Review: M-Audio Axiom Pro

You know, since USB became the prevalent bus for connecting MIDI peripherals such as controller keyboards, there’s been an endless procession of smaller ‘cost effective’ keyboards saturating the market. You know the type I mean. Like 49-key units designed to sit on your desk alongside your computer keyboard and take up a modicum of space, merely for the input of a few notes here and there. The keys are inevitably of a light, plastic, ‘synth-style’ and in recent years there’s been the addition of various control sliders and knobs to aid real-time control of plug-in and virtual instrument parameters. Personally, I’ve never really fancied these newer keyboards, preferring instead to stick with an old 76-note Akai ‘master keyboard’ (as they were called back then – built like a tank with a reasonably solid feel to it), and a pristine example of an Ensoniq EPS16+ sampler keyboard – I like that ‘clacky’ feel, the poly aftertouch, and the slightly rounded keys. For pads and sliders I tend to stick to my MIDI kit and a single re-mapped modulation wheel.

To separate their designs from the pack, controller keyboard manufacturers have been adding various control methods to their keyboards. Novation is the first company that springs to mind in this regard with its Automap protocol – a plug-in and instrument control system that possibly seals the deal for many.

One of the bigger players in the field has also been M-Audio. The company has had a continual stream of controller keyboards for many years with the Oxygen, Keystation and Axiom ranges. Recently the company introduced a revamp of the Axiom controller lineage – the Axiom Pro series.

CHALK AND CHEESE

First out of the gate for the new Pro series is the 49-note version, with 25 and 61-note models slated for release later this year. With an identical layout to the previous Axiom range, the ‘Pro’ series feature a wealth of control options including eight rotary encoders, nine 40mm faders, a numeric keypad and a transport section – aside from the keyboard, modulation and pitch wheel, and eight rubberised trigger pads. What sets the Axiom Pro apart visually is its colour scheme – it’s white, unlike the ‘vanilla’ flavoured Axiom which has a charcoal finish. But while initial impressions might be that the new model simply sports a different colour palette, there’s a lot more going on under the bonnet to justify the ‘pro’ moniker.

For a start there’s an entirely new keybed inside the Pro, which offers faster key scanning and no doubt faster processors to facilitate it. Actually, as an aside, velocity sensitivity has also been improved across the ‘plain’ Axiom range. I hear the original Axiom keyboards copped quite a bit of flack over their action, and having recently dug one up in the local music store I can see why. The keys on the older model are quite springy, with the response barely distinguishable from a typical synth action. The Pro provides superior response and a much faster feel. Not to mention the fact that it has a much more solid feel to the entire unit. For example, the rubberised end cheeks of the Pro model extend outside the hard plastic ends of the enclosure. The tactile feel of the sliders has improved – though they’re still not great – and the rotary encoders aren’t notched as per the older model. The Axiom Pro also offers ASCII support, meaning the keyboard can control any feature of your DAW, which is where the Axiom Pro really gets interesting.

HYPED UP

The big deal with the Axiom Pro is Hypercontrol. It is, in fact, a fully-fledged controller. What I’m implying here is that hooking up the Axiom Pro to your DAW requires integrating it into the software as a control surface. Software is provided to manage this task, and once installed your DAW will see the Axiom Pro just like any other control surface. Obviously, the first port of call is ProTools, in which case the Axiom – as I’ll refer to it from now on since I loathe typing the word ‘pro’ – dovetails very well indeed. Hooking the unit up within ’Tools requires setting the unit in the Peripherals window just like any other ’Tools-compatible control surface. From the Axiom you can control your mix window, insert and control plug-ins and virtual instruments. Heck, with ASCII control you can even toggle your Mix window open, zoom, assign a button to save sessions, open and close plug-in inserts, or any number of functions you’d normally have to defer to the computer keyboard to instigate. The only thing that really can’t be done from the Axiom panel is inserting plug-ins. Personality files for the Axiom are included within ProTools 8, with a 7.4 personality file downloadable from M-Audio’s website.

Hypercontrol isn’t restricted to ProTools however, and the Axiom comes with software installers for control within Logic Studio/Pro, Cubase, and Reason. The Axiom worked a treat within Logic, and might I add, with pretty much the same functionality as found within ProTools. Cubase didn’t get a run with the Axiom in this review I’m afraid, as my Cubase dongle was interstate abetting a Cubase 5 review, but I’d hardly suspect M-Audio to have skimped in this area, having witnessed such thorough Logic integration.

ALL HYPE?

After fiddling with the older Axiom models I have to give the Pro models a definite thumbs up for offering so much control in such a tidily presented keyboard. As I’ve mentioned, the keyboard is very playable, though as I’ve not mentioned, it offers channel aftertouch control into the bargain. The unit can be powered via USB alone or used with an optional 12V power supply if you wish to control outboard MIDI devices without the aid of a computer – there’s MIDI I/O for such tasks. That same I/O can be used to drive outboard MIDI units from your DAW, effectively doubling it as a MIDI interface. Overall the Axiom Pro has a lot going for it, and while it isn’t the cheapest controller keyboard on the market, it certainly covers a lot of bases.