Very nice prodcut.

I've been using the AKAI Professional MPK Mini MK3 for a few months now, and I must say, it has exceeded my expectations in many ways. As a clinical laboratory scientist with a passion for music production, finding the right MIDI keyboard was crucial for my creative process. Firstly, the quality of materials and build is impressive. The keyboard feels solid and durable, with keys that are responsive and smooth to the touch. The pads are firm yet sensitive, making it easy to achieve the perfect velocity for drumming and sampling. It's clear that AKAI put a lot of thought into the design, ensuring that every component feels premium and built to last. The seamless connection is another standout feature. I use it with various DAWs, and it has never failed to integrate flawlessly. Whether I'm plugging it into my laptop for some late-night sessions or setting it up in my home studio, the MPK Mini MK3 connects instantly without any hassle. The plug-and-play functionality is a lifesaver, allowing me to dive straight into my music without dealing with tedious setup processes. Finally, the price point is fantastic. Given the high quality and robust features, it's hard to believe how affordable this keyboard is. It offers incredible value for money, making it accessible for both beginners and more experienced producers. I've tried other MIDI keyboards in the same price range, and none come close to the performance and reliability of the MPK Mini MK3. Overall, the AKAI Professional MPK Mini MK3 is a superb MIDI keyboard that combines quality materials, seamless connectivity, and affordability. It's been an essential tool in my music production journey, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable and versatile MIDI controller.

Very good for making beats and using in digital audio workspaces like fl studio and logic.

So I got this today, and started using it. I write software for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. So I had real concerns about the keyboard. I downloaded the manual, which amounts to a one page product brochure that then gets repeated in several languages. I wanted to make sure it was useful with my software, especially Linux, where none of the provided programs will run. To fulfil that, I just needed the controls to output general MIDI and there you go. The first issue is the manual does not go into what the controls or pads actually SEND, other than "MIDI CC messages". Which ones? It does not go into it. Are they preprogrammed? The Amazon page talks about needing to set it up with the software. Bad sign. I asked the maker if they provided programming instructions to set it up with my software. "Its proprietary" was the (very unsatisfactory) answer. Are you charging software developers? Getting part of their profits? IIIII doubt it. But you go girl. After more research, I found other keyboards that DID go into what midi messages their keyboards provided, how to reprogram them, everything. For example, M-AUDIO does that. Now for the odd part. They are owned by the same company, InMusic! I decided that this keyboard had what I wanted, if I could just make it work on all systems. My main worry is that it would not function at all without the software. I asked another question: If I program it, with the provided software on, say, Windows, would it say programmed even with the power removed. That way I could at least program it on one system and move it to others. The answer was yes, so I decided to risk it. Now that I have the keyboard, I see that there is no problem at all. The display tells you exactly what it is sending, what CC messages and what numbers. In fact, in case you need to know, it sends CC 70 to CC 77 for the rotary controls, and drum channel notes 36 to 43 on the drum pads. This is nowhere in the manual (and much better than the frankly snotty "proprietary" answer I got). Now on to the software provided. They give you a lot, and the basics are in MPC beats, which I am happy with. They also give you three programs that say "get activation code". I went through a signup process to download these. Then asked for an activation code. They take you to another, unrelated site and you have to sign up AGAIN with them. then they sent a verification code to my email. Apparently I didn't get to it fast enough, and now their site says "my email is invalid". And gives me no option to fix it. Thanks. Now, how about the unit itself. I'm pretty happy with that. I am not a musician, I use this to make sounds for games and other programs. I have a 49 key controller and a 61 key full synth, both of which are unwieldy to use at my computer desk. So having a very short and compact keyboard was a good idea. Plus, the pads and controls give me the means to control DAWs and test out my software. The keys and pads have a very nice feel to me, and I like the infinite range controls. The whole thing takes up very little space on my desk and thus can remain there, instead of me taking out one of my larger keyboards to play with. To sum up, AKAI, fix your documentation. Look at the M-AUDIO docs for your example. And get someone competent to do the activation code thing. My 2 cents.

I am in a position where I am away from home for long stretches out of the year, which means I lose access to my home studio. I found that this was perfect for someone like me, because it's incredibly portable and easy to use on the go. 100% recommend for someone who's away from much of their equipment for extended periods of time!

