Acorn Masterkey 61 USB MIDI Controller Keyboard

Acorn Masterkey 61 USB MIDI Controller Keyboard Overview:

The Masterkey 61 USB MIDI controller keyboard is perfect for computer music performance and production. Whatever your style of music, it delivers the control you need to unlock your creativity.

Express yourself on the 61 velocity sensitive keys, playing and recording in to any standard MIDI software program or the included Presonus Studio One Artist. The full 5 octave design fits perfectly on a desk or standard keyboard stand and it's easy to move when not in use.

Real-time controls such as the four knobs and fader can be used to control instrument or mix parameters, even while you play. Professional-style pitch bend and modulation wheels allow you to add further articulation. The 3-digit LED display provides navigational feedback so it's quick and easy to find the right menus for changing MIDI channels, sending out program changes, transposing or programming the real time controls. And if 61 keys are not enough, press the octave up and down buttons to shift the keyboard range up or down instantly.

Installation is straightforward, too. Simply plug Masterkey 61 into a USB port on your computer and the operating system will do the rest. Masterkey 61 is USB class-compliant, which means that no driver is needed for supported operating systems.

Get a grip
The pitch bend / modulation wheels and the fader cap have a rubberized coating that provides additional grip, minimizing the chance of performers losing their grip. They look great and feel great on the fingertips too.

Real-time functions
By default two buttons below the LED display operate as octave shift buttons -/+ extending the range of the keyboard 4 octaves up and 3 octaves down. The buttons can in addition be assigned to control Transpose, Program Change or MIDI Channel providing a total of 4 options. Press the two buttons at the same time, then scroll through the options using the - or + button until you have found the one you want.

Connnectivity
Masterkey 61 is easy to connect. One USB cable handles data transfer to your computer via MIDI and also provides the power. It's also USB class compliant, so driver installation is not needed. All you have to do is switch the power button to On! An input jack is also available for an optional sustain pedal. Masterkey 61 automatically detects the polarity of the footswitch you connect, so any standard pedal can be used. If you don't have a pedal, check out the FP-1 and FP-2 pedals at the bottom of this page.

Assigning Controllers and Edit
Masterkey 61 would not be a controller keyboard without its real-time controls. The controls are pre-assigned with useful MIDI CCs. Some music creation software will instantly link these controls to useful parameters and most offers the ability to define the parameter links yourself using click and learn*. In some cases, you may need to change the MIDI CC assigned to each of these controls. Thanks to the LED display it's easy too. Once in Edit mode, pressing the black keys will show the various menu options. No need to refer to the manual or a keyboard chart, it's all there in the display. Select the key for assigning MIDI CC's and type in the number. It's that easy.

Features:

• 61 note, velocity sensitive, synth-style keyboard
• Pitch bend and modulation wheels (MIDI assignable)
• 1 assignable MIDI fader
• 4 assignable MIDI knobs for real time control
• 3-character red LED segment display
• 1 sustain foot switch input jack, type-sensing (foot switch not included)
• Quick-toggle between real-time functions Octave, Transpose, Program Change and MIDI Channel
• Advanced MIDI functions
• USB class-compliant. No driver needed
• Includes Presonus Studio One Artist

• Unit Weight: 5lbs/2.3kg
• Unit Dimensions: 38" x 7.5" x 3"

• Masterkey 61 USB MIDI controller keyboard
• 6ft USB cable
• Manual/User Guide
• DVD containing Presonus Studio One Artist and content material

• Macintosh:
• Minimum Hardware:
• PowerPC G4 1.25 GHz or Intel Core Solo, 1.5 GHz processor, 1 GB RAM Recommended hardware: PowerPC G5 or better or Intel Core Duo or Intel Xeon processor or better, 2 GB or more RAM

• Windows:
• Operating Systems: Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7/8
• Minimum Hardware: Intel Pentium 4 1.6 GHz processor or AMD Athlon 64 (Turion), 1 GB RAM
• Recommended Hardware: Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz EM64T or better or AMD Athlon 64 3000+ or better, 2 GB or more RAM, Low latency audio sound card

• Windows and Macintosh Systems:
• Internet connection, DVD-ROM drive, Monitor resolution no lower than 1024x768 pixels.