Others say...

"Great for budding keyboardists"
The M-Audio Axiom 49-key MIDI keyboard is a great device for someone looking to learn piano or keyboard. 49-keys is probably the minimum amount I'd recommend for learning keyboard/piano because any less would cause some problems going up and down octaves. If you've never heard of a MIDI keyboard before, it is powered and hooked up to your computer via USB. A program is then ran on your computer that lets you record and edit the audio. The Axiom has 8 drum pads, which are great for saved beats and a TON of customizable knobs and sliders. It is very simple to use, although many of the programs can be confusing. Overall I would recommend the Axiom if you are looking for a cheap MIDI input for your computer or you are looking to learn the piano or keyboard.

"Excellent midi keyboard at the price point."
First things first, I'm no pianist. I purchased this controller to work with DAWs and soft synths. So far I'm really pleased with the purchase. The faders feel a bit dry but function nicely. The rotary encoders support absolute and relative CCs, keeping parameters from jumping when changing presets. The keyboard keys feel solid and aren't springy like the Keystation line. The blue display is informational and easy to read in light and dark environments. It's also nice the keyboard is powered off the USB bus. No need for a wall-wart adapter.

The reasons I'm giving it a 4 out of 5 instead of a 5 are the following:
1. the keyboard advertises aftertouch. This is not polyphonic aftertouch, but the less expressive channel aftertouch. Say you play a C3 and hold the note, then hit a C5 and add aftertouch only to the C5. Aftertouch is not applied to only C5 but to both C3 and C5. This can be a bit surprising the first time you try it.

2. No printed manual. A paper manual is something I like getting with hardware.

3. Pitch bend only sends coarse adjustments. This makes the pitch bend knob a bit sensitive to expressive play.

4. Customizing the layout of the instrument requires M-Audio's Enigma software. Personally I don't really like it and wish the Axiom's didn't have a black box sysex format. It'd be nice to customize the layout of the keyboard w/o using this clunky app.

I still really like this keyboard. It feels solid, plays well and is a good mid-entry midi keyboard/controller.

"Best controller I've ever had..."
This midi controller is perfect for producing on a budget. It pays for itself within a few projects. The pad triggers are perfect for drums and measure the velocity MUCH better than my old mpd 16 ever did. Has plenty of faders and endless knobs(perfect for vst's). It's easy to map the keys if your NOT running on vista (possible, but not as easy). I'm still waiting on drivers from m-audio, but besides that...it's a damn good controller...