I looked at this as well as the MPK Mini Plus and Arturia MiniLab3. I chose the Mini Mk3 for its portability. It's solidly built and great for getting ideas down away from home. You can customize the mapping of the pads and knobs to match whatever software you're using, DAW or software synth. The included software gives you a lot to start with. It comes with a software synth called Hybrid, a piano and an electric piano, as well as expansion packs that give you access to a lot of drum kits and sampled instruments. I found the MPC Beats "How To" videos on YouTube very valuable in learning all the things it can do. MPC Beats is limited to 8 tracks, but for songwriting, that's more than enough. I got the all black colorway and love it.

Its been a month or so since i bought this keyboard, and honestly its been great. Nothing has failed on it yet (and i hope nothing ever does) and its pretty well built. I normally use FL Studio 21 with it and have not noticed any issues on there either. Only thing i would of really liked is if they added a control for the velocity of the keys. It inputs the key on to your DAW with the same velocity as you press it, which i don't like much. I looked in the software to see if i could have the velocity at 100% at all times but i could not find any. 😪 There is a full volume button on the keyboard, but it only maximizes the velocity of the drum pads.

Perfecto, era lo que esperaba

Como teclista apasionado, este teclado controlador me ha brindado una experiencia inigualable y un rendimiento excepcional. Desde el momento en que comencé a tocar, supe que tenía algo especial en mis manos. Este teclado no solo es versátil, sino que también ofrece un rendimiento inigualable en una amplia gama de estilos musicales. Ya sea que esté creando delicadas melodías de piano de cola o introducciones enérgicas de sintetizador, me permite explorar mi música de maneras nuevas y emocionantes. Las almohadillas MPC retroiluminadas son un verdadero punto destacado. Su sensibilidad a la velocidad me brinda un control preciso sobre ritmos y muestras, permitiéndome agregar dimensión y emoción a mis composiciones. La sensación táctil es simplemente perfecta, lo que me permite concentrarme en mi interpretación sin preocuparme por la respuesta de las almohadillas. Las perillas giratorias del son una maravilla. Me dan un control total sobre los parámetros asignables en mi DAW, lo que significa que puedo ajustar el ecualizador, cambiar los sonidos de sintetizador y mucho más, todo con una facilidad sorprendente. Esto me permite experimentar y personalizar mis creaciones de una manera que nunca antes había experimentado. La repetición de nota, el arpegiador y el joystick omnidireccional son características que han elevado mi creatividad a nuevos niveles. Estas funciones confiables son una parte esencial de mi proceso creativo y me permiten explorar patrones y efectos de manera intuitiva. La pantalla es una verdadera ventaja, proporcionando retroalimentación visual directamente en mi flujo de trabajo. Tener acceso rápido a información como el modo DAW, la velocidad y los datos CC es una característica pequeña pero poderosa que hace que todo fluya de manera más eficiente. La combinación de diseño robusto y portátil, conectividad plug & play y una disposición inteligente hacen que el MPK sea una adición invaluable a mi estudio. Ya no hay barreras para mi creatividad, ya que puedo centrarme completamente en mi música. En resumen, si eres un músico que busca una herramienta que realmente amplíe tus horizontes creativos, es la elección perfecta. No puedo estar más emocionado por el impacto que ha tenido en mi música y en mi proceso creativo en general. ¡Es una joya tecnológica que no puede faltar en el arsenal de cualquier músico!

I'm not a seasoned music producer, I just bought it for play with it really. Started to learn how midi works, how to map instruments and filters and stuff to the controller and how to use the pads. Keys are OK, pads are awesome. 8 pads, 2 banks, so you can map up 16 percussion (or whatever) instruments onto them. And the whole thing is fairly small, you can take it with you anywhre and this MkIII model has 8 rotary encoders which are way better than the previous model's end/limited knobs. The built in arpeggiator is great. It's running on USB power, don't need and external power supply to carry with you and there is a connector for a sustain pedal to connect. Also this controller has built-in presets for different DAWs, from GarageBand to Ableton, LogicPro, MPC, saving time and hassle to setup everything. Support is quite good, but hey it's and AKAI, even a cheap, plasticky one. It's not a toy, it's a fully capable midi controller for an affordable price.

Macht was es soll auf meinen Demos (bisschen Bass einspielen, bisschen Keys einspielen, bisschen Drums einspielen). Dazu sieht es auch noch ziemlich schick aus! Erwähnenswert ist vielleicht auch noch, dass im Produktumfang ganz gut klingende und funktionierende Plugins dabei sind (Klavier, Synth und Rhodes), die auf jeden Fall ausreichen, sehr gut klingende Demos zu produzieren! Empfehlenswert für den Preis.

