midiplus AKM320 Midi Keyboard Controller

The first thing you are sure to notice about this keyboard is the price. Let's compare this to its closest relative, M-Audio Keystation Mini 32. The ADM320 is almost one third the price! So, what is the catch? What is wrong with this? Nothing! This has heavy duty pitch and mod wheels, not just buttons, so you get better control of those features, and it also has backlit octave and most notably, transpose buttons. Many much more expensive keyboards don't have transpose buttons and it is very useful to have them. Both the octave and transpose buttons work in the usual way and if you press both up and down at the same time, they return to neutral(and the backlights go off). There is also a useful volume slider that works very smoothly(do I have to tell you to be sure to keep the slider all the way to the right, which is maximum volume? Well, for those new to this, do it. You only move it to the left, which is lower volume, for effect). The volume slider can also be assigned to other tasks, such as pan, if you use "midi learn" mode in your software. It also has an input for a sustain pedal, surprising on such a small keyboard. One big difference between this and the M-Audio is that this cannot be programmed for different velocity curves and so forth. But the velocity curve it comes with is just fine. The fit, finish, and overall quality are absolutely first class. It comes with a heavy duty six foot USB cable( USB A to USB type B) and an instruction booklet which is very basic since there isn't much you have to learn about this keyboard. But the instructions do a good job of explaining everything for beginners. Comparing the size of this to the M-Audio, the white keys are a half inch longer than the M-Audio. Aside from the keys being a bit longer, the feel is close to the M-Audio, which is rather springy(my preference is less springy). Yes, you really get your money's worth with this! I am extremely impressed with this, especially the price. There is no reason not to choose this if you want a mini midi keyboard with a 32 key range. It also comes in an attractive sturdy box to keep it in. Before I bought this, I found a great demonstration on Youtube. It isn't in English(it is in Portuguese) but he does a great job putting it through its paces and it is easy to understand, so you can see it functions just as I have described.

I'm reviewing this as a not very experienced pianist. But for it's size and price it's fantastic. Especially when paired with a high quality virtual instrument such as the acoustic grand piano in Logic. Sensitivity and responsiveness is good. Works well with a sustain pedal. The only drawbacks are associated with the size (fingers don't quite fit between the black keys, and another octave would be nice). But it's great for portability. Even fits nicely in a carry on bag or maybe your laptop bag for travel.

===UPDATE AFTER RECEIVING REPLACEMENT=== I was able to return the keyboard and get a replacement within the span of about three days, which was excellent. The new keyboard has not presented any durability issues, and serves my purposes very well (as described below). I have not yet attempted to travel with it again, but hopefully the key breaking off was an anomaly and I should be able to pack it in carry-ons in the future without any trouble. I've bumped up my review from 2 stars to 4 stars to reflect my satisfaction with the replacement product rather than the original. ===ORIGINAL REVIEW=== This keyboard seemed like the perfect product for me. I wanted a small, portable USB MIDI keyboard with basic functions (pitchbend and modwheel, octave selection, transposition, sustain pedal input) and no other frills, which was affordably priced and that I could easily travel with to record ideas on the road or to use while finishing tracks in Logic. I was also interested in a small keyboard that I could easily set up next to my drum set, so that I could use it to play occasional keyboard parts with one hand while drumming. The keyboard was half the price of most competitive options, and for the first few days upon arrival I was thrilled with it. The keys are a bit stiff at first but loosen up within the first hour of play, and overall it was serving my needs spectacularly. Shortly after it arrived, I departed for a period of extended travel and packed the keyboard in one of my bags (I was traveling by bus and train for a two week period). Within five days, however, one of the keys broke off. It happened on one of the days when I was not traveling, and I hadn't been using it intensely or heavily, so I really am not sure how to explain it except that the quality of the plastic is just not very high. I guess you get what you pay for; perhaps a more expensive keyboard of the same size would be a bit sturdier. But I was really enjoying the keyboard otherwise so I'm dismayed to have had to review it poorly. Once my travel concluded I was able to send the product in for replacement; I'm hoping that it turns out to be an anomalous product defect and perhaps the replacement keyboard will have a sturdier build. I really like this keyboard as a simple, functional solution to my compact MIDI keyboard needs, so I'd love to bump this review up higher if the replacement turns out to be in good shape.

