Akai MPK Mini VS MPK Mini Plus - The RIGHT Choice!
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- čas přidán 7. 02. 2023
- ⬇️ Links to all keyboards ⬇️
1. Akai MPK Mini Plus geni.us/FMNDS7
2. geni.us/6M2JNEM
Other keyboards I recommend:
1. Minilab 3 geni.us/qjYl
2. M-Audio Oxygen Pro Mini geni.us/cdGB7p
3. Native Instruments M32 geni.us/r1YI
More keyboard video reviews:
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My BIG keyboard comparison • TOP 6 MIDI KEYBOARDS i...
Novation Launchkey • Novation Launchkey Min...
Native Instruments M32 • Native Instruments M32...
Akai MPK Mini • AKAI MPK Mini MK3 - Be...
This is a comparison between the Akai MPK Mini MK3 and the Akai MPK Mini Plus mini MIDI keyboards. I compare all the features, the keys, pads, knobs, DAW compatibility, sequencer, arp, and chord features. Everything you want to know about the MPK Mini and the MPK Plus keyboards that will help you decide which one is right for you.
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#SanjayC #MusicProduction #Keyboards
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Amazing studio monitors for the price - geni.us/t8gZ
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Drum pads with the best sensitivity - geni.us/eKPXTA
The best DAW ever - geni.us/5oLM
Great microphone for vocals - geni.us/OlJW
Subwoofer that did the job - geni.us/eEAGqai
My preferred mini keyboard - geni.us/qjYl
I bought a Mini mk3 during May last year, and once the Plus got announced in Oct, I immediately ordered it on Amazon and even waited for a month to finally get it in my hands. I later sold Mini mk3 and now a proud and a happy owner of the Plus :)
Sorry for being so late in watching your video. Comprehensive review of both these keyboards. Thank you for your awesome videos. Most helpful.
Thank you so much! I absolutly LOVE your videos, and as a beginner music producer, your advice means a lot to me. Thank you so much!!
You're so welcome!
Sanjay thank you man for all the wonderful comparisons and in depth reviews. If I'm ever in a position to upgrade then I always come back to videos I've already watched of yours before adding to shopping cart ❤️
I appreciate that so much. These videos take a long time to make so it’s nice to hear that you like them
Good morning Sanjay. Very comprehensive review of the 2 keyboards. Great job as usual.
Hi Pat...thank you so much! Hope you have an excellent day!
Many years ago, I bought an AKAI Mini and still use it today. I just bought an Ipad M2 and now I can connect my keyboard directly to the ipad. Before I had to use a usb hub for power. But no more today. Perfect for taking it to the beach or the forest. I love it..Regards Thomas
drumpads and keybed are BOTH important to me - can't live without one of these
Cool! Do you do a lot of finger drumming?
@@SanjayC When I play around, yes...not that good though, but it makes me feel great to drum with a great feeling drumpads controller
precisely... I have to still find a "keyboard" that has great "sensitive" drumpads, although there are some out there I believe. I have a Novation Impulse 61 which has an ok keybed, and then a Novation Launchpad X for the drumpads. And both being the same brand, were merely coincidence!
I have the MPK Mini MKIII - it still use an MPK 49 - lately I enjoy using the MPC Beats DAW, but Pro-Tools is my go to. I'm not a fan of Ableton, but I have started using Reaper, and I'm very impressed. You should do an episode on Reaper.
My take for Keyboards is.. if you're going to travel by flight, the MPK Mini fits in a backpack, so it's easier to travel with. However, if traveling by car, say to the cabin, another city, or to a friend's house, the Plus might be preferred. And if you ain't gonna travel.. the space you have and your playing skills decide what you should go for... 49, 61, or 88. (88 is overkill if you can't play the piano, and/or have no interest in learning it.)
Good points
Cheers Sanjay! One big thing to add is that you can assign the drum pads to DAW transport buttons. This is perfect for me because I want something as small as possible for travelling, but never do any finger drumming
Hey Sanjay ! You have extremely informative and really well planned out an edited videos. I have always been a guitar player and I'm a little bored with just looping and playing over my own guitar tracks. I want to buy a MIDI keyboard to explore making music but I really dont know much about them. So, now I dont really know what I want after watching so many of your review videos on MIDI controller keyboards. Could you guide me to a versatile MIDI keyboard that would give me lots to experiment with but also not too heavy on the pocket ?
