Acorn Instruments has announced the availability of the Masterkey 61, the latest addition to their Masterkey line of USB keyboard controllers. They tell us that the Masterkey 61 offers 5-octaves of full-size, synth-action keys intended for more elaborate two-handed playing styles while its smaller siblings, the Masterkey 25 and Masterkey 49 introduced earlier this year, work great for tweaking and editing midi data during production or composition.
Acorn sales manager, Greg St Peter believes musicians will appreciate the Masterkey 61 for its highly expressive sensitivity. He told Sonic State, "We spent quite a bit of time on getting the velocity curve just right to allow for a more dynamic and musical response."
The Masterkey 61 offers seven fully MIDI-assignable controls including two rubberized expression wheels generally used for pitch-bend and modulation, four control knobs and a mixer-style fader. The three-digit LED display provides parameter and value feedback, making programming a snap. The two buttons just below the LED display can be assigned to any of four parameters; program change, MIDI channel, octave shift or transpose assignments. All controls are located on the left side of the keyboard to allow the player to quickly make changes without missing a beat.
The Masterkey 61 does not require any drivers. It is fully USB class-compliant and will work right out the box with Mac OS X, Windows 7, Vista or XP. Just plug and play.
The Masterkey 61 comes bundled with Studio One Artist by Presonus. Studio One offers complete unlimited audio and MIDI recording capabilities, full editing, 20 built-in effects plug-ins and over 4GB of third-party loops, software and virtual instrument sounds including Native Instruments Guitar Rig LE, Toontrack EZDrummer Lite, plus much more. Masterkey 61 Features:

• 61-note, velocity sensitive, synth-action keyboard.
• Two assignable expression wheels (generally pitch-bend and modulation) rubberized for better grip and feel.
• Assignable 60mm fader with rubberized cap.
• Four assignable knobs for real-time control of virtual instrument and mix parameters.
• 3-digit LED display.
• Input jack for optional sustain pedal.
• Quick-toggle buttons assignable to either octave, transpose, program change, or MIDI channel functions.
• USB class-compliant. No driver needed.
• Includes Presonus Studio One Artist DAW Software.

Pricing and Availability:
The Masterkey 61 is immediately available with a US MSRP of $149.99 and an estimated street price of $119.99. More information:

• acorn-instruments.com

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