M-Audio CTRL49 | 49-Key USB/MIDI Smart Controller with Full-Color Screen (8 pads / 8 knobs / 8 buttons / 9 faders)

This thing is insane. It's massive, super powerful, and as complex as a MIDI controller could ever hope to be. This is the one you buy when you're ready to settle down into a stable relationship with a beautiful keybed, instead of a little compact controller.

This was a disappointment. First of all, I downloaded the drivers and installed them. They installed. But, when I went to download the VIP software so that I can access the VST plug ins, it wouldn't install. I have Windows 10. According to the software requirements, it does require Windows 7 or Greater. It gave me an error that Windows cannot install. Gave me an error. I sent technical support the error and I still haven't received feedback from them. I was excited to replace my simple midi keyboard controller. But, now it looks like this one will be an expensive, non-bells and whistles, replacement.Disappointed

Great

Note: bought this at BHPhotoVid.This is my 3rd midi keyboard. Before I used a 2nd gen (blue) M-Audio Oxygen 61 key midi keyboard, and a 1st gen Akai mpk mini. This is without a doubt a much more high-end product compared to the other two.Physical product:It both looks and feelsvery nice. The keyboard keys are semi-weighted and feel nice enough. A huge step up from the non-weighted keys on my other controllers. I can't really compare it with other semi-weighted controllers since I don't have another one. I did try out the Akai MPK249 in store a few months ago, and I think it felt better than the CTRL, but the CTRl doesn't feel bad at all. I personally would like more resistance to the keys more like piano keys.The drum pads are nice. Much more responsive than the MPK minis. Knobs have a slight resistance to them which is good. They spin all the way around. Faders and buttons are fine as well. They keyboard seems well-made. I don't have any complaints about it. I suppose a minor complaint is that the keys are unevenly spaced. Not terrible but if you look at it, there are some slightly larger-than-normal gaps. It doesn't affect playing.Software:This is arguably the more important half of the keyboard controller.It is highly tweakable/customizable. If you don't like how the keyboard & pads play/feel, you can change their sensitivities and curves.The faders and transport controls are easily configured to the DAW of your choice. The controller has default configurations for a few popular DAWs. Setting it up in Reaper was real easy. I like the number of functions they were able to assign to each button. The buttons below each fader can arm, mute, solo, or select each track.There are four banks for the drum pads, allowing 48 unique pads. You can use the controller as a regular MIDI controller, setting CC control signals to the knobs/buttons/pads. I know through the VIP software, there are four banks for the knobs and buttons as well, but if you want to use the keyboard without VIP, it looks like you're limited to 1 bank for the knobs and buttons. (someone correct me if I'm wrong).VIP SoftwareHowever, the main reason for getting this keyboard is for the VIP software. It is really neat. To start off, you use VIP to scan all of your different VSTs. I've got Reaktor 6, Kontakt 5 in, as well as Eighty EIght, Hybrid, Loom, Vacuum Pro, and Xpand!2 which either comes with VIP or as separate downloads for getting the CTRL. If you don't already know, the VIP software allows you to browse your whole patch/vst library right on your keyboard. There is less fidgeting between your keyboard and computer in order to browse your patches and map/edit your controls although you can do everything you need on the computer if you need (and some things are easier/faster).A neat feature of VIP are Multis. In multis, you can add 8 different VSTs on 8 different channels and combine them in various ways ( muting, soloing, changing the volume). You can also add up to 4 different effects on each channel.There is a lot more I can say about VIP, and still some things I haven't yet learned/discovered (like Set Lists), but this review is horribly cluttered. Perhaps if anyone would like I could do a video review and/or walkthrough. I know there's only been one unboxing of it on YT.Overall, the keyboards been great. Learning VIP and how to navigate via the keyboard has a bit of a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, it's not bad. Included VSTs are also great. (Eighty eight has some great pianos/keyboards, Hybrid is a great subtractive synthesis VST.) Also included is a key for Ableton Live 8 lite and a host of AIR VST effects.

Hardware-wise, the CTRL49 is a great MIDI controller with enough keys, pads, buttons, knobs and sliders to please even the most demanding of musicians. It's extremely well built and actually has some heft to it. I love the screen!I had no trouble connecting the controller to my PC and had the drivers installed within a matter of minutes. However, the VIP software (and all the extras) took a bit longer as I had to download over 6gb of software. I had to go to M-Audio and register, then I had to install said previously mentioned software, THEN I had to input the software keys from the website, THEN I had to deal with the licensing software (Which gave me problems the first couple of times I attempted to authenticate). See what I'm getting at here?The whole installation process could've been a lot smoother. I have the product up and running, but it took QUITE a while to do so.All-in-all, the CTRL49 is a great MIDI controller. I would just suggest that M-Audio look at different installation options.

This thing is complete garbage!!!! I ordered mine from sweet water earlier this week and have yet to make a sound with it. I'm somewhat new to Midi keyboards but have had a couple of midi pad controllers in the past and chose to upgrade with ctrl 49. After getting it all hooked up to my MacBook pro and the drivers and the VIP software installed I opened ProTools and set the peripherals in every imaginable combination and NOTHING has worked!!! There are no useful videos for this thing just demonstrations and the manual is harder to follow than the un-abridged version of the count of monte cristo. There is zero information about how to hook this thing up anywhere and all I could find was a useless Ableton lite setup page. Did i mention the manual doesn't explain how to hook this thing up very well? I have at this point spent between 12 and 15 hours of my life just trying to make a sound with this thing and can't get it to do anything other than look pretty. Needless to say I'll be sending this thing back to sweet water after the weekend and go with something that actually works.