Great review! Mini plus is really nice.
Traditional wheels are a must for orchestral automation.
Thanks!
Great review as always Sanjay
Thanks so much Adil! Love seeing you here.
We are feeling you down here in San Antonio Texas Sanjay C I use my MPK mini plus with studio one and it's been awesome
Hey thanks so much. Love to San Antonio!
Great video, thanks. The sound used for sequencer demo (6:20-) so reminds me of Go West "Missing Persons"... Cheers
Sequencer is a selling point for me. Im really just getting this to learn Reaper and make lofi beats for fun. Its important for me to just "riff" before I lay down a track
I bought the MPK Mini MKIII - Black Edition and only really wanted it to give me some work flow back as I binned my old Midi Keyboard over a year ago. I’ve not opened it yet as it came yesterday but I’m debating sending it back brand new and getting the plus now 😅
A thank you to Sanjay C for this and a few other videos on the pros and cons of the models on the market in 2023. Balanced, objective and BS-free content is hard to find, so good on you for making it. As of today, I'm the very happy owner of an Akai MPK Mini Plus. Thanks to your pointers, there were no surprises when I opened the box and set it up.
I'm pretty sold on the plus as it has the sequencer and transport buttons. I love dawless jams and am building a new setup again. I can sequence a synth and a drum machine as well as play another with the keys/arp. Oh yeah and the bonus keys and mod wheels are a huge plus! Minus for not being able to store sequences. I'd love a keystep with some assignable knobs/encoders. Although i could always get like a Korg nanocontrol/nanopad to complement.
In the end i just might get a mpk mini and a MPC ONE :D
drum pad feel for me is more important because I am not really a piano player, but love sampling and making rhythm sections.
Those new functuons are cooool🎹👍
great review and as always thanks so much for the content. im a hard rock metal dude and i have the mini. its cool but this step wow....nice piece of gear and i think im gonna get one
Thank you so much
Nice talking. Ordered right after you finished. Subscribed too.
One question: with this Mini Plus for basic home studio connections don't need Audio Interface (without guitar)?
My Speakers connected to LG monitor, bluetooth headphones paired with MacBook Pro, USB C Microphone in MacBook Pro, and this Mini Plus to MacBook Pro, which connected with USB C in LG Monitor, so don't need to connect to el. supply, correct ??
As a pianist, key feel is a must.
I have the oxigen pro 25, wich I put on top of my 88 weighted keys digital piano, so I can have good keys with pitch, mod, knobs and pads.
Yeah that keyboard has good key feel. Very nice keyboard
@@magnuseriksson8081 I dont use them, cuz I play chords and sales myself, but they are awesome fetaures. I guess they sound good cuz they make you play in a fixed scale and can add alteration to chords, making them "jazzier".
I plan to use the full version of the Mpc software .
I use Mini, since have 2 others midikeyboard I use the keys little, mostly for the joystick and pads. Cool video
Thanks much! Glad to hear you like the joystick
Thank you Sanjay
You can set up transport control on the mini putting thr pads in cc mode and mapping it do whatever daw you're using. You have two banks of pads to use for ccs
Yeah, at least you have a workaround, but they really just need to add those dedicated transport controls
@@SanjayC true. I am going to get one at some point. I wish it still had the pad ccs though for additional control. I like setting it up with reaper custom actions to move through tracks, turn the metronome on/off, switch between tracks, etc. The additional controls kind of turn reaper into a groovebox
This plus look very good, I got the mini right before the release of the Plus. Having more keys are way better, thank for sharing, I stay with what I have until it give up =)
Always a good idea.
Wow... Nice comparison 😊
Thanks 🙂
@SanjayC If they got rid of the knob they could move the pads down and totally make the screen bigger. and lined those other buttons they could line underneath the bigger screen.
