Akai’s MPK Goes Mini

Scribbled by Lethal Illness @ 1:11 AM on January 15th, 2011.

Not too long ago Akai came out with something relatively new – packing a MPK into under a foot of plastic for a sub $100 price tag! This is good news for both the broke and traveling musicians as well as the people who are just learning to play. Well my friend who is all three of those qualities just picked one of these up and I sat down to review this new budget piece of studio porn.

Akai MPK Mini

I don’t understand why all the professional audio equipment resellers have the specifications listed the same as the MPK 25 which is completely wrong compared to Akai’s official site as well as if you’ve had a chance to use the MPK Mini. Therefore to avoid confusion I have listed the correct specifications below.

Style & Appearance

This thing is tiny, very tiny. In fact, it is only a few inches bigger than an Acer Aspire One. While Akai claims this thing is 13” long, I personally measured it to be right under the 12” mark. Being its price and tiny form factor you wouldn’t think it’s as attractive as it is. While it isn’t the most attractive 25 key MIDI controller it is still pretty attractive. I wish it wasn’t as plasticy as it is but for a sub $100 controller it’s either cut the cost by using cheaper materials or take out features, and it doesn’t have too many features it can afford to lose to be useful.

MPK Mini Next to Acer Aspire One

While it does nothing for the product’s function the Akai’s MPK Mini does feature light up buttons and pads. It is a neat little idea to gain some attraction but I would rather a pitch wheel, better knobs, or even real MIDI IN/OUT plugs instead for the same price tag. None the less, they are interesting and do enhance the the desire to some of those who need flashy equipment in their studio.

MPK Mini Pads Lighting Up on Touch

Like I said above, the MPK Mini is mostly plastic. Actually it feels quite hollow, but at the same time it doesn’t seem flimsy and breakable. The solidity of it is about as solid as a point-and-shoot camera when you squeeze it. Compared to my 1st Generation Axiom 25 it is not as solid but again it isn’t flimsy and is also $150 cheaper.

Keys, Pads, & Knobs

The keys are definitely not the most weighted but they are velocity-sensitive and have a nice feel to them. They aren’t the widest but those of us with bigger fingers will still have no problem playing without hitting the key next to it as they are spaced a little bit a part. Playing some synth VSTs in FL Studio was just as it would feel with my Axiom 25 with the exception of the keys not being as springy but still didn’t slow me down.

The pads are obviously Akai’s specialty and feel like you’d expect being they make the legendary MPC. The material is a little more solid feeling then the Axiom 25, more on point like a MV-8800. The pads were extremely responsive and also are touch sensitive. As you hit them they light up and it is pretty neat to show off in the studio when you got clients and/or colleagues who like flashy impressive style mixed with talent. I kind of think they should of axed the knobs for another 2 or 4 pads along with some transport controls (play, pause, stop, etc.).

Knobs will be knobs but the feeling and quality of them aren’t up to par with that of other products I’ve used. When using them they are responsive but they aren’t nice feeling at all. They are hard and don’t even turn 360° as most MIDI knobs do. In fact my friend has only owned this MPK Mini for a little over a week and the paint is already coming off the knob.

MPK Mini Knob Scratched Off

Maybe the knobs was their way to cut some costs but I really don’t approve of that in a new product. What does this say about anything else on their product. Are the pads going to die in a few months? How about their logo starting to fade and look like old junk in the studio?

Usability & Portability

As I’ve said a few times, this is a very tiny and portable MIDI controller. Sure enough, all you need is the MPK Mini and it’s software (for certain features) and you can bring it to any place with a functioning computer. The MPK Mini will easily fit into any laptop bag or Nike drawstring backpack so it is truly ultra portable. Not to mention it won’t even break your back being it’s almost as light as an iPad at only 2lbs.

As for usability you are capable of producing beats, well if you know what you’re doing of course. But something is left to be desired as there are no transport controls, mod wheel, pitch, etc. although it is possible through their software with MIDI Control Change but who wants to install to control hardware when I can just do it in my software as it is? Which brings me to the next point – no, the software isn’t required to use the MPK Mini if you want to use programs, CC, etc. you will need the software installed.

Other

As in the true specifications there are no actual MIDI ports on this machine, just a USB port which communicates MIDI to the computer. This has no effect on your audio as a MIDI controller just tells the computer to play the sounds into the sequence you hit it. However, there is a downside to no MIDI ports for those of us in a professional studio environment – connecting other gear together. For example, maybe I want to connect MIDI keys to an MPC or MV-8800 and I don’t need any specific features except for utilizing the keys so I don’t need to buy anything remotely expensive. This means I would be stuck getting the next model up which is the MPK 25 which is $150 more and has no advantage at all for this purpose other than it took more money out of my pocket.

MPK Mini USB Port

Akai labels the MPK Mini as a “Laptop Production Keyboard” and it isn’t strictly for use with a laptop being it is a USB MIDI controller being that it will work with any computer with a USB port. I think that is bad marketing on Akai’s part because as silly as it sounds not everyone knows you can plug USBs into any computer with a port. It would be smarter to label the MPK Mini as an Ultra Portable MIDI Controller. I also think it is extremely bad press not to make sure your sellers have the right specifications on their sites. While I was able to go to Akai’s website to find some of the specifications you don’t know the rest until you either use it or go through its “quick start” guide.

I think the MPK Mini is like a mix of the MPD, MPK 25, and LPD8 but it feels like a forgotten child of Akai and they need to fix that if they want this product to succeed like the others in the MPK line. Sure for a learning player or tight-budget producer it is definitely good for the money but if you are looking to place this in a studio with serious clients you might want to spend at least the extra $150 and get an MPK 25 or similar MIDI controller for the better bang for a buck.