M-Audio Keystation 49 MK3 49-key Keyboard Controller Reviews

Needed something simple with normal sized keys to unlike Shape in LUNA. Does exactly what I need without breaking the bank

Needed a simple keyboard for my desk to try out ideas. The Keystation49 fit the bill and the desk! A very cost-effective solution.

I got this to replace my 61 key m-audio keyboard which I purchased almost 20 years ago! The original cost $+ and this one cost me $. I'm absolutely delighted with the look and feel of it. I really don't need that extra octave, I only use it to program chords into Cubase and it's perfect for that. Let's hope this one lasts 20 years.

Upgraded from mid 2000's grey colored M-Audio 49 key and I'm super impressed. The look and feel of this newer model is leaps and bounds above the older model. The newer black textured color visually appealing and the changing color LED's on the transpose buttons is a nice touch. Now it's no fancy weighted keyboard but if you're like me and just mess around the weekends in GarageBand, this is the perfect budget keyboard for you.

Easy to set up and use. Great value for the price.

I use this keyboard to compose music for musical theatre. It's simple, well built, and has great value for such a low-cost keyboard. I love it

This is my first MIDI keyboard, and 49 keys is the perfect size for me. It fits nicely on the table and allows me to play with two hands.
The bundled software was way overkill for me, since I am only using it for ear training and learning tunes. So I am using a free VST host software called Cantabile Lite, along with a couple of plugins, and it works great.

Keys are nice for what it is. Has an off button. I have no complaints.

It has a light synth feel, yet still has a diggable resistance to it that makes it fun to play. And it's as small as a four-octave keyboard can be, which is great for those with limited desk space that are sick of smaller two-octave keyboards.

It came very quickly and was well packaged. I have used it with both Reaper and Pro Tools and it has been seamless. I like the mod wheels instead of the push button approach on the 32 key. The key action is good, you have to remember that it is a controller and not a piano. The capabilities are endless and with a little learning curve. If you are into making beats you can't go wrong.

The Keystation 49 MK3 is a really neat keyboard that exceeded my expectations! The feel of the keys is really nice- it's not too rigid or clunky and the velocity feels realistic compared to a piano. I do feel like the keys are a little fragile as in if you put your finger underneath the key and pulled up with sizable force, it could break the key but, as long as you are careful with it and protect it and handle it cautiously, I think it should be okay. The keyboard is fairly light so I like that I can kind of just carry it around, making it really portable. I haven't gotten around to using it with my computer so I can't say much about the programs it comes with but, it sounds perfectly fine with my iPad running GarageBand and I'm extremely happy with my purchase. Thank you so much to my Sweetwater associate, Tom Phillips, for helping me preorder it and checking in, I really appreciate it!

Keys have a great action and are easy to play (my biggest concern pre-purchase) and the cc controls work great in Logic. Excellent value.

As the subject line states. That's as concise as I can get it. It took me less than two minutes to get it out of the box, plug it in and be up and running with 49 keys and a spring-back mod wheel in Logic Pro X (there's also a no-detent LFO mod wheel as well, of course). Done dealio. Keys feel great and it affords me two hand playing, which I have been missing with my little AKAI. It just works like it's supposed to!

I'm a creature of habit, so when I busted out my trusty XP50 and it started having some issues, I opted to start doing the new school soundsets that came with my new Sweeteater StudioLive 32S / Studio One Pro.
My M-Audio Keystation makes it easy for this old dog when it comes to new tricks

This keyboard can cover your needs. Simple but powerful, works well with major DAWS. I recommend it.

Fired up Imac, umboxed the maudio, plugged in the maudio USB cable to Imac, turned on maudio power, opened up Garageband new project, selected the keyboard/software instrument option' and immediately began playing the default electric piano, I then switched to grand piano in garageband, hit record, and garageband automatically recorded in MIDI form, i didn't have to menu dive. I am new to MIDi and was thinking it would take me some time to get going, but literally I was doing what I was hoping to accomplish in 1-2 minutes. The maudio is what you may expect at price point, acceptable keyboard that could benefit from some weighted action, but really, it doesn't matter much...my sustain pedal combined with awesome garageband-software and effects makes this maudio an awesome tool and excellent value. Overall the keys are very good, full size, the build quality of the whole unit is great too, and the pitch transposer button work seamlessly.
Truly plug and play, and I am so fired up to start diving into the power of MiDI.

For my needs, this is a perfect keyboard controller. It doesn't play terribly well, but I don't need it to, I have a Nord Piano for that. It is however perfectly fine for controlling virtual instruments/programming in Reason and Logic. I owned a previous version of this keyboard for years and it only broke because I dropped it, and if I don't drop this new model, I expect it to last just as long. Also, I've never had any issues connecting this to my computers and/or with Reason/Logic recognizing it, it's just plug-and-play with no annoying drivers or anything to install which is wonderful.

I bought this to use for recording with GarageBand . I know little to nothing about Midi keyboards. I plugged it in and launched GarageBand It recognized the keyboard and I was off and running. Didn't even have to load the software that came with it. It doesn't get any easier than that. Used it to add bass tracks first and it worked great. Can't wait to learn more about how to use it.

It is very simple to connect to my DAW and is a perfect weight to carry around no problem. The customer service by Sweetwater is amazing too!

