Is it responsive? Yes and no. The keys are great but the drum pads are stiff and you really gottta pound them, which is infamously common with Akai devices. It can be upgraded to more sensitive pads. Does it sound realistic? This is a MIDI controller, so thats like asking if a ventriloquist dummy sounds like the guy making it talk. It sounds as realistic or indane or cool or lame as the module, synth, whatever you gave it plugged into. It is portable? Well...its compact, so its not cumbersome to lug around, but it doesnt accept batteries and it heeds a brain to make it work. So again, these are not the right questions to ask about a midi controller. Bottom line: I got this cheap because it was used and thefe was more wrong with it than the seller disclosed. It does what I need it to do but not without several managable caveats. If you can get this for less than $100 used then youre in good shape. Its upgradable, somewhat intuitive if you know the ropes and theyre common as they come so theres repair parts out there. It doesnt have a power button or switch, you just plug it in which is pretty lame. I dont think its worth the pruce of one new, but Im very happy with it having ended up paying around $40 for mine because the USB doesnt work and a couple buttons sometimes dont work. Both of these arent big issues since I only use it for MIDI and theres work arounds to use other buttons or knobs i stead of the faulty ones. So find one used and a little beat up that still does everything you need it to, get it for less than $100 and repair/upgrade later. Thats my advice and my review. Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Amazing little MIDI keyboard for the price (I got mine for 150 shipped!) but ya as many users have stated the key pads are not as sensitive at times but are great for people that like touch sensative keys (but for people that want a constant volume when they hit a midi key go ahead and perform the pad upgrade) but not me... keyboard works great with Reason (the cd that comes with it however is a bit outdated and doesnt have the right drivers to make it work of the box with reason 5) but after reading online and overwriting some drivers I got it to works flawlessly. Keyboard has some issue with ACID (delay) but other than that I love it. If you have the money save for the bigger AKAI and get one wityh more keys (you feel limited when after a couple of weeks)
Sturdy. Excellent feel to the keys. Loaded with options such as 30 programmable presets (individual assignment of knobs and buttons). 12 responsive pads with 4 banks making 48 different pad settings. And my favorite, the arpeggiator.
Verified purchase: Yes
It may be several years old, but this thing is as good as new! It's built like a tank. The LED screen is crystal clear and very good quality. The knobs have a "smooth" action that I really like. The pads needed a little extra support, but that's an easy fix; there are dozens of videos on YT that will walk you through the process. Overall, I am very happy with my MPK25. I think this might be one of the best MIDI controllers of its generation. Definitely worth your money :)
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I like that it is a smaller keyboard but can be used to completley control your DAW. I love that it has 4 banks of pads and 2 banks of knobs, making for lots of toggles when using Ableton. I dislike the pad sensitivity, but you can adjust it, as well as use the helpful "full volume mode". With everything so dang expensive these days, this is a great value for $250.
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in Synthesizers
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on Synthesizers