CME XKEY AIR 25 Electronic Keyboard

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.

Did not live up to expectations and definitely not as good as the reviewers say! Disappointed with functionality so returned it!

be aware that if you have a Windows laptop you are going to have to spend another fifty quid on a Widi Bud bluetooth adapter.

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..

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

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.