It’s quite portable, keys are nice and decently sized also it is easy to use with most of the DAWs i used it with Logic Pro it works well But wouldn’t recommend for absolute beginners I think a simple midi keyboard which costs only half the amount of this, with just keys would be enough if you’re just starting and not sure about investing this much in a midi keyboard although its quite affordable for its functionality Overall great piece of hardware from AKAI

++++Confezione++++ Scatola ben curata e d'impatto Al suo interno si trovano: - il prodotto tenuto fermo dall'imballaggio e protetto ulteriormente da una busta in plastica - plastica protettiva applicata ai tasti della tastiera - cavo di connessione usb - manuale di istruzioni In aggiunta sul sito di AKAI: - software gratuito di produzione musicale MPC BEATS - tutorial gratuiti sull'utilizzo del software - pacchetti di preset musicali a pagamento/grautiti aggiuntivi ++++AKAI MINI MK3++++ Il prezzo pagato vale fino all'ultimo centesimo: la tastiera, anche se non ricopre materialmente tutte le note del piano, consente l'opzione di scalare tra i toni musicali, così da avere a disposizione tutte le varie tonalità. Sull'utilizzo del Joystick avevo qualche dubbio inizialmente ma mi sono ricreduto l'attimo che l'ho provato: ottima maneggiabilità e precisione che permette di modificare la lunghezza e il tono del suono mentre si suonano le note. I pad per creare i beat sono comodissimi e retroilluminati e, come anche le note della tastiera, funzionano a pressione, cosa che garantisce un migliore raccordo tra ciò che vuoi creare a ciò che registri. In aggiunta, ai pad attraverso l'utilizzo di MPC BEATS possono essere settati con i suoni che meglio preferite. Le 8 manopole presenti sulla destra non solo garantiscono le classiche funzioni (es: alzare il volume della traccia), ma se usate insieme al software di AKAI (MPC BEATS) permette anche altre funzioni supplementari, che nel complesso favoriscono il corretto utilizzo dell'MK3 correlato al software MPC. Inoltre l'MK3 è dotato anche di un piccolo schermo su cui controllare le operazioni che svolgi sulla tastiera, come l'aumento delle tonalità, del volume, dell'arpeggio. Infine, questo prodotto supporta anche un pedale che può essere collegato dietro, vicino alla porta usb. ++++MATERIALE++++ L'unica piccolissima "pecca" risiede nel materiale utilizzato per la creazione dei tasti delle note, perché si macchierà molto facilmente dopo qualche utilizzo. Basterà pulirlo con un fazzoletto, non è niente di eccessivo. Diversa considerazione per il resto del prodotto, infatti è realizzato con una plastica che non viene improntata e non si sporca facilmente. ++++SOFTWARE E COMPATIBILITA'++++ Il programma offre di poter scaricare tramite il suo sito internet un software gratuito chiamato MPC BEATS, al 100%. Sempre attraverso questo programma è possibile accedere a dei tutorial in lingua inglese sull'utilizzo dell'MK3, utile soprattutto a chi si avvicina a questi strumenti per la prima volta e non ha la minima idea di come utilizzare un software di produzione musicale. ATTENZIONE: L'MK3 può essere compatibile con altri software di produzione musicale, sia gratuiti che a pagamento (es: LMMS, FL STUDIO), però non si ha lo stesso utilizzo totale del prodotto, in quanto MPC BEATS è un software sviluppato direttamente da AKAI, la casa di produzione dell'MK3. ++++CONCLUSIONI++++ Il prodotto è fantastico, sia per chi si avvicina la prima volta a questo mondo sia per chi ha già esperienza pregressa. Una delle qualità che questo prodotto garantisce è la totale compatibilità appunto con un software di produzione TOTALMENTE GRATUITO, che sarà oro per chi ha iniziato con la produzione ma non è ancora del tutto convinto di portarla avanti a lungo, risparmiando su eventuali software professionali e a pagamento. Inoltre, come già detto, AKAI mette a disposizione tutorial gratuiti su come sfruttare al meglio il programma e il prodotto. Personalmente sono molto soddisfatto dell'acquisto e lo consiglierei soprattutto a chi si sta avvicinando al mondo della musica o che ha tutto sommato poca esperienza, in quanto non è una spesa eccessiva e il rapporto qualità/prezzo è decisamente uno dei migliori in questo campo.