That joystick is not needed at all. But a bigger screen would be gold.
I agree. A bigger and more useful screen would be a welcome change.
The scale function is definitely important to me. This keyboard is dope but I already have the Arturia mini lab 3, the novation mini key, and the komplete m32 annndd the Akai mini I probably don’t need another mini keyboard lol
Dude I really need your advice. I am going in for my first midi keyboard and was wondering should I take this one or the Arturo mk3? Size is not a problem for me.
I wish I could map the joystick to arrow keys on a keyboard. It’d help a lot when cycling through presets or just general navigation in the daw. Unfortunately I’ve only seen the joystick mapped to midi cc
I'm a beginner. Should I buy Akai mini plus or normal keyboard?
I feel like it's better to go with these mini ones as they are programmable and so cool.
Keys are most important. Small footprint are what you looking for when you decide to go with this type of products line.
I use he joystick for VSTs that support this like Korg Wavetable, Arturia EMS Synthi.
Nice! Always like to hear from people who use the joystick.
after seeing "the kiffness" do his insanely awesome "alugaluga cat" looping videos, i would guess the mini would be in hot demand because that is his main controller keyboard. IMO, you and your better half will be blown away by his video about the neighbor's cat called "let me in" i think. truly one of the best things i have seen on the 'toob.
ps. i finally found a use for my original beatstep which is mostly useless. the CV can run the BARP2600 semi-modular, so i can sequence crazy stuff like the filter or ring-mod levels, in addition to the oscillators. I work mostly out of the box and i am looking forward to behringer's version of the keystep pro. If the original beatstep just had a clock-in, it would be so much more useful. good thing i have the original keystep (fail horn meme sound goes here haha) i use it for running the vocoder (VT-4) mostly (i like big keyboards for main controllers and everything else in a module form to save clutter and keep within easy reach)
thank u so much sir.
Very good midi keyboard review ❤
Thanks a lot!
u can program the alternate use of the pads to play stop rec etc. and u have the limited edition grey only for the mini
I just hope the mini plus comes in different Color ways. I want a white mini plus keyboard to match my white mpk mini mk3
Thanks for this! I have 3 dead keys on my MPK Mini Play. Do you have a suggestion on how to fix that?
Hello - would love some help making the transport control work with garage band on Mac! Seems to be limited (even with fully updated hardware / software). Great video :)
Maybe someone who uses GarageBand here may be of help. :-)
The plus just lack a XY pad to be the perfect mini keyboard. I really like the fact that they made the knobs unilimited.
I love the drums in Akai mini I am having it
I‘m a fan of AKAI KEYBOARD-controllers because of their quality although I had a rather bad experience with the included software VIP when I purchased the Advance 49. shortly after the purchase the SW didn’t correctly work with the 64-Bit MacOS anymore when triggered from the keyboard. And AKAI never converted the VIP into a 64Bit version. But the keyboard itself is perfect although I didn‘t get the 61-key version of the Advance anymore which I would have preferred to a 49-my-version.
Yeah I didn’t have any luck with VIP either. It looked so promising.
Okay... but whats better for a total beginner? Arturia minilab 3, or akai mini plus? Also gonna pick up the akai mpd218 for finger drumming
But I just love the colours they put out on the Mini mk3 haha!
Dude, consider mentioning the midi out on the Plus gets disabled when using the USB to PC connection. Using a USB battery source will keep the midi ports alive though.
Bigger keybed, DAW controls, and regular pitch & mod wheels. If I needed a mini keyboard, I'd go for this.
I like the nektar impact LX mini but this akai plus looks good too. How would you compare side by side
great review as always. I wonder how does it fare against the M-Audio Oxygen Pro Mini, I am one of those rare StudioOne users😅
I honestly prefer the Oxygen Pro over the MPK Mini MK3 since it has those transport controls.
This man has the most pleasant voice
Is it a good option for using with reason??
⬇ Links to all keyboards ⬇
1. Akai MPK Mini Plus geni.us/FMNDS7
2. geni.us/6M2JNEM
Other keyboards I recommend:
1. Minilab 3 geni.us/qjYl
2. M-Audio Oxygen Pro Mini geni.us/cdGB7p
3. Native Instruments M32 geni.us/r1YI
i have the choice: mpk mini plus or minilab 3, which one would you take.
