AKAI Professional MPK Mini MK3

its nice

the keys and pads feel nice. the arpeggiator is really nice as it has a screen to show the tempo but the endless encoders act EXACTLY like standard pots, as in: if you have two instruments and switch between them the encoder will keep the last set value on the other instrument instead of getting the value from the new instrument. it also has zero daw integration, so I'll be returning this and getting the novation launchkey mini

My favourite controller

After years using it thats the midi controller that's always on my desk. The arpeggiator of this tank is great.

Good starter midi keyboard

It suits the needs I have for it, my one issue is that the drum pads seems a bit unresponsive. I have to hit it fairly hard to get a consistent sound out of it, and even then it often doubles the hit, making it hard to record any drum patterns with it. I can only assume it’s a settings issue on my end, but it is a tad rough on the fingers. Apart from that the programmable knobs are great for a lot of purposes, I use them to adjust virtual amp settings for the guitar, which is a bit easier than gripping the mouse while playing constantly.

Not sure why I was expecting more from this keyboard, maybe because you see it everywhere. But you get what you pay.

Super portability, keys are often failing

"I'm buying a new one soon because of its great features, but the keys keep failing. This is my third replacement in 5 years because some keys stop sending MIDI."