I bought some crazy other MIDI keyboard but I was surprised with the lack of keys really irritating me. It left me to giving it away and going back to this keyboard. This might show how much love I truly have for this keyboard. It's really cheap and of course not super high quality, but enough to make it passable. Works well once it's plugged in, has very easy to understand octave controls, paired with pitch and modulation / volume buttons. Some small buttons to work with, but good for a beginner because you don't really want a lot to overwhelm you: as a beginner, you are much better off with learning how to record basic chords or melodies on FL Studio or whatever such you use, and you don't need any crazy buttons for that really. With a decent number of keys, but small enough to make it at least semi-portable, it works well for home use, though personally I think the quality would make it questionable for portability. I would recommend this to anyone starting off with FL Studio or just wanting a really cheap midi keyboard for melodies and such. Despite being 2 years in making music, I've still been using this keyboard and I wouldn't change that for a second.

When you're starting down a new career path, you usually have to start with cheap alternatives and upgrade. When I started in Construction, for instance, all I could afford was a Royobi tool set. As I worked, I replaced with higher end, more professional gear, such as Milwaukee and Makita. I still have and use the Royobi gear at home, but the Pro gear is for work. The same goes for any profession. So, the first plus is the affordability. I'm just starting out and I have no money. So, this is an excellent investment that does its job just fine. You bet your boots in winter that I'll be keeping this one around long after I upgrade. The next plus is the portability. I can put this thing in my pack with the laptop and take them with me on a hike or camping trip and bust out a piece whenever the mood hits. It's small enough to fit in a daypack for when I'm just spending a few hours on a hike, and light enough for month-long expeditions. Another plus is the simplicity. As attractive as the higher end keyboards are(I have my eye on a Korg and an Arturia), they usually have too many controls that complicate learning. I'll start with this, and, when I'm ready, I'll move on to an Akai MPK Mini before diving in to the "deep end of the pool". The cons: First is the low overall quality of the product. I can feel the differences in weight between the keys and the sensitivity is not very consistent. Another con is that it can take some doing to get it to work with certain programs; LMMS for example. Summary: I recommend this product for sure. Top notch for someone just getting started like myself; but if you can afford better, go for it.

Excellent keyboard for the price. The keyboard has really two flaws. The first is that it's quite a small amount of small keys, and you'll find yourself getting right in the mood and run off the keyboard. Big hands beware. You'll have to get used to switching the pitch real quick. The other is that it has maybe five velocity settings: almost silent, quiet, medium, loud, and very loud. Not so much in between. Despite these flaws, the keyboard is always responsive, never missing a note. The keys work well enough for you to go in and tweak the velocity later in your DAW of choice. The controls on the board work very well, though the pitch is the only key that isn't tweak-able in every DAW I've used without third party software. When I'm interested in recording a beat this thing is my daily driver. It's super light weight and easy to move around my workstation. Plug in play functionality is excellent and it's very compatible with almost every plugin I've thrown at it. If you want a keyboard to get started with audio engineering and music production, I'd highly recommend this at an entry level, but if you're more experienced, you may want more keys and dials. For the price this is a pretty great deal either way and it's hard to pass up.

I will give this 5 stars as I have had it for over a month and have not been able to get it to work with my software. I am a DJ that goes back to the late 80's. Now everything is digital and MIDI controlled. I have just not have had the time to play with it. Unit is great if all you need is a couple octaves for creating your own music. After 25 years of DJ'ing and the transtions from Vinyl to MP3 And all of that. I am sure this unit works great. If it does not, it was because it was a DUD. I have talked to many DJ"s and if you are not a "Name ****) then having a mixed set it just fine. IF thre is an issue, I will add to this. But it is a USB Keyboard, and of course tried to hook it into A windows station, and never spent that much time finding out why I could not get it to work with my NI MASCHINE. From what the DJ's have told me is that you can get the 100$ plus one from them or you can get this one and save yourself a TON of money. And I have seem many in action. I will probably go with a high end MAC to run all this stuff since I use Traktor, Maschine, and windows Loves to give you the Blue Frowny face (now) of stupidity. Not the users, just that certain companies don't know what they are doing. If you you any questions, feel free to ask. w w w (dot) slyfoxmusic (dot) com.

I discovered this works only if I open and use it the GarageBand software on my Macbook, which I had never used before. I had to bring the device in for tech support, because I could not figure out how to get it to play. A regular piano is better, of course, but this is an acceptable substitute to pick songs apart into notes. The keyboard is lightweight, so it is very portable, and the sound is true, so I am satisfied with the device. It's actually perfectly in tune with the piano lesson guy on GarageBand because we both played Middle C together!