REVIEW: Akai MPD218 vs PreSonus ATOM MIDI pad controllers

Hi! I'm going to compare the Akai Professional MPD218 and PreSonus ATOM in terms of pad sensitivity and ease of playability. For this video I used a drum rack in Ableton Live 10 Suite.

Read my full blog post, with high resolution images:

Test 1: single note triggers
The PreSonus ATOM has very flat, sensitive triggers, but they still don't trigger 100% of the time.

The Akai MPD218 has very chunky, hard pads and with the same pressure, triggers less notes. Both controllers have nice rubberised pads that are pleasant to hit. The Akai MPD218 needs more attack to trigger, which makes it harder to play tight to the beat. I find the PreSonus ATOM triggers with less effort. PreSonus ATOM wins Test 1.

Test 2: triggering two pads very gently at once
The PreSonus ATOM wins by far over the Akai MPD218.

Test 3: fast double-finger triggers
The Akai MPD218 has one or two very sensitive pads, but I find inconsistencies between the pads. While the PreSonus ATOM doesn't trigger 100% of the time, it wins by far over Akai MPD218.

In summary: the PreSonus ATOM is my pick for the best entry-level MIDI pad controller that works with any DAW.

Read my full blog post, with high resolution images:

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[TheQuestforGroove]

This comparison is exactly how I felt when testing the controllers side by side. Also 100% agree with the ranking in the blogpost. With the push 2 and mikro mk3 having even better pads. I would add that the big mk3 and the akai mpc live have even better pads than the mikro.

Thanks for this. Not enough people test out pad controllers this way!

[roy]

THANKS FOR THIS VIDEO EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR . WAS ABOUT TO BUY THE Akai MPD218 WHEN I SAW THIS IN THE RIGHT COLUMN ON YouTube. YOU SAVED ME ALLOT OF TIME MONEY AND FRUSTRATION.

[brobestluck]

Wow awesome i was about to buy the akai but not after this the ATOM looks way more responsive. THANK YOU!

[jazzwah]

Thank you for this demonstration. I actually own an MPC One and was looking for a pad when I came across your video. I ordered the Presonus.

[dbsirius]

I heard that the Akai have a problem of overtightening the screws on their midi pad controllers.
I wonder if this is what causes this issue.

[flipteezy]

every akai beatpad i've owned there's always been a different kind of pressure strike vs my maschine mk2. this presonus atom looks pretty cool though. thanks for showing this.

[jivexero]

Blog post link is dead. But 100% agree. The Presonus atom is miles better. Not to mention that it 1. Has multiple colors besides just red. 2. When a pad is loaded with a sound the pad also lights up indicating that there is a sound actually there. (I'm not sure why the MPD line does not do this. Pads should always light up to indicate there is a sound on it.)

[rocklobstercat]

Does this work with Cubase? Can't seem to find any info on the internet.

[justdope]

This is perfect. Thank you for such a flawless comparison video demonstrating exactly what matters, which is the pad response and sensitivity. I was considering looking at an mpd 218 i found used for cheap, but i'll pass. looks like it has the same issues as a broken down mpd 32 i used to have. Atom also has a lot of built in functionality, particularly for Studio One users, so it wins in almost every way.

[BlazertronGames]

How are they holding up? I'm looking for a durable 4x4 drum pad for around the price of these, that won't break after a couple years. My novation launchpad's usb port ended up going bad really quickly, so I'm a little worried buying cheaper midi stuff. Do you think the atom still holds up nowadays, or are there better options?

[vitalepitts]

I got an Akai APC key25 recently and now i just want a dedicated controller for finger drumming. I'm leaning towards the atom but I really don't need all of it's functionality, are there any super reliable but stripped down midi controllers with the 4x4 pad config? all i really want is note repeat as i like the functionality and workflow i already have

[vatolegato]

In your blog you said the maschine mikro has better pad sensitivity, but how much better? I have the maschine mk3, but am thinking about returning it and getting the atom.

[BOOMBAPXL]

Maybe adjusting the sensitivity of the pads may have helped the MPD??

[ArapBayraminOglu]

So absolutely no ghost notes and inconsistent velocity on the Atom?!
I am throwing away my mpd218 then and getting it. Sick and tired of tweaking modding it without a 100% solution.

[ArapBayraminOglu]

There literally is not one simple, compact, affordable good responsive pad controller on the market. Not one! Maschine mikro mk3 has no/terrible ableton support, the Akai MPD218 has shit responsive pads, the ATOM is a freaking light bulb you can't turn off. How is this going on for so long?!!?!
I purchased the Maschine Mikro MK3 recently solely for use within Ableton Live 10. It seems that there is zero support using it as a generic controller (without maschine 2 software) within Live 10. Unbelievable. Concerning the ATOM I understood that it's impossible to turn off the ridiculous lights on the ATOM (yes also in low dim setting) Is it possible to open up the ATOM get inside it and 'paint' each lightbulb with some sort of paint to dim it. Or even better remove a cable that turns off all the lights but keeps everything working????

[fattigmanskultur]

Can the presonus atom be used with ios?

[popo_perez]

Does the Atom work with any DAW? I'm asking because everywhere I find info about it the only DAW they mention is Studio One. Have you ever tried the Atom with apps like Koala Sampler?

[roblopeese]

Atom encoders are very slow moving, not sure how they are on the Akai, but on the Atom it takes 3 or 4 full wrist turns to crank from 0 to 127. Very hard to use.

[CRCPESCA]

Great vid! Do you know if the atom is compatible with garageband for mac? Thanks!

[TheJoyofFingerDrumming]

Hey, very useful video, thanks! I had an MPD218 and it was as bad as yours. Returned it and got an iRig Pads which is much better. Any idea how the Atom compares to the iRig? I am curious, thanks!