Amazon.com: Customer reviews: AKAI Professional MPK Mini MK3 - 25 Key USB MIDI Keyboard Controller With 8 Backlit Drum Pads, 8 Knobs and Music Production Software Included

Top positive review

Ignorant people leaving negative reviews are the worst.

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2022

This review is inspired by ignorant reviews, ESPECIALLY the one that somehow made it to the top, for other ignorant people to read.

This person complains of audio latency regardles of how powerful his "brand new gaming pc" is. And also how difficult it is to get the software bundle installed and setup.

I notice this behavior from people who do not do any research prior to purchasing the product.

For anyone reading this and looking to buy any midi controller, Asio4all is what you need. It's an audio driver that simulates an audio interface(probably not correct). It's a given that if you're producing music, you should have a USB Audio Interface like a Focusrite Solo but if money is tight, this should work. The only downside with Asio4all is that if you have your DAW running, you will not hear any audio from any other programs on your computer like Youtube on your browser. There are workarounds like Voicemeeter Banana. It's kinda like a mixer. If you're on Mac, you don't need any of these.

In your DAW(Ableton, Reaper, Garageband, Fl Studio, Logic etc), set the audio to ASIO and under that option you can select Asio4All. Set it to 44.1khz. There should be a green icon on your taskbar that you can open to set your audio preferences. Click the gear icon to select your audio playback (headphone, speaker etc) Then on the bottom is a slider for your buffer size. The lower the number, the lower the sound delay. But that can also introduce audio glitches if you have a weak computer.

For the software, just register the MPK on the Akai website and it'll have everything ready for you. 15 minutes tops.

Other stuff:
If you're a streamer and you're trying to get your DAW audio to OBS, you need to install REAPLUGS. One of the plugins is called ReaStream. Basically you drop the plugin on the master volume as an fx then set it to "send (to local broadcast)". Then in OBS open an audio input source. Then you apply Reastream as a filter and set it to receive audio.

10/10 Product. Works as advertised. Reasonable price. Looks good. Feels good, for the price.

I'm done pooping now. Rant, over.

PS Ask for help before you leave a dumb negative feedback.

68 people found this helpful

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Rick

Not for beginners at all but the hardware is cool

Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2020

You're forced to follow outdated instructions that lead to nowhere, sign up for accounts on multiple crap websites so that you can download specific required installers which allow you to download sound studios that require free activation codes that fail to generate. Due to this you have to download trial versions of their studios but even after all that the sound has a full second delay from when you play a key and Im running it on a brand new gaming PC. Their support is hard to reach and so far unresponsive. The keyboard itself is cool but what waste of time

304 people found this helpful

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Ambar Roman

GREAT!! but...

Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2020

Color: StandardVerified Purchase

I received it really fast and it was on good conditions. It's perfect for what I need and it's great for beginners or pros. It's compatible with most daws out there (including the free ones).

BUT... BUUUUUUUUUTTTT... (and this one is for you my fellow beginner that doesn't have much space on its computer and may not have a good internet speed);
I have to be honest, dont waste time or space with the software...
First you have to make an account at Akaipro to register your device, then download the software to download what's included (Hybrid 3, Mini Grand, MPC Beats and much more). After I downloaded all of them IN THE SOFTWARE, you have to install EACH ONE OF THEM, AND EACH ONE OF THEM RESTARTS YOUR COMPUTER...
Ok no problem. BUT HOLD IT RIGHT THERE...
Cuz somehow it downloads ILOK License Manager and you have to make ANOTHER ACCOUNT IN THERE so you can SOMEHOW try to get the license for each plugin...

Don't take me wrong. I'm not saying it's bad, but it's a small uncomfortable process for a beginner like me and I don't recall having a hard time with other free plugins around. But it makes you wonder if it's worth it... is it?
Aside from what I just said, it's REALLY good for most daws and for beginners, even if I upgrade my computer I don't think I need to replace this midi for a better one because THIS IS THE BETTER ONE and really good for it's price. The mini piano doesn't have a hard hammer and the quality of material is good. About the pads... you can see at the mini screen how much pressure you're using when pressing them. I highly recommend this midi.

And as I said, think if the software is worth it or is what you're looking for... and if you are willing to go through that process.

26 people found this helpful

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HIT SONG STARTS HERE

Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2021

Color: BlackVerified Purchase

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I like that the MPKMini III is offered in different color schemes. I picked up the all black. Looks great. At it's price point, I think this is a great way to get started making beats. It already comes with a few sound packs for a variety of music genres so you can get started right away. It's easy to connect to your computer simply one USB cable. It comes with it's own DAW or user interface/program, MPC Beats. Depending on where you intend to transmit the sound, ie, bluetooth headphones, USB speakers, or computer you will have to go into the MPC Beats software and set those output settings.

I definitely think there is a learning curve to use and navigate the software MPC Beats, as well as the installation process. You need to create a couple accounts and you will have to download all the software one by one.

Overall I like it a lot. I still have more to learn. But if you're passionate about music and enjoy therapeutic beat sessions that help you escape this is a great start at a small investment. Get it. Your hit song starts here!

