M-Audio Keystation 88 MK3 88-key Keyboard Controller Reviews

It's great! No driver to download. Just plug and play. The keys are better than my Oxygen 25. They feel heavier and way better control of velocity. It's simple too. There's not a large learning curve of stuff I don't need or understand or want to understand at my current level. I got the M-audio expression and sustain pedals. They will take a little more practice before I could comment on them. M-AUDIO KEYSTATION 88. Mk3 is the way to go. I'm glad I didn't spend a chunk of change on on a controller that might not have made me this pleased.

I ordered a M-Audio 88 key MIDI controller on 11-26-22. It is now 12-7-22. I would love to tell you how mush I like the keyboard but Fed-Ex keeps delaying the shipment. Finally it says that it's out for delivery today but I'm not to sure it will actually show up. I guess I should have payed for faster shipping because the free shipping is not the best when you really need the item.

PRODUCT REVIEW - Primarily a guitarist but needed a controller for desktop production. Hate the plasticky, overly-springy feel of synth keys I've dealt with on cheap units. I enjoy the key action on this unit, they feel weighty and robust. It suits my needs very well.

SERVICE REVIEW - Bart Amburn was extremely helpful in resolving an issue created by the USPS during shipping. Customer service was truly exceptional, and the proactive approach to solving problems couldn't have been better. Sweetwater's reputation for great service is not over-rated.

As a pianist turned music producer, I had been using keyboards with fewer keys for years. I always felt a little limited because I enjoy playing more than programming my keys. This keyboard has been a great addition to my home studio. It's clean design suits me perfectly and I now have the full range of keys I had been missing plus all the necessary features for working with my DAW.

Although there are plenty of features for playing live, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for that. You have to use the musical keys plus a modifier key on the left side to access things like program changes and bank switches. Since it has no back lighting, I would think it might be difficult to see and use the extended features on stage.

The key action is semi-weighted. They are not as weighted as some other keyboards I tried that are semi-weighted, but for me the feel of the keys is good. Overall, this is had made a great addition to my home studio. It's probably one of the least expensive ways to add 88 keys to your setup.

I've owned a pro synth for several decades, the classic Ensoniq VFX-SD. 100's of patches, I've never used them all. Same synth was used in Berlins famous "Take My Breath Away." Never saw a reason to buy anything else.

It wasn't until I got an Apple computer and GarageBand that I realized a need to get a controller. The old synth had MIDI ports but even after buying MIDI to USB converters, they just didn't work: really bad latency. Unusable. I used a tiny Akai controller keyboard for bass lines just fine, but found so many great sounding patches in GarageBand, really needing a bigger keyboard. The one that made me think a full 88 keys was Apple's Steinway piano patch. The thing sounds like a million bucks. I just needed a controller with 88 keys so I could play a grand piano. It's just that so many larger controllers are over priced and I'm not a touring keyboard player.

The M-Audio MK3 is exactly what I was looking for. Not real expensive, but not cheap junk that will break in a few months or have awful key response. The keys feel really good. They aren't weighted and don't feel like a real Steinway, but the action is good and fun to play. It does not feel cheap or feather light. It is absolutely plug and play, no issues with GarageBand on an M1 Mac Mini. I'm sure it would work with my older iMac, the USB standard has been figured out.

Another plus is that the keyboard has volume, pitch, modulation and octave control. And with my JBL speakers, it sounds very good to play and ever better to record a track with other instruments. Best $ I've spent. And I didn't have to pay $75,000 to $150,000 for a Steinway, so there's that. Just add a sustain pedal and you are good to go.

*If you have to have real piano feel, M-Audio also makes the Hammer 88

Great product.Excellent customer service before and after sale.Thanks for the hardwork.

Great price, good service and fast shipping. Needed to replace a midi keyboard controller that had quit working and wasn't able to get replacement parts for. Love the action of this keyboard and now I have complete range without having to toggle up and down. Just plug and play.

Awesome, easy to use MIDI controller with great software. Keys are good quality and have most of the feel of a real piano. Great addition to my home studio.

