Akai Professional MPK Mini MK3 25-Key USB MIDI Keyboard Controller, Black

The Akai MPK Mini 4 MIDI Keyboard Controller is a well constructed unit with a nice feel to the keys (unweighted), drum pads, pitch bend wheel, modulation wheel and control knobs. The Akai MPK Mini 4 allows you to easily edit the controls and pads from the front panel without a need for software. Just enter into the edit mode and setup the pads and controls the way you want and save the setup to user locations 4 through 14. There are four preset configuration locations 1-4 that are used for popular DAW software and one plugin setup. Most of the control buttons and pads are labeled with a function and the "Shift" key allows for a second set of system editing operations which are labeled under each button and pads. The setups are quick and easy, just look at the clearly written owners manual for the steps to follow. The Akai MPK Mini 4 also comes bundled with production software and 1,000 free sound and loops. There are also links to the Akai store where you can purchase extra sound and loop bundles in various genres of music. I also appreciate the Akai MPK Mini 4 provides a 1/4 inch sustain pedal jack and full sized Midi output jack to connect directly to professional and older Midi keyboards and drum machines. That Midi output jack makes it possible to control an older keyboard or drum machine that may have worn out buttons and knobs that don't work any more from the Akai MPK Mini 4 keyboard controller with a custom setup that can be saved to a memory location in the Akai MPK Mini 4. I have just one complaint about the Akai MPK Mini 4 because it will not allow you to hear the sounds you assign to the trigger pads while in edit mode. You can use a General Midi drum map to assign note numbers to the pads with ease but you can not hear the sounds being triggered until you save the edited setup. So technically my star rating would be a 4.5 Stars but Amazon does not do half star ratings. I did some research and it seem that not being able to hear the sounds as you edit the trigger pads is actually a manufacturers choice/preference and is a simple firmware setup issue. Making a midi controller that allows you to hear the sounds of the edits as you make them is a very helpful feature that I hope Akai will address in a future Firmware update. But, the Akai MPK Mini 4 is still a great controller.

The Mini 4 is awesome. I am using this primarily with CUBASE, which probably isn't as friendly as Ableton, but my goal was to *Score Music* to home videos of the kids. Ableton does not integrate video, nor does it have an orchestral sound library like Iconica Sketch. But if you aren't interested in doing that, then stick with Ableton. The integration is amazing in Cubase, except for Iconca, go figure (I don't blame Akai, it's a Cubase issue), but a Quick-Learn and then create a template, and it's about a 10-minute time sink, one time. The Studio Instrument Collection is great, and it comes with dozens of other sounds from Native Instruments. To be honest, it's a bit OVERWHELMING how much you get with this keyboard. Pick a goal and work towards that first, because this is a very broad/powerful device that can take you in dozens of directions.

Before I had purchased this MIDI controller by Akai, I admittingly haven't heard of the brand before. However, the price point of around $100 dollars caught my eye for someone who is constantly on a budget. And I have to say, for everything you receive post-purchase, it's practically the perfect value for your money. This MPK Mini MK3 model, per its name, it's quite smaller than a standard MIDI keyboard, however it's packed with a lot of features like a pitch-shifting joystick, arpeggiator controls, octave and note velocity controls, 8 drum pads, pad controls that includes a "PROG CHANGE" button allowing you to customize the MIDI's functionality based on your DAW as well as a "CC" button that apparently allows you to customize the keybinds of certain buttons using the MPK MINI III Program Editor application, and eight knobs that I personally have little understanding of what they truly do outside of editing the MIDI's settings. The MIDI also comes with a USB Type A to USB Type B connection cable. AKAI also includes cards in the packaging that, upon following the instructions and registering an InMusic Brands account, allows you to register your MIDI and access other software such as MPC Beats (AKAI's producer DAW) and plugins that automatically comes bundled with your purchase. I would definitely recommend watching some guides online when you receive this MIDI because while it's a pretty simple plug-n-play setup, there's so many more features beyond the surface that can be quite complicated to maximize the benefit of. Overall, Akai Professional's MPK Mini MK3 MIDI was a great investment in my musical pursuit for the money, and I would gladfully recommend this product to other up and coming music artists.

