Love this. Small and compact but can make a big impact of productio
Love this. Small and compact but can make a big impact of productio

Everything about this is good, except for the keys. But mainly because the Arturia minilab has so great keys. I went with the new minilab mk3 mainly because of the keys, but also now that it has some basic ableton integration.
Everything about this is good, except for the keys. But mainly because the Arturia minilab has so great keys. I went with the new minilab mk3 mainly because of the keys, but also now that it has some basic ableton integration.

I’m still learning how to use it, but I can say that within 15 minutes of opening the box I was making turns with this on my laptop. This is an awesome keyboard. Multiple thumbs up!
I’m still learning how to use it, but I can say that within 15 minutes of opening the box I was making turns with this on my laptop. This is an awesome keyboard. Multiple thumbs up!

I just spent 90 minutes trying to get Garageband to launch. Being blocked by the AKAI recommended software that you do not need. your need to install nothing to get this to work on your mac. They need to remove that card inside the box that tells you to download some 2003 software which does not work and disables computers.
I just spent 90 minutes trying to get Garageband to launch. Being blocked by the AKAI recommended software that you do not need. your need to install nothing to get this to work on your mac. They need to remove that card inside the box that tells you to download some 2003 software which does not work and disables computers.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Keyboard - Bad Price
I really enjoyed my time using this keyboard! However, I feel that there’s defo other MIDI controllers there that are much better and don’t cost as much. The drumpads are nice and responsive, the touch sensitivity is nice too but I really did not like the endless turning on the knobs. If that doesn’t bother you, this MIDI controller works great.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great piece of kit. Just not standalone
After watching many reviews I opted to buy this midi controller and it really does live up to the hype. It’s a great piece of kit with some fantastic features. The drum pads are great, the arpeggiator is really good with many different settings and it’s really easy to set up and get started. However it very quickly became apparent that I needed to be able to use it without having to plug it into a computer every time. So I decided to exchange it for the PLAY version that comes with a speaker and battery compartment. It was a bit dearer but worth it.

Mi è arrivato un altro prodotto...
Recensisco questa tastiera perch, pur avendola ordinata anche io dopo averla provata da un amico, mi arrivato tutt’altro marchio e modello… anche se le funzionalit sono le stesse. Per la breve esperienza posso dire che una ottima kb da viaggio, con tasti semipesati ed abbastanza compatta ma ben accessoriata

Tastiera davvero bella e funzionale
Ottima tastiera, spettacolare il mini monitor ma….. potrebbero fare anche la versione 32 o 49 tasti. Queste da 25 sono comode da portare in giro ma…. una 49 cos non sarebbe male.
Ableton il suo pane

I bought this AKAI Mini Keyboard for my son, who already is a musician of 6 years on the saxophone, but expressed interest in playing the piano/keyboard and trying to write music. He loves this and found it very easy to use! It’s lightweight and portable, so makes it easy to travel with, in its portable hard case. Very reasonably priced - this keyboard is more expensive at our local music stores, so I feel that I got a good value for this item. I would highly recommend this keyboard to beginners, intermediate players, and even advanced players, to have something to travel with and create tracks with.
I bought this AKAI Mini Keyboard for my son, who already is a musician of 6 years on the saxophone, but expressed interest in playing the piano/keyboard and trying to write music. He loves this and found it very easy to use! It’s lightweight and portable, so makes it easy to travel with, in its portable hard case. Very reasonably priced – this keyboard is more expensive at our local music stores, so I feel that I got a good value for this item. I would highly recommend this keyboard to beginners, intermediate players, and even advanced players, to have something to travel with and create tracks with.

Amazing value
This is everything you need to get started producing your own music. If you’re completely new to things it might require a few hours research prior – but I was surprised at how this is essentially plug and play once you have the midi instruments installed. There were really no technical headaches and I wasn’t expecting it to be so easy.

Very sturdy and we’ll made and the keys have a nice response to them and the pads are good for programming drum beats.

Feel like every household should own one. It’s good fun just playing around and being able to make any imaginable sound

Value for the money
Great value for the price.. Ideal for the starter studio

Superb keyboard and features that will get your creative juices flowing
As an ex-professional keyboard player, session musician and writer i would never ever have entertained buying something like this……but….it’s not about playing a keyboard as such, more about making music. So….for a few quid you get a velocity sensitive keyboard with pads, pitch bend, an arpeggiator and moreover…the software. MPC beats may have a bit of a learning curve but just watch the videos on the tube and you will be up and running in no time….I struggled for about 10 minutes, watched about 30 mins of videos on youtube and was up and running. the results were incredible for the cost and off I went.