I decided to learn piano after years of playing guitar. I figure a new instrument will give me some much needed inspiration for my home recordings. This keyboard is working out great so far. The keys, for someone who is only used to synth action mini MIDI controllers, feel great. A full size, semi-weighted keyboard at this price point is pretty hard to beat for a beginner.

It has been a long time since I touched a keyboard. However, I loved the action not real springy and did not notice any noise from the keys. My goal from this keyboard was for primarily synth and orchestration. Songwriting and producing. Lastly piano parts. For the price it's hard to beat.

Alan

We use this keyboard alongside the Sunday Keys iPad app for our church worship services. The only complaint I've received from our team is the key weight. Our keys players typically play on standard weighted pianos so this complaint is to be expected. If you're used to semi-weighted keys, then you won't have any issues. Overall, it's a great product!

It's not fancy but if you need 88 keys that are budget friendly, then this is the one. I used it to sequence an entire album project top to bottom without a glitch. And, if you want painless shipping and excellent service, stick with the best, Sweetwater,

Just wanted to update the review concerning the midi out port.

To use it, one must push the "Advanced" button, which enters setup mode, and then press the black key labeled "Midi Out"

That should solve any issues on the keyboard's side of things. The rest depends upon what you're plugging into.

I've only had this behemoth of a controller (haha) for a week or so. Will update with any useful information I may find. Peace!

TLDR: great for the price but the keys are actually a bit heavy compared to a real piano, bit of a wrist strainer for me!
Love that it has 88 keys without being a bank breaking bells and whistles stage laboratory. Am much happier with the velocity range and "real feel" with this keyboard over any other m audio keyboard, and not having to jump octaves and punch in mid- recording because my melodic idea has gone out of range. HOWEVER the keys are a bit clunky, heavier, and have more resistance than most (upright) pianos I am used to. After playing this keyboard for over a year, I can confidently say that for me, whether my technique is perfect or not, long sessions tend to strain my wrists and challenge my fingers. Having tried some other fully weighted midi keyboards, I don't think this one is optimal despite being exactly what i need in every other way. That being said, it still have a great feel, which i would compare more to a very heavy grand piano key feel than an upright piano. I note this to be generous in noting that not all real pianos feel exactly the same, but this one can be quite the work out over time, and not for those who aren't adept at real piano or in need of velocity sensitivity. Not for the faint of finger :p

The good:

-88 velocity-sensitive keys
-pitch bend and mod wheels
-USB connectivity (and bus-powered!)
-5-pin MIDI out

The bad:

-It feels like cheap plastic
-The keys feel "sticky" each time you sit down to play. After each key is pressed, the stickiness goes away, but that comes back the next time you start to play again.

The verdict:

I used this keyboard for a few months as my primary DAW controller. It's described as "semi-weighted," but boy does it feel bad to play on. If you don't care how the keys feel, this is a functional 88-key controller. But please, if this is something you're going to be using often, get yourself a better quality keyboard.

First off, looks great, feels great, good price, works over USB, don't really care about the extra features but I'm sure they are great too.

But the Midi port on mine doesn't do anything. Hooked it up everywhere I could, nothing. Hooked it up to a midi message monitor, still nothing. No solutions or fixes I could find on the internet either, nor in M-Audio's troubleshooting/faq sections (most of it concerns software). I'm reaching out to M-Audio's support to try to get some light on this, but doesn't change how much of a bummer it is.

I've gone through about 6 of these (61 and 88 keys) and all of them kept dropping the power. I kept two of them for parts, then my two new ones also went down after just a couple years. Finally done with these pieces of crap.

I like the simple MIDI controller and its ease of use, but it's of no use if I keep having power problems. I kept replacing them because everything was pre-wired in my stage setup. Now I have gone through four of them, and the three I still have all have the same power problem. No power. One can get power if I use the USB input for power, but the other one only powered on for one second, now no power at all. Now I have three junk useless keyboards. DO NOT waste your money on this junk.

Do not buy one of these. I plugged a MIDI cable into it ONE time and left it in a climate controlled studio, and the MIDI port died. Found out M-Audio doesn't even make parts to fix it. Once something goes, and it will, by design I imagine, it's a piece of junk for the landfill. Their support is non-existent as well.