★★★★☆ (4/5) Finally did it right. After years of that frustrating joystick, Akai swapped it out for proper pitch and mod wheels on the MPK Mini IV and honestly that alone makes this a much better buy — it transforms the thing from a fun toy into an actual playable instrument. The new keybed feels noticeably more responsive than previous generations, the pads are punchy, and the whole package remains impressively portable and bus-powered. Setup is plug-and-play on both Mac and Windows, and it plays nicely with pretty much every DAW out of the box. The only real gripes are the same ones this form factor has always had: mini keys are still a cramped compromise for anyone with bigger hands, and the build quality, while decent for the price, still leans plastic. But for a compact MIDI controller under $100 that covers keys, pads, knobs, and now real performance wheels? It’s hard to beat as a first controller or a travel-friendly studio companion.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Owned for a few months now. Coming over from a arturia minilab mk2, this akai MIDI controller is generational leaps ahead. The built in arpeggiator and chord modes are really great and the menus are easy to use.. Not as fancy as a keystep or anything dedicated to MIDI sequencing, but it's everything I'd need in daily work imo. I really like the drum pads and knobs personally. Having pitch and mod *wheels* is a game changer over the sliders. Key feel is good. Not weighted like arturia mini controllers, but it's very consistent doesn't get in the way. Doesn't feel cheap at all. It feels very study, but is also light and compact enough to just put in a backpack. They did a really good job with making everything compact without feeling cramped to use. The USB-C connection is a welcome upgrade too. The aesthetics are also excellent. The black model is gorgeous, and to me is more timelessly beautiful than the gray model, though I love the retro look of that one as well. Setting up software was easy. Setting up akai's automatic bindings to daws worked perfectly fine with Logic, FL Studio, and Ableton 11 for me. It was astonishingly well documented and the instructions were very clear. Definitely feel well taken care of on the software side, which I definitely cannot say the same for other manufacturers. The bundled Akai Studio Instrument is leagues beyond what I expected to be honest. It's surprisingly high quality. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to get this controller for access to that, but the included plugin is definitely up at the same quality level as analog lab. Overall, it's great. For the money it's the best value mini MIDI controller imo.

I needed something I could set up quickly that didn't take up too much real estate on my already over-crowded desk. This AKAI solved my problem. I particularly like the feel of the keys and the fact that you can adjust the response curve of the keys for three different levels. There's a lot of features on it that I will probably never use because I create real music and don't just slap together samples on top of a bad drum beat...but I knew those features would collect dust when I decided to buy this. The price and the rest of the package still make it a good bargain and a nice keyboard to compose on...

Best investment i ever made the size is perfect and the software is very compatible just plug and play after downloading the app on computer for all the plug ins and instruments

Great little keyboard. Although, I am having a bit of a problem getting all the knobs to work in my DAW - Reaper. I admit that I am new to this stuff and it would be nice to have a tutorial for that specific DAW. However, despite my lack of understanding, I would recommend this product.

Not recommend

Urządzenie jest idealne do użytku domowego jako narzędzie do nauki, jak również do pracy

C’était un cadeau que j’ai offert Aucun retour donc je suppose que ca vaut les 5 etoiles 😉

Excelente instrumento, principalmente para componer con la computadora, tiene muchas opciones creativas y la biblioteca de sonidos disponible es muy buena.

Certains disent que le clavier est moins bon que chez Arturia, j'ai pu comparer et c'est faux. Les deux sont aussi mauvais, du genre plastic à ressort, mais ils ne sont pas conçu pour jouer du Chopin. Pour tout le reste je trouve ce nouveau modèle bien supérieur, il n'y a pas mieux dans cette catégorie. Les touches de contrôle sont de très bonne qualité et précises, avec rétro-éclairage, les pads biens sensibles, les mollettes pitch bend et modulation enfin réelleset très jouables, le contrôle d'Ableton Live est excellent, les sons et logiciels fournis avec le mini clavier sont suffisant si on débute. Pour les autres la prise midi et un vrai plus. Par exemple je contrôle totalement ma Boss RC 600 avec le MKP. Le MKP m'évite aussi de devoir déplacer ma Push2 quand je passe au coin clavier tellement le contrôle de Live est bien intégré. En déplacement juste avec un ordi on peut déjà faire énormément de choses et continuer de travailler des idées sur son DAW. En complément dans un environnement home-studio, le clavier apporte toujours un plus en surface de contrôle ou en source sonore si on a un autre ordi disponible et il ne prend pas de place. Bref à ce prix là, aucune raison de s'en priver.