This keyboard is a great value for the price in my opinion. Sure there are cheaper keyboards with the same amount of keys. There are even cheaper keyboards with more additional options such as more faders, rotary controls or more transport controls for example. However I was quite suprised about the build quality and overal quality of this keyboard. The key bed might be mini keys, nevertheless they do feel very nice for a relative small and compact keyboard. After installing the application, find and open the iLok License Manager from your Programs or Applications folder. It does not map properly even with updated firmware and software. The pads are all over the place, the q-links are all random. I know its not me, because I use the MPK mini 3 and it maps fine. I have the MPK mini plus selected. Program change set to MPC software.

AKAI’s MPK Mini family has found fans with a diverse range of musicians and producers from those needing to play and program on the move to those who just don’t want their gear taking up lots of space. The MPK Mini Plus expands on the Mini and Mini PLAY in a number of ways, the most obvious being its larger keyboard, fitting in 37 mini keys to their 25. But it’s also a much more expansive controller, with a bunch more ports and its own onboard sequencer making it capable of standalone MIDI and CV triggering as well as working with computer-based software. So what’s new?Yes, the MPK Mini Plus is a class-compliant, USB-MIDI keyboard. This means that instead of creating sound on its own, it will send MIDI messages to the software on your computer to generate sound and control your music production software.

The transport controls will send midi messages to your DAW to control the Stop, Play and Record functions.The sample or kit will populate the pads and can be triggered from the MPK's pads. The MPK's hardware Preset 1 is already mapped to Pad Bank A in MPC Beats. Just press and hold down the Prog Select Button and press Pad 1. There is only one bank of 8 q-link knobs. In the software there are 16 q link knobs. How are you supposed to "seamlessly" control knobs 9-16 with only one bank of 8 knobs from the controller without having to reconfigure every time? If you plan to play some Chopin this is not the keybed for you. You will want something that closer resembles a piano. But you need more than 37 keys for that anyway.