Musicians starting to ge into the virtual world need a lot of tools, and probably one of the most important of them is a MIDI controller.
MIDI controllers allows you to send and recieve messages to musical software or hardware that allow the use of this protocol, so we can see controllers like keyboards, guitars, drum kits, mixers, dj gear, etc.
But the one that has gained more adepts is the MIDI Keyboard, because every musician should know a Little about piano
M-Audio Has a great choice for people who want portability and also want to have not just a keyboard but some other parameter-controlling options, with the Oxygen 8V2
Light as a few controllers can be, but with a big amount of options, the Oxygen 8V2 has some characteristics that places it as one of the best portable keyboards for its Price. Keys have great feeling to them, not like some cheaper keyboards, allowing for full expression when playing. They feel pretty sturdy, like they can last a long time, even on the hands of some aggressive keyboard players. Knobs dont have unlimited rotation, but they feel as good as the other aspects of the keyboard, including the modulation Wheel, the pitch bend Wheel and the transport section.
If i had to change something about this keyboard, I would probably make it thinner, so it is easier to carry on a backpack, although it is not that big, also, M-Audio offers some great backpack options to carry a 2 octave controller plus a laptop, for the traveling musician.
Its really easy to use, Works with any DAW (Logic, Protools, GarageBand, Live, Cubase, etc), also it has a preset (Preset 10) to use specifically with Reason, allowing you to change filter values on the go, a really nice function for live performance.
It is hub powered so you dont need an external power source (only if you use it with some other MIDI hardware, in that case you can plug a common 120v adapter on the back). You can also plug a sustain pedal on it.
In my opinion, if you need a versatile, portable MIDI controller, the Oxygen 8V2 is a perfect choice, great build quality, nice value and seamless integration with your software of choice, all of this in a beautiful and small package that you will learn to love.
