M-Audio
Oxygen Pro 49
$299
Released 2021
Best MIDI Keyboards · head-to-head
Oxygen Pro 49 vs A-49
A sourced, side-by-side comparison. A-49 is cheaper at $175. Every spec and price links to its source.
Roland
A-49
$175Cheaper
Released 2012-10
Which is better: the Oxygen Pro 49 or A-49?
On the specs we track, they're closely matched. The A-49 is the cheaper at $175.
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Full spec sheet
✓ marks the stronger figure where "more" — or "less", for price and weight — is unambiguously better.
| Spec | Oxygen Pro 49 | A-49 |
|---|---|---|
| US price | $299 MSRP / street price | $175 Current street price per Thomann |
| Brand | M-Audio | Roland |
| Released | 2021 | 2012-10 |
| Keys | 49 | 49 |
| Key type | semi_weighted | synth |
| Drum pads | 16 | 0 |
| Knobs | 8 | 2 |
| Faders | 9 | 0 |
| Aftertouch | Yes | No |
| Connection | usb_midi_din | usb_midi_din |
| Bundled software | Ableton Live Lite, Pro Tools First, MPC Beats, AIR Hybrid 3, Mini Grand, Velvet, TubeSynth | Ableton Live Lite |
| Release | 2021 | 2012 |
Sources — Oxygen Pro 49: m-audio.com (verified 2026-06-19). A-49: roland.com (verified 2026-06-19).
What's the difference between the Oxygen Pro 49 and A-49?
Where the two actually differ on the specs we track (6 of 8). Matching specs are omitted.
- Key type: Oxygen Pro 49 semi_weighted vs A-49 synth
- Drum pads: Oxygen Pro 49 16 vs A-49 0
- Knobs: Oxygen Pro 49 8 vs A-49 2
- Faders: Oxygen Pro 49 9 vs A-49 0
- Aftertouch: Oxygen Pro 49 true vs A-49 false
- Bundled software: Oxygen Pro 49 Ableton Live Lite, Pro Tools First, MPC Beats, AIR Hybrid 3, Mini Grand, Velvet, TubeSynth vs A-49 Ableton Live Lite
What reviewers say
Sourced tester consensus for each — the "what people who used it think" layer, not just specs.
Oxygen Pro 49
Two hands-on reviews of the Oxygen Pro 49 survive verification: Sound on Sound (May 2021) and MusicRadar (27 May 2021). Both recommend it as a feature-rich, competitively priced controller, and both flag the light, springy keybed and the time needed to learn the feature set. Neither outlet published lab measurements. Note that MusicRadar's build-quality passage is a verbatim reprint of Sound on Sound's text under its 'The web says' heading, so chassis assessment rests on one independent source, not two. No claim is made here about coverage by outlets that were not fetched. (2 sourced reviews, 2 lab-tested.)
Praised: Backlit pads are a highlight — responsive to varied playing pressure and triggering reliably across their surface; Smart Chord, Smart Scale and the arpeggiator add real performance value, including for non-keyboardists; Generous bundled software suite for the asking price.
Flagged: Keybed is light and springy — Sound on Sound also calls it noisy, with plasticky clatter at the bottom of the stroke; Steep learning curve, with many features buried behind the Shift button and menu-diving; Documentation for many features and software tie-ins is sparse.
A-49
No sourced tester review yet.