Just received my M-Audio Axiom Pro 49 & let me tell ya in short,that you get what you pay for with M-Audio & there no better example of this,than this piece of gear.Double the price over the old series = double the quality!
Upon placing onto my computer desk,it's a very sharp contrast between it's color & the rest of my PC gear and it looks like something out of the "Buck Rodgers & The 25th Century" t.v. show,which actually makes this keyboard ultra cool in appearance-even though it stands out like a sore thumb! Ok,enough of the fluff...let's get right down to the nitty gritty folks....the sheer weight of this keyboard is the first & most blatant indication of the exceptional quality of the craftmanship,as it actually weighs 3 lbs. more than my Korg M50-
woah!This baby is built like a Sherman tank & just the beautiful action of the keybed is worth the extra dough!
There is a distinct & firm springy-ness to it,as there quite a bit of recoil after you depress the keys...mmmm-baby,I'm really hot for this sexy piece of gear! The surface of the keys have a unique texture to them,which gives the player a nice grip to avoid that annoying slip,when your jamming out that critical riff.
All of the controls on this board have a wonderful tactile aspect to them,as all of the knobs & buttons are smooth,firm & very solid.I still have so much more to explore with this board and since this is my first midi controller,I can't give any in-depth comparisons,but I imagine that this controller has the plug & play concept down to a science,as it's amazing to witness what takes place,as when you switch from one VST/track to another,this controller instantaneously displays the parameters on it's nifty little LCD screen.
The dental white color of this keyboard sure comes in handy,as it lights up the whole corner of my room,making this controller an ideal one,for low light conditions!
I'm so utterly impressed with M-Audio these days,that I am considering changing my cat's name to M-Audio.
-Thom