So Arturia MiniLab MkII, while being a cheaper option, tends to get more favorable ⭐ reviews than the $111 Akai MPK Mini mkII, as seen on the chart below. Your email address will not be published. The price, of course, is an added bonus. But if you look at all the options you have, it’s easy to get overwhelmed when it comes to choosing the best MIDI keyboard controller for your needs. guide on must-have equipment for music production, Learn More About The Novation Launchkey Mini MK2, Learn More About The M-Audio Oxygen 25 MK4, the Akai MPK Mini MK2 is definitely a steal at under a hundred bucks. Having said that, the MPK Mini isn’t for everyone. But then again, this comes at the expense of portability and the compact size. Chief among these are: Who it is for: As an entry-level instrument, the Akai MPK Mini MK2 is best used in studio settings, or to make music on the move. I hope you enjoy. Once your MPK Mini MK2 is registered on the Akai Professional website you get a very generous amount of software to download. It’s almost as long as the Alesis V25 but it’s also a taller keyboard. Factor in the bundled software and the asking price is a bit of a steal - you can be up and running, with the sounds, DAW and performance hardware you need for under 100 Dollars. Out of all the other models, the Novation Launchkey Mini MK2 is the closest thing to the Akai MPK Mini. If you’re using an open-source DAW like LMMS.io, for instance, you might struggle to get all the features to work out of the box. Retailing for just $89, the Alesis V25 is a full-sized 25-key MIDI controller. Throw in a great price and a trusted brand and you can see why the MPK Mini is so beloved among musicians. Unboxing and brief overview of the Akai MPK mini MKII midi keyboard controller features. Good design, good performance, and all the features you’d need. Currently in its 4th version of the series, the Oxygen 25 is another 25-note keyboard that features full-sized keys that people with larger fingers might find beneficial. Akai Pro MPK Mini mkII/Play - Installation Troubleshooting Guide. Like the Akai MPK Mini, it also comes with 8 drum pads. 61 Key MIDI Controllers 4. Akai’s MPK Mini mkII is one of the best-selling MIDI controllers out there. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Once you’ve installed this DAW and loaded your samples, you can start making music. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. But, to display the wonderful features and accolades, even more, it is the best mini … At the time of writing this review, the bundled software includes: • MPK Mini Editor – This is an ultra-useful editor for programming just about every feature of the MPK Mini MK2. 1. Hey guys welcome back. Consider this unit if you need a full sized keyboard with a lot of features, but don’t mind the larger size. This is one area that the MPK Mini shines in. A 25-key keyboard is complemented by two rows of pads, eight knobs, and a joystick controller. Using it is as easy as plugging it in and launching your DAW. Unless you happen to be gifted enough to be able to play music by ear, there’s no doubt about it: getting a MIDI keyboard controller is probably one of the best investments you’ll ever make when building your home studio for making beats. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. It essentially turns the “silent” MIDI keyboard into a standalone performance tool – great if you like to jam out on the go, while still being able to use it as a traditional MIDI keyboard. 8 assignable rotary knobs that you can use for basic mixing or tweaking synth effects 5. Akai Mpk Mini Mk2 Review Key Features. That is a fact. Despite build quality issues, the MPK Mini remains one of the best all-around budget controllers with great price-to-performance ratio. Of course, they sacrifice the size in order to make it all fit within the compact body, which might not be ideal for you if you plan on using this to play out your drums live. Otherwise, the two keyboards are almost identical. Learn how your comment data is processed. Take this Akai mpk mini mk2 as an example. Instead of 8 knobs, you get just four. ): Apart from these, the MPK Mini also comes with VIP 3.0 – Virtual Instrument Player. The MPK Mini Play also features eight backlit drum pads alongside a 4-way joystick for added control -- a look that's similar to the MPK Mini mkII. Demo 25 mini-key 8-pad MPK Cont, Ltd Ed Blk/Blk. It won't completely replace a larger keyboard with full-sized keys or even a dedicated drum pad controller, but if you're looking for a compact, portable MIDI keyboard for composing music on the go and/or looking to save space on your desk it's hard to go wrong with this model. Ryan Harrell is the founder of MIDINation and an experienced producer/DJ. The MPK Mini MK3 is an excellent MIDI controller that incorporates the essence of MPC-based performance and control into an incredibly compact and portable unit. Good design and features are nice, but you buy MIDI controllers for how they perform, not how they look. The Mpk Mini has 8 pads and multiple banks to store your sounds. Choose Alesis V25 if: You want a better keyboard experience and are willing sacrifice portability for it, and if pads/knobs don’t matter much to you. His first experience with electronic music production dates back to Cubase 3.0 in the summer of 1997, and he’s been a fan ever since. If you have Massive, Koktakt or Serum, you’ll want them instead. Akai MPK Mini MK2 Review – The King Still Worth It? ): You don’t get the waterfall-style keys that can be found in Akai’s higher-end controllers, such as the MPK249. Regularly, the individuals who are searching for a smaller than normal keyboard definitely know the song and move, and are as of now used to the frame factor related with these gadgets, however for the uninitiated, it can have somew… Check out the MPK Mini Play on Amazon here. What’s good: The MK2 is an entry-level MIDI controller that prioritizes portability. 4,910 reviews scanned The 10 Best Midi Controllers 1,688 reviews scanned ... AKAI Professional MPK Mini MKII - 25 Key USB MIDI Keyboard Controller 8.0 7.5 8.1 8: However, it's fairly safe to say that Akai MPK Mini mkII is a more popular midi controller, based on its 9,000+ reviews. When trying to work on Linux With an ultra-compact keyboard. The Akai MPK Mini MK2 is bundled with three different software: SONiVOX’s Wobble is a pretty one-dimensional software — it’s a synth to allow you to design wobble sounds. You haven’t got the RGB function (the MPK minis are always red), but the core functionality is the same. And the pads are as good as traditional Akai. Hey, guys today we are setting up the Akai MPK MINI with our DAW FL Studio. It doesn’t do anything exceptionally well, but it does everything more than well enough. The design is focused on functionality over flamboyance. © 2017 MAKE BEATS 101. This is one of Akai’s most useful tools that makes it possible to control nearly any compatible virtual instrument from a unified dashboard – and you don’t even have to use an Akai keyboard to use it. Out of the box, Akai claims to integrate with most popular DAW software (Digital Audio Workstation). Your email address will not be published. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Akai Professional MPK Mini MKII - 25 Key USB MIDI Keyboard Controller with 8 Drum Pads, 8 Assignable Q-Link Knobs and Pro Software Suite Included at Amazon.com. Check latest Novation Launchkey Mini price on Amazon. So following 5-years of user feedback, Akai revisited the MPK series and upgraded every instrument, focusing on fixing common complaints about the keys and pad quality. To store your sounds things around without worrying about running out of some of these cookies will be stored your! That will disappoint you stack up against other MIDI keyboards and has a definite retro! Like the Akai MPK Mini, it also comes with a lot larger than the Akai MPK Mini is. Makes a version of the best-selling MIDI controllers for how they perform, a. Our DAW FL Studio build quality issues, the keys on the same Akai quality a... Good all-rounder, but you can map out to me here keyboard controllers like the MPK... 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