AKAI Professional MPK Mini MK3 Black

I have the MPK mini mk ii and it's a useful controller for travelling with a laptop. However I never liked the flimsy knobs or the spongy keyboard feel.

Happily, the MK iii provides a slightly better keyboard action with more resistance, and much nicer endless encoders, which greatly improves their usability. The pads now also send aftertouch and the response is very smooth. I use it for playing VST and iPad synths and it feels pretty good!

I have the all-black unit and it looks very sleek and sexy. Overall a nice upgrade. I'm happy with the purchase.

My only minor gripe is that, to access the editor software you have to jump through some hoops: register the product, download the software manager and from within that the editor. Akai should just provide a direct download to the editor software on their website.

I've purchased the controller and started the set-up, which you unsurprisingly need a preset manager for. To install a preset manager (which btw is unbelievably wonky), you need to register at the AKAI website and use "inMusic Software Center" first. Upon installation, it suggests you check out some free software that comes with the controller, which is AKAI's own MPC Beats (a DAW) with a couple of sound packs, and three plug-ins: Hybrid 3, Mini Grand, and Velvet. So I've decided to give it a try. The MPC Beats ran OK, but the plug-ins did not run at all. And the worst part is that my Logic Pro X started freezing upon launch. Every time I opened it, it just said “updating information about audio unit plugins” and swiftly proceeded to stop working. So I uninstalled all the AKAI stuff, deleted Logic's cache, which (to my horror) didn't help at all. Then I tried reinstalling Logic, which was also not effective. After a few hours of crying and googling, I was able to exterminate all the traces of dreaded AKAI software, which finally allowed my Logic to run again. You can't uninstall anything from the "inMusic Software Center". It only gives an option to install or download again and install again. To delete everything, you need to access all the hidden folders and manually remove all the files (here I should mention, that deleting any plugin is not exactly a straightforward process, but still).
The controller itself is fine, btw, but my experience is a bit tainted by the included software and by my Logic almost going down with it. It would be fine if it just didn’t work on its own, because it’s a) free and b) not essential in any way. But not working AND breaking other stuff is something else.
In conclusion: avoid associated free software like the plague.

You can create some serious music with this thing.

I bought this to lay down ideas within my DAW, and it does what it's supposed to do. Assign different parameters within your DAW to the knobs on this thing, and you can improve your workflow if you set it up right.

But keep in mind that the keys are very small (as the name suggests, this thing is so tiny and cute!), so if you have large hands, you might find yourself feeling some pain after playing for a while.

Also, the pads are not as responsive as say Native Instrument's Maschine, but they are good enough to lay basic drum patterns (I usually use the fixed velocity function and adjust it later in the DAW).

This thing is probably the best deal if you're in the market for a small, portable midi controller that's reliable and fun to use.