back to article M-Audio Keystation Mini 32

It always pays to read the fine print, especially when it’s to be found on the bottom of a box, while on the top the label says, ‘Works with iPad’. Such is the case with M-Audio’s Keystation Mini 32, a really rather good portable keyboard controller for mobile musos and the classroom. This host powered 32-note USB keyboard isn …

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  1. Captain TickTock
    Thumb Up

    Nice vulture!

  2. handle
    Thumb Down

    Sibelius - proprietary nonsense

    Apart form costing a bomb, Sibelius is not only limited to Windows and JobsOS', but, much worse, the company refuses even to write a Linux-compatible browser plugin to play its published Scorch files. Go for one of the brilliant open-source scoring programs instead, such as MuseScore, which is capable of MIDI input.

    1. Tim Walker

      I'd normally agree with you...

      ...but Sibelius is pretty a de facto standard in music notation software (along with Finale), and in certain quarters it is expected that if you're a composer and/or arranger, you'll be able to produce scores in Sibelius format.

      I know someone who is planning to take a postgraduate music course, and is having to learn Sibelius because it is the only package the course supports. I think they'd rather use MuseScore (a very fine app indeed, BTW), not least because it's over £400 cheaper than a full Sibelius license (that is, it's free), but sadly they don't have that choice available to them.

      Still, they might be interested in this package, if only for the half-price Sibelius First - now, if there was a cheap upgrade from First to Professional...

      1. handle

        Depressing, isn't it?

        I would ask those running the course why it has to be so. They're quite likely to have never heard of MuseScore and may just be open-minded enough to consider it, especially if they can be made to realise that all it requires is for them to install a copy themselves, for free. Just like MS Office, people only use it because "everyone else does" and usually someone else pays the extortionate price for it.

  3. shooi

    Alternatively...

    ...if you're after a copy of Sibelius First then this is a very cheap way of getting hold of it.

    AVID (who now appear to own both Sibelius and M-Audio) flog Sibelius First for ~£120 directly, or you can buy the Mini 32 with full Sibelius First thrown in from around £55 (e.g. Amazon, Thomann). No-brainer really...

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Can the Penguin play?

    I wouldn't even think of asking you check every item of hardware reviewed against a huge number of Linux distributions, but *something* would be useful. Even one would be nice?

    Nor would I ask you to spend weeks tweaking stuff until it works --- but it would be nice to know what happened when you plugged it in.

    Remember the penguins. Please.

    1. James Le Cuirot

      Probably?

      I really don't know for sure but I'd be surprised if it didn't work. Most USB-based MIDI keyboards work in the same way and use the same driver on Linux. My Casio Privia was pretty much plug and play.

  5. Rob Daglish

    @Tim Walker

    Tim,

    Can your friend not get an educational license? My father who has just become a music teacher by doing a BMus and a PGCE, and is currently on an MA got one, and my wife who is a music teacher got one also - total cost to each of them was around £80?

    Might be worth trying Pugh or someone of that ilk, as most people with an sch.uk or ac.uk address should qualify?

    1. handle

      Evil educational licences :-(

      The only trouble with that is that is that it's a false economy because you end up with all your coursework in a proprietary format and are then locked into full price Sibelius forever, unless you find getarounds like this - which still leaves you locked into reduced price Sibelius forever. Usual story: you can export MuseScore files to Sibelius easily but not the other way round, but it does look like there is paid-for software to do this.

  6. Adam Starkey

    TL;DR

    So in short, USB MIDI keyboard behaves like USB MIDI keyboard?

    Why a full page talking about iPad compatibility? By far the vast majority of USB MIDI keyboards work fine with the CCK. This is not a new thing. If it shipped with a Dock connector USB lead, removing the need for the CCK that'd be one thing. Otherwise, someone just got sucked in by marketing.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    John Smith Clive

    Do the pitch bend/mod buttons behave like normal pads - i.e. velocity sensitive switches? Would be nice if they were continuous controllable but maybe that's expecting too much... but since the knob is assignable, I'm sold!

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