Akai MPK Mini Play MKIII

I like the idea of this keyboard! It seems pretty rare for MIDI controller to come with a speaker. It's nice and portable and you could take it somewhere and play without a computer (albeit with basic MIDI audio...View More quality). The velocity sensors are a little wonky and sometimes a note will be a lot louder or softer than you expect. The joystick is kind of a weird way of doing pitch bend and modulation, but you can get used it. The drum pads kind of tough, but not more so than other MIDIView Less

I have had an Akai Mpk Mini II for several years and have never gotten it to work. My son, who can make anything work on a computer, can't get it to work. Programming the pads is extremely tedious, the licensing...View More involved--through ILOK--is a nightmare. Run away from this waste of money.View Less

Not all pads are responsive. Pad 1 (kick) is soo quiet and has no kick to it even when plugged into a speaker. Not a problem if using a DAW but I was hoping this could be good enough standalone. Main reason I got it for was the...View More drum pad so a bit disappointed.View Less

Got this for my son's 16th birthday. He loves to fiddle around with music. He plays around on my piano and likes to do beat loops on his phone. So this was a big hit. He has a great time mess around with different sounds and...View More beats. And the speaker and battery power are a huge bonus. The only thing I wish it had was a record and play back feature. Even better would be a looper capability. Right now you have to hook it up to you computer or phone to record or loop. Easy enough. But a standView Less

First off the unit started ticking loudly on the side opposite the speaker when it was turned off. Pads are not responsive enough and choke up on making beats. The keys won't let me make a piano flourish because the timing...View More jams up and isnt expressive enough. Sometimes the wiring went haywire and caused all the buttons would blink. It's fun, but not professional.View Less