Given the limited controls, a good number of options are available. The fader, mod wheel, buttons and the three footswitches can all be configured to send a wide variety of messages ranging from notes, CCs, program changes and MMC commands. The message types available are appropriate to which controller you’re editing, so obviously you can’t assign the fader to send program changes (imagine trying to do that accurately!). Minimum and maximum values can also be specified for continuous controller values. The three footswitches can also be assigned to various functions, bearing in mind that the Exp (expression) is designed for continuous footpedals, and the Sustain and FS2 are for momentary footswitches. It should be noted that the fader, mod wheel and expression pedal can all be assigned to send Aftertouch messages — the keyboard itself is sensitive only to velocity. Built into the Hammer 88 Pro are features that are essential to creating modern pop, electronic, hip hop, and dance music. Note Repeat and the built-in Arpeggiator open up a world of precise music production and live sound techniques to make your music sound professional. 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.

M-audio has just launched a software update that further enhances the capabilities of its controllers. Version 2.1.1 for the Hammer 88 Pro adds a lot of new features, including: The Hammer 88 Pro comes with four pedal inputs for sustain, soft, footswitch, and expression. It has USB Type-B to connect to your computer as well as MIDI in/out.

Customer Reviews

The OLED screen provides a massive workflow boost whatever DAW you use because it makes browsing and demoing sounds faster and easier (it could be a little bigger). I deducted a point for features. Not for the absence of pads and knobs, because I wasn't looking for them (if that's what you need, try the "Pro" version). And not for absence of an on/off (power) button; I don't care about that. I gave it four stars rather than five because it doesn't have a "graduated" action (i.e. the resistance and response of the keys don't change as you move from the lower to the higher octaves). This would have increased realism, but it would also have increased the price. The "Pro" version _does_ have a graduated action...but it also has lots of controllers I don't need (which makes it look cluttered); I decided it wasn't worth the extra money. The Hammer 88 Pro offers aftertouch and assignable zones in a step up from the original. Assignable controls 4.8

As well as playing a single instrument across the full key range, the keyboard can be split into up to four Zones, each of which can transmit on separate MIDI channels, with its own octave and transpose settings. Zones can of course overlap each other to create layered sounds. The settings you make can be saved to file, thus a library of presets for different applications can be stored for future recall. Keyboard Action

Tech Specs

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.