of companies vary considerably. Back in the heyday of Alesis, their documentation said "90-day warranty" but in reality, if you sent something in, they'd fix it even if it was years later, just for the sake of giving a customer the best possible experience. When I asked an Alesis representative why they put 90 days if they honored products essentially forever, he replied that it was to give them an out if the product had obviously been damaged, dropped, or whatever. But if something came in and looked like it had been cared for, they made good on it. As you might expect, this generated a lot of goodwill.

Nowadays, few companies can afford to provide that level of service. As most people are aware, the cost-cutting in this industry is brutal, from manufacturer all the way up the supply chain. People need to realize that the tradeoff for getting a really low price on a product is you're often on your own for support. Again, matters used to be different; you didn't have big music stores, but "mom and pop" stores that operated using a different set of rules. More than likely if you brought in a keyboard, someone would open it up during lunch break, take a look, and see if maybe a ribbon connector had become unseated. If it had, the connector would be re-seated, the unit buttoned up, and you'd be on your way - probably without charge, if you were a regular customer. Then again, you were probably paying 2-3 times as much for strings as you would now...

A lot of companies don't even fix things any more. Doesn't work? Not under warranty? Tough - throw it out and buy a new one. Ever try to get an out-of-warranty iPhone fixed?

I don't want to sound like an apologist for M-Audio. But, I do feel an obligation to point out the reality of the world we live in these days. Fortunately, I've never had an M-Audio piece of gear die on me, so I have no idea what their tech support is like. Then again, I've never dropped any of their gear, either!

I'm sorry you had a negative experience, and your advice to check with users about experience with a company's support is definitely valid. Harmony Central's user reviews are great in this respect, as most reviews include comments about support. Then again, if all the comments say "don't know, it always worked," that tells you something right there too.

In any event, I can only cover what I've experienced, and what I'm experiencing is the product itself.

[Anderton]

 

Originally Posted by vintagevibes

Wow I'm really glad I found this review! I was literally just about to click the purchase button at Musician's Friend for an Axiom 61 MKII. Now that I know they don't support Sonar I'll have to find another solution. It's a shame, they had a good price. Probably just as well since I've been seeing such negative post about their support.

 

This also brings up a subject where there's more to this than meets the eye. DirectLink is currently available for Pro Tools, Live, Cubase, Logic, Reason, and Record. From what I understand, it's not trivial to come up with a DirectLink app, and this loops back to the previous post about company resources. The company needs to judge whether taking someone off a project and having them develop DirectLink for Sonar, Reaper, Mixcraft, etc. is going to be worth it.

And, there's a further complication: Competition. Roland makes a series of keyboard controllers and given that they partner with Cakewalk, it's not surprising that their keyboards support Sonar's ACT feature, and includes a computer program for creating templates (sort of like Enigma - and something the 2nd Gen Axiom series would benefit from, IMHO). If I worked at M-Audio and had to decide whether to come up with a Sonar template or not, I'd guess that many Sonar users would gravitate toward the Roland keyboards, thus reducing the potential market for Axioms anyway. But what about Cubase - don't Motif synths support Cubase features, and therefore be subject to the same kind of reasoning? Well, no. First off, there's a big price difference between an Axiom and a Motif. Second, Cubase existed long before Yamaha purchased Steinberg, and there's a huge installed customer base that's not going to go out and buy a Motif, but a smaller controller.

And finally...while templates and things like DirectLink are cool, they're not all things to all people. Maybe you use Pro Tools, but your favorite instruments are the ones made by Arturia. Did M-Audio map their Pro Tools template to Arturia synths? I doubt it. And maybe you'd rather use faders for some instrument functions instead of the rotary encoders, but the template might not be set up that way. Ultimately, you may find that even with a template, what someone at the company thought would be a good implementation might have little to do with the way you use the controller.

We now return to our regularly-scheduled programming

[vintagevibes]

Thanks for all the feedback. Your post brings up some questions and comments. First the questions:

1) Will ACT work with the Axiom? That might solve the problem.

