Line6 KB37

[ceflo33]

it seems nobody has given a review for this product, so i'll give it a go, here's my experience with Line6 KB37

1. Tell us how much you paid for the unit.
- around 180cad.. i got lucky, this was part of a clearance sale online. and this was one of the first batch of unit being sold without the bundled Pod farm plugin, which now retails around $350 now.

2. How long have you had it?
- since november '09

3. Rate it on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the best.
- 7 for me.. check below for reasons why

4. Things you like about it
- portability and inputs. you get two mic inputs with phantom power, two line inputs, one instrument input. plus the 37 velocity sensitive keys. you can actually play full piano chords not unlike 25key ones, which can obviously limit your playing. the added octave is definitely a plus. it is also usb powered so a laptop plus kb37, you can take anywhere.

- gearbox. this is a software that came with the unit. this is the reason for the 7 rating. it can be used as a standalone for practicing and jamming, and for recording too as it acts as a preamp and amp simulator for your microphone and stringed instruments. it's not as good as the real thing, but it works.

- dedicated transport buttons, 4knobs and 4buttons. all programmable.

5. Things you don't like about it.

- that 'plasticky' feel. it only stays in my bedroom so im not that worried about it. but if i have to bring it with me while travelling, i'll take necessary steps to protect it.

- gearbox does not record a dry signal. so you have to be contet from the source before you punch record.

- driver issues. minus 1.5 rating for that. it's because i've had trouble with latencies. i am using asio4all drivers right now which eliminated the latency part. no one in line6 is addressing the issue. ive tried to lower the buffer settings to the lowest possible, but still no good. i know a lot of people here are not happy with asio4all. but it works fine with me. the only problem with it is it does not sound as pristine as the line6 drivers.

6. Anything else you wish to add--for example, compare it to other similar gear, tell us your tips, sites with free patches, problems, list your website that has info specific to this piece, etc.

- before this unit, i've had an m-audio fast track pro, which i sold because i wanted an integrated keyboard to go with the interface. the i got the m-audio keystudio 49i. 49 keys, but does not have phantom power. and the drivers for that is much worse than lin6's. this is the first unit that i am satisfied with for the time being. for somebody who is probably starting out or a serious hobbyist, this is a cheap solution for an all in one kind of thing. also very useful for doing mock recordings for songwriters and producers too, before heading out to pro studios , given the gearbox's capabilities.

[Steven mc.]

2 people I know well bought the tone port UX2, I used it once to help a friend record his music. and One friend on Mine bought the KB37 which I tried to help him set up.

Although I could get the rotary controls and keyboard to work in sonar, the transport controls didn't work. perhaps I missed something, But I think It should have worked once the other Midi functions were running.

Unit feels very cheap, among the cheapest pieces of kit I ever held. The keyboard is very light and almost spongy. It is a cheap piece of kit though, and for what it claims to do, I'd say it was good. I might even buy one If I ever build a total Mobile kit to work on the run. Amp models are usable and even pretty good. Bass amp models are total garbage (surprising because I like the tone from a bass PODxt) Preamp Is functional for putting down Ideas, but pretty noisy and cheap, like a Xyenx preamp.

[ceflo33]

i agree with you on the build of the unit. it really feels cheap, although im not too worried about the knobs and buttons, i think mine will last. on the transport buttons i would have to say mine does not work that well on cubase too. but i did not bother too much because im always used to utilizing the keyboard anyway. but yeah, i tried to figure it out 'just because' but i gave up. about the bass amp models, thanks for the heads up. i actually haven't tried that one yet. but im planning to rent a bass to lay down some tracks in the next couple of days.