By aspect — in detail
The headline disagreement, and it tracks who's playing. Producers and most reviewers find the light, semi-weighted action fine-to-good for the price; pianists and precision players call it too light and springy. The concrete, repeatedly reported flaw is an uneven velocity curve — black keys read hotter than white on multiple units — and channel aftertouch that's much harder to trigger on black keys.
Measured
M-Audio specs a 49-key, full-size, velocity-sensitive semi-weighted 'PrecisionTouch' keybed with channel aftertouch. In practice aftertouch engages far more readily on white keys than black, and several owners across separate units report black-key velocity reading hotter than white; setting velocity sensitivity to Linear reportedly reduces but doesn't remove it.
Where it splits
A light, semi-weighted action that's fine-to-good for producers and casual players60%
“Light action, quick release, but with a nice feel.”
audionewsroom (ANR)
Too light for players, with an uneven black-key velocity curve pianists reject40%
“my unit (at least) seems to have a serious issue with black keys velocity. It's noticeably higher than white keys.”
u/turboash · r/midi
16 RGB velocity-sensitive pads that most reviewers like — musical, responsive, and good with Note Repeat — though they have no pad aftertouch and a couple of players find them stiff and hard to trigger softly.
“they respond musically to varied playing pressure”
MusicRadar
“I found it much harder to play quieter volumes consistently”
GratuiTous
Measured
16 RGB backlit, velocity-sensitive pads with Note Repeat; no polyphonic or channel aftertouch on the pads.
Controls
Strong consensus · 4 srcA clear high point: nine faders, eight knobs across four banks, transport, a swathe of buttons and a bright OLED — firmly mounted and smooth, with soft-takeover on the knobs and faders. The short-throw faders and slightly cheap slider caps are the only real nits, and the OLED never labels what a control is tied to.
“eight rotaries, nine short-throw faders, an OLED display, a swathe of buttons”
MusicRadar
“the actual sliders themselves perform very well, and also feel great, too!”
GratuiTous
Integration
Contested · 5 srcContested. The auto-mapping works by emulating a Mackie Control surface, with M-Audio configs for the major DAWs; to some reviewers it's a broader, better implementation than rivals in the class manage. But it's undercooked — no on-screen parameter labels, and soft-takeover doesn't engage when a project first loads, so a fader move can jump your levels — and setup is genuinely painful for some, especially in Logic and in FL Studio (where it needs MIDI scripting to behave).
Measured
The controller presents to the DAW as a Mackie Control surface over USB; M-Audio publishes auto-map setups for Ableton Live, Pro Tools, MPC Beats, Cubase, Logic and Studio One, plus a user template for others. It is class-compliant (no driver). Reviewers note the OLED shows no track names or parameter labels, soft-takeover isn't active at project load, and Logic and FL Studio need extra setup steps.
Where it splits
Broad, capable auto-mapping — better than many rivals in the class55%
“This is a better implementation than many competing products manage in the same market sector.”
Sound On Sound
Undercooked and fiddly — Mackie-emulation quirks and painful setup, especially in Logic and FL45%
“I have just had the worst WORST experience trying to set up an M-Audio keyboard (Oxygen Pro 49) with Logic Pro 11 on OS 14.”
u/Warm-Tap-52 · r/LogicPro
Software
Strong consensus · 4 srcA consistent plus, especially for a first setup: three DAWs (Pro Tools First / M-Audio Edition, Akai MPC Beats and Ableton Live Lite) plus a set of AIR instruments and sample packs — more generous than many rivals bundle. Note the exact contents have shifted over the product's life.
“The Oxygen Pro software bundle is quite extensive, and more generous than many others out there.”
Sound On Sound
“the basic Pro Tools Edition, Ableton Live lite and the Air plugins are an excellent way to start making music”
audionewsroom (ANR)
Connectivity
Moderate · 4 srcReasonable for the class: a 5-pin DIN MIDI out (with a global option to send from the keys, USB, or both), a quarter-inch sustain jack, a power switch and USB-B bus power — plus a handy four-zone keyboard split. The limits are USB-B rather than USB-C, and no MIDI in and no CV/gate.
“I like the fact the Oxygen Pro 49 comes with an old-school MIDI Din connector”
audionewsroom (ANR)
“a regular MIDI Out port and a Sustain pedal input”
MusicRadar
Measured
Rear panel: USB-B (data + bus power), 5-pin DIN MIDI Out, quarter-inch sustain input, power switch and a Kensington lock slot. No MIDI In, no CV/gate, no USB-C.
Portability
Moderate · 3 srcLight for a full-size 49-key board and bus-powered over USB, with big grippy rubber feet that keep it planted — an easy desktop fit, even if a 49-key frame is still a two-hands-to-move object rather than a bag-sized mini.
“It's light but not too light”
Sound On Sound
“LARGE rubber feet, which holds the Oxygen Pro 49 firmly in place”
GratuiTous
Reviewers consistently call the all-plastic chassis solid for the price — no flex or creak in normal use, firm clicky buttons, and smooth controls. The dissent is about robustness over the long haul: it is plastic, and a minority who've owned metal-bodied M-Audio or Akai boards prefer those for durability.
“above-average build quality (considering the price range)”
audionewsroom (ANR)
“way more robust. Made from metal not plastic.”
u/rockstar_not · r/synthesizers
Value
Strong consensus · 5 srcBroad agreement it's a lot of controller for the money — full-size semi-weighted keys, 16 pads, nine faders, eight knobs, an OLED and a three-DAW bundle for around $200. The keybed quirks and setup friction are the price you pay for that value.
“for the price (approx. $259/€215) I doubt we can ask for more.”
audionewsroom (ANR)
“I thought it was a good value for what I paid for it at the time ($300).”
u/_CTRLR · r/synthesizers
