M-AUDIO AXIOM 49

Aug 1, 2006 12:00 PM, BY MARKKUS ROVITO

M-Audio has delivered the unexpected for so long, the company's surprises are no longer unexpected. It specializes in alternative luxury items: music gear that does what other high-priced items do but at a lower cost. For the most part, if M-Audio cuts corners at all, it cuts them in all the right places; its gear may not be the flashiest on the market, but it doesn't sacrifice great functionality or usability.

If consistent quality has become M-Audio's axiom, then it's fitting that the Axiom 49, a very solid MIDI keyboard controller with a wealth of hands-on control and flexibility, once again lives up to that standard.

BASIC RULES

Busy musicians with greater ambitions than cash flow may make a second shadow out of the Axiom 49, taking it everywhere they go. Its USB bus-powered connectivity, straightforward software editor and presets for programs such as Reason make it a trusty studio companion. And a sturdy, metal-reinforced chassis; MIDI I/O ports; four keyboard zones; a manageable weight of 10 pounds; and AC power (via optional adapter) optimize the Axiom for live use as well, with or without a computer (but invest in a solid hardcase for gigging to protect the plastic sliders).

The backside also has expression- and sustain-pedal inputs. A sizable blue-backlit LCD provides a generous viewing angle and is legible in any lighting condition. Plentiful assignable MIDI controls include eight pressure-sensitive rubber trigger pads, eight endless rotary encoders, nine sliders and 15 buttons (including six intended as transport controls). The 49 Velocity-sensitive, semiweighted keys feature assignable Aftertouch. An Axiom 61 ($379.95) offers identical features but with an extra octave of keys, and the 25-key Axiom 25 ($239.95) appeals to portability while losing the sliders and many of the programming controls.

The Axiom 49 comes with 20 nonvolatile memory locations. Of the default presets, six are for different devices in Propellerhead Reason, and several target M-Audio distributed software instruments, such as GForce Oddity, ImpOSCar and Minimonsta. It's a shame there aren't more memories or at least more presets for additional software programs that could be loaded from the free downloadable Enigma editor/librarian software. But you can create as many individual presets and preset groups as you like using Enigma, which is a very straightforward process of double-clicking on a control on the screen and filling out its parameter dialog box. Loading single or groups of presets to or from the Axiom takes a single click.

DEEPER THINKING

Thankfully, programming the Axiom 49 directly from the hardware requires zero menu scrolling. Below the LCD, 15 dedicated function buttons access, for example, the global MIDI channel, a control's parameter assignments, the keyboard zones and so on. In addition, 11 more functions, such as a control's acceleration curves and the Panic function, require you to press two adjacent buttons at the same time. These functions are labeled on the top of the Axiom between the pair of buttons that need to be pressed. A numeric keypad with increment/decrement buttons also aids speedy programming. A typical operation, say assigning a parameter to a pad, involves touching the pad to activate it, pressing the Ctrl Assign button and entering a MIDI Control Change (CC) number to control. If you set it to trigger a note (MIDI CC 147), the Data 1 button lets you assign the note value. It's a user-friendly system, but you'll still have to spend some time looking up the number for MIDI CC and MIDI note values (appendices in the PDF manual include charts). It's easier to program the controls from within a software application with a good MIDI learn mode, such as Ableton Live, and save a template file for that program. The time invested in setting up the Axiom for your favorite software will pay off with a smoother workflow.

Many other programming functions are very simple. To create keyboard zones, for instance, you simply press the Zone Range, select one of the four Zone buttons and press two keyboard keys to set the range. Each zone can have its own MIDI channels, and their ranges can overlap, which is great for layering sounds in a performance.

M-Audio has also included several clever functions not always found on controllers, such as the Drawbar button, which instantly reverses the polarity of the sliders, useful particularly for organ instruments. The Octave buttons toggle to become Transpose buttons, which step the keys up or down one semitone at a time (up to 12 notes). Rotary encoders have three selectable acceleration curves, which vary the degree to which they increase values faster when twisted faster. You can also turn this off, so they only step up once per click. Also, the Axiom groups its controls into four sets, and you can recall presets for selected groups only. For example, you could leave the pads alone while calling up different presets for the other controls. A Mute button freezes all parameters even if the controls are moved, and in Null mode, parameters won't change until a control passes the position of its current value.

TESTING THE PRINCIPLE

Because it is class-compliant with Windows XP and Mac OS X, the Axiom needs no driver installation. Just plug in a USB cable from your computer, turn on the Axiom, and launch your software.

I enjoyed specific presets such as the one for Way Out Ware's TimewARP 2600, which included trigger pads that adjusted filter cutoff and resonance according to pressure on the pads. It's a crafty trick to use the pads to tweak synth parameters because it provides a unique feel, and you can adjust more than one parameter with one hand while the other hand plays. However, doing that produced some noticeable latency between movements on the Axiom and the response in TimewARP 2600 running stand-alone on an iMac G5 2.1 GHz with 1.5 GB RAM, which I attributed to the synth's high CPU demands, not the Axiom.

Drum pads on a keyboard controller show up more and more often now, but they're still huge assets, as any electronic musician can benefit from a set. The Axiom's pads respond well to subtle changes in Velocity and pressure. Playing on their corners with two fingers can yield quick triplet rolls. My favorite dedicated pad unit, the Korg PadKontrol, is superior in both respects, but the Axiom's pads should suit all but the pickiest connoisseur.

It's also fantastic to have semiweighted keys with assignable Aftertouch at this price. The action, while not superior to all others, delivers a satisfying feel, and the aftertouch is very deep, responsive and playable. The rotary encoders also scored points for their flexible acceleration curves. Their default mode, where they step up one click at a time when twisted slowly and leap ahead further when twisted quickly, was my favorite.

TRUTH BE TOLD

Priced for a beginner, yet suitable for a pro, the Axiom 49 sets the bar sky high for keyboard controllers in its competitive price range. Its comprehensive controls and vast, accessible programming will only look better if M-Audio expands on the software presets available.

M-AUDIO
AXIOM 49 > $329.95

Pros: Huge bang for the buck. Innovative and accessible MIDI programming. Semiweighted keys with assignable Aftertouch. Plenty of assignable controls.

Cons: Could use more presets for specific software.

Contact: www.m-audio.com

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Mac: G3/800 MHz or G4/733 MHz; 256 MB RAM in OS 10.3.9 or 512 MB RAM in OS 10.4.2 or later

PC: Pentium 3/800 MHz; 256 MB RAM; Windows XP SP2 or later; DirectX 9.0b or later

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