As you all know I’m fully in the box these days, but now I’m in a band and I’ve gone back to Ableton, just for how easy it is to build and arrange tracks quickly and without fucking around.
To make things a little easier, I’m after a little midi keyboard. I’ve whittled it down to a few options, but I really can’t be arsed to try to figure out which one is the least shit, especially not with all yous and your fucking opinions just hanging around doing fuck all.
I’m mostly looking at:
Akai MPK Mini mkiii
Arturia Minilab 3
Novation launch key Mini 25 mk4
But I’m happy for you to recommend others, as long as they’re of the same sort of class (25 keys, small as fuck, at least 6 knobs, pads would be nice).
And don’t go recommending shit without keyboards, cos I’ll probably end up getting something that’s all knobs and sliders at some point to take care of all that sort of shit, but right now I want a tiny little keyboard that I can gig with and that won’t break when I touch it.
Trade squishy MPE for knobs? The Seaboard Block M is super portable, has a rechargeable battery and usb, bluetooth and trs midi. I think it’s the only thing that has all those things out there which is mad. And the squishy thing is fun but a nightmare if playing normal piano type stuff.
I’ve tried both of these, and the one that stuck around is the Launchkey mini 37 mk4.
25 was nice and compact but a few extra keys on the 37 made a big difference for me.
Also the keys don’t feel good, BUT I’ve got big hands so playing mini keys feels like cheating sometimes.
The chord and scale stuff built in is very handy.
I don’t like the knobs. They’re tight and small.
I’ll add, they’re both customizable as heck.
And the Arturia Minilab’s keys and faders felt better. Just the Launchkey is nearly the exact same depth as my Syntakt so they fit side by side perfectly.
SYNTAKT KEYS.
I’d go with a launchkey over anything else, had the mini 37 for a bit then upgraded to the 49 key cos I wanted the better semi weighted keybed, the integration and new chord/arp/step sequencer modes are great as mentioned above and now there’s the new launch control you’ll be covered for knobs and sliders down the line…
I’ve owned two of the Akais and ditched them pretty quick. Arturia mini keys tend to be pretty decent. My Keystep Pros got lots of mileage. The MiniFreak has great keys.
Unless you are using Arturia plugins a lot, Launchkey for Ableton is a better option. Launchkey has worse keys but way better integration with Ableton and extra controls (pad functions, arpeggiator, chords, etc.). Even just having separate transport controls makes a huge difference.
ive had a keystep pro for a few years, and ive enjoyed my time with it! it might be a bit bigger than you’re after tho.
It feels quite feature rich, and im still learning new things about it. However, i dont spend a ton of time with it, so your millage may vary! also the eurorack connectivity was a big selling point for me
Akai definitely has the best knob value. Haven’t used their keys but for midi knobs I always have a midimix on the desk. Lots of perfectly decent knobs for the price. A keystep/midimix combo is a solid combo for the money.