8 people found this helpful

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Themetacognologist

Great product for the price, definitely recommend for mobile producers

Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2021

Color: WhiteVerified Purchase

I am giving this 4 stars simply because of the flimsy feel of the build quality plastic, along with the loud clicks coming from the octave buttons, other than that this thing is flawless. I really dig the pitch bend joystick which makes giving variables to the drum pad super easy and intuitive. The screen is also nice and it seems like some functionality will be added in the future such as support for DAW specific controls and hopefully more support for DAW specific information popping up on the controller screen, but as of now its pretty basic and generic with its screen load outs and you'll have to remember what you midimapped them to by heart so far, hopefully this is changed in the future.
I previously had an lpd8 and an akai mini (without the drumpads) and honestly I like this thing better than both of them combined. The lpd8 has a super cheap plastic feel, and these knobs are a definite improvement over previous iterations and I like their feel.
The drumpads on this thing are highquality and I really like the feel and responsiveness, previous drum pads I've messed with just felt off somehow, including the lpd8 which was its main function, so this is a huge improvement.
If you have a laptop and wanna make beats on the fly, you could literally just use this thing and you are good to go. obviously if you wanna play music or keyboard or piano I would recommend a full keyboard, but for playing hip hop styled beats, this thing jam packs a lot of functionality into it, and for around 100 bucks it really packs a lot of value, including the software and sound packs that comes included, it even comes with a free DAW (but I use ableton) but for some people thats going to be a selling point, especially beginners who don't have a preferred DAW yet, or don't want to spend the money to buy one.
Over all, I recommend this product and really like it, but the few drawbacks prevent me from giving it a 5 star, but it is a close call. We will see what updates come out which could change my mind if they add functionality in the future.

2 people found this helpful

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Scott A. Franco

Great keyboard, docs so so, software setup process is third world torture

Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2021

Color: BlackVerified Purchase

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.

2 people found this helpful

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fff3k

pretty damn great

Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2020

Color: BlackVerified Purchase

just got this (the all-black model); it looks great (but be warned: those keys are a fingerprint magnet. still, worth it). the feel is much better than the previous mark2 (i had one, returned it), and the continuous knobs are an important improvement. the tiny readout is a nice touch (but i doubt i'll spend much time looking at it).

worked out-of the box with logic X... mostly. some things to configure, and if you want the arp and note repeat synced to your DAW, it's... an adventure. i downloaded the (hidden) editor from the advanced downloads in the akai downloader; it's for the mp2, but.. changing the clock to 'external', changing values for pitchbend, etc, and sending to ram, works. not intuitive at all (both knowing about the editor and using it). if you google this, there are tutorials online (and a manual... for the mk2 editor you can download).

still, just for what it is, it's a great little controller. the pads feel good, and everything works.

6 people found this helpful

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S.C. Quattlebaum

Generally good, though confusing modulation/pitch/knobs setup- no instructions included for that.

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2021

Color: WhiteVerified Purchase

I think it’s generally a good product, but there are basically no instructions besides the initial setup. I read some reviews saying the setup was terrible but it really wasn’t that bad. Yeah, you have to give your email and all that but...I don’t mind creating an account to use this. Doesn’t take long. What I did have a problem with was using any of the knobs (including the modulation/pitch) - the other MIDI controllers that I’ve used with my software automatically connect the modulation/pitch toggle. I cannot figure out how to set this one up, especially since no information was included. I can’t figure out any of the other knobs either. The keys work fine. Just a little confused with the knob setup. I like to use the modulation/pitch often and like I said, usually it just automatically works. Not sure how to link it.

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Benjamin Souza

If you're buying this, you know what it is. A few cons though!

Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2021

Color: StandardVerified Purchase

It's a MIDI keyboard, you need software on a MAC/PC/tablet in order to use it, and I have a lot of thoughts on whether you should buy it. As usual, I have a 2min version and a 5min version of my thoughts. Please at least read the 2min before you buy!

2 MINUTE VERSION
PROS: it's a good MIDI keyboard, okay? The buttons do the things they are supposed to without breaking. It's well-built. The included virtual instruments are pretty decent (big CON on these down below). It's *highly* customizable. But. . .

CONS: the keys are dinky. If you're expecting that, great, but I myself was expecting them to be at least a little bigger. Velocity curves are super janky out of the box. This is especially true for the pads. There are many undocumented features that I discovered through forums and tinkering. I could not find any supported software to configure the device, whereas previous models had full software to configure nearly aspect of the keyboard. The included virtual instruments sound great but do not come with VST versions for me to deploy in my DAW. The lack of documentation and supported software made this feel like a rushed product meant to secure sales. *Shrugs* Maybe the users and AKAI will create more documentation and discover easier ways to tweak this thing as it matures

5 MINUTE VERSION
I'll start off by saying that I don't feel like I wasted money on this MIDI keyboard. Not by any stretch. But getting it to *work* has proven to be an investment of my time in addition to the buying price.