The M-Audio Keyboard this one replaced lasted well over 10 years and still technically works minus a couple of dead keys. This model offers a few more bells and whistles but aside from that is still the dependable midi keyboard I use for recording.

SIMPLE, EASY TO USE CONTOLLER. HAPPY TO HAVE IT AS PART OF MY SETUP.

The Keystation 49 MK3 is a good choice for a musician who’s not mainly a keyboard player. It is a basic, affordable keyboard controller that does what I wanted from it: accessing and recording the instruments and other patches available in my DAW, Cubase. It comes with software which I haven’t yet installed (actually, I’d forgotten about it, being focused on my interest in exploring Cubase).

Perfect for beginners and professionals alike. Nice synth-action keys and comes with amazing virtual instrument samples!!

Very nice feel on full size keys. Enough octaves for both hands to use, in the studio or more particularly in my car & backpack when I"m out in nature composing.

But for what it's worth, I do have a general sense of the differences between a well constructed, quality product and a piece of junk. This controller seems to be the former.

I bought it to assist me in making home demos, to replace my Korg Microkey 25. Nothing wrong with the Korg at all—a fine instrument in its own right. But I decided to start attempting to play my written keyboard parts myself, rather than sequencing them, and as a rather large man, with man-sized fingers, I quickly realized that I needed keys considerably larger than "micro" sized.

I'm also pretty cheap, which ruled out spending a lot of money on the new controller. Luckily I've had good experiences with M-Audio products in the past, and surmised that despite the lower price, the company would be unlikely to bring a shoddy product to market. So: a 49-key M-Audio seemed to fit the bill.

And so, having used it to record two demos thus far, I can say that I like it quite a lot. No problem with installation, no problem with DAW recognition, and the keys are reasonably solid-feeling. I have no real use for the transport functions, so haven't tried them yet, but I suspect they're probably fine. Beyond that, I don't have much to say. If you want 49 keys for a good price, here you go.

It includes a bunch of software which I don't really need, but I did install the AIR mini-grand and electric piano. The mini-grand is pretty good, though I have other piano sounds I like better. Haven't recorded with the electric yet, but nice to have good Rhodes options.

So 4.5 stars: the missing half-star is because the VSTs use iLok, which I hate. Five stars if you don't care about that.

The M-Audio keyboard is fine. The owners manual is not. I know very little about midi. The owners manual along with YouTube tutorials about are not produced with a beginner in mind. In the manual and on the internet, all instructions are made for knowledgeable midi users and not beginners. Hench, I am having difficulty assigning functions to controls like knobs and sliders controls because I cannot understand the terminology being used in the owners manual to set these up.

Good article and good construction of the midi keyboard, very good controller according to the price

I needed a keyboard for work with my large VI library. This tucks in nicely between my computer monitors and my computer keyboard. That allows me to keep my eyes and ears in the right spot when doing VI work. No way my 88-key controller would fit there. Decent-enough keyboard synth action. All adjustment of parameters local to the keyboard are done from the keyboard itself. This is a little strange, but it doesn't depend on unsupported apps on my computer (I'm looking at you, Akai). It also offers basic transport control for a DAW, which is a feature I don't need. For the price, it's a fair value.

I just took this thing of the box and plugged it into my Mac...works perfectly in LogicPro and with my other MIDI sound modules...

If you don't have a ton of space and want something light and portable but with full sized keys and enough keys to play it somewhat like a regular piano, this is a good option. The volume slider was defective but Sweetwater sent me out a new unit with no sweat. Their policy is to replace the product before you send the defective one in so you're not left without your gear for a week. They also ship it with a return shipping label. Couldn't have been easier. This was my first purchase from Sweetwater and I'm really impressed with the company's professionalism. I've read a lot of their reviews and heard nothing but good things and now I can say it's all true. And speaking of reviews, some of the negative ones on this product criticized the action being stiff. I can understand that the feel of an instrument can be subjective but trust me, it's totally fine. But let's look at the facts. This is an inexpensive way to access the world of sounds and instruments that digital audio has to offer. It's cheap and is cheaply made, but what do you expect for 119 bucks? With a two year warranty and the exceptional service from Sweetwater, it's a no brainer!

I can say I am really enjoying this keyboard. It is light and is really helping get the job done. As a keyboard/piano player this allows me to still comfortably play with two hands and still get a good feel and quality I'm looking for.

I like it a lot. I'm not a keyboard player but use it to plunk out chords for practice and figure out voicings for harmony. The extra octave over my last 37 key keyboard is a huge plus.

I used my Keystation 49m3 alot over the last 3 years of ownership. It served me well. But after 3 years it has gone kapute/Bad. I can't even get it to turn on anymore. It is good as a starter keyboard but it doesn't last..

This controller is cheaply made, and the manufacturer clearly doesn't have decent quality control standards. Light, flimsy and the keys are loud. Worst of all, mine arrived with sinking keys, making playing impossible.

Be aware that while this controller may have M-Audio's branding on it, there are IDENTICAL controllers with other brandings on them. Look up the Alesis Q49 MKII - same controller, for $ cheaper on Sweetwater.

Whoever produces these controllers is delusional to think this quality passes the $ mark. I've played children's keyboards with better action, and the velocity curves are just unnatural. I swear it feels like some keys respond differently.