M-AUDIO Oxygen Pro 61 USB MIDI Keyboard Controller

Pros: - Incredible value for the features offered - Superior build quality compared to the Arturia Keylab - Versatile and well-designed keyboard controller - Responsive and dynamic playing experience Cons: - Difficulty in pulling tempo from Logic - Cumbersome drum pad programming in Logic Summary: The M-Audio Oxygen Pro 61 keyboard delivers exceptional value and boasts better build quality compared to the Arturia Keylab. It offers a versatile and well-designed keyboard controller that enhances the playing experience. However, there are a couple of challenges that arise when working with Logic, specifically regarding tempo synchronization and drum pad programming. One significant advantage of the Oxygen Pro 61 is its remarkable value, providing an impressive range of features at an accessible price point. The build quality surpasses that of the Arturia Keylab, ensuring durability and longevity for extended use. The keyboard offers a responsive and dynamic playing experience, allowing musicians to express themselves with precision and accuracy. The keys are well-designed and provide a satisfying tactile feedback, enhancing overall performance. However, there are some hurdles when it comes to integrating the Oxygen Pro 61 with Logic. Pulling tempo from Logic can be a challenging task, which may require additional troubleshooting or configuration to achieve proper synchronization. This issue can potentially disrupt the workflow and hinder seamless collaboration between the keyboard and the DAW. Additionally, programming the drum pads in Logic can be a cumbersome process. It may involve navigating through complex menus and settings, which can be time-consuming and less user-friendly compared to other platforms or controllers. Despite these challenges, the M-Audio Oxygen Pro 61 keyboard remains a highly valuable and well-built controller that enhances the overall musical experience. While the tempo synchronization and drum pad programming in Logic may require extra effort and patience, the keyboard's performance and versatility make it a worthy choice for musicians and producers. TL;DR: The M-Audio Oxygen Pro 61 keyboard offers incredible value and superior build quality compared to the Arturia Keylab. It provides a versatile and well-designed keyboard controller with a responsive and dynamic playing experience. However, there are challenges when working with Logic, including difficulty in pulling tempo and cumbersome drum pad programming. Despite these issues, the Oxygen Pro 61 remains a valuable tool for musicians, offering impressive features and performance.

So, I recently got my hands on the M-Audio Oxygen Pro 61, and it’s been a pretty solid addition to my setup. If you’re looking for a 61-key MIDI controller that won’t empty your wallet, this one’s definitely worth considering. First off, the keys are quite responsive. They’ve got that nice bounce that’s perfect for everything from smooth melodies to those epic solos you practice when no one’s watching. They feel good to play, whether you’re just messing around or working on a serious project. The drum pads are a highlight. There are eight RGB-backlit pads that are super responsive. They’re perfect for triggering samples or laying down beats. The visual feedback from the lights is a nice touch—it makes it easy to see what’s happening at a glance, which is great for both studio work and live jams. The control section is pretty user-friendly. You’ve got knobs, faders, and buttons that you can map out to your DAW or virtual instruments. The MIDI learn function is straightforward, so you can get everything set up quickly without a lot of fuss. Setting it up with my DAWs was a smooth process. Whether it was Ableton Live, Logic Pro, or FL Studio, everything synced up nicely without any headaches. It’s nice not to have to spend hours troubleshooting just to get started. Build-wise, the Oxygen Pro 61 feels solid. It’s not too heavy, so it’s easy to move around if you need to. It’s built well enough that it should hold up over time, which is always a plus. If I had to mention a couple of drawbacks, it’s worth noting that it doesn’t have aftertouch, which might be a miss for some players. And while the pitch and modulation wheels get the job done, they’re a bit basic. Nothing too major, though—just a little something to keep in mind. Overall, the M-Audio Oxygen Pro 61 is a great choice if you’re looking for a reliable, feature-rich MIDI controller that won’t break the bank. It’s a solid piece of gear for both beginners and more experienced musicians.

I purchased the M-Audio Oxygen Pro 61 as a birthday gift for my boyfriend, and it turned out to be the perfect choice. I did extensive research before deciding on this model, and I truly have no regrets. The 61 semi-weighted keys feel amazing — very responsive and professional. The pads are sensitive, and the faders, knobs, and transport controls make production smooth and efficient. The Smart Chord and Smart Scale features are also fantastic for creativity and workflow. He uses it in his studio and also takes it on gigs. It integrates seamlessly with Ableton Live and Logic Pro, which was very important to him. Setup was straightforward, and everything mapped easily, making his production process even smoother. He says it’s one of the best MIDI controllers he’s worked with. Durability: The build quality feels solid and sturdy — not flimsy at all. The keys have a premium feel, and the knobs and pads respond consistently. Even with regular studio sessions and transporting it for gigs, it’s holding up very well. It definitely feels like a long-term investment. Overall, this was truly a Best Buy. If you’re looking for a versatile, professional MIDI keyboard that works beautifully with major DAWs, I highly recommend this one.

