MPK Mini MK3 - 25 Key USB MIDI Keyboard Controller with 8 Backlit Drum Pads, 8 Knobs and Music Production Software and Native Instruments Sound Package (NKS Integration), Black

The perfect mini mobile controller to complement my Hoton Ampero Multi Effects Pedal and BOSS RC-30 Loop Pedal. My principal instrument is electric violin, but also play guitar, mandolin, and ukulele. This Akai mini controller is perfect for creating rhythms and backing loops for my solo performance as a busker. It's fun to play with but also a serious piece of high quality kit for any musician using pedals, or a composer who needs a mini keyboard that's compact and has a rich pallette of sounds. The keyboard feels well made. It's NOT a guitar pedal that's used on the ground. The AKAI is an instrument that will be used and treated with care and respect like any other keyboard. So, it's build quality is comparable to larger keyboards like my Yamaha. I had no problem connecting the AKAI to my Smartphone and Tablet using a Piano App. Whilst the controller is designed to be used with a DAW on MAC or PC, I like being able to learn, practice, and experiment with chord inversions and progressions on the go, as I recently started learning keyboard with Pianote. The AKAI is not a substitute for a digital piano or keyboard but it's a very useful tool with a lot of potential. IMPORTANT! Don't use Bluetooth to connect to a smartphone or tablet as you'll have latency problems. Use a cable and there's no latency issue. (The age and quality of your PC, smartphone or tablet could issues. But it works fine with my Huawei P20 Pro, DELL XPS 17, and Neocore Tablet. There are plenty of YouTube videos that provide excellent instruction and reviews by professional musicians who give in depth, hands on analysis of the keyboard. Every review I've watched and read is full of praise for this MIDI Controller. Another 'best buy' for me.

As with any product of this type, make sure it fits your intended usage before you buy. For me, this product is excellent for the following reasons: - Build quality is solid - Small size is perfect for a minimal home studio (photo attached for indication of product size) - 25 keys ideal for simple leads and bass lines (you can switch up and down octaves with one touch to find the best range) - Plug and play is instant, works with stand alone synths or your DAW of choice (for me that's Cubase and it works great as expected). - 8 pads that are touch sensitive like the keys, great for drums/percussion (and can easily switch between 2 banks so effectively you've got 16 presets) - Control knobs can be assigned to DAW - Excellent synth bundled with the product (Hybrid3) Factors that were relevant to me: - I'm mainly interested in rock/metal and guitars, I just wanted the Akai to be a simple tool to control the rest - I'm not an expert on piano/keyboards, so I don't mind fewer keys and I'm perfectly happy with the feel of the keys on the Akai I also had to weigh up the Akai against an alternative product that offered potentially better out-of-the-box integration with Cubase (but that had less of a software bundle). In the end I decided I wanted the Hybrid3 synth more than the instant integration, as I'm happy to map the controllers myself (it's easy enough) so I went with the Akai. I'm glad I did as Akai feels perfect, and Hybrid3 is actually worth a few quid in itself. There are some excellent freeware synths out there, and I expected it to be like a good one of those, however it surprised me with just how good it is and how much I enjoy using it. It's a great synth offering modern blended sounds (effectively it's 2 synths blended together), it really takes things up a level. There is other bundled software: - Mini Grand and Velvet are 2 decent VSTs, but not necessarily my go-to instruments (Velvet's interesting, Mini Grand is fine but just doesn't really fit with what I'm trying to produce musically) - MPC Beats is a loop-based DAW and there are some sound/sample packs to support it. This could be a great beginner software kit if you're just starting out with loops, it has some interesting tools but doesn't really suit the rock/metal vibe I'm playing with, and my tool of choice is Cubase as mentioned earlier. Having said that, MPC will open as a VST in Cubase so it'll link in neatly if needed. - Also worth mentioning is 'MPK mini Editor' is available to download too (it's hidden in the download manager settings under "Advanced Software"). It will help with all the detailed controller mapping; as yet I've not explored in to too much detail here, for now I'm satisfied just using basic controls and it's good to know the functionality is there for when I'll want it later. Couple of points to bear in mind particularly if you're very new to digital music production: - This is a midi controller and it needs separate software to generate sounds. You get Hybrid3 and a couple of other VSTs which is an excellent start, so once you install them you can get on and make loads of sounds immediately with this package. You will need a DAW to record and mix the sounds (there are plenty at all price points -including free- out there if MPC Beats doesn't quite give you what you need). - The download and install process for the software is a bit extensive if you want all the associated products, but it's only a one-off, and is pretty straightforward. You'll need to make an Akai account online, and also as part of the install you need to create (or log-in with existing) iLock account to validate install. Overall: - Great plug and play product (with VSTs/DAW) - Excellent supporting software synth (Hybrid3) - A real no-brainer 5 stars from me as the MPK mini suits my needs perfectly, and the quality of the supplied synth exceeded my expectations.

An excellent little controller that punches well above its price point. Easy to set up and use straight out of the box, it performs exactly as expected with no complaints. Highly recommended.

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

Tek kelimeyle harika bir ürün eksiği yok bence

Perfect for anyone who dabbles in MIDI without wasting all of your desk space on a full sized unit. I love using this for finger drumming, and you get enough keys to layer synth/piano parts in recordings for the most part.

good device but had to send it back for ios related issues