2) Keyboard feel is very important to me and I HATE spongy feeling keyboards. I currently have an EMU XBoard 49. I love the feel but need more keys. Do you know how the Axiom 2 action compares to the EMU by any chance?

3) You said the Axiom has endless rotary knobs. Does this mean it can tweak by adding or subtracting to the currently onscreen value instead of having the on screen knob jump the the Axiom knob's setting?

I own Sibelius and recently called for tech support and was told that I now have to pay to talk to them. This and the negative support accounts paint a picture for me. Avid is making a business decision to reduce customer support. I'm just tired of companies that don't care about their customers. Yes margins are slim but not as slim as in the computer business and Dell has excellent customer service. Roland has excellent phone support. Avid chooses not to. Just another reason I hesitate go give them my money. OK rant off.

[vintagevibes]

OK one more rant. I spent 15 minutes typing my reply and when I clicked submit it said it can't post because my token had run out and to click the back button. When I did my entire post was gone! Why do I need a *&^^%$%^$*& token to post!!!????

OK I'll shut up now.

[Anderton]

 

Originally Posted by vintagevibes

Thanks for all the feedback. Your post brings up some questions and comments. First the questions:

1) Will ACT work with the Axiom? That might solve the problem.

 

ACT works with anything, really. Too many people think of ACT is this complicated thing but you can use it a temporary way to make quick adjustments. I should write an article about that...you could use the faders, encoders, buttons, whatever for ACT functions.

 

2) Keyboard feel is very important to me and I HATE spongy feeling keyboards. I currently have an EMU XBoard 49. I love the feel but need more keys. Do you know how the Axiom 2 action compares to the EMU by any chance?

 

Haven't used the E-Mu but even if I had, this kind of thing is too subjective a call. I'm sure there must be a GC somewhere that carries an Axiom so you can try the action for yourself.

 

3) You said the Axiom has endless rotary knobs. Does this mean it can tweak by adding or subtracting to the currently onscreen value instead of having the on screen knob jump the the Axiom knob's setting?

 

Yes! And this is a good thing.

 

I own Sibelius and recently called for tech support and was told that I now have to pay to talk to them. This and the negative support accounts paint a picture for me. Avid is making a business decision to reduce customer support. I'm just tired of companies that don't care about their customers. Yes margins are slim but not as slim as in the computer business and Dell has excellent customer service. Roland has excellent phone support. Avid chooses not to. Just another reason I hesitate go give them my money. OK rant off.

 

I can guarantee that Avid is not doing the kind of volume Dell does. I would think tech support is a small sliver of Dell's budget, and a much bigger sliver of Avid's.

I know what you're saying, but I think with Avid you're seeing a preview of what's going to be happening with all companies eventually. Several software companies have gone to the "pay for support" model, done very much on a warranty model...you get a certain number of freebie calls within a certain amount of time, but then you're on your own.

Actually, I have a great way to deal with tech support, and it's free: I post my question in Sound, Studio, and Stage. Someone almost always has an answer

[Anderton]

 

Originally Posted by vintagevibes

OK one more rant. I spent 15 minutes typing my reply and when I clicked submit it said it can't post because my token had run out and to click the back button. When I did my entire post was gone! Why do I need a *&^^%$%^$*& token to post!!!????

 

You shouldn't. I thought the session length had been changed from the default, and extended to 24 hours or something, so people wouldn't be logged out for inactivity...I'll have to check. Meanwhile, when it's happened to me and asked for the user name/password after clicking to submit a post, I just enter the info and it takes me back to the forum. Although it appears the post wasn't posted, when I go into the forum, it's there. Apparently it gets posted as soon as you enter the user name/password and click on Proceed. I do think, though, that if you hit the back button at any point during all this, the post is toast.

[vintagevibes]

Good to know and thanks for the Axiom info.

