LenZoo Posted August 25, 2016 Share Posted August 25, 2016 I recently got myself a CME xKey air 37. First I was quite skeptical, thinking I could send it back to the store if it sucked. Now I'm sure, I'm definitely keeping it. It's absolutely amazing how playable and cool this device is. I take it everywhere. You just never know when you have a minute - and then tadaa, there you have it. Hook it up to your iPhone, iPad or computer without any cables or other sheeshee. Perfect. Ok, it is not a piano, but it is sooo much fun to play. Looks like it will be my main controller. Of course, I'll still keep my Roland piano, but for jotting down ideas quickly or on the go this is my new tool. With the Poly aftertouch and Animoog or Model 15 you can lock me up for weeks. Has anybody here been using it? Live too? Live on Bluetooth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DulceLabs.com Posted August 25, 2016 Share Posted August 25, 2016 There's a few of us here that use it but not sure about live or with Bluetooth. It's a great controller and perfect for travel or a small tabletop setup. One piece of advice I have for anyone trying it: Give it more than a couple minutes. When I first tried it, I absolutely DID NOT LIKE. After 10 minutes or so, I was hooked. Just takes a little bit of adjustment period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xKnuckles Posted August 25, 2016 Share Posted August 25, 2016 There's a few of us here that use it but not sure about live or with Bluetooth. It's a great controller and perfect for travel or a small tabletop setup. One piece of advice I have for anyone trying it: Give it more than a couple minutes. When I first tried it, I absolutely DID NOT LIKE. After 10 minutes or so, I was hooked. Just takes a little bit of adjustment period. I agree with all of this. It is just an incredibly useful little thing; small enough to go anywhere. I bought a second one, so I can now link them together and have 5 octaves. They nicely fit in a Suitcase. They even fit in my backpack when I go hiking (........I know... ..I really am beyond hope.....) "Turn your fingers into a dust rag and keep them keys clean!" Bluzeyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Ferguson Posted August 25, 2016 Share Posted August 25, 2016 I bought the wired one to take with me on a trip to use with my iPad. It really is surprisingly playable and makes GarageBand and Korg Gadget, etc, much nicer to use. I did have to turn off the aftertouch though, as I couldn't dial it in to a sensitivity where I wasn't inadvertently triggering it. I'm going to keep experimenting with that though. Of all the keyboards I have, I think it's the only one that actually transmits poly aftertouch. "If you can't dazzle them with dexterity, baffle them with bullshit." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted August 25, 2016 Share Posted August 25, 2016 I have the original USB model. Awesome for tapping out an idea or part on a desk with Logic or entering notation in Sibelius. The aftertouch is fun for playing iPad synths. It's not a replacement for a full size keyboard with great action, it is tiny and thin and gets the job done when working in less than ideal locations. Indispensable and remarkably playable. Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITGITC Posted August 25, 2016 Share Posted August 25, 2016 Got it. Like it. Wish I knew how to play it. Is There Gas in the Car? "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." - Victor Hugo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pianoman JC Posted August 26, 2016 Share Posted August 26, 2016 I have a wired xkey and use it a lot with logic and with my iPad. It takes a bit of getting used to but it's a lot of fun to play and very portable. It is hard to control velocity with such a small amount of key movement but it has a solid feel and is well built. The aluminum case really matches my Mac Book Pro. JC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gg22 Posted August 26, 2016 Share Posted August 26, 2016 I have one as well (the original USB 25 keys) and it's impossible to control velocity (maybe I have a defective unit). It jumps to max 127 too quick with a slight touch. Good for non velocity sensitive patches though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kawai James Posted August 26, 2016 Share Posted August 26, 2016 I bought an XKey-25 last year with a view to playing in on the plane while flying back to England. It was pretty cool, but the narrow key range was rather limiting, so I ended up giving it to my young nephew who expressed an interest. A year later, I'm set to visit my family again, and after reading LenZoo's post, think I'll grab the XKey 37 Air to take with me on the flight! Cheers, James x Employed by Kawai Japan, however the opinions I express are my own. Nord Electro 3 & occasional rare groove player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Ferguson Posted August 26, 2016 Share Posted August 26, 2016 I have one as well (the original USB 25 keys) and it's impossible to control velocity (maybe I have a defective unit). It jumps to max 127 too quick with a slight touch. Good for non velocity sensitive patches though. This is exactly what I experienced with aftertouch on the xkey. Are you sure that's not what was happening? As soon as I disabled the aftertouch it was much more playable, and the velocity response seemed pretty good. Just a thought. I bought an XKey-25 last year with a view to playing in on the plane while flying back to England. It was pretty cool, but the narrow key range was rather limiting, so I ended up giving it to my young nephew who expressed an interest. A year later, I'm set to visit my family again, and after reading LenZoo's post, think I'll grab the XKey 37 Air to take with me on the flight! I really wanted to get the 37, but it's too long to fit in a typical backpack (unless you leave it sticking out of the top) or fit lengthwise in a messenger bag. That kind of defeated the purpose of a travel keyboard for me so I went with the 25. "If you can't dazzle them with dexterity, baffle them with bullshit." