AKAI Professional MPK Mini MK3 Black

Great for on-the-go

This controller is a great solution to bring with you. I don't use it much in my home studio, as the size of the keys are too small for any serious playing. I love the pads. Also, build quality is great- might be because of it's small size, but everything feels sturdy. Knobs are also well built. Also, the Black model is just beautiful, unlike the other ones, which I don't like. But this is a matter of a taste, of course. I would recomend this controller to anyone who is on-the go.

Top ding!

Een zeer eenvoudige en compacte MIDI-keyboard. Zeker een goede aankoop geweest, het heeft me nooit teleurgesteld.

It works, mostly.

This is one of the most affordable and common MIDI keyboards. It is fine. The included software is okay, but it serves very little purpose for me. The construction is very cheap and light, but for this price - it's fine. I have used it a lot and it does the job. The expression knob is rather flimsy, but fun to use. The worst issue this MIDI keyboard has is the velocity curve. In order to reach the optimal dynamic range of most VSTi plugins, one needs to bash the keyboard hard. This can be fixed by holding the "full level" key and editing the dynamics through the hidden menu. However, the fix only worked until the keyboard was disconnected and then this had to be done again. This might be an issue with my particular product, but I have heard similar feedback from other users.

happy customer

great keyboard at a great price. verry happy with the product

If you choose this controller, avoid MPC Beats like the plague

I've purchased the controller and started the set-up, which you unsurprisingly need a preset manager for. To install a preset manager (which btw is unbelievably wonky), you need to register at the AKAI website and use "inMusic Software Center" first. Upon installation, it suggests you check out some free software that comes with the controller, which is AKAI's own MPC Beats (a DAW) with a couple of sound packs, and three plug-ins: Hybrid 3, Mini Grand, and Velvet. So I've decided to give it a try. The MPC Beats ran OK, but the plug-ins did not run at all. And the worst part is that my Logic Pro X started freezing upon launch. Every time I opened it, it just said “updating information about audio unit plugins” and swiftly proceeded to stop working. So I uninstalled all the AKAI stuff, deleted Logic's cache, which (to my horror) didn't help at all. Then I tried reinstalling Logic, which was also not effective. After a few hours of crying and googling, I was able to exterminate all the traces of dreaded AKAI software, which finally allowed my Logic to run again. You can't uninstall anything from the "inMusic Software Center". It only gives an option to install or download again and install again. To delete everything, you need to access all the hidden folders and manually remove all the files (here I should mention, that deleting any plugin is not exactly a straightforward process, but still).

The controller itself is fine, btw, but my experience is a bit tainted by the included software and by my Logic almost going down with it. It would be fine if it just didn’t work on its own, because it’s a) free and b) not essential in any way. But not working AND breaking other stuff is something else.

In conclusion: avoid associated free software like the plague.

Awesome Little MIDI tool

Great little tool for playing with midi and synths and for the price you cant go wrong, feels premium and the pads are really nice and better than on some more premium midi keyboards out there.

For less than €100 you cant find anything better in my opinion, if you want a full range keyboard give this a miss but if you want something small compact and affordable go ahead you wont regret it.

Perfect for Beginners

If you want to learn the basics, this is the best choice for you

Easy and compact!

Really nice to work with and fits everywhere. This black version gets pretty dirty very fast, but I clean my equipment fairly often, so it's not a problem for me. Very fun to work with overall.

Not impressed

Features are ok, but you have to hit the keys so hard to register any sort of acceptable velocity. I regret not going for the Novation equivalent product

Best midi fo the price

This midi keyboard has everything you need, and its relatively cheap