09-2005
keyboard
61
AUDITION
OVERVIEW
Two of the newest — and least expensive — entries in the featherweight keyboard
controller category are the internally-identical E-mu Xboards 25 and 49, super-totable
tools that can just as easily be USB’d to your DJ set in Ableton Live or MIDI cabled to
your Roland V-Synth XT. Along with an impressive keyboard action and intuitive
editing capabilities, the Xboards also come with three pieces of software — a
programming interface, Ableton Live 4 Lite (full version reviewed November ’04), and
E-mu’s Proteus X LE, a scaled-down version of their excellent soft synth (reviewed
July ’05). And with street prices well under $200, both axes offer an intriguing
amount of production power for the dollar.
HARDWARE
The Xboards’ synth keyboard action is surprisingly solid and satisfying, especially
given the lightness of the controllers. “The action feels good and smooth,” commented
Matt Moldover, New York producer/electronic artist/mash-up specialist and my guest
set of fingers for this review. “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, though Matt said, “I prefer the feel of the knobs
on the M-Audio Oxygen 8.” Matt and I agreed that the buttons on the Xboards didn’t
feel as robust and well-put-together as the keyboard action, and they rattled slightly
with heavier playing. “They feel kind of cheesy,” said Matt. “They float around.”
A useful controller in a number of settings, the Xboard can receive power from a
number of sources — USB from your computer, an optional 6-Volt adapter, or three AA
batteries. I was impressed by the battery life; as of publication, a fresh set of Duracell AAs
has given my Xboard 49 well over a week of juice, and it’s still going strong.
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
CLAIM CHECK
Derk Hagedorn, E-mu’s marketing manager, writes:
“E-mu designed the Xboards to offer musicians
competitively-priced USB/MIDI controllers with full-size
keys and playability superior to other USB keyboards, as
well as innovative performance features and easy-to-use
programming software. The Xboards are meant for any
musician who cares about the quality of the keyboard
action of their USB/MIDI controller, and wants the
flexibility to easily program patches. No competing
controller comes close to the kind of programming that
the Xboard Control software offers.
“The Xboards are remarkably compact for having
full-size keys as well as ultra-portable — perfect for
stage and studio use — and run on USB, battery, or AC
power. The included Proteus X LE software gives users a
powerful software instrument with over 1,000 sounds
that have already been set up for all of the real-time
control knobs, and unlike most ‘LE’ instrument versions,
can be further expanded with any E-mu Proteus X or
Emulator X expansion soundset, including the sounds
of E-mu’s most popular modules like Mo’Phatt, Virtuoso
2000, and many more.”
CREATE AND
CUSTOMIZE
As inexpensive, light, and
easy to play as they are,
the Xboards sparked my
creativity in an unexpected
way. What if I were to bolt a
pair of them back to back,
attach a neck and a strap,
and use it like a dual
manual keytar? Or what if I
could fix one upside-down
to some sort of boom
stand? Or better yet, get
five of them, link them to
Cycling ’74’s Jitter software,
put them in a circle hanging
from the mast of a yacht . . .
well, you get the idea. The
point is, the Xboards are
inexpensive, light, sturdy,
and they get the job
done, making them ideal
candidates for whatever
crazy MIDI customizations
you can dream of. Since the
units I got to play on
belonged to E-mu, I erred
on the side of caution and
kept my duct tape and
electric screwdriver safely
in the toolbox, so I can’t
report first-hand on how
the Xboards would hold up
under West Coast Chopper
treatment. If you’ve tried
anything like this, though,
Keyboard would love to
hear how you fared — don’t
hesitate to send your pic-
tures and stories our way!
