Behringer U-CONTROL UMX610 The Ultimate Studio in a Box: 61-Key USB/MIDI Controller Keyboard with Separate USB/Audio Interface

I'll address the main attributes of this keyboard:1. Key weighting: In my opinion, the semi-weighting of these keys is so convenient and comfortable for the hand it makes me wish all my keyboards had the exact same weighting. This feature is definitely a pro when deciding whether to buy this keyboard or not.2. Modulators: The pitch bend, mod bend and general knobs are amazingly easy to set with normal MIDI softwares. So far, this keyboard has been tested in Mainstage 3, Logic Pro 9, GarageBand and Ableton Live 10 , without encountering a single issue. They are easy to assign and work perfectly for live playing. Needless to say, the keyboard adapts perfectly to any MIDI software.3. Sensitivity: This is the one feature that could improve. While playing soft results in a nice and manageable note intensity, when trying to use the full intensity power, the sound will not explode as desired. Say, if you play soft, notes come out soft, if you play normally, notes come out normally, but if you play hard, the notes will not sound as hard as they should, which is a huge downside to playing clean pianos or organs in general.4. Mobility: This keyboard is preciously compact without being small, which makes it real easy to transport it here and there, and that's a great feature if you intend to use it to play live.5. Design: The keyboard design is a really nice shiny red plastic, sturdy and seemingly resistant to normal hits. I have received numerous compliments on the aesthetic beauty of the keyboard, seems it actually looks great on a stage.

I turned it on and the lights would not stop flashing and it didn't seem to want to work normally. I have a lot of experience with MIDI and it was properly connected to my sound module. I turned it off, and even removed the batteries, but when I turned it back on the lights were still flashing and it still would not work properly. It was then that I discovered that in order to get technical support from Behringer, you have to first give them your life story on a form on the Internet, and then wait at least 24 hours for someone to contact you. You cannot call them. Not acceptable.I tried looking at the manual. It is extremely difficult to decipher. Instead of having separate sections in different languages, every paragraph is written in 10 different languages, before moving onto the next paragraph. So your flow while reading is constantly interrupted.I also looked in the manual for instructions on changing the MIDI channel that the device is transmitting on, and this was not in the manual. This is basic information that should be included.

MIDI keyboard controllers in general fall into a gray area between computer controller and musical instrument. Most seem to focus on the integration between device and DAW and fall very short on playability. I am a piano and guitar player and have reasonably good quality equipment in my recording studio. I wanted a keyboard that I could use in a different location, primarily for polishing up previously recorded tracks during the editing process. I settled on this 61 key unit because it has a sufficient number of scales to play a composition but is not so large to make it non-portable.Here are the things I like about the keyboard:1. It's light (about 10 lbs), so is easy to move about2. Because it has limited MIDI controls, it is also thin, allowing it to be placed on a desk easily, then removed. In contrast, most other MIDI keyboards are twice as deep and require a permanent stand or position.3. With Logic 9, the keyboard is plug and play. Logic recognizes it easily (an additional scan seemed to help the volume level). I haven't spent any time trying to assign controls, but the basic stuff seems to work nicely with Logic.4. Full size keys. These keys are full size, or very close. They are not as large as the ones on the Roland stage piano I have, and not weighted, but they are large enough so that fingers are not tripping over each other.Here are the most significant shortcomings of the keyboard.1. It's light. Not titanium light, but cheap plastic light. This makes it portable but also quite fragile. I have the feeling that it will break. Soon.2. Build quality. The rotary knobs are actually quite sturdy, but the little black plastic buttons make a loud and cheap clicking noise when depressed, as if I am doing something that they weren't designed for. The red color may be eye catching (or gaudy depending on your perspective), but it's already scratched in a few places even with delicate handling.3. The keys, though full size, have very little feel or weighting, despite the company's claim that they are semi-weighted. I imagine that there are boards with even less feel, but this one offers next to no resistance to the touch. It's not a problem if you're entering a two finger bass line, but definitely is if you're used to the normal piano weighting of an acoustic or a good stage piano. I also realize that the lack of weighting keeps the unit light and portable, so I can accept this inherent limitiation.4. Key sensitivity is also weak. There are three settings only-light, medium and heavy, where the keyboard responds with more or less sound. On the heavy setting, I have to literally smash the keys to get much sound, and on the light setting, everything played registers as the same volume. These are not keys that one can modulate at all.5. As a MIDI controller, it's acceptable, but for someone using a full featured DAW, the eight knobs and a few buttons will be woefully inadequate to control complex parameters. I have a separate MIDI controller, so this is not an issue.6. There is little documentation with the unit. I had to go online and dig about to locate a pretty sketchy manual on the product. I have not tried the included software, and do not intend to.For what is available right now, this unit is not bad. It has no sounds of its own, but plays everything that Logic has in its audio library. Just plug in the USB connection and it is ready to go. In order to get a good keybed, such as one made by Fatar or Roland, one has to not only spend significantly more money (probably well worth it) but also has to put up with a footprint that is much bigger. It is this last part that really is the Behringer's strong suit. It's pretty svelte, while the rest of the bunch are enormous. Yet, in the final reckoning, I will not keep this unit. It just doesn't seem to be that well built, and I am not optimistic about it lasting. Moreover, while the size of the keys are nice, the playability leaves a lot to be desired, at least if one is used to real pianos.