MIDI Keyboard
Since Avid, the owners of Pro Tools since 1994, acquired M-Audio in 2004, the company created various updates in the Pro Tools software, leading toward a more flawless integration of MIDI keyboards. These updates allow the user to control various Pro Tools that are supported Virtual Studio Technology Instruments (VSTi). Although most product lines of MIDI keyboards can function in Pro Tools, the interface is designed to work best with M-Audio MIDI keyboards.
M-Audio Axiom Pro
The M-Audio Axiom Pro is the top-of-the-line keyboard among the M-Audio MIDI Keyboard catalog. It is available in 25-key, 49-key and 61-key versions. The Axiom Pro introduces M-Audio's TruTouch keybed technology, which gives a more realistic and expressive feel than the standard professional semi-weighted keys used by most keyboards. It also brings in M-Audio's HyperControl technology to automatically map all the knobs, sliders and buttons to common functions in Pro Tools, without getting confused by the addition or removal of plug-ins and VSTi's.
The Axiom Pro is popular because of its integration of eight velocity-sensitive trigger pads. The Axiom also is available in a basic version that includes neither the TruTouch nor the HyperControl technologies, but instead features the more standard professional semi-weighted keys. As with most MIDI keyboards, both Axioms have a pitch bend wheel and a modulation wheel.
M-Audio Oxygen
If trigger pads are not a priority, the Oxygen will suit your needs. It comes in 25-key, 49-key and 61-key versions. The Oxygen contains velocity-sensitive keys, assignable knobs and sliders and transport control buttons. It also has the pitch bend and modulation wheels. This model is more basic than M-Audio's Axiom. The main criticism about the Oxygen is that it sometimes gets confused when using complicated VSTi plug-ins such as Reason.
M-Audio Keystation
The Keystation is M-Audio's minimalist approach to MIDI keyboards. This is for the person who only needs a MIDI keyboard to play notes in a VSTi. This keyboard doesn't come with all the complicated knobs, buttons and sliders. The Keystation has 61 (or 88) velocity-sensitive, semi-weighted keys, pitch bend and modulation wheels.
Alesis Photon X25
Alesis, a company known for creating and distributing electronic musical instruments, features one MIDI keyboard, the Photon X25. The Photon X25 is a 25-key MIDI keyboard with velocity-sensitive keys, pitch bend and modulation wheels and 10 knobs. What makes the Photon X25 unique is its Axyz Controller Dome, which gives control over 3-D-mapped parameters featured in many prominent VST plugins for Pro Tools.The Photon X25 also has the capability to function as a recording input device. You can plug in a guitar, microphone or synthesizer into its input ports and use it to record on your computer. However, this function is not very useful for Pro Tools because it forces you to add a Digidesign Input/Output interface in order for the program to function.
