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Akai Max 25 Keyboard/Controller w CV-Gate - $250 (Minneapolis)
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Comprehensive MIDI control is, of course, the name of the game, and to this end the Max 25 offers a velocity and aftertouch-sensitive keyboard, 8 pads (also with velocity and aftertouch), eight buttons, CV/Gate outputs, classic step sequencer functions, and — its most distinctive feature — eight touch-sensitive ribbon faders. You now have the ability to create and control any type of gear from CV-Gate boxes to MIDI Boxes!
There are no rotary controller knobs; the ribbon faders are the primary method of sending continuous controller messages on the top panel. While these faders (and the absence of knobs) might not be to everyone's taste, they do have distinct advantages; they're impervious to dust and grit, and, unlike physical faders, they allow you to make instantaneous value changes simply with a light touch of the finger (an LED ladder on each fader tells you its current position).
DAW transport control buttons and pitch and modulation wheels complete the basic performance controls, with cursor buttons and a rotary encoder providing navigation around the edit menus in the LED display, parameter value adjustment and preset selection. The remaining buttons govern the built-in arpeggiator, step sequencer, octave shift, fader bank and pad bank selection.