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The M-Audio ProKeys Sono 88 and ProKeys Sono 61 are the world’s first digital pianos with built-in audio interface technology. As such, these instruments offer musicians, songwriters and keyboardists a wide range of possibilities—from performing live with a laptop to recording tracks in the studio. ProKeys Sono digital pianos also function in standalone mode, allowing you to play the onboard sounds and collaborate with other musicians without connecting to a computer. There are literally dozens of ways to use the Sono series, and you’ll no doubt discover many more. But for now, let’s examine a few common use cases and see how ProKeys Sono can help bridge the gap between stage and studio. |
Note: Both ProKeys Sono 61 and ProKeys Sono 88 offer similar feature sets. Unless otherwise stated, the examples below apply to both products.
The Songwriter’s Scratchpad
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For many musicians, it’s an all-too familiar situation: You think of a great song idea and run to the studio—only to find yourself wasting five minutes booting up the computer, loading software patches and troubleshooting faulty patch cable connections. By the time you’re up and running, another great idea is lost.
ProKeys Sono offers an appealing alternative—simply turn it on and start playing. You don’t need a computer to access the high-quality built-in sounds. And since ProKeys Sono 88 and ProKeys Sono 61 are lightweight enough to travel with, you’ll always be ready when the inspiration strikes. |
Tip: In addition to the high-quality onboard sounds like grand piano, electric piano, organ and clav, ProKeys Sono digital pianos feature a built-in General MIDI soundset—offering 128 additional instruments plus drums and percussion. The octave (data) buttons on ProKeys Sono will let you scroll through the sounds, which include string patches, synth pads and sound effects. You might even want to download the user guide and print out Appendix A, which lists the General MIDI instruments by name. |
| Play Along with Others |
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With a built-in 2 x 2 audio interface and dual headphone outputs, ProKeys Sono is perfect for jamming along with others. The audio interface is automatically active in standalone mode—even with no computer attached. All of the analog inputs, plus the built-in keyboard sounds are automatically routed to the main analog outputs and dual headphone jacks. |
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Example: Let’s say you’re writing songs with a bassist (who also sings), and you don’t want to wake the neighbors. Plug the bass and mic into ProKeys Sono keyboard’s analog inputs, and turn up the corresponding gain knobs until the levels are right. Hook up two sets of headphones and you’re ready to go. You can play the built-in keyboard sounds while your friend plays bass and sings—all the audio is handled by ProKeys Sono. You’ll be able to write tracks all night while the neighbors sleep soundly. |
Solo Performers
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With an iPod full of backing tracks and a ProKeys Sono digital piano, you’ve got the perfect rig for solo performances. The auxiliary inputs can be used for any line-level source, including drum machines, CD players and MP3 players. All of the input channels are mixed directly within your ProKeys Sono, along with the internal keyboard sounds. Connect your external device to the Sono aux inputs and hook up the Sono outputs to the house PA. It’s a fully contained solution perfect for playing and performing without a computer. |
Although the ProKeys Sono digital pianos deliver outstanding performance as standalone instruments, they are also designed for seamless integration with computer-based DAWs. Connecting ProKeys Sono to a Mac or PC unlocks a world of interesting possibilities. Let’s look at a few scenarios…
Recording Tracks with ProKeys Sono
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If you want to make music with computer-based DAW software, you typically need several pieces of gear—an instrument, a high-quality audio interface and a MIDI controller. ProKeys Sono digital pianos combine all three products into one, allowing you to make music without the hassle of multiple devices. A single USB cable is the only connection you need. |
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Example: It’s easy to record with ProKeys Sono. Simply plug in your instrument and mic, connect the USB cable to your computer and open your DAW (for this example, we’ll use the included Live Lite software). Select ProKeys Sono as your audio I/O device, and create two audio tracks. The first track will receive audio from input 1, while the second track receives audio from input 2. The ProKeys Sono audio interface mixes the microphone, instrument and auxiliary inputs with the onboard sounds—allowing you to record audio into Live Lite. |
Performing Live with ProKeys Sono and a Laptop
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Gigging keyboardists need a rig that’s easy to set up and doesn’t take up a lot of space. ProKeys Sono is an excellent choice for live performance—you can play the onboard sounds while the built-in audio interface plays back tracks from your laptop. Just open your DAW and select ProKeys Sono as the audio output device. Then connect the 1/4” outputs to the PA and play along with your prerecorded tracks. |
Recording a Live Performance
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If you are playing a gig with ProKeys Sono and a laptop, you can easily record your live performance. Load up your backing tracks in Ableton Live Lite (or another DAW), and create two audio tracks for ProKeys Sono inputs 1 and 2. You can also create a MIDI track and capture the raw MIDI data generated during your performance. Make sure that inputs 1, 2 and the MIDI track are set to record, and play along with your backing tracks. After the gig is over, you’ll have the entire performance recorded—along with raw MIDI data that you can edit later. With ProKeys Sono, you’ll always be able to capture the unexpected improvisations that happen when playing live. |
Using ProKeys Sono as a MIDI Controller
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ProKeys Sono can also double as a great MIDI controller. Both the 61 and 88 models feature an assignable knob, pedal input and modulation wheel. These controls can be mapped to send MIDI messages to hardware and software devices. You can even assign ProKeys Sono to be the audio interface and MIDI control device. This allows you to perform and record using nothing more than ProKeys Sono and a laptop. |
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Example: You can use ProKeys Sono to control virtual instruments, MIDI tracks and plug-ins in the included Ableton Live Lite software. First, open Live Lite and make sure ProKeys Sono is selected as the default audio and MIDI I/O device (be sure to turnthe Remote tab on). Now create a MIDI track and load a virtual instrument plug-in. By right-clicking on the virtual instrument and choosing Edit MIDI Map, you can assign ProKeys Sono’s voice volume knob, modulation wheel and pedal input to any parameter you want. The sturdy, high-quality velocity-sensitive keys are great for playing virtual instruments—offering a higher level of playability than most standard MIDI controllers. |
ProKeys Sono digital pianos are available now at your local M-Audio dealer. For more information, check out the ProKeys Sono 61 and ProKeys Sono 88 product pages. |
