M-Audio is starting to rock the low-end audio keyboard market with a bunch of decidedly not low-end products. I’ve been eyeing the Keystation 49e for a couple of months—a 49-note USB bus-powered keyboard you can pick up for just $130—and now they’ve launched another attractive USB MIDI controller called the M-Audio O2 as a follow up to their original Oxygen8. It serves a totally different purpose than the Keystation, though, instead cramming 25 full-size keys into a slim-line unit along with 8 assignable knobs, 8 buttons, and even a slider for good measure.
Hooking the USB into your PC—or even better, your mobile audio rig/laptop—turns the O2 into both a software synth controller and an interface for additional MIDI devices. None of these are new functions—but it’s pretty impressive for a $180 unit.
02 Product Page [M-Audio via ThreeBase]