Why did I buy this, well, arthritis is setting in and I need another way to scratch my itches….my only single gripe about this is that I loved the approach so much I ended up going out and spending 1000 on an MPC Live Mk2 which takes it to another level…the keyboard is now part of that rig whenever I need keys for rifs etc….Buy it, download the software, get used to it and give it the opportunity to show you how good it is.

As an alternative, if you don’t want keyboard, are on a budget and don’t mind hooking into a laptop, then go for the MPC Studio Mk2 which gives you the full MPC 2 software (Beats is a cut down, but powerful tool) for 200 quid with an interface that whilst not having a touch screen, is also not too difficult to master.

Lastly, honestly, the workflow is NOT that hard to learn…it’s just that people expect too much to quickly and too easily these days….those same people can often get bored quickly and will move onto their next hobby. Just my 0.02

Un buon controller con qualche pecca...
Ho acquistato questa tastierina principalmente per i pad e i 6 encoder (la mia master pesata purtroppo non ha gli encoder). L’impatto appena la si ha tra le mani quello di un prodotto ben costruito. E’ interamente di plastica, ma pesa il giusto e d in generale una sensazione di solidit. Lato tastiera, quello che … Due ottave di tasti con passo ridotto, si sente ovviamente l’effetto “molla”, ma devo ammettere che meglio di molte semipesate ben pi costose, quindi per l’utilizzo per cui pensata (creare beat ad esempio) va pi che bene. Gli encoder sono ottimi, endless e facilmente configurabili all’interno della DAW che utilizzerete (nel mio caso Studio One). Anche la dotazione software non male considerato il prezzo.

Veniamo a ci che non mi piaciuto:

1. Il Joystick
Con il joystick proprio non ci siamo. Non tanto perch sono abituato alle “rotelle”, quanto perch caricato a molla su entrambi gli assi. Ok sull’asse orizzontale per il pitch bend, ma sull’asse verticale agire sulla modulation praticamente impossibile perch, ovviamente, il joystick torner al centro (valore midi 0), non appena lo rilascerete.

2. I pad
Questa purtroppo la cosa che mi ha fatto storcere di pi il naso. I pad non sono tutti sensibili allo stesso modo e anche all’interno del singolo pad la sensibilit cambia a seconda di dove lo si colpisce (al centro o ai lati). Il problema, sul mio modello, si presenta soprattutto su due degli otto pad. E’ vero che in rete ci sono vari tutorial che spiegano come aprire la tastiera e correggere questo comportamento utilizzando del semplice nastro adesivo (cosa che tenter sicuramente e aggiorner eventualmente la recensione), ma un problema che a quanto pare affligge la serie Akai MPK dalla MK1.

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than most but not magical!
I have bought lots of pad/keyboard controllers and never really got what I wanted from any of them. This is probably the closest though. I have a full weighted 88 key MODX synth and use that for serious playing but I like have something on the desk for when I am using software synths. I use logic X and own some great synth plugins already so I wasn’t expecting much from the bundled plugins – they are ok and would definitely get you started. I wouldn’t bother with them if you already have nice synth sounds but they are a good start for a beginner.

The next thing – don’t think you will be a YouTube sensation in 10 minutes! This controller is very flexible but it takes a bit of work to get it set up and the included sounds that don’t really cut it (in my opinion). They do provide you with a neat looking DAW to get you started though – I’m not keen on the workflow so haven’t used it stand alone. The DAW also runs as a plugin which is interesting as it could really help if your existing DAW doesn’t have a loop launcher. I have set it up with Logic Pro and in the main it works. You have to remember to listen to the midi on channel 10 for the pads and channel 1 for the keys to make sure you can control 2 separate instruments if working that way. Alternatively you can assign the pads to trigger loops in logic – this works really well. I am struggling with assigning the rotary knobs to the Atruria Collection plugins – they seem to only register as on or off which makes them unusuable. I’m sure this is user error on my part but if I can’t resolve this in the next 24 hours I will have to return it as I mostly use these synths. Build quality is nice – it looks good and the knobs etc feel solid. The keybed is ok for the price and the pad velocity sensors seem good (although sometimes I think one of the pads gets slightly triggered by an adjacent pad). The joystick was a bad idea – in theory its good but in practice having bend and modulation on the opposing axis is just not workable as you end up unintentionally using both at the same time. I think you can reconfigure this in the editor. You have to download this from the advanced options in the installer. I think the editor is likely to resolve my issue but need some time to work through it. It certainly gives the impression that this controller will do whatever you want it to if you are willing to spend the time with it. (No idea why this is considered to be an advanced feature!)

