The M-Vave SMK-37 Pro is a 37-key velocity-sensitive MIDI keyboard, with a three-octave range and built-in DX-7 FM synth engine.
Features:
- 1.54″ display.
- Pitch and modulation wheels
- 16 RGB backlit pads with velocity and aftertouch support.
- 4 faders, expandable to 8 using the fader bank button.
- Eight 360-degree rotary encoders.
- Built-in arpeggiator and note repeat function.
- Built-in sequencer with support for saving 8 patterns
- Internal Sound Source: Built-in sound source with emulations of the classic Yamaha DX-7 FM synthesizer. Several parameters can be adjusted directly on the device, while other parameters can be adjusted via USB.
Pricing and Availability:
The M-Vave SMK-37 Pro is available now with a street price around $150 USD.
Note: We’re only seeing this available currently via direct-from-China retailers. US buyers should make sure you understand the impact of tariff taxes, or wait until a US distributor is available.
Probably running the open source Dexed in there. Anyways, glad to see midi controllers having built in sound engines nowadays. The MCUs are cheap and powerful enough to have synth engines, so why not toss your customers a freebie? 🙂
Yes! I’ve been mystified over why more companies don’t just put a decent synth inside MIDI controllers. It’s a no-brainer, it should have been a thing even 5 years ago.
Now I wouldn’t personally buy this, but only because I’ve had awful experiences with electronics from Chinese companies. I know most electronics are manufactured there, but actual Chinese companies release a lot of race-to-the-bottom budget crap. Hopefully, products like this help motivate the more established players in the market.
Do not underestimate the high end companies in China, they are already beating the western counterparts in many areas. People in the West, with economic reasons, couldn’t even set up a similar low end shop to sell in the international markets, with which you’ve just had bad luck.
Yep, inMusic/Moog is making Messenger in China and Americans are paying almost 25% more than Chinese people. Moog, what was an American company, is offering cheaper products to China than America itself. And on top of that, Behringer is making a killing releasing a new product every month and they’re all high quality with solid metal construction and SMT components that will last decades.
We don’t have the patience, the money, or the balls to have better manufacturing in anything except warfare lol…
They actually did this over 20 years ago…
Novation X-Station
M-Audio Venom
I was enjoying my volca fm2 and looking into getting a keystep 37 to control and deep dive into programming the fm2…but this checks a lot of boxes, costs about as much as a volca fm2, less than the Yamaha portable fm synth with keys. Even has the aftertouch. The keystep 37 does have a cv out, plus sync connections, tbh I have a few boxes with those features.
It’s good to have choices at least, and good to have something to look forward to for v.2 or their next offering.
Actually it was tried, several years ago, by Akai with the MPK Mini Play, which was their normal MPK Mini MIDI-controller with an added GM sound engine, filter, and ADSR.
I’ve got one, and it sounds great for what it is. But IMNSHO, there are two big design flaws that make it extremely difficult to work with for me:
1.) Only 8 save slots for saving your sounds after you’ve edited them, and…
2.) 25-key controller. Jeezus, how can anybody deal with actually playing anything
with only 2 octaves on the keyboard. I know it doesn’t bother some people, but
my Octave Up/Down buttons are practically busted from overuse by now. I’ve
found that 37-keys is the absolute minimum I can use comfortably.
I’ve had my eye on this M-Vave unit for a few weeks now. Since it hasn’t previously had a manual published online, it took forever to find out what parameters were available from the front panel, and that I guess it is possible to load your own custom patches via the app. Those were the only things previously causing me to hesitate.
Yes, I had the Donner 303 clone ish synth brick during an update and would not factory reset, I got a hold directly of one of the engineers behind the synth and he sent me something to bypass the bricking and force force reset it. It works now, surprised I got so much help from a company like that.
DX7 is an interesting choice but im saying thats a fair amount of keyboard for 150 – looks good
A few months ago, I ordered an M-Vave IR Box, which is an amazing mini pedal with 32 presets. Each preset can have an IR loaded (or off), and a great 10-band parametric EQ (which can also be turned off). There are dedicated knobs on the unit for global HPF and LPF, and global level. It has 1/4″ in/out, an XLR out (no ground lift), headphone out, and can act as a USB audio interface–mono in, stereo to headphone out.
The iOS and Mac Cube Suite editors work fine. The Android version is messed up (the Q setting in the EQ doesn’t work right). The L & R channels for USB audio out are reversed (L=R, and vice versa). Despite these quirks, for the price it is a nice sounding and very useful little box. I’m super pleased with it.
