Akai MPK25 25-key Keyboard Controller with MPC pads

It's a solid, weighty design and it works perfectly! Weighty keys and fluid knobs enhance the music. Mpc-style pads are great too! Midi syncs perfectly to my Ableton live! Because I'm so happy with this awesome midi controller I'm actually gonna get the Akai mpk49 eventually! Plus the akai apc40. I'm just that happy with akai! I first bought the mpk mini and fell in love with it immediately! Made more songs with that than any other controller. I've had this mpk25 for a couple of months now and I'm totally in love with it! I use it everyday and I just leave it on for long extended periods of time and it doesn't get hot or loud. It just keeps on truckin'! Thanks, Akai! Can't wait for Ableton Push! And thank you Amazon for the great, speedy delivery!

This is a phenomenal device. Not only does it do everything that i need plus more, it is very sturdy. About a month after i got it, i accidentally left it in my outside studio, not knowing that it would rain. Well, needless to say, it did. I ran back home hoping that it didn't get wet. Well, IT DID. It had so much water in it that i had to hold it up and drain it. I was devistated. But, the good ole mpk 25 never missed a beat, i plugged it back up the next day and its still going strong to this day with no problems. I was brand new to making beats and i knew absolutely nothing on how to get started But after playing with it and watching a few tutorials, i started to see its capabilites and my imagination come to life. I debated on weather or not i should buy the mpk25 for months, but i dont regret buying it at all, as a matter of fact, i would suggest that you make the purchase, you won't regret it. I am highly pleased.

The keyboard, and controlling software is great. I really like Abelton Live after taking the tutorials! This comes with a older version of Abelton Live but it is a free download to get the latest version! Works great with my Macbook! The bad part is that the pads are not sensitive at all. I have to pound to the point of hurting my fingers to get any noise at all. And thats to get any noise.. these are supposed to have many pressure levels. I was severely disappointed by the pads until I found out you can modify them for better response. Follow instructions on youtube. Basically you can use layers of tape to put the pad in better contact with the sensor under it. The kits you can buy off ebay to do the same thing are little strips of rubber with instructions. I'd suggest saving some money by using the youtube video and finding the right thickness of rubber instead of using tape layers. After modification this surface is 100% what I wanted. Too bad it come from the factory so amazingly crippled!

The mpc note repeat function on the pads is one of the main reasons I bought this controller and it rocks. Takes a little bit of fiddling with the settings on your sequencer to get things going right, but once set up this keyboard works nicely. I will second the earlier review about the pads, they suck big time. They must be modified so they are more sensitive to touch. For those, who do not like to open electronics up then you may want to consider another controller. If you are not afraid to open it up, then modifying the pads really is a cinch and not more than 10 minutes of work. Check youtube to see how to modify them.

I've never tried the Akai brand, and I'm new to building my own midi studio (though I've worked in one for school time ago) so I have a mediocre understanding of how everything works but no setting up myself. This midi keyboard works like magic and is everything I could ask for for the price and convenience. Truly plug and play, bus powered and realistic feeling enough for what it's for (and how it is priced). In used to playing my Roland Fantom xa which is a nifty keyboard/workstation with 64 keys (non-weighted) and a drum pad (plastic and weak) so this is a nice step up (minus the loss of playable keys, but I can work around it for how I record). The modulator wheel allows certain sounds in your drum kit to have a realistic approach (closed /open/ closing/opening hi hats) and I found it amazingly easy to set your knob effects and parameters (that is more software specific but looking at YouTube videos helped) I use mixcraft 7 and it is a perfect marriage so far! Even though my Roland is a 64-key workstation, I think my Akai will take it's place in most of my production due to the overall flexibility of the machine and the entire idea of the midi platform itself, it's just more comfy for me to edit my sounds and bring them to life with a midi controller, and this one has me in love!

I ordered this controller for a new pc I was building...once I plugged it in it automatically installed the drivers...then I tried to use it to control reason 5....does not show up on my devices?!!!! I contacted akai for help...after emails back and forth still just a paper weight!!! do not buy this p.o.s!!!! I will never buy another akai product what so ever!!!!

not sure it works with logic pro x mac os x 10.9.5

People complain about the pads but you have to break them in. it's not necessary to make modifications. fits my every need as I can use the pads for the actual beat and use the keys to perfect the sound I'm looking for. Let's you switch octaves easily to change the pitch of the keyboard keys. definitely perfect for beginning producers looking to get their feet wet and comfortable with whatever DAW they choose. also has DAW presets to make it even easier to customize.

I love it knowing it was an investment for the future, made it even more worth it. Works amazing, easy to use as well.

Parfait - fonctionne sous ABLETON 9 - Branchement facile, contact des touches top - Le pad est (comme je l'avais lu) TRES dur - j'attends la fin de la garantie pour le rendre plus souple avec les kits fournis sur le web.

Es macht einfach nur Spaß auf diesem Teil zu musizieren. Sehr viele Einstellmöglichkeiten. Die Drumpad Sektion könnte besser sein - man muss schon draufhauen ;) Im Nachhinein würde ich jedoch zu einer längeren Klaviatur greifen / mir die nächst größere Länge kaufen, weil ich hier doch schon (entgegen meiner eigentlichen ursprünglichen Beabsichtigung) an Grenzen gestoßen bin.

Excellent, my son loves his new keyboard, there is music in the house. Arrived 2 days after ordering, I was impressed.

Très bon produit mais malheureusement, le pad est un peu dur... sinon, très sympathique, et fonctionne parfaitement avec fl studio.