All user reviews of 4/5 for the Akai Professional MPK49

MIDI / USB comprehensive enabling me with these knobs, faders, pads and buttons to control my VST and my expendeur hardware keyboard.

UTILIZATION

Key Semi-loud with velocity which is perfect for my use.
MIDI is fully paramétrablable: MIDI Channel, Banks, MIDI CC and CP.
You can record multiple user configuration internally.

OVERALL OPINION

For 3-4 years in my home studio.
As for the live against it is difficult, it is very heavy and bulky.
At first I used it to control all my DAW, I mainteant other hadware Machine Controller and therefore the knobs part fader MPK serves me.
I would advise a more APC40 duo + single MIDI keyboard. The MPK is a very good choice to start.

Akai is know for quality, so this has 49 keys, on left side comes with pitch bend and modulation wheel which are very smooth and comfortable to use. You have 12 pads and modifiers for the pads which is usually used for sampling drums and sound loops, pads are very solid and if you have used any other Akai pads you know their well made. In the middle of the board you have the LCD screen which is clear to see, below you have buttons and knobs to adjust the Octaves tap tempo and setup the sound. On the right side you have 8 faders and 8 knobs to control different effects/parts of your DAW which can be all set up to your needs. This is a USB controller which makes it very easy to plug and play, it can be used for MAC and PC it includes Avid Pro Tools Express which i don't use

UTILIZATION

The basic part of it is the plug in and play keyboard with your DAW, it gets more confusing trying to connect the pads with sounds you need especially if you never used a MPC or MPD pad before, filters and knobs are easy and conformable to use, the selection is understandable and quick to process, this board is my secondary board currently because i found the pads to be uncomfortable over the top of keys, i bought a MPD32 to use for pads and i use a basic midi keyboard all my sounds are form the DAW plugins. The manual is Clear and easy to follow, the keys are good amount of soft i enjoyed them. Overall for a newb the setup might be confusing at first which you have to learn all the parts of it but after some hours you will understand all of it.

OVERALL OPINION

The price is great considering how much this board has to bring, i think personally its too much on a keyboard i like to have things separate like my pads controllers other keyboards but i did really like the Faders and the feel of the keyboard, i downgraded to a basic M audio 25 key and i bought the MPD 32 separately this feels better for me but i still keep the MPK49 for live use, I can had all my patches and settings set in one keyboard that makes it great, so the quality is very high I'm a big fan of Akai products but at the same time i like to keep it simple.

A forum where I am often, global features. Journals. Returns users. And also because it is the Akai!

For features, I invite you to visit the site or Akai is detailed. In short: keyboard 49 key semi weighted, pads, faders, knobs, etc. ...

UTILIZATION

To be quite honest I had a M-Audio Axiom 25 before. According to which some say is not a good hit. The Akai he did not suffer from these remarks. But in my case, I preferred the feel of the M-Audio. I tried meantime other piano keyboard with touch, etc. .. And by the way, I realized that for me, the touch synth is perfect for me. Really, I do not want touched Piano.

For configuration so it is very simple, Sysex is very well done. And patches preconfigured operating properly.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for a little over a year. I had an M-Audio Axiom 25 before and before that, I had a Yamaha PSS51 .... lol

What I like most: the quality of the keyboard. His breathing strength. Functions, the faders. The touch is good, I'm done. But bizzarement, I say I prefer the touch keyboard (or at least unballasted if mildly).

What I like least are the pads that are not those of MPC (I had an MPC 2000). However, it should be noted that they are quite usable.

Regarding the choice, yes I referrais this choice! Because this keyboard is not disappointing!

Characteristics that motivated my choice were the 49-key, that are semi-weighted ,also the semi-weighted keyboard with aftertouch and full-sized keys.
The connection type is MIDI.


UTILIZATION

The general configuration of the soft is quite fast and easy.
The manual provided by it is okay, however I would search for some more info on the net for more knowledge regarding the keyboard and its features.


OVERALL OPINION

Let me start by saying what I don't really like about it, I don't feel comfortable with the position of the LCD display, and where the pads are positions, however I do like their feeling and I gotta give some credit for its control and quality.
However what I really like are MMC/MIDI Start Stop transport buttons, and I really love the pads, those 12 pads and the way they feel, they also have velocity and pressure sensitivity which are really great for building nice 16th drum patters and weird velocity changes.
Also a fancy feature is MPC note repeat and all-new arpeggiator and 8 full-sized, 360 degree rotation pots, each with 3 banks for 24 pots total, which make a huge difference as well.
I gotta admit that the price is pretty high, it costs around 350$, having said that if you want a more complex type of midi controller and you have the money, you should give it a try.
It's compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Mac OS X.

If you would like a similar midi controller ( maybe better) you should check M-audio Axiom 49 2nd Gen, there is a slight difference in price, however both of them have pretty decent sound quality and control.

Knowing what I know, I don't think I would buy this controller just because I could buy something cheaper and still have the same controls, the arrpegiator is a unique feature provided by Akai, so think about it.

The technical specifications that motivated my choice: A full keyboard! Pads, track faders and buttons weapons associated with arpgiateur fct. Latch ditable by the time division and other parameters. internal note repeat for pads, full level, Levels for 12 pads, knobs with 3 banks, 4 banks for the pads, the LCD for user-friendly modular pitch and speed, and transport keys recess.
Connectors MIDI IN / OUT pity there is no THROUGH.