I want to know which one to buy between novation and m audio midi control
Good for logic
Helpful video, thanks. 🙏
How about the built-in sound feature? It is not present in either one. Is it very important to have that as an extra feature, or would it make no difference?
Hello Sanjay, I bought the AKAI PROFESSIONAL PMK mini plus. I just bought it to jam with my friends. That's all 😊
However, is there a way to get the sound out of it without using a computer/ software? Am not a computer savy at all.
Is there a simple electronic device that I can get and just plug it in the back and get the sound out? 🤔 How about connecting the AKAI to an Amp, which I have. Would it work?
Is there any further tutorial video from unboxing to setting up the Mini Plus without a computer for beginners like me who is discovering this new AKAI world?😊 please help 🙏
Nice. For the money they are both great, but the plus for a small upcharge is a no-brainer.
Totally agree
Thank you for the Super Thanks, Acee Buddy!!! I was on a weekend trip with my wife, so I missed some of your comments :-D
How are the keys? Are they the same clicky ones from the mpk mini mk2 gen or do the keys on the new mk3 mini products feel better now? I like how the mpk 225/249 have semi weighted keys best keys i ever felt on a midi controller! But im curious to see how the keys feel in the new gen 3 models.
I got one of these on pure compulsion the other day. CHOICE!
I just carved an 88 note keyboard out of a 42mm * 19mm piece of scrap wood out of boredom and even went the extra mile and painted the keys white and black. It came out at exactly 585mm in length, and took about 6 hours, using a custom 3mm chisel to clean out between the black keys. For extra fun, I started making a KX88 model body to put the key-bed into, but my blind 14 year old Australian Kelpie got startled by the unannounced arrival of a delivery driver who came up our steep driveway in a hybrid minivan. Nevertheless I wish I had used oak instead of pine because he managed to do some serious damage to the lowest B note, and after some meditation, I seriously questioned the original motivation for such a mathematically challenging task (10mm per white key, 6.5mm per black key), nothing moves, nothing works, it's just a sculpture ruined by Winston the dog. $0.02
Wow! That is super cool! I can't believe you did that! Pictures?
@@SanjayC I'll take a picture tomorrow on FB and give you a link, it's 12.26am right now and school is back (dad's taxi). Such a waste of time, but I'm now an expert in not cracking black keys while hogging out the middle, the trick is to use the existing wood on either the left or right as support while you gently pry the waste away.
wish it had a dedicated Hold Button, wonder if you can assign one?
M audio oxygen pro mini or this akai mpk mini plus ?
I like Key feel better because you can turn keys into drum pads as well as you could have with keys that are drum pads. Drum pads are cool but they're meant for drums only or samples.
Looks excellent but I’m so pissed to have settled for the mpk mini when this drops a few months later & is exactly what I needed 😫 it would be great if the market wasn’t saturated with a million variations of the same thing & just a handful of outliers if we’re lucky + the stars happen to align.
I wish they'd just put the right features in one keyboard instead of having to sacrifice this and that
@@SanjayC the thing is the right features for one person can be different for the next. Maybe we should start doing custom midi keyboards where we can choose what to put lol
Completely agree! way too many variations of everything, and then some. (+ they drop out with short intervals, so if you get something, it becomes the old version pretty soon). I got the Novation Launchpad X cause it was the newest and had the sensitivity I wanted, and then not so long after, the Pro mkIII came out! which although a bit pricier. it's better (I believe).
I'm also waiting for buying myself a daw controller, cause iCon Platform M+ and/or Behringer X-Touch are showing their age, and I won't pay more (inflation) than they retailed for initially 8+ years ago, guessing a newer model is about to come out one day or another.
@@SanjayC Exactly! Seems like no manufacturer wants to do the perfect one, cause then they couldn't make a profit from variations. Sad! :(
@@SanjayC exactly my sentiments, it bewilders me that features will be removed as if they were never a thing. Case in point - my late father had an old M-Audio midi keyboard that had audio, midi, a couple encoders, sustain socket AND a small number of very basic standalone sounds like piano, organ etc. this was by no means a fancy controller and I don’t remember a big deal being made of it.
