M-Audio Hammer 88 - Premium 88-Key Piano-Style Hammer-Action USB/MIDI Keyboard Controller Including Software Suite for Mac & PC

Product Information

Thanks to the OLED screen that sits front and centre, it’s easier than ever to search for and test sounds, map controls, and mix & edit your sessions. Hammer 88 Pro can control any DAW and automatically map commonly used functions such as Transport, Faders, Pan controls and much more! Whether you use Pro Tools, MPC Beats, Cubase, Logic, Studio One or any other major DAW, just select the map and Auto-Mapping will take care of the rest! It also instantly maps to all the virtual instruments included in the Hammer 88 Pro software bundle (Hybrid, Velvet, Mini Grand, Xpand!2, Vacuum, Boom, and DB-33). These world-class AIR Music Tech plugins can be fully controlled by the Hammer 88 Pro and used in real-time as you create and mix your music. Smart Controls We were pretty surprised to see pitch and modulation wheels on the original Hammer 88, but we’re pleased to see the Pro still has them. You get three vintage keyboard instruments; Velvet (electric piano), Mini Grand, and DB-33 Hammond Organ.

Don’t limit yourself to your computer-based virtual instruments! Take control of your studio equipment with Hammer 88. With its conveniently-located 5-pin MIDI Output, you can send all MIDI information to any compatible peripheral device, including hardware synthesisers, sound modules and drum machines. With Hammer 88, it’s easy get the most out of your external sound generators. This is a controller designed from the ground up to place you firmly in the driver’s seat. Seamless Integration M-Audio’s new Hammer 88 is an affordable, fully-weighted, hammer-action keyboard for professional and semi-pro players or students looking for a realistic grand piano feel to use with virtual instruments or sound modules.This license agreement shall be construed , interpreted and governed by the laws of the State of California without regard to its conflict of laws rules and law pertaining thereto. Any civil action, lawsuit and/or arbitration resolution shall be conducted only in the County of Los Angeles, State of California, and you agree to submit yourself to the jurisdiction thereof for purposes of such action, suit or resolution. This license agreement constitutes the sole and entire agreement between the parties hereto, and any modification of the terms and/or conditions shall only be effective if in writing and signed by the parties hereto. If any part of this license agreement if found or determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remainder of this license agreement shall be interpreted and enforced to the extent possible to achieve substantially the effect of this license agreement as set forth herein. The built-in Arpeggiator will affect anything you are playing on the keys from any virtual instrument in your DAW. When the Arpeggiator is activated, the keyboard will repeatedly play the pressed keys in sequence. The arpeggiator’s timing and rhythm is based on the keyboard’s time division setting and either the keyboard’s or your DAW’s tempo setting. Each note in the arpeggio will be the length you’ve selected for the time division setting; for example, if you select 1/4, each note in the arpeggio will be a quarter note. This powerful tool can operate in Latch or Momentary mode, making it easy to match your style. Next-Gen Piano Feel

The Hammer 88 Pro comes with a pretty extensive software bundle, as do most M-Audio controllers. It starts with three DAWs: Pro Tools First (M-Audio Edition), MPC Beats, and Ableton Live Lite. Smart Scale is slightly similar; this time, when activated, you will only be able to play the notes that exist in your selected scale. assignable knobs & buttons for controlling virtual instruments, mix plugins, DAW controls, and more But, if we had one concern, it was that the quality of the action would suffer for the sake of adding more features.The Hammer 88 Pro has all the ingredients for a speedy workflow; the layout doesn’t totally convince us, but others might love it. Connectivity 4.6 Here, the keyboard is split into four non-overlapping zones, each transmitting on different MIDI channels. Zones 3 and 4 are also transposed downwards by one and two octaves respectively. The Hammer 88 Preset Editor, showing the fader assigned to Breath Control (CC2) and the Expression Pedal assigned to Expression (CC11). Both are transmitting on the Global MIDI channel (Ch1) across their full zero to 127 range. The Preset Editor Smart Chord is a function that lets you trigger complex chords from a single root note. The notes added to your root are determined by the settings you choose using the OLED screen. Smart Scale Note Repeat allows you to hold down any of the custom-made M-Audio performance pads and hear a repeated rhythmic pattern at a selectable note division. The Note Repeat feature can be activated momentarily or can be used in Latch mode. If you choose Momentary, holding the Note Repeat button will make the note played by the pad automatically repeat. If you choose Latch, pressing any pad will cause its assigned note to repeat without you having to hold down the Note Repeat button.

