Keith McMillen Instruments is renowned for their innovative design and production of cutting-edge music technology. The QuNexus is just another testament to their commitment to creating products that revolutionize music production. This review will dive into the intricacies of the QuNexus, exploring its design, functionality, and application in the world of music production.
The QuNexus is a vibrant hybrid of keyboard controller and MIDI/CV interface, designed to deliver uncompromising control and performance. Its unique design accommodates a wide range of musicians, from beginner keyboard players to professional DJ’s and producers, making it a truly flexible and versatile device. Its compact size, robust construction, and comprehensive range of features make it a stand-out amongst competing devices. In the sections that follow, we will delve into a detailed analysis of the QuNexus, covering aspects such as its build quality, feature set, and performance characteristics.
When first receiving the QuNexus, its packaging is compact and easy to open. You are immediately greeted with a stunning image of the keyboard controller on the box, giving you a sense of its sleek and modern design. The product is neatly packed inside, with the device itself covered in a protective sleeve to ensure it arrives in perfect condition.
Upon opening the box, the QuNexus by Keith McMillen is immediately impressive. The sheer compactness of this device is surprising. Measuring only about a foot long and less than half a foot wide, it truly is a space saver. Despite the small size, it feels sturdy and solidly built. The rubberized keys are not only stylish but also functional. They provide a tactile response that is both satisfying to the touch and convenient for performance.
Inside the box, in addition to the controller itself, you’ll find a standard USB cable for power and connection. A quick start guide is also included which offers easy-to-understand instructions on how to get started.
The design aesthetics of the QuNexus are remarkable. Its combination of sharp lines, a deep black hue, and backlit keys exudes an air of sophistication. The backlit pads are not only for show; they give you status feedback which is extremely useful while playing.
In the initial review, it’s clear to see that Keith McMillen Instruments has put a lot of thought and effort into the design and presentation of QuNexus. It’s compact, stylish, hardy, and user-friendly, making for a great first impression. As you get further into its features and usability, the true value of the QuNexus becomes even more apparent. But we’ll get into that in the next sections. For now, the unboxing experience sets a high standard for the rest of the product.
Contents
Key Features and Functionality
The Keith McMillen Instruments QuNexus is a highly versatile and portable keyboard controller that packs a surprising punch in terms of performance and utility in its compact size.
Portable Design
QuNexus’ main advantage lies in its compact, lightweight design that lets musicians take it anywhere. Despite its portability, it’s surprisingly durable, courtesy of the high-grade materials and solid build quality.
Polyphonic Aftertouch and Tilt
QuNexus stands out from its peers with its polyphonic aftertouch functionality, a feature often found only in flagship keyboards. This functionality provides musicians with a higher level of control and expressivity when playing. Added to the aftertouch, there’s a ’tilt’ function that alters the sound based on the orientation of the player’s touch.
Multi-Dimensional Keys
Every key of the QuNexus is touch-sensitive and able to respond to lateral and downward pressure, offering far more detailed control options than many traditional keyboard controllers. This makes it particularly useful for sound design and production, where subtle nuances can be crucial.
LED Lighting
The embedded LED lights are not just aesthetic enhancements—the lights provide excellent visual feedback and can be handy in low-light settings. These lights brighten or darken in response to the intensity of the played keys.
Extensive Control Outputs
QuNexus offers USB, MIDI, and CV/Gate outputs, which ensures extensive compatibility with an array of music production hardware and software. These extensive control outputs make the device exceptionally versatile, broadening its utility beyond a basic mini keyboard.
Smart Sensor Technology
Keith McMillen Instruments has integrated its proprietary Smart Sensor Technology into the QuNexus, elevating the levels of control and expressiveness offered by the keys. Due to this, the keys can recognize pressure, location, and velocity, leading to exceptional performance nuances.
Software Compatibility
QuNexus comes with software compatibility that makes it an excellent tool for studio work and live performances. It easily integrates with popular digital audio workstations (DAWs), including Ableton Live, Serato DJ, Traktor, and more.
In summary, the Keith McMillen QuNexus is not your traditional keyboard controller—it’s a feature-packed powerhouse that offers significant upgrade in performance and control, catering to the creative needs of both amateurs and professionals.
| Product Name | Amazon Link |
|---|---|
| Keith McMillen Instruments Compatible Arpeggiator | Find more info on Amazon here! |
| QuNexus Smart Sensor Keyboard Controller | Find more info on Amazon here! |
Sound Quality and Performance
Keith McMillen Instruments QuNexus stands out among MIDI controllers for its remarkable sound quality and performance. Its 25 touch-sensitive keys are designed to capture the nuances of your performance, from soft and subtle touches to robust and vigorous playing styles. Thanks to the entire key surface being pressure-sensitive, it offers excellent transparency, precision, and responsiveness, allowing musicians to inject more expression into their music.
