Akai MPK Mini VS MPK Mini Plus - The RIGHT Choice!

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This is a comparison between the Akai MPK Mini MK3 and the Akai MPK Mini Plus mini MIDI keyboards. I compare all the features, the keys, pads, knobs, DAW compatibility, sequencer, arp, and chord features. Everything you want to know about the MPK Mini and the MPK Plus keyboards that will help you decide which one is right for you.

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[karthikks]

I bought a Mini mk3 during May last year, and once the Plus got announced in Oct, I immediately ordered it on Amazon and even waited for a month to finally get it in my hands. I later sold Mini mk3 and now a proud and a happy owner of the Plus :)

[benirodriguez]

My take for Keyboards is.. if you're going to travel by flight, the MPK Mini fits in a backpack, so it's easier to travel with. However, if traveling by car, say to the cabin, another city, or to a friend's house, the Plus might be preferred. And if you ain't gonna travel.. the space you have and your playing skills decide what you should go for... 49, 61, or 88. (88 is overkill if you can't play the piano, and/or have no interest in learning it.)

[PatrickFungsca]

drumpads and keybed are BOTH important to me - can't live without one of these

[SanjayC]

⬇ Links to all keyboards ⬇
Other keyboards I recommend:

[bicrome]

As a pianist, key feel is a must.
I have the oxigen pro 25, wich I put on top of my 88 weighted keys digital piano, so I can have good keys with pitch, mod, knobs and pads.

[MikeJamesGuerard]

I have the MPK Mini MKIII - it still use an MPK 49 - lately I enjoy using the MPC Beats DAW, but Pro-Tools is my go to. I'm not a fan of Ableton, but I have started using Reaper, and I'm very impressed. You should do an episode on Reaper.

[DrunkDuckXD]

Sequencer is a selling point for me. Im really just getting this to learn Reaper and make lofi beats for fun. Its important for me to just "riff" before I lay down a track

[patsipes]

Good morning Sanjay. Very comprehensive review of the 2 keyboards. Great job as usual.

[greasewhite]

We are feeling you down here in San Antonio Texas Sanjay C I use my MPK mini plus with studio one and it's been awesome

[MatthewHarrold]

I just carved an 88 note keyboard out of a 42mm * 19mm piece of scrap wood out of boredom and even went the extra mile and painted the keys white and black. It came out at exactly 585mm in length, and took about 6 hours, using a custom 3mm chisel to clean out between the black keys. For extra fun, I started making a KX88 model body to put the key-bed into, but my blind 14 year old Australian Kelpie got startled by the unannounced arrival of a delivery driver who came up our steep driveway in a hybrid minivan. Nevertheless I wish I had used oak instead of pine because he managed to do some serious damage to the lowest B note, and after some meditation, I seriously questioned the original motivation for such a mathematically challenging task (10mm per white key, 6.5mm per black key), nothing moves, nothing works, it's just a sculpture ruined by Winston the dog. $0.02

[ROQSTAR]

Great review! Mini plus is really nice.
Traditional wheels are a must for orchestral automation.

[JEtienneMusic]

Sanjay thank you man for all the wonderful comparisons and in depth reviews. If I'm ever in a position to upgrade then I always come back to videos I've already watched of yours before adding to shopping cart ❤️

[jamesangell]

I bought the MPK Mini MKIII - Black Edition and only really wanted it to give me some work flow back as I binned my old Midi Keyboard over a year ago. I’ve not opened it yet as it came yesterday but I’m debating sending it back brand new and getting the plus now 😅

[baltimega]

You can set up transport control on the mini putting thr pads in cc mode and mapping it do whatever daw you're using. You have two banks of pads to use for ccs

[Zeisslermusic]

Many years ago, I bought an AKAI Mini and still use it today. I just bought an Ipad M2 and now I can connect my keyboard directly to the ipad. Before I had to use a usb hub for power. But no more today. Perfect for taking it to the beach or the forest. I love it..Regards Thomas

[RedshiftDougal]

A thank you to Sanjay C for this and a few other videos on the pros and cons of the models on the market in 2023. Balanced, objective and BS-free content is hard to find, so good on you for making it. As of today, I'm the very happy owner of an Akai MPK Mini Plus. Thanks to your pointers, there were no surprises when I opened the box and set it up.

[jamesfindice]

I'm pretty sold on the plus as it has the sequencer and transport buttons. I love dawless jams and am building a new setup again. I can sequence a synth and a drum machine as well as play another with the keys/arp. Oh yeah and the bonus keys and mod wheels are a huge plus! Minus for not being able to store sequences. I'd love a keystep with some assignable knobs/encoders. Although i could always get like a Korg nanocontrol/nanopad to complement.

In the end i just might get a mpk mini and a MPC ONE :D

[nickmack]

Cheers Sanjay! One big thing to add is that you can assign the drum pads to DAW transport buttons. This is perfect for me because I want something as small as possible for travelling, but never do any finger drumming

[boonong]

This plus look very good, I got the mini right before the release of the Plus. Having more keys are way better, thank for sharing, I stay with what I have until it give up =)

[djsunnysideup]

drum pad feel for me is more important because I am not really a piano player, but love sampling and making rhythm sections.