The Simplicity - Some of the stage piano/workstations I have owned are amazing instruments, but just too darn much fuss for what I want to do. It does not get simpler than this. 2 wheels, 2 buttons, and a fader. Simple. Similarly, the Scale function lets you choose from various key signatures, including modal scales such as Dorian and Locrian. Once set and activated, you can haphazardly press any key on the keyboard, but you will only hear the notes of that scale. Instead of playing a ‘wrong’ note, such as a B♭ in a C major scale, you will hear the closest corresponding note in the scale, which in this case would be a repeat of notes B or A.Hammer 88 Pro’s best-in-class 88 graded hammer-action key bed combines professional, graded, weighted hammer action with advanced high-speed key bed scanning technology for an ultra-expressive playing experience. This custom key bed also features Assignable Aftertouch, giving users added expression and control. Assignable Aftertouch enables you to affect the sound of a virtual instrument plugin by continuously scanning how much pressure you apply to any key after initially pressing it. This makes creating the mood, dynamics and emotion you want to deliver in your music natural and fast. NewFeaturesandImprovementswithv2.1.1 FirmwareUpdate The functionality and control surface of the Hammer 88 Pro also happen to be identical to M‑Audio’s Oxygen 49 and 61 Pro; the 49‑note Pro model was reviewed in depth by Robin Bigwood in SOS May 2021 issue, so his detailed account of those features is recommended reading. This review therefore focuses on the physical enhancements to the 88‑note Pro above and beyond the original 2017 model. What Else Is New? The Hammer 88 Pro has plenty of assignable controls, so there are no issues there, but we feel it could have a better layout. The Keylab 88 Mk2 is the most direct competitor to the Hammer 88 Pro, and it’s fantastic. Not too long ago, we would have said it was the best full-size, full-function controller around; now, the Hammer 88 Pro narrowly edges it. The Hammer 88 Pro is slightly different because we are no longer in the budget price range. Thankfully, the build quality is superb to match the price increase.

The Hammer 88 Pro is a versatile USB MIDI controller with 88-keys, auto-mapping and a range of smart control options. Perfect for both live performance, and as a reliable studio workhorse, this instrument is a well-rounded tool that's bound to enhance your creativity no-end! Key Features Hammer 88 Pro features M-Audio’s brand-new Smart Chord and Smart Scale technology. These functions open up your imagination and help blend your hardware seamlessly with your ideas across all 88 keys. Creating music on your computer has never been this intuitive and inspiring thanks to these workflow-centric features. With Smart Chord activated, pressing a single key or pad will play a full chord rather than just one note. The key or pad you press will determine the root note in the chord. The rest of the chord’s properties (major, minor, etc) are determined by the settings you choose. Smart Chord also has a Custom Mode that lets you determine the chord structure that will be assigned to each key by manually playing it. For example, if you select Custom Mode, and play a 1-b3-5-b7 chord, every key will then be assigned to play this chord structure. The note of the key you press will serve as the root of the chord and all of the parameters can be edited right on the Hammer 88 Pro! The Editor - The software editor for adjusting the settings is plain and simple to use, but also gives the options to adjust the velocity curve (although better done in your VST settings), functions, and zones of the controller.On the plus side, it has an auto-map function for popular DAWs. Using the OLED screen, you can select auto-map presets for Pro Tools, Logic, MPC Beats, and many other DAWs for complete hands-on control. Hammer 88 Pro features M-Audio’s brand-new Smart Chord and Smart Scale technology. These functions open up your imagination and help blend your hardware seamlessly with your ideas across all 88 keys. Creating music on your computer has never been this intuitive and inspiring thanks to these workflow-centric features.