Since then all that has come out is midi controllers- some have pedal ports & midi (go figure) but for these companies to mention “transport controls” as if they arent just a couple extra generic buttons is kinda infuriating.
I would really like an integrated midi keyboard with audio & a sequencer for external gear - the OS for any old MPC should be like 1MB
I am from India, One Question from my side FOR LOOP RECORDING what I purchase .. in fl studio (for shift a track)
i need those Akai to be in All Black to suit my work studio theme. Black and Yellow would be cool. Drumpad and keybed both important to me.
Bring on the all black!!!
hehe.. they should start making hot-pluggable keys, like with mechanical (computer) keyboards! And let people customize their keys with the colors and feeling they want! :)
I want a mini keyboard but was sad to found out that these don't have headphone jacks and can't be used without being plugged in. I want a mini portable keyboard. And recommendations?
What would you suggest for Presonus Studio One pro?
Thanks!
No problem!
Thanks so much for the Super Thanks, John!!
@@SanjayC im actually a rock and metal guy lol but find your content very helpfull
Midi control knobs and transport don’t work on my mini plus connected in Ableton live. Is there something I need to do?
But why arturia didnt make new mini keyboard? Im waiting for it 😄
I just went with the Arturia Keylab 49 Mk2. I need both keys and pads. 37 keys is my minimum. 49 is just right.
49 is just right especially for pianists.
The main problem of the "plus" version for me is the size of it. I use my normal mpk mini 3 not only in my studio, but in university too. So, I personally will not buy a new mpk.
Also, I'm dreaming a lot about keytar from alesis now)
seen the Roland AX-Edge Keytar with the all-black keys? uhhh... looks sweeeet!! :D
The scripts for this are still betas! Ableton doesn't display the option for this new plus yet in the preferences. Is this paid for video like musictechs review?
I am not a pianist I want to add a mini MIDI keyboard to use with Presonus studio one 6, I want something very user friendly and I don’t have usb C on my mac so the Arturia 3 is not an option, would you recommend the Arturia 2 better than the Akai pro plus?
This Midi working with Reason?
I wonder if you (or anybody else reading this comment, of course) are aware of any rumours re an upcoming refresh of the NI Komplete Kontrol M32.
Being an owner of an M-Audio Oxygen Pro Mini, which is a great compact controller, the NI KK M32 seems to be a reasonable 'less is more' option to me …
… But with almost every other manufacturer with a mini keyboard in the portfolio having recently released a refresh, NI appears to be sort of missing out.
Thanks in advance - and thanks for your videos!
I haven’t heard news of an M32 update but I really hope it happens soon. I’ll see if I can find out any inside info.
@@SanjayC Thank you very much for your reply - and for your kind support!
I have an MPK25 that is like new. I haven't seen another midi keyboard that compares in my opinion.
Nice 👍🏼
@@SanjayC I always look forward to your next show. Thank you
Can I setup MPK Mini Plus with Abletone Live? I’ve heard, that MPK mini mk3 is easier to do. But is it true?
The Mpk mini play with a sequencer would be the hardest thing on earth
What size backpacks can the mini plus fit in?
I think Akai watched your review on MPK Mini MK3 and made this one lol.