NOTE TO MAC SONOMA USERS!! You will have issues trying to install the software, as the software isn't updated for compatability with MAC OS, Sonoma; per their support site. I use it as a stand alone MIDI controller on a rig, the remainder of this review is from that perspective. It works stand alone, no computer required! Action is good enough, it works totally stand-alone, no computer needed to program or perform with. Has zone aftertouch, 4 MIDI zones and presets including program change commands, really pretty fully featured. It's not perfect and a bit quirky here and there, but it blows away the Novation controller I purchased a few months back. The presets take a few seconds to pull up and the pads need a latch/color latch, when used to send program change they don't stay lit. Common controllers are a bit clumsy to deal with (pitch, mod, etc. I would have given an honest 4.5 star rating if you could rate a 1/2 star increment. As a secondary board in a crazy rig, it plays well with everything. You shouldn't expect much from a $300 controller, but this board is not bad and is the only one I found that does what I need it to do; control several synth modules in a live performance; and I'm a bit snobbish with keyboards. It works well.

Tech Savviness wise I'd say I'm decently competent, but even for me the user interface, customization and DAW setup and compatibility is far too difficult. Do I still like this keyboard? Yes, absolutely. But I'd like to point some things out: This is 100% NOT plug and play unless you ONLY want a midi keyboard or, alternatively and exclusively, drum pads. To activate all other functionality you have to go through this very tedious process that is extremely easy to mess up (especially for FL Studio). The point of one of these should be to make your music-making experience simpler by using the button shortcuts that make mousing around your DAW obsolete. I should be able to plug this keyboard in and for it to work as advertised right out of the box. Maybe I just haven't taken the time to properly understand it. Hardware wise this keyboard is a sigh of relief. I've had several midi keyboards and I can safely say this is one of the best feeling out there. The keys have nice weight to them and the drum pads are very responsive. TO CONCLUDE: I've made some of my best tracks on this keyboard and overall I could say I'm satisfied. But I do feel like this hardware could've absolutely blown me away if it was paired by the right software.

At first I was hesitant because I refused to pay 300 for a midi controller. I have a donner medo, novation launch key 37 mini mk4, mvave smk25ii and now this controller and the keys on this thing are amazing and the functionality is great... The keys are soft and super responsive with aftertouch(to my observation it's channel aftertouch). I see myself using less music theory tools and playing scales pretty comfortably. I was going to pick Arturia and the keylab essential since I have a mini freak and I love that thing but I found the oxygen pro 61 to be the best value for money right now in comparison to the competition like Arturia and novation... Nothing beats this keyboard in the price range not even novations mk4 offering at the same price. At the end of the day it is up to you and how you are going to spend your hard earned money and when the time comes to select a keyboard just put this one on your list for consideration

I think this is underrated, it compares favorably build and feel wise to a LK49 MK4, which I own, the LK is slightly better, it’s also newer but the margin is thin, 10% mostly due to the textured stuff on the LK, but it has much more onboard storage. 16 slots x 4 banks per slot. LK only has 4 custom modes, essentially amounting to 1 slot, effectively it has 16x the assignable controls in total, other brands all have worse storage in this range as well, really sad that tiny config files have to be limited to so few slots on these units, its precisely why I bought this one as it has the most by far for the cost. I’m not a player, so the key action to me is better than my best board which has decent minikeys (KSP). I also don’t use this for DAW control, so the real only killer feature it lacks is named params on screen for the controls, which is a extremely nice (probably necessary) feature for controlling hardware or anything you can’t see moving, that’s why I’m using this exclusively for soft synths, easy to adjust a control and see it onscreen, no naming needed, but would still be nice and put the unit on another level.

This controller is everything I need and so much more. Everything is assignable and the keys feel great. It interfaces well with the computer and drives all vst instruments very well. It also interfaces with my daw perfectly providing easy functionality and compatibility.

Early days, as I’m only just discovering the possibilities with the Oxygen Pro61, but I will tell you my initial findings thus far. M-Audio’s Oxygen Pro61 build is impressive, feels solid and made for the road. As a plus it also looks the business too. Keys are exactly as stated, they feel great, maybe a little noisy but only noticeable in a silent room. With headphones on, or on the road with amp and decent speakers no one will know. The pads, all fully lit, look great and work well. Sliders buttons and dials all feel solid and positive in action and function. Theres also adequate connectivity on the back panel. M-Audio also bundle some of the best software to get you going. Ableton Live needs no words from me, you’ll likely already know how good Ableton is, and thats just one of the options. This keyboard has complete freedom to program whatever DAW you like. Ableton and Apples Garage Band works seamlessly without any tech requirements from the user, pretty much plug and play. As I say, early days for me with this keyboard but first impressions are as the title says, 'possibly the best 61 key midi keyboard’.

I followed the instruction and tried many other way but couldn't turn on this keyboard

Très polyvalent et très complet comparé à mon vieux Yamaha V50. Il possède tout ce qu’on attend d’un clavier maître, seule la notice est un peu light car il y a pleins de fonctions et de réglages un peu caché qui permettent de vraiment customiser le clavier. L’arpegiateur , le mode Chord, le mode split et le mode Scale sont tous paramètrables et apportent un plus au clavier par rapport aux modèles concurrents. Les presets installés sont reconnus instantanément au lancement d’un DAW. Je ne suis pas pianiste mais je trouve le touché très agréable et les pads sont plutôt réactifs. Bref, acheté en promo je suis ravi de mon achat. Je le conseille vivement aux amateurs comme moi.

Het is geweldig en heel veel mogelijkheden 👏🏼👌🏼 Veel gratis software en VST instrumenten.

Un excelente controlador, muy práctico y productivo a la hora de trabajar con mi DAW. Una excelente opción para los amantes de la producción y grabación.