[lespaul1963]

Mr. Anderton,

I posted this question a while back. Perhaps you might know the answer. I'm anticipating the purchase of the Pro Tools 9 cross-grade. Will I have any compatibility problems or set-up issues with the Axiom or Axiom Pro?

[Anderton]

 

Originally Posted by lespaul1963

Mr. Anderton,

I posted this question a while back. Perhaps you might know the answer. I'm anticipating the purchase of the Pro Tools 9 cross-grade. Will I have any compatibility problems or set-up issues with the Axiom or Axiom Pro?

 

We'll all know soon, I'm installing Pro Tools 9 today or this weekend. First, though, I'm going to check DirectLink with Pro Tools 8, on the assumption that some will be sticking with it for a while longer.

[vintagevibes]

OK I just pulled the trigger. Got a great deal - $271 for the Axiom 61 Gen 2. I tried one at GC and the action has been greatly improved since the first version. I'll chime in with a report when it gets hear.

[Anderton]

 

Originally Posted by vintagevibes

OK I just pulled the trigger. Got a great deal - $271 for the Axiom 61 Gen 2. I tried one at GC and the action has been greatly improved since the first version. I'll chime in with a report when it gets here.

 

Looking forward to your comments!!

[Anderton]

 

Originally Posted by vintagevibes

OK I just pulled the trigger. Got a great deal - $271 for the Axiom 61 Gen 2. I tried one at GC and the action has been greatly improved since the first version. I'll chime in with a report when it gets here.

 

Looking forward to your comments!!

[Giorgi]

Hey guys,

This is a somewhat general question, but I was considering buying the Axiom 49 and been following this thread closely.

1. I was wondering if I would be able to do something like this one the Axiom using the included sampler pads:

Of course this guy is very good and he's using http://www.thomann.de/fr/korg_nanopad_black.htm

The Korg nanopad has 12 trigger pads, the Axiom has 8. I was wondering if it will suffice? I guess it all depends on the number of sounds I want to use.

2. I'm using FL Studio: do the Axiom knobs etc. trigger the filter/EQ/some other events on FL Studio? Or do I need to get the Axiom Pro for that - Paurelio said something similar but I'm not sure... Paurelio if you could say something about the compatibility level between FL Studio and Axiom products it would be awesome.

Thanks a lot guys!

[Etienne Rambert]

 

OK I just pulled the trigger. Got a great deal - $271 for the Axiom 61 Gen 2. I tried one at GC and the action has been greatly improved since the first version. I'll chime in with a report when it gets hear.

 

 

I just bought an Axiom 61 Gen 1 for $300. (But I live in Southeast Asia).

 

I like the action quite a lot.

 

I have two Axioms now, a 61 & a 25.

 

The store had the new Axiom 49. But it was more expensive than the discontinued 61.

And I liked the 61 key layout better anyway.

[paurelio]

 

Originally Posted by Giorgi

1. I was wondering if I would be able to do something like this one the Axiom using the included sampler pads:

The Korg nanopad has 12 trigger pads, the Axiom has 8. I was wondering if it will suffice? I guess it all depends on the number of sounds I want to use.

 

With this guy's level of skill, he would probably sound awesome regardless of which controller he uses. The pads on Axiom MKII and Axiom Pro are very responsive, and have adjustable velocity curves. They should accommodate virtually any playing style. Bear in mind, You can use the pads and keybed at the same time, so you're not limited to 8 sounds. It's all MIDI notes.

 

Originally Posted by Giorgi

2. I'm using FL Studio: do the Axiom knobs etc. trigger the filter/EQ/some other events on FL Studio? Or do I need to get the Axiom Pro for that - Paurelio said something similar but I'm not sure... Paurelio if you could say something about the compatibility level between FL Studio and Axiom products it would be awesome.

 

Although there is no DirectLink or HyperControl for FL Studio, anything in FL Studio that responds to MIDI can be controlled by either the Axiom or Axiom Pro.

[paurelio]

Two of my testing computers have Pro Tools 9 installed, and I have not seen any difference in compatibility since 8.0.4.