UTILIZATION

The key is trs enjoyable compared to other brands that produce these keyboards in the same order of price, the inking is heavy and well balanced level VLOC big snag I t return a victim of SAV, the key FA says only works intermittently and had a big problem for the new VLOC artabli shooting.
The touch pads, for against, has nothing to do with an MPC or MPD worthy of the name, touch is hard and it's hard to do by hand, especially at the most VLOC to play, kind of kick bounces, there are SETTING THE sense and threshold, but it remains all the same bad compared to the style of legendary MPC, too bad.
Conf. gnrale is quite simple via the LCD which is quite large and we easily accde gnralement paramtrage Midi channels, edit (especially for arpgiateur) etc ...
The manual is certainly clear, it indicates paramtrages and every indicator, but it is far from being complete! This is a Quick Start Guide and instructions complte is available on the net, but in English, I am not a drang, but I put myself in place of those who do matrise not English, and qute is the forums, too bad.

OVERALL OPINION

So I use it for 2 weeks now:
The pros: full-keyboard trs (arpgiateur, FUNCTION MPC pads with the layers, fader etc ...).
The quality-irrprochable.
The VAS-I did test and it is trsractif.
Akai-lite provides LIVE, we will not spit in the soup!

The -: -1 return SAV bote out of the FA say second octave key HS
-Pads too hard or poorly Designed, nothing to do with an MPC.
External-Alim absent but provided the now, I bought a transformer. Conrad SAVE for a full function USB and MIDI via my card Ext.

I tried a novation remotesl 49, trs good keyboard with automap technology, but I turned on live and everything is easily assignable, so ... I would say that is its main competitor for the M-AUDIO AXIOM's not like an ordinary toy, trs cheap ... Months but expensive lol, normal.
The report price is good quality, is not only touch the keyboard, its weight, its housing, the quality of the knobs and faders, touch keyboard, it is a keyboard prsence of choice.
With exprience, I do not regret my choice, despite my return SAV, I just wish the touch pad, but I myself will wear srement, note that the pads NOVATION remoteSL 49 are much better, but this keyboard does not have faders, or arpgiateur let alone Fct. Note pads etc ... repeat

+ +

What characteristics have motivated your choice?

The complete: 49 Keys heavy, faders, buttons, knobs endless pads, a transport bar, all in one keyboard, rather compact.

What connector (MIDI pedals ...)?

The connectivity is provided, we will find something to connect two pedals, the midi in and out and what to put a transformer ...

UTILIZATION

The touch keyboard is it nice?

The touch keyboard seems nice but I do not play the piano, at least it suits me perfectly.

The general configuration is simple?
The selection of MIDI channels, patches is easy?

Very simple, pre-recorded presets work immediately in Reason, nothing to do.
There are no banks 50 000, everything is accessible directly on the keyboard by touch ...

The manual is clear and sufficient?

The manual is simple, so clear.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for one month, I hesitate between this model and the model similar to Korg, bigger, more expensive. I removed the other after playing a test in Keyboard ...

I would do this choice at the moment, because at the price I got it (sales) it is surely hard to find better.

What I like most is the pads, I had never had and it's very useful even if the maximum velocity is quite hard to get ... But the full option level can reflect on it afterwards.

I think the value for money is good, it looks sturdy, works great and has the basic functions. Certainly there are not tons but for me who does that software is more than enough.

I had before buying this keyboard a MPD32 with the build quality impressed me so I jumped on the MPK49 soon as I had a little money.

Before that I had a mini keyboard travel M-Audio Axiom, a big shit unbearable to use, limited and soulless, like nearly all M-Audio products that I could try (always problems drivers , mac, which is a shame anyway!). So when I owed choose between MPK49 and Axiom Pro 49, seen my previous disastrous experience with M-Audio I have chosen the MPK49.

It is plugged directly into my computer and powered by USB, no problem to see that side.

UTILIZATION

The touch keyboard is super nice, semi-weighted quite heavy, but it is a matter of taste.
For cons the pads are really there to make nice. Unless it off velocity are downright useless, and far from the quality of the pads of a MPD. In terms of sliders and knobs, it's perfect for cons, fluid and solid.

Manuel perfectly clear, no problems on that side.

The general configuration is rather simple once you've figured out how to get there, but this lack of clarity-of "user-friendliness."

Channel selection is very simple: once again we read in the manual (it does not jump clear in the eyes for those who discover the mode of operation common to all Akai products in which rule by a button that everything.

For the patches can not be made simpler, but the beast is unpatched for Logic or Ableton default, it will create them yourself (quite easy with the patch editor Vyzex).


OVERALL OPINION

I have been using 4-5 months, am more or less happy. Very disappointed by the pads which are used to clearly nothing in the state, and the boat as I experienced in trying to get everything working with Logic. The two are clearly not meant to work together, we will use the elbow grease to use the keyboard to its full potential with Logic. Synchronization between MIDI arpeggiator, assigning all the buttons and sliders, this keyboard give me a good headache. And when I reinstall my computer due, I owed it all over again!

In short, a better integration with Logic is not asking too much for a keyboard of this price.
I never tried with other programs for which the keyboard patches pre-recorded as Sonar and Cubase, Ableton Live, but it was not really better, for the cons Reason recognizes and takes care of itself rather well.

Did you try many other models before getting this one?

I owned an M-Audio keyboard low range of drivers who had to be crappy, and M-Audio sound card drivers with worse, so I spent my path in front of the Pro 49, Axiom in a very bad experience with the brand. And I tried other keyboards in store for touch, I have chosen the akai.

What thing do you like most/least about it?

+
Built like a tank, this keyboard is heavy and feels like to survive a lifetime of abuse on the road, then the sensitive semi-weighted heavy suits me perfectly.

-
Pads useless crap in the state, complicated to set up and run with Logic.

Good value for money rather seen the amazing quality of finish, this keyboard weighs a ton, and clearly do not plastic made in china. Not easy to adjust, very little "user-friendly.

Overall Rating 7 / 10