Ableton Forum

I'm thinking of getting a cheap MIDI keyboard controller for basic MIDI recording in situations where it's not feasible or desirable to use my Alesis Q49. Since it's nice to have transport controls, assignable rotary knobs and trigger pads, I've come down to deciding between the Axiom Air Mini 32 and the Oxygen 25 IV.

Apart from the obvious difference in the number of keys, does either of them have an advantage over the other? In searching the forum, I've seen a few posts where people have had problems with the Oxygen 25 but nothing that makes me think that it's inferior to the Axiom Air Mini.

If you had to choose one of these, which would you go for?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

I just took a look at the two of them and all other things being equal I would choose the
M-Audio Oxygen 25 USB MIDI Controller because of "Sustain Pedal Input." The Air did not seem to have one. I know it has a button but I like a foot pedal. The first accessory I bought for Push was a sustain pedal.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, Yancey, I hadn't considered that.

Also the axiom air 25 is perfect for live 9
The 4-4 drum pads are sweet

Thanks, ebowla.

I changed my mind and picked up a bargain. The Samson Graphite SAKGR25 became available on Amazon UK a few minutes ago for £49.99 instead of the full price of £82.16 and I was quick enough to grab one of the 3 they had left. For this price I'm not only getting a 25-key controller with presets for Ableton Live, I'm getting semi-weighted keys and aftertouch for a ridiculously low price.

Edit: I forgot to mention that the keyboard comes with Komplete Elements 10 which I already have and which costs £44. So it's a great bargain even at full price.

if youre looking for a compact controller I really like the iRig Keys Pro. nice keys and very small size, plus its compatible with the ipad in addition to your computer.

Thanks. I'm not looking any longer, and I don't have an iPad, but this information might be useful to someone else.