NAMM 2006 Winter Show: M-Audio announced the release of a complete line of Oxygen USB MIDI mobile keyboard controllers—the Oxygen 61, Oxygen 49 and Oxygen 8 v2.

“The redesigned Oxygen 8 v2 features many updates that bring even more power to computer-based musicians. Extending these features to the Oxygen 61 and Oxygen 49 means more people can take advantage of the power and convenience these keyboards offer,” said M-Audio's Adam Castillo.

The new Oxygen line builds on the legacy and popularity of M-Audio’s Oxygen8. The Oxygen 61 and Oxygen 49 feature 61-note and 49-note keyboards, respectively. Both offer a total of 35 MIDI controllers that are fully assignable to any MIDI parameters, including channel ID. These include nine sliders for software mixer volumes or drawbars on virtual tone-wheel organs; eight knobs for controlling synth, mixer and effects parameters; 15 buttons for triggering samples or video clips; pitch and mod wheels; and sustain pedal input. Six of the 15 buttons are configured as transport controls, but can be easily reassigned for any other MIDI functionality.

The redesigned Oxygen 8 v2 features 25 keys, eight MIDI-assignable knobs and six transport controls that are also fully MIDI programmable.

All three Oxygen controllers share a variety of common features. Dedicated front-panel function buttons allow easy access to common operations like preset up/down, octave up/down, and transpose up/down. The Controller Mute button prevents parameters from jumping when a controller is moved, while the Snapshot button follows up by transmitting all current settings.

Used in conjunction with the Advanced Function button, the keyboard doubles as a data-entry mechanism to program controller assignment and similar setup functions. The front-panel LCD provides the information needed for programming parameters at a glance. 10 non-volatile memory locations instantly save and recall presets—and users can manage an entire preset library on Mac or PC via SysEx dumps and our Enigma software editor/librarian (free to registered users).

The built-in USB MIDI interface provides bus power to the units and includes a MIDI output jack for controlling external hardware. All Oxygen models transmit a full complement of MIDI Data from variable controllers including MIDI control number, RPN/NRPN, program, bank LSB, bank MSB, pitch bend and GM/GM2/XG SysEx Messages. Similarly, all buttons and switches transmit note on, note on/off toggle, MIDI CC on/off toggle, program, bank LSB, bank MSB presets, MIDI Machine Control functions and GM/GM2/XG SysEx Messages.

Another hallmark of the entire Oxygen line as optimal mobile controllers is weight. The Oxygen 61 weighs in at 9 lbs, the Oxygen 49 is 7.5 lbs. and the Oxygen 8 v2 is just 4 lbs.

The Oxygen series is class-compliant under Windows XP and Mac OS X. On a Windows PC, minimum system requirements include a Pentium 3, 800 MHz or higher with 256 MB RAM, Direct X 9.0b or higher, and Windows XP (SP1) or higher (Windows 98, Me, NT, or 2000 not supported). On a Mac, minimum system requirements are a Macintosh G3 800/G4 733 MHz or higher with OS X 10.2.8 w/ 256 MB RAM, or OS X 10.3.4 or greater w/ 512 MB RAM (please note that CPU may be higher for laptops, and a native USB port is required; G3/G4 accelerator cards not supported).

The Oxygen 61 is $279.95 MSRP, the Oxygen 49 is $229.95 MSRP and the Oxygen 8 v2 is $179.95.

More information is available at the M-Audio site.