Seems like M-Vave is capable of designing a good product, but as my experience suggests, there could be some “slop” in the hardware design, and the editor software. I tried contacting the company about the Android issue months ago, and got not response and the software hasn’t been corrected yet.
Following up: M-Vave (the company is called cuvave) released an update which fixed the Q/setting bug on their IR Box. Pheeew. That was a relief. Perhaps that does bode well for them fixing important bugs.
So we get a build-in synth but no aftertouch??? lol
“other parameters can be adjusted via USB” RLY?
it is a CONTROLLER with display and synth engine, so it should CONTROL itself 100%
Wait till they came up with a similar $150 37-key mini-controller with CS-80 synth engine, I guess that’s why China is now the villain.
Another similar line of products come from Donner.
China is VERY ambitious with their tech. and engineering eg. EV’s, high-speed railways, highways through mountains etc.
I’ve lived in both Japan & Chine and returning to my home (western) country, feels like reverse culture shock to a 3rd-world country!
Seems like a half baked product with little or no support.
Clearly an afterthought compared to the $65 MIDI version on Alibaba.
Maybe it appeals to people with a poor mindset, those stuck counting features or those who believe that if you pay more you’re just a sucker and never actually get more.
Feels like e-waste. And if it’s not and there’s any practicality in it it’s purely by sheer luck. Clearly the lowest possible quality, no passion, no soul.
Like most cheap products from Chinese brands, a low price just to encourage consumption. Nothing attractive in this culture.
You say that like 90 % of the stuff you buy isn’t already made in China
I only buy Behringer gear
Not every product made in China is from a “Chinese brand”
Meh, this is like the yamaha reface series kind of thing. Some people just wanna turn it on and have fun 🙂
This is cool. Been annoyed by the state of the synth communities opinions having a snobby tone lately. I think this keyboard is cool. If I don’t own a dx100 at some point in the next 8 years I’ll get one then when it is cheap and being discarded heavily lol. If I luck out I’ll find one at the swap even sooner. If I was just starting out I’d probably get this though. Seems like a cool controller.
I am all for poly after touch being a standard feature for midi controllers and synths. It’s 2025, korg. There should be no need for a special edition with aftertouch, in 2025, all controllers should have this feature, plus velocity. Arturia includes aftertouch on all their keystep, under 200 controllers. No more special editions with aftertouch, should be a standard feature on any controller or synth
Adding polyphonic aftertouch to any keyboard say a 37-key model is like adding 37 individual encoders. Mechanical components are some of the most expensive parts in any synthesizer. On top of that, you’d need at least 10 additional inputs for the processor. Most people don’t care about or even know what polyphonic aftertouch is but they will care if a keyboard that should cost $100 ends up costing $500. It’s like expecting every analog synth to have at least 16 voices, nice in theory, but unrealistic for most budgets.
You can be a “don’t care” customer, but there are real limitations to what’s possible to manufacture within a budget. After using many synths with polyphonic aftertouch over the years, I’d say the feature is way overhyped. It’s just not that important. Even most keyboardists aren’t that into it, many Hydrasynth users, for example, rarely use it at all.
It’s mostly a feature that looks good on paper.
The manufacturers should do it as an optional to order. Need it – order it. Not need or don’t know what it is – buy the basic model.
so much great open source software out there, how hard can it be to throw 5 simple synths in something like that
I have an smk 25 mk II and I have to say for what it is I love it. A midi controller for under 70 bucks (at the time) that did all the functions I needed it to, the keys didn’t feel terrible for me though I know it’s a huge sticking point for tons of people, and my PC wasn’t compatible properly with the Bluetooth feature, which is fine I just kept it a wired setup. I didn’t like the pads but tbf I don’t know much about calibrating them. All in all though it has been a fantastic entry level controller.
It’s gonna take me around six months of saving (yeah I know I’m broke but there’s nothing I can do about it) bit I’m going to get the 37 pro. Having a built in engine that I can just hook up a speaker to is great so I can take it on trips with me and constantly improve my sorely lacking skills. Plus having actual pitch and mod wheels will be a great step up for me over the touch strips, which work fine but I don’t have the accuracy to get sounds I want out of them
don’t expect much, this is a very raw product both in midi and in synth, your notes can easily hang in the synthesizer, and midi will probably only work in iOS. it’s quite fun if you don’t know how to play and just play around and experiment with sound, but nothing more.