OVERVIEW
Alright, so this is a pretty good MIDI controller. It's the best one I've ever had, but I've only had an Akai LPK25 before this. It has some flaws, but it's a solid addition to my crappy "home studio," and really speeds up my work. In this review thingy, I'll talk about its playability, build quality, performance, and such. I've had this for about two weeks now, so I feel it's time to tell someone about it.
PLAYABILITY
7/10
One of M-Audio's biggest selling points of this product is how easy it is to play compared to other mini-keys. While having a few more notes handy often lets me input parts more seamlessly, I often feel as though the portability was very limited by this. I can barely squeeze it into my laptop bag. The keys are comfortable, but honestly they fell much smaller and more stubby than my LPK 25's keys. They are actually shorter; not by much, but enough to notice. It's easy to get used to, though. One thing that I don't really care for is how sensitive they are. There's barely any resistance when compared to other mini-keys. The drum pads are great, no complaints there, really. Overall, the Axiom A.I.R. Mini is alright to play, but takes some getting used to.
FEATURES
9/10
The Axiom A.I.R. Mini contains many features that I personally have never been lucky enough to use before. The MIDI CC knobs are amazing; I find myself playing with them quite often. They can be assigned to anything: from Massive envelopes to volume. The inclusion of drum pads is kinda neat, but really I don't use them much. (This is probably a result of me making Eurobeat, which is like an unce beat through the whole song.) There are eight drum pads, but you can switch between two banks, essentially having sixteen. You can assign pretty much every button on this controller. I learned this the hard way when one of my friends banged every button on it and somehow set my octave +/- buttons to play notes. I think my absolute favorite feature is the inclusion of Play/Stop/Record buttons. This alone speeds up my workflow like 25%. Overall, this product really packs a punch when it comes to features, at least for a mini-key set.
BUILD QUALITY
6/10
This is the one area where I'd have to say that the Axiom A.I.R. Mini does not excel. It feels rather cheap, and sometimes doesn't sit flat on most of my desks. I always have to fold a piece of paper to make it steady enough to play. It feels so flimsy I don't want to put it in my bag, but know that I do have a lot of heavy stuff in my bag. The knobs feel especially cheap. This shouldn't deter you from buying the product, though.
I'd recommend this product to anyone on a budget in need of a MIDI controller, or anyone wanting some mini-keys. I think it's a great piece of music gear and I have no buyer's remorse. Considering it's only $99 US, I'd go for it. Overall, I give this product an 8/10
