Boasting an ultra-compact, lightweight design, ESI’s latest Xkey models promises to provide users with the ultimate mobile MIDI keyboards. Designed in collaboration with Artesia Pro, the Xkey 25 and Xkey 37 are both class-compliant bus-powered devices, making them compatible with a huge range of devices and software, and manage to pack in some advanced features including polyphonic aftertouch.
As their names suggest, the two models offer 25- and 37-key configurations, housing a set of velocity-sensitive keys in a robust aluminium body. A set of buttons on the left of the top panel provide octave shifting along with pressure-sensitive pitch-bend and modulation functions, as well as an option to enable or disable the sustain status. Both versions ship with a USB-C to USB-A cable, and are bus powered so do not require an additional PSU. The larger Xkey 37 also comes with a breakout cable that provides a MIDI output on a five-pin DIN connector, along with a pair of quarter-inch TS sockets that can be used to connect expression and sustain pedals.
Both models also come with a selection of software including Bitwig Studio 8-Track and Steinberg’s Cubasis LE and WaveLab LE packages.
Pricing & Availability
The Xkey 25 and Xkey 37 will be shipping in Europe in July 2024, with global availability expected to follow in August 2024. They are priced at €149 and €249 respectively.
