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The keyboard is not exactly a player’s dream but nor is it the almost push-button affair that other companies have produced – it’s solid and well sprung. There are no dedicated pitchbend and modulation dials and again ‘proper’ players might ind this unforgiveable, but if this is important there are workarounds when you dig deeper. This may not be the best keyboard for entering beats because of that. I don’t consider that a strike against the Keys Pro, not with the plethora of pads available. Even a tablet’s touchscreen is a good beat-entry system. This is where IK Multimedia came in. Celebrating 20 years in the digital music world in 2016, the company embraced the non-standard recording opportunities offered by mobile technology. First impressions of the iRig Keys I/O are fine. It’s not the prettiest keyboard we’ve ever seen, and it looks and feels quite plastic-y, but it acquits itself as sturdy enough. Hook-up to PC, Mac or iPad is done via IK’s archaic USB-or Lightning-to-mini-DIN cable (both are in the box), which we don’t like at all, as regular USB cables are much more easily replaced. What we do dig, though, is that the unit can be powered via USB or four AA batteries (oddly, only two are included), so you don’t have to invest in a separate power adaptor for use with your iPad. The included one-piece tablet stand is another very nice touch.
iRig Keys PRO is small and light enough to take with you almost anywhere. Because it’s bus powered — meaning it gets its power from the device it’s plugged into (iOS, Android, Mac or PC) — you don’t have to limit your music making to places where you have access AC power. Jam, produce or practice at the beach or in the woods, out in a field or at the bus stop — anywhere, really. And when you're somewhere where there is AC power, you have the option of powering iRig Keys PRO through it’s USB port. Connect And Go IK appear to have aimed for a sweet centre spot when laying out the design parameters of the iRig I/O Keys. It’s about as compact as a controller with full-size, full-travel keys could get without ditching other controls altogether. The glossy panel, touch sliders and cool blue lights give it a pleasing futuristic appearance. It has a light, plastic shell but feels reasonably rugged. A big plus is the use of touch-sensitive, endless encoders rather than basic pots, although the feel of these is the one thing that lets the side down a bit: they’re wobbly and not that easy to grip.
3 Ways to Play
The keyboard will run from USB power when connected to a computer, giving you a nice one-cable setup. You can also get power from four AA batteries, which is a requirement when running with an iPhone or iPad, and there’s a switch to choose this option if you want to help save your laptop batteries. A PSU is available as an optional extra (I got one in the box), which allows you to charge a connected iOS device. Although there’s battery power there’s no MIDI output outside of USB, so the iRig Keys I/O isn’t suitable as a stand-alone master keyboard for hardware. A MIDI port would also have been nice as a MIDI interface for a computer or iOS device: it would have made the iRig Keys I/O a true one-stop shop for simple studio connectivity. It also comes with a seriously impressive line-up of bundled software - see Soft sell. Small and mighty
Keys have a little bit of a resistive feel. That is, the last bit of pressure before the key bottoms out is increased. It makes velocity-sensitive playing more intuitive and natural. While certainly not piano-weighted, not all keyboardists are piano players. The abilities of mobile technology — smart phones, tablets and the like — have not only progressed, they’ve leapfrogged from genre to genre. Who, amongst those of us old enough to remember rotary dial phones, ever imagined taking a photo with one? With its 37-key (3-octave) keyboard, you can play legitimate two-handed parts. What’s more, it has loads of pro performance features that will make your creativity come alive.The top edge of the Keys Pro has one rotary knob and five push buttons, as well as a collection of LEDs, indicating statuses. Preset 1 is set up to work with the IK Multimedia software instruments, giving hands-on control of patch browsing and macros. It puts only white notes on the pads, which is a bit of a pain for playing most generic drum instruments though. Preset 2 is aimed at Logic. Preset 3 is a general chromatic map, which was where I spent the majority of my time, and, finally, preset 4 replaces the drum pad notes with program changes. The Alt key accesses a second bank of knobs, but not pads, which is a shame given that most software drum instruments present 16 pads. a bandmate bought the same (we both use it with an mpc one) and it's the same story... this is really the biggest problem, but it's something that will make you hate this keyboard and regret you bought it. Despite measuring just 693 x 208 mm, the iRig Keys I/O somehow manages to squeeze in a full-size 49-note keyboard.
A year after the introduction of the first keyboard, IK released the iRig Keys Pro. Full size keys! Those of us with fat fingers and poor technique now had a champion.
In the Bag
The Keys Pro is not the only portable keyboard out there, but it’s among the best, particularly at for those on a budget. It’s not simply an iOS add-on. It supports Android too, as well as USB to Mac or PC. In addition to being the smallest in its class, iRig Keys PRO is also the lightest. In fact, it's 20% lighter than it's lightest competitor, and almost 45% lighter than the average weight of its 11 closest competitors. While IK had accomplished much prior, it was in 2010 that aggressive support for iOS devices started in earnest. The iRig guitar interface permits an axe slinger to plug into an iOS device, be it iPhone, iPod or iPad.
There is an intangible feel to the Keys Pro. It is plastic, but it doesn’t feel plastic. It’s light, but it doesn’t feel lightweight. While I wouldn’t send the Keys Pro out to handle a major tour, I also would not need to cordon off a safe zone for it.Controls include a headphone Volume dial (to control volume from your apps), plus Octave Up and Down buttons that also enter Edit Mode when held together. Here you can assign MIDI CCs to the controls, change MIDI channel, velocity sensitivity and much more using the actual keyboard keys to select parameters. When it comes to portability, iRig Keys PRO is the leader in its class. Compared to 11 of its closest competitors — all compact MIDI controllers with full-size keys playable with 2 hands — iRig Keys PRO is the smallest in width and height, and among the smallest in depth. It gives you an unbeatable combination of compactness, convenience, and pro features. Weight Matters To the right of the knob, two LEDs indicate mobile device or USB connection, confirming device handshakes. As an effective plug-and-play device, I haven’t experienced an issue with any connection not immediately confirmed by LED. The iRig Keys I/O offers a one-cable keyboard controller solution for computer- and iPad-based musicians. The SET button has four LEDs to its right. They indicate which of the four saved setups is active. The setups are user-configured.
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