M-Audio Hammer 88 Pro Midi Keyboard Controller

The most playable keyboard action I have ever played on any synth or midi keyboard. At first I thought of getting the Arturia or Native Instruments 88 but after watching hours of You Tube it became clear the M-Audio Hammer Pro 88 was the one for me and they were right it is a dream to use in the studio.

Great product. One thing I would say is that the aftertouch is quite hard to press near the middle of the keyboard. Not sure if the pressure required is normal or not since its the first time I’ve used it on any product. The manual does say the middle is requires harder presses for aftertouch but its extremely hard and almost feels like you’re going to break something. Overall though the weighting of the keys are perfect for me and I am very happy with the product. Would be nice if it had polyphonic aftertouch though.

Great looking keyboard, solid construction but sent back due to change of mind wanting more, optd for Native Instrument 88 Key, Keyboard with Ultimate Upgrade, was easy and fast, painless and very helpful staff on board. Thanks Team.

I love this controller. I was already using the Hammer 88 but the the upgrade was worth it. I love all the flexibility and control right on the controller. It has just same feel of the Hammer 88. I love it. It has the same layout as the oxygen pro so it was easy to set up.

A LOT of Keyboard for your Money

Hammer 88, you get the controller with a great weighted keybed and a decent set of sounds to run through your software. The Hammer 88 pro takes that up a notch on the control interfaces that can be mapped to a ton of different DAWs. I personally went for this one because Im getting back into my own journey of learning and playing after being away from playing on synths from the 80s/90s for a couple decades and I wanted the real piano feel this time. The sounds it comes with run on your computer, you connect the midi and let it all ring out through your speakers/headphones. Looks beautiful. Feels beautiful. Sounds are great. Highly recommend. Warning this thing is heavy. Get a helper to move it around and set up right. Get a stand for it. And get a sustain pedal for it.

Excellent keyboard

Instead of going for the more hyped Arturia or the Native instruments big keyboards which are 2 times more expensive I can recommend purchasing this one.This is a beautiful keyboard with an excellent touch and feel.The only negative side is that it is bulkier (taller) than the Komplete Kontrol S88 which means you need more space to accomodate this underneath your desk. The weight of the keys are lighter than the Komplete Kontrol S88 - this one feels more like a piano for my taste.

Review of M-Audio Hammer 88 Pro 88 Key USB/Midi Controller

Integrated into my studio setup with no issues. Excellent functionality but most importantly an amazing feel to the keyboard. Actually a pleasure to play again.

The Best and Most Complete Midi controller of 2022.

The aftertouch of this midi controller is almost perfect, I have read many reviews and I understand that many have not had any luck, it may be the Daw, there may be many different things in the communication between the midi controller and the Computer. The integration to the different Daws is not only what the manufacturer puts, you can mix it with any music program.. I had the native instruments MK 88 and it's pretty good, although the keys are harder, never with Fatar action. I think that for a professional orchestrator and composer it is magnificent. Even if you are not a great pianist you will have the opportunity to feel like one. After several years of having different controllers we came to a new experience in controlling almost all your options from a ... MoreThe aftertouch of this midi controller is almost perfect, I have read many reviews and I understand that many have not had any luck, it may be the Daw, there may be many different things in the communication between the midi controller and the Computer. The integration to the different Daws is not only what the manufacturer puts, you can mix it with any music program.. I had the native instruments MK 88 and it's pretty good, although the keys are harder, never with Fatar action. I think that for a professional orchestrator and composer it is magnificent. Even if you are not a great pianist you will have the opportunity to feel like one. After several years of having different controllers we came to a new experience in controlling almost all your options from a single unit. The body is solid, gives confidence and security. I think it is a few steps ahead compared to the Arturia 88a with fatar and Native Instruments Mk 88 , which are market leaders. These work great with their respective VST instruments created for Native Instruments (Kontakt) and Arturia Instruments. But this wonderful M-Audio Pro can control all these software and do much more. It is always important to know how to program and prepare all midi communication, because there are many important resources between the controller's midi communication and the software you use, even if it is not within those indicated by the manufacturer. All this is more difficult with Native Instruments and Arturia. I am the first violin of an important orchestra in South Florida. I play piano and I have also created different orchestral compositions for movies and documentaries. I recommend this controller.

This thing has won me over.

I bought this a few weeks back to have hammer action keys. My electric piano's midi died so I bought this along with a desk from output.com. When I got it the first thing I noticed was that the keys were very stiff and hard to play. The second thing I noticed was that this keyboard wouldn't fit on the keys tray of my gigantic output desk. Be aware, this thing is big and it's pretty heavy. So I packed it back up in the box it came in and I was going to return it but shipping was expensive so I kept it. Since, I've bought a stand and I have kinda fallen in love with this thing. The keys have relaxed and they feel great, like a high end acoustic piano. The touch on this thing is pretty awesome. Another thing that's great about this keyboard is the sliders and pads. ... MoreI bought this a few weeks back to have hammer action keys. My electric piano's midi died so I bought this along with a desk from output.com. When I got it the first thing I noticed was that the keys were very stiff and hard to play. The second thing I noticed was that this keyboard wouldn't fit on the keys tray of my gigantic output desk. Be aware, this thing is big and it's pretty heavy. So I packed it back up in the box it came in and I was going to return it but shipping was expensive so I kept it. Since, I've bought a stand and I have kinda fallen in love with this thing. The keys have relaxed and they feel great, like a high end acoustic piano. The touch on this thing is pretty awesome. Another thing that's great about this keyboard is the sliders and pads. This is a very nice touch for folks who are playing keys but need midi automation when recording or playing live. I have not used the built-in sounds and don't plan to, but as a midi controller for my studio this thing pretty well rocks. I'm glad I kept it.

Very good keyboard

I bought this keyboard/piano as my second piano to connect to the computer. It is really good and configurable on different DAWs. I use Cubase myself and I still need to fine tune some functions but all in all it works really well from the factory.It has a very good build quality although the keys tend to scratch a little while playing. The piano looks really good and professional. It is fully powered by USB. The keys are weighted and feel like a real piano although they have a very light touch. The keys also have aftertouch which is a nice plus. The modweels on the side are large enough and give really good control.M-Audio also provides 3 Midi instruments to go along with the piano and boy, they sound amazing!! Really professional sounding instruments, hundreds ... MoreI bought this keyboard/piano as my second piano to connect to the computer. It is really good and configurable on different DAWs. I use Cubase myself and I still need to fine tune some functions but all in all it works really well from the factory.It has a very good build quality although the keys tend to scratch a little while playing. The piano looks really good and professional. It is fully powered by USB. The keys are weighted and feel like a real piano although they have a very light touch. The keys also have aftertouch which is a nice plus. The modweels on the side are large enough and give really good control.M-Audio also provides 3 Midi instruments to go along with the piano and boy, they sound amazing!! Really professional sounding instruments, hundreds of them. I can also use then in Cubase but you can also use them in standalone so you can just play.Just a note: you NEED a computer to play, it is just a midi controller, not a full piano with sounds etc. Just so you are aware.I did have a few issues playing but I think it might be the software, not the piano.