Xkey 25 Air

First, I want to explain my use-case for the Xkey 24 Air: I wanted something compact, zero frills and wireless. It also needed to be accurate - no dropped notes. I use this keyboard for transcribing music in a place more comfortable than sitting at my piano. There are several things need to know about midi keyboards: they don't make sounds by themselves - see my video. The sheer number of returns on midi keyboards is high enough I have to assume people think these are synthesizer keyboards. The Xkey depends on some other external device to produce sound. Just like the keyboard for your computer is not a word processor by itself. Point number two: there is latency with ALL wireless connections. Bluetooth MIDI is no exception. The wireless MIDI connection for XKey Air is fast – assuming you have a good connection (I can only speak for Mac/Apple products, since they have low-latency wireless Bluetooth MIDI connections built in). I have seen the videos of people using it for real-time recording or performances, but ultimately the purpose of the Xkey Air is not for live performance. It is for MIDI composition, notation software so you can type out the notes, DAWs, etc. With all this in mind, this keyboard does a great job! The construction is on par with my wireless Apple computer keyboard, with a lightweight metal from. The keys have a mechanism which makes the whole key move up and down, with no pivot point – think like an old-school mechanical computer keyboard. There is a bit of “clickity clack” from the keys when playing, since their travel distance is so short, on par with a mechanical keyboard as well. They sense velocity and aftertouch, although the usefulness of these features is purely software dependent. You can sustain a key and change octaves if needed. And yes, it is normal for the blue light to be on solid when connected wirelessly, and the red light to slowly flash. Also, comes in a nice, quality box with USB Micro charging cable..

OK kids. I liked this WAY WAY WAY better than I thought I would. I wanted something portable with full size keys and didn't need extra sliders knobs and other rarely used extras. I am a serious electronic music producer and things like after touch are a must for my world. In my main studio I have full size equipment, and I bought this to use when setting up temporary studio on the road. I appreciate the compact size. After unboxing, it took about 2 mins to get it bluetooth connected. The bluetooth is very low latency and the included USB cable can be used to connect to the computer as well. Feel and velocity are definitely different with this style of keyboard, but it is an easy trade off when compared to other controllers with mini keys -- i.e. I prefer the full size keys with less travel than mini keys with full travel. Velocity sensitivity works very well, as does the polyphonic after touch. The xkey software is SUPER impressive for setting up the keyboard. You don't have to have it but I strongly suggest downloading it - you will get the sense of how well this whole solution is thought through and implemented. You can set velocity sensitivity and curves and lock in great responsiveness to how you play. I also liked being able to set the auto-off timing for what suits me - it came set for 15 mins and that was too short for me, so I set it to 1 hour. Could be never if I wanted. I also appreciated being able to check for firmware updates and impressed that they even have firmware updates. This is way more of a robust solution than I had realized shopping for this online. The keyboard is well built and sturdy, and the configuration software is robust. Overall, I am more impressed than I thought I would be and thrilled with my choice. BTW - as an aside, I also bought the Akai MPK Mini MK3 25 key controller. I found it too difficult to play with the mini keys that are pretty stiff so it is going back.

As a musician who is already tired of carrying bulky instruments everywhere I go; meeting the XKey Air is a dream come true. Its light, compact, sturdy and does the job. if you're a musician looking to travel around a lot but don't want to compromise your productivity and the load you have to carry each time, I definitely encourage you to give this product a shot. Good thing is you could still use it as a Wired USB controller if you wish to so you will get max performance at all times. Great innovation!

Let's acknowledge how inspiring it is to have this keyboard sit on the desk just like a second computer keyboard, while it's ready to enter notes, play library sounds through Kontakt, etc. Lots of keyboards will let you do that but this one has aftertouch and the close to ideal form factor. Great for note entry and basic work, but far from great for any kind of engaged performance. Two things keep me from giving out that one last star: 1. This thing clicks so loudly you will have to turn up the volume to hear your music. No kidding! This bothered me so much I considered returning it but ended up keeping. 2. The USB input jack is so fragile you'll be afraid to use your $200 little device! Not sure how long this will survive on my desk under careful use. It literally sits on the jack while its connected and every time I change its position I am afraid it will disconnect. If these two issue were address Also, they should prominently state in their notes that you should purchase another USB device (which they currently aren't even selling!) to be able to use this with Windows. This is why I still haven't tested the wireless feature, even though I paid premium for it. For some reason, I am being a bit generous with my rating.

I absolutely love this keyboard. I tried a few wired midi keyboards, but getting everything out and connected to my iPad was such a hassle that I rarely ever used them. The XKey is a breeze to use, and so easy to pair and get going that it never feels like there’s a buffer between my ideas and getting them out in to BeatMaker 3. The key travel is a little bit different from other keyboards, and it clicks more like a laptop keyboard does. This actually didn’t bother me at all, and I’ll take it in exchange for the more full sized keys. I tried the AKAI MPK Mini Mk. II., and the keys on that felt tiny, cramped, and mushy by comparison. The XKey really lets you spread out. All in all, I was incredibly pleased with my purchase and may invest in the 37 key model on down the line.

