ESI Keycontrol 88 Pro ?

[sudo]

In the latest July issue of SOS, they briefly mention a new ESI midi controller called "Keycontrol 88 Pro" that was supposed to be shown at the Frankfurt show - There's not a lot of info, only that it "features an 88-note hammer-action keyboard with key-split options and two MIDI outs." (page 8, news section). The article seems to indicate that all 4 Keycontrol models have USB and controller features as well... Might be worth checking out.

 

Anybody was at that show or got more info about this new ESI keycontrol ? Are ESI products usually good quality ?

 

Thanks.

[Rod S]

I'm not familiar with their controllers, but I'll answer the last question.

 

Originally posted by sudo:

Anybody was at that show or got more info about this new ESI keycontrol ? Are ESI products usually good quality ? Thanks.

I have two ESI products. I bought a WamiRack 24 early 2001. It's still my main audio interface, and I really like it. They released XP drivers since then, and it has been pretty solid. Works as advertised, never had a problem. I'm already on my 3rd computer and still using the same interface.

 

Since I had such good experience with it, I bought a WamiBox late 2001. The thing never worked as advertised, new drivers fix certain things while disabling some features. They pretty much abandoned the product. We've been pestering them to remedy this situation, with no result. The ESi dealer in Brazil wants nothing to do with me since I didn't buy the product from them. The build quality is good, but their attitude sucked!

 

So, 1 big hit and a miss. Your mileage may vary...