Amazon.com.au:Customer reviews: Alesis V49 | 49-Key USB MIDI Keyboard Controller with 8 Backlit Pads, 4 Assignable Knobs and Buttons, Plus a Professional Software Suite with ProTools | First Included
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My firm belief is that Alesis provides the best budget midi’s on the market, and the Alesis V25 is proof of this. I have bought another midi from Alesis that was amazing, and similarly the Alesis V25 shared this sentiment. Easy to setup and plug in, I really do recommend for beginners especially or those who are on a budget.
I bought this keyboard as I own a Alesis vi49 which is great, but the keys not being semi-weighted on the V-Mini make a huge difference to the overall enjoyment of using the keyboard. I had to turn my velocity sensitivity off on FL Studio, because it was either that or I had to slam the keys to achieve the desired velocity, which sucks away the elegance from any piano piece.. but, the keyboard doesn’t claim to be semi-weighted.
EXCELLENT. I have only had this for just under a day and i knew it was a solid purchase right out of the box. What is important to note with this is that it is aimed at the music composer who wants to minimalize hardware as much as possible hence the alesis 's very small amount of features. but what it lacks in function it makes up for in build quality for sure. i traded my M audio oxygen 49, a keyboard which despite having 4 extra knobs, 9 sliders, transport controls and another feature or two, it just pales in comparison to the alesis V49's construction. The V49 has semi weight keys which feel so much more responsive, the 4 knobs are a little stiff but smooth and sit solid in the side panel, the pitch and mod wheels have a very firm slick feel for accuracy with added rubber coating for a nice grip, and the drum pads are SO MUCH BETTER then the oxygen's in terms touch and responsiveness. the assignable buttons and octave buttons are a little too clicky for my own taste but its a minor thing i can live with. The entire thing overall feels like it has weight yet simplicity with the controls sifted to the left side leaving room on your desk for your monitors or display. One of the biggest issues with controller keyboards today is having too many features for the sake of variety when we live in an age where software is king and can do so much more with the click of a mouse, and for me i prefer to keep most of my function and editing in the software and not the hardware. If you are one who wants a very straight to the point, no hassle, and very neat clean laid out keyboard then the alesis V series is for you. I have not tested the mapping software that comes with it, then again i never bother with it anyway because it can be a hit r miss situation setting things up. its easy to just plug it in and use your DAW's built in midi learn function as and when you need hands on editing done =)
Firstly some tech/nerd stuff. This controller works perfectly on Linux (Debian 10 "Buster") running the LMMS v1.2 music making software. No special utility or configuration is required; everything works out of the box. I haven't been this happy with a purchase in years.
So I recently discovered "Lo-Fi Hip Hop" via Chilles Cow and Mr Momo Music on Youtube and have fallen in love. So much so that I decided I wanted to have a go at making some myself. This will be a painful experience as I have ZERO knowledge or understanding in music production. But why not give it a go. I use only Linux on my computer so whatever I choose to do in life, the ability to do it on Linux is a must; if I cannot, then I wont. Thankfully I was already aware of the software and utilities required for this endeavour, so I set about doing my homework. At first I consisered the Akai LPK25 and LPD8, but decided the Alesis V Mini was a better option and a lot cheaper than buying those two together. It arrived, it worked flawlessly with absolutely no weird configuration hoops to jump through; I was at least expecting the control knobs to give me hassle, but no.
The device itself is decent quality; solid and weighted, the keys and knobs are all smooth action. All in all, I really like this controller. However I do have a tiny niggle: the drum pads are a bit insensitive and really need to be hammered to activate properly and get a high-volume sound. I don't know if this is normal or not as I've never used anything else. I can see myself not using these pads very much as a result. Aside from this, I love it!
Pretty sure I'm going to return this. Three of the pads seem to have the double hit issue that has been mentioned in some other reviews. Really disappointed.
Update: A couple of months later and I have decided to replace this for an Akai MPK Mini Mk2. Reasons include the double triggering of the pads - this puts you off wanting to use the pads which result in a loss of productivity. Secondly, even for a 49 key, this takes up a lot of space. The keys are quite nice to play, but the responsiveness isn't fantastic. Going for the Akai for both space and pads that seem more reliable. It is now too late for me to return this, so I will be keeping it in case I need more keys in the future.
Unpacked and setup. however, the software that comes with it does not work on mac or pc. alesis support does not reply to any of the opend tickets.
Fortunately it works with GarageBand that is available on a mac. But i need to buy some other software for windows 10.
The parcel didn't arrivein the usual amazon standard packaging (usually an additional amazon outer box is used to further protect the goods). The box had been dented, good the keyboard didn't get damaged.
4.0 out of 5 stars
sounds great and well made, let down by poor software
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 January 2020
Unpacked and setup. however, the software that comes with it does not work on mac or pc. alesis support does not reply to any of the opend tickets.
Fortunately it works with GarageBand that is available on a mac. But i need to buy some other software for windows 10.
The parcel didn't arrivein the usual amazon standard packaging (usually an additional amazon outer box is used to further protect the goods). The box had been dented, good the keyboard didn't get damaged.
I've started making music again after about ten years. I still had all my VSTi plugs and my trusty copy of FL Studio 7 and thanks to - strangely for me - a little foresight I remembered that I had paid for lifetime updates, so I now have FL 12 Producer Edition to play with. Most of it came back pretty easily to me then I realised with horror that I had sold my MicroKorg on eBay when I didn't think I would be doing this kind of thing again.
A quick look on Amazon displayed a wide range of controllers and prices. I read a few reviews and still wasn't sure. What swung it in the end was a great bit of Alesis kit I had in the 80s, the lovely HR16 Drum machine, so with good memories of that and mainly positive reviews I went for this V-Mini.
Considering how cheap it was I am mightily impressed with it's quality. Although it is obviously plastic it does feel sturdy and reassuringly quite weighty. Not too bothered about the pads but it was nice to have four knobs and they are dead easy to assign in FL Studio. Within an hour of getting it hurriedly out if the box I had quite a few sketchy ideas sorted and saved. I found the keyboard a little on the stiff side at first, but I soon got used to that.
I am really impressed with this Alesis and think I made the right choice
