A great portable MIDI controller, with a few caveats ...
The Akai MPK Mini MK3 is a great portable MIDI controller, although with a couple of caveats: first, the keys are NOT standard size. So, if you're used to playing a full-size keyboard, you're going to have to adjust your finger spread to accomodate this controller's 2-octave keyboard. Secondly, Akai's installation and software download interface is more than a little counterintuitive. In particular, the option to download and install the Mini's editor program is hidden - and I mean it's HIDDEN. You have to open a secondary menu, then hover your mouse pointer over the point where the option OUGHT to be before the checkbox to download and install it magically appears. It's a well-known bug which Akai should long ago have fixed, but hasn't.
Boo.
Oh, and there's no inputs for pedals.
That having been said, virtually everything about this little guy is thoughfully laid out to make it easy to use. And, because it's powered by the same USB port with which it communicates with your DAW, it's completely portable - just plug it in and it's powered up and ready to go. (Of course, you'll have to activate it as a MIDI input and/or output device in your DAW to get it to work, but that's true of any MIDI controller.)
It offers both a joystick and a set of 8 pads (with a dedicated switch to activate a second 8-pad bank), as well as 8 fully-assignable knobs for controlling various MIDI functions. All the controls are responsive, as is the keyboard.
And it's TINY. It fits comfortably in your lap, or in a briefcase for travel. It's also quite light in weight, which will be welcome. And those 25 keys are velocity-sensitive, so the harder you play, the louder the output. (They're not weighted, though, so don't expect it to feel like a real piano.)
Akai claims the MPK Midi MK3 is the most popular MIDI controller in the world. As inexpensive, flexible, and well-built as it is, that doesn't surprise me. If you can adjust to the mini keyboard spacing, you'll be happy you bought one.
I certainly am ...Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