Initially I gave this keyboard four stars, but have removed all but one because of a very serious defect in the USB port design. The micro USB port connection is extremely weak. The cord does not go all the way into the port so that a portion of the metal part is exposed, and this seriously weakens the port and causes it to be very easily damaged. Mine broke after 2 days of not particularly heavy use. This design defect occurs on the other Xkey models as well (Xkey Air 35-key, Xkey 25 USB). Otherwise, this is a really great lightweight and portable keyboard, however another problem is that it doesn't work really well with some (especially music notation) applications, e.g. Finale. One of the issues is that the keyboard shuts itself off after a short period of non-use (15 min. ?) to conserve the battery, and I get that. However, sometimes when you are transcribing or composing music in a music notation software application, e.g. Finale, there are times when you are working with the notes on the page and not with the keyboard, so the keyboard turns itself off. Then you have to go back into Audio Midi setup and reconnect it, but Finale won't recognize it's presence until you quit and restart Finale (!) Another issue is that when you are trying to recharge the keyboard with USB, there's no way to switch it to just USB; this results in two MIDI inputs which then jam your software (Finale again). There should be a switch to make it just USB so that if you are not going to be using the keyboard for a period of time or just want to recharge the battery, you can switch over and use that mode instead of using the Bluetooth connection.

Literally...this thing is always within 5 feet of me at all times. I do a lot drivingand have a hard time sitting down and practicing at things because I’m always on the go so this things just comes with me. Now I don’t have to use a small ik multimedia (love that brand 100%) keyboard with mini keys ! I bought a used xkey online but the USB port shorted out. so I was aware at how the keys felt when pressed and how vital Bluetooth would be in its logevitu. I would compare this to a high quality laptop QWERTY keyboard (you know when your pressing a specific keys with feeling alone). I do somewhat regret not getting the one with more keys but this is one bad ass, best keyboard buys I’ve ever made.

This is my second Xkey Air, bought the first one in 2015, I think, when CME offered it as a Kickstarter project. That one is still perfect, I use two Macs for music scoring and wanted a second keyboard. (I tried two other wireless keyboards, this one is much better). I love the feel/action of the keys and the quality. In case it matters, I use this keyboard with Dorico Pro over Bluetooth, it works flawlessly.

Achtung: das Bild ist irrelevant und falsch, das Mini Keyboard hat 25 Tasten und demzufolge nur 2 Oktaven ! Xkey 37 hat 3 Oktaven aber nicht dieses

Really like this. Fits in my laptop bag. Bluetooth works a treat. Velocity-sensitive keys, which was a surprise! Just works with GarageBand and Logic Pro X. Fab :)

Not so great for typing emails to you Nan, but perfect for a bit of music composition on the go!

[edit] The latency and connectivity issues have now been resolved so I've upgraded the rating from 1 to 3 stars. There are different instructions on the manufacturers website to those supplied with the product for connecting up. Under the forum section check out the post titled 'The Xkey Air connects to Mac OS and iOS via native Bluetooth' --------------- I chose the 'air' over the cabled version for convenience. Before buying I did my research on whether latency would be an issue and all the reviews were favourable so I went ahead. I followed the instructions and paired the keyboard with my iPad Pro and received a warning from garage band that there may be some latency. My god I just couldn't believe it. Now I'm no Richard Clayderman but anybody who says they don't notice the latency (lag I call it) is deluded. It's totally unplayable. Next up I tried pairing it with my MacBook Pro via bluetooth but it just won't connect. So here I have it, connected with the supplied USB charging cable, in effect being a wired unit but almost double the cost. Not only that but annoying constantly flashing LED's notifying me it can't connect via bluetooth (how do I turn this off?). Aside from the latency and connectivity issues, it's a horrible little unit, certainly to play with minimal travel and no dampening. It's pretty much like typing on a mechanical computer keyboard - very loud. What an awful experience. I'm considering sending it back. AVOID like the plague.

These are great to play, with their velocity and aftertouch and all that. However, already owning the older non-bluetooth version of this device I can declare this updated version cannot compare in the reliability stakes. With my non-bluetooth version, I usb wire it to my Mac and it works (just as any complient MIDI device should). The Bluetooth version has added so much complexity. It needs to be charged. It needs to be turned on and off. The Bluetooth connection is great, with no latency (when it works), but on a number of occasions it would drop or simply refuse to connect. Of course it does have the wired usb connection option to fall back on, but I had similar experiences with this. A very hit and miss affair. My Mac would see it but my DAW might not, or vice versa. So, basically the manufacturers have taken something that was beautifully Plug and Play and upgraded it to something quite the opposite and in doing so making it a device you could never dare to use live. I sent it back.