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Emm Posted August 26, 2016 Share Posted August 26, 2016 Dig into the editing software. You can customize things to a healthy degree. I personally find the velocity sensing to be just fine and largely dependent on the patch itself. I get some very delicate oboe behaviors to emerge, for example. I turn to my 5-octave Korg workstation for some things, as I've been a committed joystick user since I landed my first DW8000. It offers intimate greeze the XKey's weenie little "pitch bender" can't muster. That aside, the 3mm key throw makes it easier to render rapid lead lines on an XKey and 37 keys fits M-Tron Pro perfectly. Its one of the more useful tools I've owned. Makes its own gravy, especially when you're just messin' around for fun. If it had the option of a decent joystick, I'd marry the 37. "It ain't over 'til the fat despot sings." ~ "X-Men '97" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogman1 Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 Is there any noticeable latency when using it wirelessly? Tom Nord Electro 5D, Modal Cobalt 8, Yamaha upright piano, numerous plug-ins... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Emm Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 I went for the wired version, so I can't comment on that aspect. I didn't find wireless operation to help me along creatively. I prefer sitting in the DAW command chair rather than trying to hump it across the stage like Meatloaf. Its more of a Weird Al thing to do a searing solo with an XKey. "It ain't over 'til the fat despot sings." ~ "X-Men '97" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kawai James Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 I checked Amazon Japan last night with a view to purchasing the xKey 37 Air. The product is listed at 40,000 JPY ($392). Hmm...that's a little steep, and more than I expected. For reference, the xKey 25 Air is 26,676 JPY ($260), while the wired xKey 25 is just 12,168 JPY ($120) - more or less the same price I paid a year ago. Not sure what to do. It's a fun board, and would be cool to take on the plane, train, beach, and park, etc. But ~$400 is not an insignificant amount of money for what would essentially be a toy. For reference, the Reface boards are around 44,000~46,000 JPY over here, but they obviously include a tone generator and speakers. Not sure if I should just bite the bullet on the 37 Air, and attempt to hide the package from my wife... Cheers, James x Employed by Kawai Japan, however the opinions I express are my own. Nord Electro 3 & occasional rare groove player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Haha. A common situation to be in, quite certainly. I find I'm in it perpetually! US price for the 37 Air is $299 - about enough for a 4 voice Roland VA (minus mini keys). If it wasn't so expensive to ship to you, I'd pick one up and mail it! The Irony is it would cost you about the same for this little keyboard to fly to the US and back to Asia again as to just order it from much nearer. Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kawai James Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Thanks Elmer! Yeah, it looks like Amazon UK have the product listed at around $50 less than the Japan price, so I could potentially have it delivered to my father's home, then pick it up when I arrive. However, I was really planning to use the xKey on the flight over. Moreover, I just noticed that 'Expected shipping time is 1~2 months'... guess I'll pass on the UK idea! Cheers, James x Employed by Kawai Japan, however the opinions I express are my own. Nord Electro 3 & occasional rare groove player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LenZoo Posted September 2, 2016 Author Share Posted September 2, 2016 James, are you flying first class? The xkey 37 is pretty wide. Who cares, just get one. You won't regret it and your wife will forgive you one day @Mighty Ferguson: The carry bag for the 37 is groovy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kawai James Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 LenZoo, the xKey 37 arrived on Saturday. My initial thoughts were indeed 'wow, that's longer than I thought' - the battery adds some weight too. It's still incredibly portable of course, but rather more bulky than I anticipated...and as you suggest, a little too wide for playing on a flight in economy. I'll be sitting next to my wife, so could potentially use her fold-down table! Not sure if I'll actually take it onboard... I played with the xKey for about an 1.5 hours using Korg Module and have to admit it was pretty good fun just jamming away on the kitchen table. I disabled the AfterTouch in the control app and this seemed to improve the touch response (thanks for the tip Mighty Ferguson!). As for wireless Bluetooth performance, I honestly couldn't perceive any latency between pressing a key and hearing the sound. I'm sure it's measurable, and more than a wired connection, but wasn't enough to affect my musical enjoyment. One negative point I did notice, however, was the volume of the keys. Honestly, I'm impressed at the degree if touch sensitivity that is possible out of a board that's only 1.5cm thick, however, the keys mechanism is quite 'clicky' when playing with both hands - that's perhaps another point to consider if intending to take this board on a plane. The case looks great...might have to pick that up too. Cheers, James x Employed by Kawai Japan, however the opinions I express are my own. Nord Electro 3 & occasional rare groove player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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