Swissonic EasyKey 25

We bought this as our Bass player was going to be unexpectedly away for a gig. We didn't want to spend hours with a Dep. In this band I play Sax, but when our Pianist was soloing she wanted some support. Initially we were going to put it through a midi voice box, but we discoverd that our stage piano gave us access to it's internal GM voices, so using the midi out from the Swissonic we were able to patch into the Bass on the stage piano, which eliminated some wires and power supplies and also made the transition from Piano/Bass split to Swissonic Bass and Piano more seamless. (We used Piano and Bass split keyboard on the SP) I was able to play Bass with my left hand. How did it go? Great. The unit itself is light, but rested nicely on a stand. We used a USB plug to power it up, and the midi out socket into the keyboard. The instruction book is quite explicit, but not really needed as the set up is quite logical. Occasionaly hitting a note did not produce a response, we suspect due to operator error. The set up out of the box was fine and selecting the right program was easy. (Starts at 0, not 1.) We liked the Aluminium case which should help with life on the road and all in all we are really pleased with what we got. The keys are quite light in operation which meant I didn't get fatigued while playing around 40 Bass lines. I spent quite a time trying to find a keyboard with proper midi, not USB, and this has both. The full size keys also make it easy for me to play without having to concentrate too hard. I have large fingers so small keys don't really work well for me.
What would I prefer? Well if I could find one a 25 key with weighted keys, but haven't been able to source that so dream on! Oh and a Midi in/through would be nice. I haven't looked at the software so can't comment, we have plenty of that in other formats so probably won't look at it.
Delivery, despite the efforts of the French postal system to delay it, was as usual from Thomann, fast.

I bought this keyboard because I needed a MIDI controller with proper pitch and modulatiom wheels for my vintage rack synth. I wanted full-sized keys but did not have enough space available. This is probably the only 25-key MIDI keyboard with full-size keys om the market so the choice was clear. I have been pleasantly suprised by the quality and versatility of this product. It feels sturdy, looks good and has lots if features. Tasks such as selecting a MIDI channel can be accomplished swiftly and easily usimg the keyboard itself (this may seem awkward, compared.to javimg dedicated buttons, but there are very helpful labels to ilustrate each function and the space saving it affords is definitely worht it). The pitch and modulation wheels are smooth and accurate. The key bed is servicable, though not top of the range - hence one star less on handling than on the other departments. To conclude I will let you know that this little keyboard has quickly become a the central point through which I imteract with all my other gear in my little corner studio. (If you want to see it im action you can watch any of myore recent videos on Youtube.)