Esem / Eesn

• Excellent keyboard
• Thick but solid feeling, still portable.
• Power hungry
• Blue backlight

I replaced my PCR-M1 with this unit (although it wasn't easy).

First impressions

Too early to tell, but the keyboard!!! Chunky and with an excellent feel. 16 templates, including a Logic one. Transport controls, knobs, buttons, you know, the usual. A good looking and easy to use template editor too. And, still fits in my backpack.

I am getting familiar with Novation's products bit by bit and I found the RLE25 experience familiar. My only gripe is, you guessed it, the blue-backlit screen.

Further

Very little to report. The action is excellent and I use this little keyboard more often than my previous 49 key keyboard. I've hooked up the transport controls to Logic and I enjoy one-touch recording on the fly. Loving it.

For all honesty's sake, internally the key contacts are similar to my previous Edirol PCR-M1, with one exception - they work. I did go through a glitch with it, and had to open it, and blow the dust and close it again.

Mac users, plug-in your laptop to AC power, or the device won't start (lights are on, not recognised by computer though). (Don't ask me?)