Yamaha KX25 USB Midi Controller 25-Key

You looking to find the "Yamaha KX25 USB Midi Controller 25-Key" Good news! You can purchase Yamaha KX25 USB Midi Controller 25-Key with secure price and compare to view update price on this product. And deals on this product is available only for limited time.

   

Yamaha KX25 USB Midi Controller 25-Key Review

I shopped around before getting this keyboard. I wanted a USB connection to the computer (no more MIDI interface) and my old 61-key arranger was way too big to set in front of my computer. Since I only play guitar, I also wanted a flexible arpeggiator and this keyboard makes me sound like I actually know how to play!

I am using the KX-25 with Logic Express 8, so I am reviewing the keyboard only, NOT the bundled software as the previous reviewer did. I don't think it's fair to bash such an awesome piece of HARDWARE just because you have trouble with the free SOFTWARE. Go find the Cubase software item and give that a 1-star rating, but there's nothing wrong with the keyboard itself.

Since the arpeggiator was a big reason for my purchase, I'll describe it here. An arpeggio, as most musicians know, is a broken chord, or a chord with the notes played in a sequence, not all at the same time. Fingerpicking a guitar creates arpeggios. An arpeggiator lets you hold down a 3-, 4-, 5-note chord and it plays a pattern of the notes you are holding down in perfect timing, controlled by internal tempo, or the tempo of the song in your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software. Or some arpeggiator patterns allow holding down a single key and it plays a varied pattern of notes based on the root note you play. So easy!!! Creating complex backing for songs is a breeze!

There are nearly 400 arpeggio patterns in the KX-25, geared toward pianos, strings, synths, even bass and drum patterns. Amazingly, when I connect the drum arpeggiator MIDI output to a software drum kit in Logic and hold down a single key, a surprisingly complex drum pattern plays. How does Logic know which note means which drum? It might be an industry standard (I should Google research it) but it works perfectly! Each drum arpeggiator selection has several variations (for fill-ins, verse, chorus, etc) and moving 4 or 5 keys to the right or left plays a different pattern.

Pitch instrument patterns change notes, not pattern variation, when you play a different key. But you can get several variations for a given arpeggiator pattern (geared for piano for example) by changing the variation in the screen menu on the keyboard itself. So really, you have a LOT more than 400 patterns you can use.

I should note that this keyboard has no internal sounds, since it's meant to control DAW software, not be a stand-alone unit. If you want something that can play sounds independently from the computer, shop for the numerous Yamaha, Casio, Korg, Roland, etc. keyboards with built-in sounds and sequencer/arrangers. Of course, you'll pay more.

I got no sound when I first installed the drivers and hooked it up to Logic, but I quickly discovered that I needed to switch the data output to USB instead of MIDI using the "utility" menu. After that, it worked great. One other note: I have not yet figured out how to get the transport buttons (play, rewind, record) to control Logic functions (Cubase is owned by Yamaha, and by default, it's set up to work with Cubase software), but I read online it will work if they are manually assigned. I will edit my post when I have time to set it up further.

In the meantime, I am very happy with my purchase and looking forward to spicing up my songs with it.

Most of the consumer Reviews tell that the "Yamaha KX25 USB Midi Controller 25-Key" are high quality item. You can read each testimony from consumers to find out cons and pros from Yamaha KX25 USB Midi Controller 25-Key ...