M-Audio Axiom 25 review

Verdict:

Review Date: 15 Feb 2008

Price when reviewed: inc VAT

Reviewed By: Kat Orphanides

Our Rating 3 stars out of 5

Review
Specs

M-Audio's Axiom 25 is a compact two-octave MIDI controller keyboard that's just small enough to carry around if you want to produce music on a laptop.

Keyboards of this sort produce sound only when plugged into a MIDI device. The Axiom plugs into a USB port and can control the MIDI output from most sound cards. You can control other MIDI devices through the MIDI Out port on the back of the device.

The semi-weighted keys are sensitive to how hard you press them, and you can configure their responsiveness to match your playing style. All the keys, knobs and pressure-sensitive trigger pads can have different MIDI functions assigned to them. Programming these is a fairly complex business, but the CD contains a detailed manual, and you can download M-Audio's Enigma program to make the process easier.

A copy of Ableton Live Lite 6.0.1 is bundled, but this doesn't work with the keyboard, so you'll have to update to version 6.0.10 to use it.

With everything running smoothly, the Axiom 25 was a pleasure to play, and is a powerful tool for anyone who wants to go beyond basic MIDI control. You face a steep learning curve if you want to make the most of the keyboard's features, and the accompanying software is of no use until you download the update.

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