It’s a tough call between this and artruia products – if I can sort the issue with mapping the knobs it will stay on my desk! Otherwise it will have to go back and I may get an Arturia keystep The manual is awful and the best info out there is offered by YouTubers.

Perfect for jamming
It’s a beautiful little toy. I have a 61 key controller which is too big for my desk so I got a keyboard stand for that reason.

However the MPK mini is smaller than my computer er keyboard and fits perfectly. It’s extremely convenient when jamming out melodies or messing with synth patches (especially because it comes with 8 knobs – bonus points for them being 360 degrees controllable).

My best first MIDI keyboard
I enjoy playing the keyboard on garage band only because I don’t have a windows or MacBook for the MPC beats but it is my best first MIDI keyboard.

Does the job
No, it’s only two octaves and yes, the keys are small, do it doesn’t feel anything like a ‘real’ keyboard but… if you just need get down a riff or a couple of chords or start a basic drum beat for your DAW this really can’t be beaten for the price. It has saved me literally hours of faffing around with the piano roll. Another thing I like is that you can start and Apple Loop going and see what your riff sounds like as you change instruments. I leave it by the side of my desk and use it as a ‘scratchpad’ while I’m working. It’s actually capable of a lot more but hey it works for me.

Decent good value MIDI controlle
I think some of the 1-star reviewers misunderstood what they were buying here.

I purchased this to control an air instrument, it’s true that the dynamics on the keys aren’t great but it’s a 70 MIDI controller. It’s perfectly adequate for punching stuff in, I think some folks purchasing were under the impression they’d get a proper piano. Forget about playing Chopin on this, it won’t happen.

Yes, it’s very easy to set up if you’re new to this, no, it’s not a piano you can plug in and play. You need to know your way around a DAW. This keyboard is a good compliment to that.

Leaving the dynamic range of the keys aside, I had the keyboard up and running within minutes of unboxing it. The knobs feel good, the pads are surprisingly responsive, the XY controller seems good. It’s a no nonsense good value for money controller with some decent features.

Purchased to trigger air horns so I don’t particularly care about dynamics, but I really like that if offers so many control knobs and the XY controller at this price where some of the other keyboards don’t. I’ll be using it to play around with my dubstep patches for sure.

Worth the Investment - Professional or Amateu
I use this to aid me writing tracks using lots of samples and this is just the tool for the job. Can be challenging at first to get it to do exactly what you need but once you get the hang of it, it’s Brilliant. I see alot of professionals using it and can see why. A really Great bit of kit, well worth the investment.

Great little controller for getting into music
The MPK Mini is a brilliant little MIDI controller, perfect for if you are just getting in to music making.
Comes with MPC Beats, Akai’s free DAW software which is much simpler to use than many, whilst still not absolutely intuitive it has some good tutorials.
The controller itself is easy to use and you can have a simple beat chopped together in no time. Pads are responsive and have “velocity” control so the harder it lighter you hit it the louder or quieter the note will be, or you can set it to fixed volume.
Keyboard is responsive, small but octaves can be adjusted up or down giving a broader scale range than you’d initially think.
The “continuous” rotary knobs are an improvement on the Mk2 and operate smoothly.
Overall, for the 75 I paid, it’s a steal of a controller. I have a much more expensive NI Maschine but find I go to the MPK more often just for the fun factor.

Incredible product but beware of the 3rd party software
Used Akai MPC MkIII keyboard with GarageBand on MacBook and was incredible. Decided to then install 3rd party (Air Instruments) software; Hybrid 3, Velvet & Mini Grand. Have latest Mac OS ‘Monterey’ and software is presumably out of date, so GarageBand broke and wouldn’t start unless Core Audio disabled (by holding Control just after clicking on GarageBand), which made it useless. No options to uninstall, so not happy. However, go to the root > Library > Audio (NOT Users > (username) > Library > Audio) and delete the Velvet, Hybrid & Mini files in the sub-folders, restart Mac and GarageBand will work again, hurray. Told Akai but no official response yet. Air Instruments support form just doesn’t work!

I love i
I got this for my daughter and she absolutely loves it. It come with a lot of different software and the product is well made. I’m just happy she’s happy

Haven’t a clue how to use it but it looks cool. Seems to work fine with GarageBand on M1 Mac Mini.
Bought for fun. Haven’t a clue how to use it but it looks cool. Seems to work fine with GarageBand on M1 Mac Mini.

Weighs very little so will be portable. Powered via usb so no batteries to worry about.