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Ultra-Realistic
Piano
 Our
primary mandate in designing the ProKeys
88 was creating an over-the-top piano
experience that blows away the competition’and
we succeeded. The quality of a digital
piano is influenced greatly by the
quality of the samples’which in turn,
is impacted tremendously by the size
of the samples. Most digital stage
pianos ram all their sounds’sometimes
128 or more’into as little as 16MB
of ROM. We chose instead to spring
for a generous 64MB to do much better
justice to 14 sounds that are the
bread and butter for lots of keyboardists.
In fact, our premium stereo grand
piano samples of a Yamaha C7 alone
are 30MB’more than some units' total
memory for all sounds.
More
Than a Stage Piano
 The
ProKeys 88 delivers all the staple
keyboard sounds needed by many musicians.
Its flagship stereo grand is supplemented
by a brighter grand designed to really
cut through in popular music. The
ProKeys 88 has electric pianos covered
too, including both bright and warm
classic Yamaha DX7s, a sweet Fender
Rhodes and a vintage Wurlitzer (don't
forget the tremolo effect). And the
Clavinet brings one word to mind’’funky’
Acoustic and electric basses give
you the option of layering a ride
cymbal for jazz tunes. Vibes, ensemble
strings and an inspiring warm, lush
synth pad round out a great sonic
palette for the gigging keyboardist.
88-Key
Hammer Action with Aftertouch
Of
course, a realistic digital stage
piano must have a full 88 keys that
are properly weighted. The ProKeys
88's full-range clavier features graded
hammer action that feels just like
the real thing. It features three
velocity curves tailored to different
touches, as well as a fixed velocity
for synth work. The ProKeys 88 is
also one of the only stage pianos
to include aftertouch for additional
expression when it's used as a MIDI
controller.
Splits
and Layers
 The
ProKeys 88 keyboard also features
split and layer capabilities. Put
a bass in your left hand and keys
in your right. Chord with an organ
while playing a piano lead. Layer
lush strings over a piano. You can
even have a split and layer simultaneously
for a total of three sounds at once.
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It
's a MIDI Controller, Too
 When
it comes to communicating with the
outside world, most digital stage
pianos offer little more than a MIDI
jack. In sharp contrast, the ProKeys
88 inherits much from M-Audio s years
of experience pioneering mobile MIDI
controllers. It incorporates a full
USB MIDI interface that communicates
with your PC or Mac via a single,
simple USB connection perfect for
recording with virtually all MIDI
sequencer software on the market.
(The instrument features class compliancy
with Windows XP and Mac OS X without
installation of additional drivers.)
You can even control your sequencer
remotely via front-panel Start, Stop
and Tempo buttons.
 MIDI
In and Out jacks allow full communication
with all standard MIDI gear as well.
The ProKeys 88 also features performance
controls that are rare on digital
stage pianos, including pitch wheel,
modulation wheel, two footswitch inputs,
expression pedal input, and aftertouch.
The three different ranges available
via the ProKeys 88 's combined split
and layer functions can each transmit
on a separate MIDI channel as well.
You also get dedicated front-panel
buttons for program change, channel,
bank MSB, bank LSB and local on/off.
Built-in
Effects
 There
's no need to mess around with additional
gear to add basic effects to your
ProKeys 88. On-board EQ lets you easily
tweak the tone on the fly. You also
get three different built-in reverb
spaces that simulate different acoustic
environments. Chorus fattens up sounds
like Fender Rhodes and basses. And
what 's a vintage Wurlitzer electric
piano without tremolo? Experiment
with different effects on the ProKeys
88 to create signature sounds of your
own.
Full
Pedal Complement
 Every
digital piano has a sustain pedal
jack. But what about the sostenuto
pedal (the middle pedal on an acoustic
piano)? ProKeys 88 has it. There 's
also an expression pedal for foot-control
of volume. And all three of these
pedals serve as MIDI controllers for
outboard gear as well.
Headphones
and Pro Audio Outputs
 Ever
need to practice privately? ProKeys
88 includes a 1/4 stereo headphone
jack so you can play without anyone
else hearing you at home or at a sound
check. Of course, it wouldn 't be
an M-Audio product without high-fidelity
1/4 balanced/unbalanced audio output
with specs like 20Hz-20kHz frequency
response and 108dB dynamic range.
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