The velocity sensitivity of the QuNexus is another notable feature. This enables you to control the loudness, pitch, and timbre of the notes played in real-time, providing an intuitive experience and an extended range of musical possibilities. The device is highly accurate at reading different velocities, reacting swiftly to your touch, and reproducing the intended sound effect authentically.
Moreover, the QuNexus supports MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) standard, which means you can manipulate individual notes within chords separately on software that also supports MPE. This gives you the ability to create more intricate and unique sounding melodies, thus elevating your music production game.
The compatibility with CV/Gate modular systems is a great advantage for modular synth users. The QuNexus can control these systems directly without any extra equipment, which can drastically increase the sonic potential.
Despite its compact size, QuNexus offers the capability of full-sized keyboards, ensuring a broad dynamic range and excellent sound quality. Its innovative features make it a versatile, expressive, and high-performance MIDI controller, capable of enhancing your musical creativity at any level.
Connectivity and Integration
Keith McMillen Instruments QuNexus offers a beautiful blend of compact design and robust functionality. The device boasts excellent connectivity and integration capabilities, which sets it apart in a crowded market.
The device includes a conventional MIDI out port that can be used to connect directly to traditional hardware synths. QuNexus also provides CV/Gate outputs, making it a convenient controller for modular synths and vintage gear. This broadens its appeal to even analog synthesizer enthusiasts.
This MIDI controller uses Micro USB port for plug-and-play connection with your PC, Mac, or even mobile devices. When connected, QuNexus can work seamlessly with any DAW, such as Ableton Live, Logic Pro, or Pro Tools, thereby enabling a broad spectrum of potential use cases.
Moreover, QuNexus’s excellent integration with other Keith McMillen Instruments like KMI MIDI Expander further enhances its connectivity options. It helps you to integrate the device even with equipment not having a USB host.
What’s more, QuNexus embeds the “Smart Sensor” technology, which permits Polyphonic Aftertouch over standard MIDI connections – a feature which is rare in other keyboard controllers within this price range. This allows for sophisticated expression in each of the chords and notes played, providing a great playing experience.
To sum up, the QuNexus scores highly in terms of connectivity and integration. Whether you’re a touring musician in need of a portable controller that can connect to a variety of hardware or a studio producer searching for a versatile tool, the QuNexus has got you covered.
Pros and Cons
Pros
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Compact and Durable: One of the significant advantages of the Keith McMillen Instruments QuNexus is its compact and durable build. It is incredibly portable and can withstand all kinds of handling, making it perfect for gigging musicians who often travel.
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Versatile Controls: The QuNexus features 25 touch-sensitive keys that allow for both velocity and pressure-sensitive playing. The pitch bend and modulation capability add to the expressiveness of this MIDI controller.
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Interconnectivity: With its USB, MIDI, and CV/Gate connectivity, the QuNexus can be easily integrated into most music production setups. Whether you are controlling hardware synths or software instruments, this MIDI controller stands out in terms of control possibilities.
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Switchable power source: QuNexus is USB-powered and can also use an optional power adapter. This flexibility in power sources makes it easy to use in different situations.
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Comprehensive software support: It includes a robust software editor that allows you to configure the device precisely to your liking. Almost every parameter of the QuNexus can be configured through this editor.
Cons
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Limited keys: With only 25 keys, the QuNexus might not be suitable for users who require a broader range of pitches at their fingertips. It requires frequent octave shifting which can disrupt the flow of play for some musicians.
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Lack of traditional keys: The QuNexus’ keys are made of soft rubber and don’t offer the same feel as traditional keyboard keys. This might be a drawback for those who are used to standard piano keys.
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Learning curve: While the QuNexus is very powerful and customizable, its unique interface and deep software integration might pose a learning curve, especially for beginners.
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Small key size: The keys on the QuNexus are smaller than on a traditional keyboard, which may be a concern for users with larger hands or those who are used to playing on full-sized keys.
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Price point: The QuNexus is relatively pricey compared to other MIDI controllers with similar functionality. However, its unique features and robust build quality could justify the cost for some.
Comparisons with Other Synthesizers
The Keith McMillen Instruments QuNexus stands out in a market saturated with MIDI keyboard synthesizers, and it holds its own when compared with other prominent players in the field.
