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

Features

• Total Control Wherever You Go - USB MIDI keyboard controller with 25 velocity-sensitive keys and octave up / down buttons to access the full melodic range – perfect virtual synthesizer control
• Express Yourself - Innovative 4-way thumbstick for dynamic pitch and modulation MIDI control, plus a built-in arpeggiator with adjustable resolution, range and modes
• Plug & Play – No drivers required, USB powered and ultra portable design lets you create anywhere
• Beat Maker Essentials - 8 backlit velocity-sensitive MPC drum pads with Note Repeat & Full Level for programming drums, triggering samples and controlling virtual instrument / DAW controls
• Take Command of Your DAW - 8 fully-assignable Q-Link knobs for mixing, tweaking plug-ins and more
• The MPC Production Experience - Includes MPC Beats Software compete with the finest features and essential production tools from the AKAI Professional MPC Series
• 1400 Sounds and Everything You Need For Pro Production - Production software package for Mac and PC included: AKAI Pro MPC Beats, SONiVOX Wobble, and Hybrid 3 by AIR Music Tech (downloads)

Description

Take control, wherever you go Go mobile without losing control. Akai Professional’s MPK Mini MKII is an ultra-compact keyboard controller designed for the traveling musician and the desktop producer. With a cluster of production-centric in-demand hardware controls coupled with a slim-line ultra-portable footprint, MPK Mini MKII lets you record, compose and perform with virtual instruments, effect plugins and DAWs whenever inspiration strikes. Core control MPK Mini MKII includes all the essential tools for quickly laying down and expanding upon your musical ideas. 25 velocity-sensitive synth-action keys, a four-way thumbstick for dynamic pitch and modulation manipulation, eight backlit velocity-sensitive MPC-style pads and eight assignable Q-Link knobs provide the core functionality specifically engineered for rapid production potential, all housed in an ultra-portable footprint. Express yourself Whatever your needs, MPK Mini MKII empowers producers with essential control that’s ready to capture the idea in your head whenever inspiration strikes; dedicated octave up and down buttons increase the keyboard to the full melodic range - Ideal for playing basslines, chords, melodies and more; a conveniently located sustain pedal input provides expanded control for expressive, immersive performances; finally, an on-board arpeggiator with adjustable resolution, range, and modes for simple, user-friendly and rapid creation of intricate melodic lines. Plug-and-play For maximum portability, MPK Mini MKII requires no software drivers or external power adapter for operation. Combining plug-and-play connectivity, a seamless USB-MIDI connection and power via a single USB connection to your Mac or PC, MPK Mini MKII is a portable production powerhouse. Plus, for instant-recall of critical settings, four memory banks enable you to store hardware/software presets for rapid setup of your computer and MPK Mini MKII on the fly.

Item Weight 1.63 pounds

Product Dimensions 7.13 x 12.52 x 1.73 inches

ASIN B00IJ6QAO2

Item model number MPKMINI2

Customer Reviews 4.4 out of 5 stars 7,367 ratings 4.4 out of 5 stars

Best Sellers Rank #244 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments) #2 in Computer Recording MIDI Controllers

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer No

Date First Available May 28, 2014

Color Name Standard

Hardware Interface USB

Number of Keyboard Keys 25

Size 9inch

Color Screen No

abunda_amazon_reviews This item, while it looks beautiful and functions well for a time, is built with incredibly poor and flimsy design. The keys are not supported in any way, with 1mm thick plastic holding each key to the controller. This plastic does not rotate when pressed, instead, it flexes, constantly putting the thin plastic under extreme tension. In less than a year of use, a ridiculous amount of keys have snapped off. This is a common problem, and no amount of super glue has been able to keep them on with such pathetic design quality. I urge you to search up: "Akai MK2 Mini keys snapping off" Take a look at a couple threads on the official akai community boards and you'll see that this is a very common and inherent design problem.;;Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2018;;1.0 out of 5 stars;;Beautiful Aesthetics, Incredibly Pathetic Design and Durability.;;philipawalker;;;When I read the reviews complaining of the driver installation process I was thinking "It can't be THAT bad"... Well it is, it is easily the most idiotic driver/software installation I've ever experienced. There's no actual software included, instead you have to go to Akaipro.com, register your product, then they'll give you a list of downloads. You would think that the first item in the list would be drivers, NOPE. You would think that there would be an item in the list labelled drivers, NOPE. The first item in the list is Air Hybrid, well what is it and what is it used for, you'll have no clue because there's no description for it, you do find out later that you will need to install it but it's not the first thing you need to install. Looking through the list there's a download called MPC Essentials. Figuring it might have the drivers in it I downloaded it and ran it, it's got drivers in it alright. 3 drivers, one named Renaissance Driver, one named Element Driver, and one named Studio Driver. What's the difference between them? Who knows. At this point you'll be asking what kind of monster created this abomination. Turns out that you need to install the last option in the list first, the MPC Essential software THEN go back and download the Air Hybrid software and install that. Why not just include a simple list that tells you what to install and in what order? Or better yet, why not just include big install that installs everything you NEED to operate the MPK mini? One more example of how crazy this all is, when you go to run the firmware update it tells you to hold down the PROG button the keyboard. Problem is, there isn't a PROG button the keyboard. You have PROG 1 through 4, PROG Select, and PROG Change. Which one is the PROG button? Apparently none of them because it didn't work for me. There is such an obvious disconnect between the hardware engineers at Akai and software engineers. The hardware is good, it's built well for a relatively inexpensive item. The software portion is like nothing I've ever experienced before. It will leave you frustrated and speechless I promise you. There are similar keyboards from other manufacturers that'll give you comparable results without the headaches. I recommend you check them out.;;Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2017;;1.0 out of 5 stars;;Good keyboard completely ruined by a ridiculous registration and driver installation process;;Shaun T.;;;This is a great piece of equipment for a beginner musician, but there IS a learning curve, so please be aware of that when buying. What you are purchasing is a MIDI controller (Musical Instrument Digital Interface). Unlike a synthesizer, MIDI controllers do not produce sound without software. It's basically just a tool to control computer software. So after you've downloaded the software and plug it in, you will still not have any sound generated until you've set everything up properly and loaded sounds onto the pads. So I feel it is slightly inaccurate to call it a "plug-in and go", as some people do. Pros: - Its easy to use AFTER you have learned how to set up and use it. - Its fun. - A good way to get into digital music making. - Budget friendly. Cons: - The software setup is kind of intimidating but luckily there are easy-to-find tutorials to help you. - Akai itself doesn't seem to have much assistance in actually using the controller. Every useful tutorial I found was by someone else, not the company. It would be nice for them to take the time to make more tutorials. Unless I just didn't find them? Everything I found just had to do with setting up the software, nothing really about HOW to actually use it. -The software that is included is limited. You can't use the knobs with MPC Essentials, you need Ableton or something similar for that. Or rather, I should say, you can't use the knobs for effects in your track. I believe you can use it for other things but I still don't quite understand that part. I am still learning to use this but it has gotten significantly funner to use as I have learned more about it and found sounds I like. Just as a tip: - Make sure you know where all your files are saved when you setup the software. You will need to know where your VST stuff is so you can load it into MPC Essentials. -Use Program 2 when you're finally ready to start loading sounds in. Program 2 has the pads laid out in order in the software, so everything correlates properly. -Read the manual and do a lot of research if you are new to it. It's worth the time, trust me.;;Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2017;;5.0 out of 5 stars;;Fun and cheap, but with a learning curve.;;Chelcee