Looking these over right now both models, and also maybe the Arturia. So this model has more keys which might make it a bit awkward given my workspace. Biggest thing is this though; I would not get any support as far as I can figure out. For my desk top it's quite old Linux, and I've not heard of anyone having support or success with that, so far. I was looking at using my smart phone, but I have no idea how far support can go using that. Given the century we are in, I am surprised that there is no mention of support for the more or less ubiquitous smart phone in reviews. I have concerns which might make me not bother at all. Just so you can understand, I play harmonica, I have been thinking of buying a bass one, it has 25 holes laid out piano style, it costs one penny less than this new Mini Plus from Akai. It is a budget harmonica, and a budget keyboard, so it's easy to see that a new computer just to use the new keyboard would be way over budget then there is a bill for batteries. The harmonica does not need a computer, or batteries and costs less. Interesting situation for sure. I wonder are there any harmonica sounds in any of the keyboard presets? ;)
There is a version of the Akai mini with built-in sounds, which I have and actually love. But it's built-in sounds are relatively limited. Great for coming up with ideas and not needing a computer, and can be a fun addition to a jam session. But most midi keyboards (Especially, smaller, less expensive ones), are just controllers with no built-in sounds. The sounds you use come from whatever DAW (Digital Audio Workspace. Such as, GarageBand, Ableton, Logic Pro, etc...), you are using and these just control them. It gives you infinite sounds (and yes, harmonica, too), especially with plug-ins (recorded sounds of real instruments which you can manipulate and use as you like, usually), which you can purchase and some are free. If you're having issues with your computer (it was a lil hard to discern exactly what you were saying), you'll prob want to get the harmonica until you can upgrade to a computer which can run the DAW you wish to use. Hope this helps!
@@MaxOstrovtheheadyhive Yeah, you are not wrong; Having slept on it a couple couple more times, a real Harmonica is the better way to go. I also found out that the sounds need to be downloaded, and that requires registration. Linux is "the problem", major manufacturers support Windows & Apple. Us relatively poor folk use Linux, and so are left behind. The Bass Harmonica is nearly the same size as the MPK ;o)
Good head to head comparison with what looks like 2 very similar keyboards but aren't all that similar in the end.
Would you consider doing a Miniplus VS keystep 37 comparison?
I know it's been done by others but your point of view is always greatly appreciated.
Regarding keybed feel VS drumpads on a keyboard, well, I had an Arturia Keylab MK2 which had good keybed feel and drumpads but I've never used the drumpads.
I then switched to a NI Komplete Kontrol S series and holly smokes what a difference in keybed feel.
After trying both, I'm not going back to the Keylab MK2 (although it is a great keyboard nonetheless)... and when in need of pads, I'll use my Maschine (I know, it's an additional device, but I've already got them.
Yes.
Them.
(Mikro, MK3 and Plus).
That may be a good comparison video. Let me see what I can do. Oh wow..you've got the whole NI collection now!
Where can we hear your music/work? The link only shows 1 single from 2019.
Thanks for asking. I actually make all the music you hear on my channel. I haven’t distributed anything new lately because I’ve been focusing on CZcams tutorials and reviews. But I’ll keep you posted on new music coming this year
I love Sweetwater and do business with them gladly, but their listed MSRPs are always a bit...suspect. 😉
Like seriously...what is up with that $349??
What camera are you recording with? Looks amazing!
Sony A7S III. Amazing camera.
Do you need a laptop for the keyboard of can you use it without one?
i have the mini plus cool for travel...it s just that i dont like mini keys
Hi Sanjay C, how does this compare with Oxygen Pro Mini?
This will give you a good idea czcams.com/video/QAKUsSl-1FQ/video.html
The keybed is sadly a little squishy. Love the functionality though.
Does it have built-in speaker ?
Okay, just got Abelton. Now I'm torn between This Akai MPK mini Plus, the Arturia MPK 49, or the Novation Launch key 49. I wish they made this mini Plus with more than 37 keys
If you just got Ableton, I think the Launchkey 49 is the way to go. It’s made for Ableton. I think you’ll like that tight integration.
@@SanjayC thanks Sanjay
What DAW, that will be Reaper
I'm using the original with bandlab
I want to use presonus 1.5
There is no any specific control surface for midi plus so its little bit difficult for mapping
Good point. Someone needs to make one.
Akai should make a 3rd MPK mini the same size as the plus but with full size keys.
THAT would sell well, I think
@@SanjayC Probably. ✌
On the mpk mini plus the daw control for Fl Studio 21 is horrible I just dont get it working. Anyone encountering the same problems?
I'm a Studio One type of person... Anybody knows if transport controls will work in my case?`
I’m looking at the mini vs mini plus and the mpk225. Any advice or suggestions from anyone would help