For starters, the design and build quality of the QuNexus are distinctive and robust. Unlike conventional synthesizers with their all-plastic construction, the QuNexus employs a sleek, durable rubber and metal build that offers longevity and portability. It’s even lighter and more compact than the Akai Professional MPK Mini MIDI keyboard, but without sacrificing functionality or performance.
When putting the QuNexus side by side with the Novation Launchkey Mini MK3, another popular synthesizer, the QuNexus clearly outperforms in two areas: polyphonic aftertouch and CV/Gate outputs. The QuNexus supports polyphonic aftertouch, a feature that allows individual keys to respond to pressure separately. While the Launchkey Mini has touch-sensitive keys, it lacks this degree of control. The ability to output control voltage (CV) and Gate signals is another rare feature in this price range, providing modular synth fans with significant added value.
The 25 keys on the QuNexus might seem limiting compared to the larger 49-key and 61-key synthesizers such as those found on the Alesis V49 and the Novation Impulse 61. However, the QuNexus comes with the unique Smart Sensor keys that are velocity-sensitive, pressure-sensitive, and have tilt recognition, offering more ways to control and modulate sound than standard synth keys.
Although the Arturia MiniLab MkII offers excellent performance with its 25 quality mini-keys and 16 rotary knobs, the QuNexus once again stands out with its depth of control. The MiniLab MkII, like many other synthesizers, does not offer polyphonic aftertouch or tilt response.
It’s also worth noting that although the QuNexus may not come with software synths unlike the M-Audio Oxygen 25 IV, which includes Ableton Live Lite and SONiVOX Twist, it more than makes up for it with its compatibility with a wide range of operating systems and synth modules and its Smart Fabric technology, adding considerable versatility and value.
In conclusion, the QuNexus departs from the traditional design of most MIDI keyboard synthesizers but retains, and in many cases surpasses, their functionality. It’s tough, portable, versatile, and offers features not often found in other synthesizers in its price range. It thus holds its own and stands tall in the realm of MIDI keyboard synthesizers.
Price Point and Value for Money
Keith McMillen Instruments QuNexus MIDI controller is not categorized under budget-friendly devices, but it’s an investment worth considering. This peculiar gadget is not about the price you pay; rather, it’s about the value you get in return. The QuNexus comes at a higher price point compared to traditional MIDI controllers in the market, however, it justifies its cost when you consider the unique features it offers.
These unique specifications include pressure-sensitive keys, compact and portable design, a pitch bend pad, CV Gate outputs, and many more. Besides, Keith McMillen Instruments (KMI) are renowned for producing durable and high-quality devices. Thus, it’s only natural that their products, including the QuNexus, come at a slightly higher price tag.
Investing in QuNexus is not just about possessing a MIDI controller; it is an investment in convenience, efficiency, and quality of music. Therefore, in terms of value for money, the QuNexus scores highly. If you’re a professional musician or composer looking for a device that offers unparalleled control and dimensionality in music creation, QuNexus is undoubtedly a worthy purchase, regardless of its premium price point.
Final Thoughts and Recommendations
The Keith McMillen Instruments QuNexus is a one-size-fits-all controller for musicians who have a high regard for portability, durability, versatility, and innovation. Due to its slimline design with a rugged build, it promises to be a long-term tour companion for any travelling musician. Its impressive adaptability extends to a wide range of control possibilities – from CV/Gate analog signals to traditional MIDI and computer-based digital audio workstations (DAWs).
Its keys may seem unconventional but serve well in encouraging new ways of approaching musical performances. The pressure-sensitive multi-dimensional keys may not charm traditionalists, but those willing to step out of their comfort zones will certainly appreciate the opportunities for expressive performances these keys present.
QuNexus is also commendable for its compatibility with several types of equipment and systems. Whether you’re into analog synths, digital audio workstations, or tablets—this adaptable keyboard stands ready to assist with some added features like pitch bend, polyphonic aftertouch, or even tilt sensor, depending on your set up.
With its reasonable price point, the QuNexus offers significant value to those who want to push the boundaries of their musical creativity. However, users should be prepared to spend some time learning how to get the most from this controller due to its distinctive cross-platform capabilities and layered features.
In conclusion, the Keith McMillen Instruments QuNexus is a fantastic piece of equipment for those who value innovation, adaptability, and expressiveness in their musical journey. It may not suit everyone’s tastes, but those who go for it won’t likely be disappointed.