E-MU Xboard 25 USB/MIDI Controller
The new E-MU Xboard 25 Professional USB/MIDI controller for PC and Mac offers unmatched playability, real-time control and programmability in a portable keyboard package ideal for studio and stage use. The Xboard™ 25 features fullsize velocity sensitive keys with aftertouch, 16 programmable real-time controllers, Xboard Control editing software, and E-MU's new Proteus X LE Desktop Sound Module with over 1000 sounds.
The Xboard Control software provides an intuitive desktop interface that lets you effortlessly create custom templates for all of your favorite hardware and software instruments. The Xboards also allows you to set discreet MIDI channels for each controller and offers unrivaled real-time control and performance features, including Snap Shot that lets you send multiple program changes and controller values by pressing a single button, and Xboard Latch Mode that enables you to define a section of the keyboard as on/off triggers - perfect for drum loops.
The Xboard 25 is ultra-portable and can run on USB, battery, or AC power.
The E-MU Xboard 25 features
25 full-size professional keys with Aftertouch - the Xboard 25 is a true performance controller with a high-quality synth-action keybed
Xboard Control™ software lets you easily create custom setups for your favorite hardware/software instruments
Advanced studio/live performance features, like Latch Mode for triggering drum loops, Snap Shot for instantaneous program changes, and many more
16 real-time controllers that can be assigned to the key performance parameters of all your favorite virtual instruments
Includes Proteus X LE Desktop Sound Module (for Windows) with over 1000 presets and Ableton Live Lite 4 for E-MU (for Windows)
USB, battery or AC powered - take your music anywhere
PC & Mac compatible - Windows XP, 2000 and Macintosh OS X drivers
Minimum System Requirements
Mac: OS 10.2 or greater with native USB port
PC: Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP SP1 or greater with native USB port
Hardware
The Xboards’ synth keyboard action is surprisingly solid and satisfying, especially given the lightness of the controllers. The action feels good and smooth. And it’s got aftertouch, which is very cool. Sixteen control knobs give you lots of tweaking power, and each knob can either be assigned to its own MIDI channel and controller number, or set to affect the same parameter on 16 separate channels via the aptly-titled 16 Channel mode. The knobs are sturdy enough and provide good resistance.
Interface and Editing
E-mu built their Xboards with easy-to-learn, comprehensive editing capabilities. It’s a simple matter to find your way around the user-friendly interface and use it to send program changes, adjust velocity curves, set parameters for Latch mode, and so on. The Edit button gets you into Edit mode, pressing the appropriately-labeled key gives you access to the corresponding parameter, and both the master slider and keys assigned to digits 0-9 help you set that parameter’s new value. MIDI experts will have this down in seconds, and newbies won’t be far behind them.
The attractive blue LED screen gives useful prompts — telling you to select a parameter or indicating what MIDI channel you’re currently working on, for example — and the blinking Enter button is also useful, indicating when it’s time to select and execute an edit value. With the help of labeled keys and a well-written owner’s manual.
Software and Drivers
The Xboards come with an intuitive computer-based editor application that works bidirectionally with the controllers and lets you program patch setups, filters, velocity curves, etc. Also nice is that both the 25 and 49 work with the same drivers, so you can swap one for the other without any trouble.
Bundled with the Xboards are limited versions of two excellent pieces of software: E-mu’s own Proteus X and Abelton Live 4. Beginners will definitely benefit from getting a controller, a virtual instrument, and recording program all in one box, but more experienced music techies may well want to upgrade to the full versions, assuming they don’t have them already. Note that, while the Xboard editor program works on both PC and Mac, the bundled versions of Live and Proteus X are PC only.
Inta Audio recommends the EMU Xboard 25 Midi Keyboard by Emu
The EMU Xboard 25 Midi Keyboard offers great value for money, features, build quality and reliability.
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