this is the Akai MPK Mini MK3
and it's the newest version of one of the most
popular keyboards around $100. and while Akai has improved a few things, they could have done more. if you're
considering this keyboard you need to watch this video first. Like i said, they've improved a few things and the best features
are not what you expect. this midi keyboard does a few things very well
and it may just be what you need. but it's important you understand
what it can do and what it can't do before you buy it.
today i'm going to go through the notable features of the Akai MPK Mini MK3 and more importantly i'll compare it
to a few other popular keyboards so you can make the right decision. let's
get started if you're new around here, i'm Sanjay C, i
have lots of videos about music production
and the latest gear on my channel.
Consider subscribing if you haven't
already. i always get straight to the good stuff
in my reviews and tutorials. so yeah let's get to the good stuff
first. if you're interested in buying the Akai MPK Mini MK3
or any of the other keyboards i mention in this video, i'll put links
to them in the video description. i've also made a dedicated video for the
others as well. first of all Akai has improved the key
feel. this is a mini keyboard so keep your
expectations in check. but this keybed is better than the old
one. the key press feels more intentional. the MK3's keys feel kinda like the
M32 from Native Instruments which i really love.
not as good as the Arturia Minilab keybed but a little better than the
Novation Launchkey Mini MK3. so yeah pretty good. but don't get too
excited. it isn't going to "wow" you. if you want to be impressed, try the
Arturia Minilab MK2. the joystick replaces the pitch and
modulation strips in other keyboards.
I prefer the touch strips on others but
some people actually like this joystick thing. but wait
there's lots more to talk about. these are endless knobs
unlike the previous version. so the knobs match the position
of the thing you're changing in your daw. and
they keep turning as much as you like. the knobs are bigger than the MK2 and feel a lot better. i mean with the old one
i felt like i needed to move them with my fingertips because they were so short.
but these feel so much better. but they feel a
little loose. not as heavy as the Arturia Minilab.
alright so far a couple features that are better than the old
but not the best when comparing it to the competitors.
but wait there's one winning feature on this keyboard.
i'll get to that in a second.
The MPK MINI MK3 looks and feels
like a toy in many aspects. it's improved a bit over the previous version, but
not enough. the plastic sides the weight. now let's be fair, this isn't a premium
keyboard. it's budget. and the Launchkey Mini has a
similar build quality. but once again the Minilab and M32
just feel better – more solid, less flimsy. i do feel that the other two colors that
the MPK Mini MK3 comes in look nicer – the white and black
one especially. those are limited edition and i'll put
links to those in the video description as well. so i mentioned one winning
feature on the MPK Mini MK3. what is it? it's the pads. these are MPC-style pads, and in my opinion feel better than the previous version
of the MPK Mini. the pads feel like they have more travel.
The responsiveness is great, especially if you're into finger
drumming. i think you'll love them. i say "i think," because
well like key feel the pad feel is a bit subjective.
But Akai has a good
reputation for pads and makes great pads even for their cheaper products. and i
really like these. i feel confident when drumming on these.
no accidental taps, and beyond the feel you have access to
two banks of pads. so 16 in total. some people like
programming these pads to activate things like
clips in Ableton. you can still do that on the MK3
by manually midi mapping the pads. it's not
automatically mapped – that's important. this is not an
Ableton clip-triggering, looping, and performance device
like the Launchkey Mini. alright i know the screen looks interesting and i'll
get to that in a second.
I need to cover some extra cool features
first. by the way. this video is brought to you by
me and my first virtual instrument – Sanjay's Rhodes.
Sanjay's Rhodes is a high-quality software instrument recorded directly from my
1975 Fender Rhodes electric piano. and
includes some creative presets for any genre of music. if you want that
authentic mellow sound for your tracks, check it
out in the description below. The MPK Mini MK3
really gives you some nice features you won't find
on most other keyboards at this price. these are
performance features – great for playing live. you've got
a built-in arpeggiator which is excellent. you can play
simple arps and even get more complex with the
rate, sequence, octaves, and swing. this is a great creative tool which can
be really inspiring. and Akai does it really well. but it
would have been nice to have had a midi out port on this
keyboard to use the arps with hardware synths. the
Arp feature on the mpk mini is on par with the
Novation Launchkey Mini, but that keyboard has the midi out.
the Akai has got note repeat as well which is nice
for repetitive drum hits.
And you can change the rate as well.
very nice. again really fun for finger drumming. Alright, since we're starting
to press buttons let me talk about the buttons themselves. the buttons feel
higher quality, better than the previous version.
but now they make an annoying clicky sound.
the M32 by Native Instruments also does the same thing. when i'm making music, i
don't really want mechanical sounds coming from the instruments i'm using.
OK, let's talk about the screen. the screen shows you
information. but not much… yet. i say "yet" because i'm hoping that Akai
improves this feature. in Ableton, even though the knobs control
devices, you don't see the name of the parameter
you're moving. same in other DAWs. the best you'll get is seeing the midi
CC's and values on this screen. and it'll help you
select modes and settings for the MPK itself. but it doesn't give you
feedback from your DAW. i mean i'd love to see
what i'm controlling in Ableton. i highly doubt Akai would include the screen
without giving us more, so i predict, i hope,
they give us something more in the near future.
But wait a sec, why am i expecting
so much from this screen? well because Akai has
included program modes and you can actually
select your DAW through the program modes. press the
program select button and a pad to change the keyboard's template from
MPC to Ableton, Logic Pro, FL Studio,
GarageBand, and there are even a few pad settings
for some scales as well. but unfortunately for Logic, FL, and GarageBand, choosing these settings really doesn't
do anything yet. once again, i'm hoping to actually do
something in the future. in Ableton, you get device control with the knobs
which is nice. but again the screen doesn't show you what you're doing.
i feel there's a big opportunity to improve the screen features so i really
hope they do it. and i should note that the Arturia and Novation keyboards i've
showed you don't even have screens.
At this time the
MPK Mini doesn't automatically map to Logic, FL and
GarageBand. so you don't get mixer control or
effects out of the box. it's better for Ableton
because you do get device control. but that's it no clip or scene
triggering. you actually have to manually map your controls. now if i've
missed something here, if you guys have figured this out,
please somebody correct me.
But Akai doesn't even have a manual yet
to help do this setup. but wait there's still more!
what about MPC Beats well here it gets better
MPC Beats is the new free DAW, beat-making software, by Akai. it's free
for everyone. the MPK Mini MK3 actually controls
things in it, which is not surprising. i was able to
change tracks, adjust parameters. MPC Beats is still new
to me so it took some time to figure out what i was doing. but if you do plan on using Akai's MPC Beats, the MPK Mini MK3 may be a great
choice for you. this keyboard comes with some nice Air
instruments. you get Hybrid 3, Mini Grand, and Velvet. but that's about
it.
Here are my final thoughts. i know it seems like i had a lot to
complain about with the MPK Mini MK3 but this is a decent keyboard for the price. you get some nice performance
features, and the pads are excellent – if that's
what you're going to use. but Akai could have given us more. maybe
transport controls would have been a welcome addition –
play, stop, and record at least. and a more useful screen
and DAW mappings at launch would have been really nice.
i think this keyboard has potential if Akai can improve
on those features. maybe a firmware update can add some of those in. if this
video was helpful to you, please hit the like button and don't
forget to subscribe.
keep making the music that you love, and
i will see you guys later! .
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