Recording - December 2012 - 11

We’ve given Korg’s nanoSERIES great reviews, and people have flocked to this laptop-case-sized set of USB controllers. The nanoKONTROL2 control surface and nanoPAD2 pad bank/XY touchpad offer nearly complete control capability in a format users can carry everywhere. But while lots of users dig the incredibly small nanoKEY2 25-key keyboard, there have been others who have said, “Why can’t we have something that’s just a little bit bigger and more playable, and yet still portable?” That’s the target audience for the microKEY, a USB keyboard controller based on the miniaturized waterfall keybed first introduced on Korg’s microSTATION workstation (reviewed November 2010). As I noted in that review, these keys are shorter and closer together than those on a conventional controller but are fairly comfortable for players with a light touch. They offer a nice compromise for players who want something easy to carry but insist on being able to actually play their parts. The microKEY 37 we review here has been joined by the even more compact microKEY 25 and larger microKEY 61. The microKEY has real Pitch and Mod wheels—a huge improvement over the buttons on smaller keyboards—and two backlit Octave buttons with color-coded LEDs. The microKEY is plug-and-play USB class compliant for both Mac and Windows. Korg does recommend installing its own USB MIDI driver for greater stability, although I had no issues working with the microKEY without it. The driver is a free download, as is the Kontrol Editor, an application that users of nanoSERIES controllers will be familiar with. The Editor allows you to change the microKEY’s MIDI Channel and velocity response, set transposition by semitones, and set its Mod wheel to send MIDI Control Change messages (and restrict its range if desired). The microKEY 25 and 37 come with licenses for

‘lite’ virtual instruments from Korg, Toontrack, and Applied Acoustics Systems; the microKEY 61 comes with a full license for Korg’s entire suite of analog-emulation and digital software synths, a significant added value. The microKEY 37 and 61 have built-in unpowered USB hubs with two extra ports on them. Just plug in your nanoPAD2 and nanoKONTROL2 and you have a complete workstation solution that is still highly portable and doesn’t use up precious USB slots on your laptop. There’s no provision for an external power supply, so you’ll want to use these slots only for low-current devices like controllers or USB copy-protection keys, but thanks to the microKEY’s hub, your laptop should have at least one USB port free for an audio interface. My only gripe is that Korg didn’t quite take the “here’s a big keyboard that does big keyboard things but just happens to be not very big” paradigm all the way to its logical conclusion. If it’s big enough to have properly playable keys, why couldn’t it have a jack or two for pedals, or MIDI ports, or even aftertouch? Admittedly this isn’t a deal-breaker for most laptop-based users, but it’s still something to think about. The microKEY hits a particular niche among users of portable keyboards; it’s missing a few things that are present even on Korg’s smaller nanoKEY 2 (like a Sustain button), but makes up for it with a very comfortable-feeling keyboard for folks used to larger actions as well as handy expansion capability to add back the features it may lack. If you’ve ever grumbled about how hard it can be to put together a truly portable yet playable keyboard system for your laptop, the microKEY is tailor-made for you.—MM

CAD Audio HA4 Headphone Amplifier
$49.99; www.cadaudio.com

Sometimes a review of a good product can be summed up in just a few sentences, and that’s the case with the HA4 from CAD Audio. It’s a stereo headphone amplifier with one input and four outputs, all on 1/4" TRS jacks, housed in a metal case with nonslip rubber endcaps and powered by an external 12V power supply. Individual volume controls for each output on the top of the unit are detented at what I believe is unity gain. The HA4 has a frequency response of 20 Hz to 50 kHz (no dB tolerances given) and better than 110 dB signal-to-noise; it can get earbustingly loud on any headphone with a low impedance, and could drive my 600-ohm AKG K240M phones with no trouble. Great sound quality aside, the HA4 is most notable for its tiny size; barely larger than a smartphone, it can fit into any gig bag or studio drawer and can let small groups share a mix in even the most cramped home studio.
RECORDING December 2012

11


http://www.cadaudio.com

Recording - December 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - December 2012

Recording - December 2012
Fade In
Contents
Talkback
Recording’s 2012 Holiday Gift Guide
MOTU 4pre Hybrid Audio Interface
iOS Music Tools: Great Gift Ideas For The 2012 Holidays
James A. Abdo’s BrokenWorks Productions
A Time To Give
Cloud Microphones Cloudlifter CL-Z
Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 12: Monitors Part 1
PreSonuSphere 2012
Readers’ Tapes
iOS Music Tools: Bang That Beat!
Plug-in Outlet: Studio Devil Amp Modeler Pro and Virtual Bass Amp Pro
For Your Bookshelf
Advertiser Index
Fade Out
Recording - December 2012 - Intro
Recording - December 2012 - Recording - December 2012
Recording - December 2012 - Cover2
Recording - December 2012 - 1
Recording - December 2012 - 2
Recording - December 2012 - 3
Recording - December 2012 - Fade In
Recording - December 2012 - 5
Recording - December 2012 - Contents
Recording - December 2012 - 7
Recording - December 2012 - Talkback
Recording - December 2012 - 9
Recording - December 2012 - Recording’s 2012 Holiday Gift Guide
Recording - December 2012 - 11
Recording - December 2012 - 12
Recording - December 2012 - 13
Recording - December 2012 - 14
Recording - December 2012 - 15
Recording - December 2012 - 16
Recording - December 2012 - 17
Recording - December 2012 - 18
Recording - December 2012 - 19
Recording - December 2012 - 20
Recording - December 2012 - 21
Recording - December 2012 - MOTU 4pre Hybrid Audio Interface
Recording - December 2012 - 23
Recording - December 2012 - iOS Music Tools: Great Gift Ideas For The 2012 Holidays
Recording - December 2012 - 25
Recording - December 2012 - 26
Recording - December 2012 - 27
Recording - December 2012 - 28
Recording - December 2012 - 29
Recording - December 2012 - 30
Recording - December 2012 - 31
Recording - December 2012 - 32
Recording - December 2012 - 33
Recording - December 2012 - 34
Recording - December 2012 - 35
Recording - December 2012 - James A. Abdo’s BrokenWorks Productions
Recording - December 2012 - 37
Recording - December 2012 - 38
Recording - December 2012 - 39
Recording - December 2012 - A Time To Give
Recording - December 2012 - 41
Recording - December 2012 - 42
Recording - December 2012 - 43
Recording - December 2012 - Cloud Microphones Cloudlifter CL-Z
Recording - December 2012 - 45
Recording - December 2012 - Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 12: Monitors Part 1
Recording - December 2012 - 47
Recording - December 2012 - PreSonuSphere 2012
Recording - December 2012 - 49
Recording - December 2012 - Readers’ Tapes
Recording - December 2012 - 51
Recording - December 2012 - 52
Recording - December 2012 - 53
Recording - December 2012 - 54
Recording - December 2012 - 55
Recording - December 2012 - iOS Music Tools: Bang That Beat!
Recording - December 2012 - 57
Recording - December 2012 - 58
Recording - December 2012 - 59
Recording - December 2012 - Plug-in Outlet: Studio Devil Amp Modeler Pro and Virtual Bass Amp Pro
Recording - December 2012 - 61
Recording - December 2012 - For Your Bookshelf
Recording - December 2012 - 63
Recording - December 2012 - 64
Recording - December 2012 - Advertiser Index
Recording - December 2012 - 66
Recording - December 2012 - 67
Recording - December 2012 - 68
Recording - December 2012 - 69
Recording - December 2012 - 70
Recording - December 2012 - 71
Recording - December 2012 - Fade Out
Recording - December 2012 - Cover3
Recording - December 2012 - Cover4
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