First of all, do not buy this if you are learning how to play piano. Do yourself a favor and get something with full-sized keys. Piano is all muscle memory and you do not want to hurt yourself early on in your career. This doesn't have anything to do with the device itself but more pianos and keyboards in general. This is not a *learning* device for new piano players. But! It is a good *first* MIDI keyboard for producers because you will learn how these keyboards work, and learn how to troubleshoot them.

The problem is, you have to troubleshoot it before you even start using it.

The velocity curves are awful out of the box. The small keys with small travel do not help. If I do a CMinor run with the default settings, it is guaranteed that one note will be soft for no reason and one will be LOUD. Imagine this for whole songs, where you record the MIDI clip and then have to go through the MIDI data with a fine-tooth comb. That is actual production hell and please don't do that to yourself.

To add insult to injury, there is no documented way to modify the velocity data in the keyboard itself, and there is no AKAI-supported software to do so. This documentation and this software exists for the Mk 2 version of this keyboard, so why it doesn't exist for the Mk 3 is absolutely baffling. It's a GREAT product, AKAI, so please include every little minute detail of what I can do with this thing in the packaging! I shouldn't have to bookmark forum pages that have documentation that is not included in the user manual or on your website.

*Clears throat*

Anyway, the velocity issue is most notable with the pads. You have to smack the absolutely dogcrap out of the pads to get them to register higher velocities. I was shaking my whole desk and still not hitting 100 Velocity with them. If you're drumming, especially with dynamic drums, this means everything will sound soft.

Luckily enough, Ableton has a Velocity effect that can modify Velocity data as it enters the DAW. This fixed the keys as I could set a minimum velocity and maximum so the dynamics are more balanced. However, the pads still register too low on Velocity, so I ended up putting them on 'FULL LEVEL' so they always play at 127 (max) velocity. If I need dynamic drums, I go in and edit the velocity levels in the MIDI clip manually. I said earlier that this was production hell, and that opinion hasn't changed, but that is the only way the pads work for me because I cannot find any documentation on how to edit the 'pad' velocity anywhere. Keep in mind not every DAW has this ability, so Ableton is saving my booty here.

For the keys, you can hold the FULL LEVEL button until a screen comes up with v1-4 and some numbers. You can increase V2 to increase the key velocity. Cool, right? Here's the thing: totally undocumented feature. There's a forum post about it, so if I go ham on these settings and that forum post gets edited or deleted, POOF. No documentation on the original settings and I will have to factory reset the whole keyboard. I hope you are seeing the problem now.

Is it worth the money? Absolutely, not a dollar less. It's a wonderful product. If you buy it, be prepared for initial and ongoing troubleshooting to get it to work for you. If you are a budding producer, this will be great experience for you but will definitely prove frustrating. I hope they release official software for this soon, because I will be happy to edit this review when that happens.

Helpful

Justin E Madden

For the price you cant beat it!

Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2021

Color: StandardVerified Purchase

I got this as my first MIDI keyboard. Its been nice to use! Helps the creative process flow better. Wish you didn't have to go through signing up on multiple websites to get multiple software applications to get the full use out of this MIDI keyboard.

I only use FL Studio, haven't really branched out, still learning how to connect the pads to the drums and the keyboard to any synth, bass, piano, etc. But it plugs in and works right away! Just have to let FL Studio now. So using it in FL is nice and easy, not a big hassle! 👍👍

The build of the keyboard is nice, granted this is my first one and I didn't test out any prior to buying this one. With that said, I do like it! wish the frame wasn't plastic though, if they used Aluminum or some harder/heavier material it would be superb! But that's not what you're paying for with this MIDI keyboard. You're paying for a light weight portable keyboard that has a full range of everything. So with that in mind its good!

The buttons, pads, keys and knobs all work and behave how you would expect them to. The one down side with the keys and pads are that you have to press down quite bit to get full velocity achieved. Personally I turned the velocity off in the FL settings, works better this way for me and my style. But just know, you have to have a pretty firm touch when pressing down the pads! The keys are pretty much the same, just a further travel distance.

All in all, I'm really happy with this purchase and will be purchasing from them again once I'm in the market for another keyboard! If you're looking for a compact portable midi keyboard with tons for features, this is the keyboard for you!

One person found this helpful

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Ben

Great for beginning

Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2022

Color: BlackVerified Purchase

I think this is a great midi for beginning, i have a small amount of music production experience and this is really going to help. A lot of people think the software side of this controller is what ruins it, but as long as you’re a bit patient with it and find a tutorial for it on youtube, it’s a breeze. Now it is a lot of steps for equipment marketed as plug and play, but even if you don’t use the software, this product works great on most DAWs that are out there. Just find a tutorial, be patient, and have fun with this!

One person found this helpful

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Kurten

There's a learning curve

Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2022

Color: GreyVerified Purchase

I've had this now for 3 days and it takes a while you just have to play with it and mess around to figure out what's what but it's not a one two three thing as stated you don't plug it in install it and then just play I'm using FL studios the one little gripe I have with it is that it was difficult to figure out how to map out the drum pads and timing can be a little bit off using the drum pads with just your fingers because their pressure sensitive along with the keys on the keyboard just play around with it until you get the swing of it and you know what you're doing it's a nice piece of equipment to have

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