Good review,l. Let me brief my experience too. I’ve tried almost every piece of keyboard mentioned, and turned out to keep only a keystep 37 and nanokey studio. For what I love keystep 37 is its sequencer capability and the premium keybed with aftertouch. 37 version is really a good balance between 32 and pro version. Nanokey Studio no doublt is the most portable keyboard, and the functions like chord, scale, arp, scene are really usable! Besides both, I also have a 61 sl mk2 to be the main keyboard and push2 as the main controller. I haven’t tried Oxygen pro mini yet but I think it worth a try given the versatile functions and you know what, the ‘wheels’ :)
I recently purchased a new laptop and the plug-in Keyscape. Your videos on so many different midi controllers and keyboards have been super informative and helpful. Thanks so much for everything!
This one came right on time! I’m getting ready to buy a mini for travel and this helped me lock in my pick. I’m going with your silver medal…thanks for all that you’re doing bro!! Now gone head and hook them up to your iPhone for me!! 😁😁😁
Just ordered the m-audio oxygen pro mini! so stoked. I went to guitar center to actually feel the different keyboards for myself ( I HIGHLY recommend doing so) even though he rated the arturia minilab 2nd place for keyboard feel, it was personally my least favorite with the action being too light for my taste. They were back ordered on the m audio oxygen pro mini at GC so I decided to just order it online, I'm glad to hear that the action is a lot like the akai because I really liked the feel of the akai keys and the pads on it too but ultimately prefer the control capacity on the m-audio and 32 keys, plus I use protools and everyone's saying it works well right out the box. Anyway, big thanks for this review man!
please do comparison launchkey mini mk3 vs. oxygen pro mini one on one !! this is the only video on youtube yet that even has these two sharing screentime..
I am in LOVE in the Akai MPK Mini keybed. I am a pianist at heart and I have a MAudio Hammer88 but there's a little something on the Akai I can't figure out that makes me want to just mess with it even without sound. Weirdly, I hate all the keybeds on other Akais. The Komplete is way to clicky and plasticky for me.
Hey man this isn't a question about mini controllers, but what 61 key midi would you recommend that has the quietest and weighted keys. I want a midi controller over a digital piano, but all midi's I've seen online are noisy. I'm looking to start producing on a midi while still have a decent keyboard to listen to while I play not just through the recording on the program. Keep up the helpful content man and thank you!
This video came too late for me lol, I have an M32, an AKAI Mini Play (almost like the one in the video but it can be played without a DAW), and an LPK25. Hands down, the M32 has the best feel and, even though I got it second-hand, Native Instruments was able to give me the software package at no cost and has been willing to refund me the software that I didn’t have to buy but ended up buying anyway 😁 The Mini Play is still my favorite to play on since I’m using a USB hub to combine the DAWless with the DAW-only portion of my setup and I can easily play with or without plugging it all into my computer. Plus, the Mini Play feels much better than the almost 20 year old Casio CTK-593 I have out in my living room. The mushiness of the LPK25 speaks for itself, but I kept it in my setup since I can play a monophonic VST pretty easily with it.
Sadly there are not many mini-keyboards made specially for hardware synths except for the KeySteps and the Behringer SWING, I'm pretty interested in the LaunchKey Mini and the Oxygen Pro Mini, tho, these seem to be made with some hardware controlling in mind since they have MIDI out (and pretty good arpeggiators and CC capabilities), the only problem is that the MIDI jack is 3.5mm and they don't have MIDI in.
Here are the ones in today's line up. Prices Fluctuate online...so some of the prices I mentioned in the video may be different depending on when you are watching this M-Audio Keystation Mini 32: amzn.to/2Yf4zyv Akai Lpk25: amzn.to/3kSAoG2 Alesis V-mini: amzn.to/3B2OUAE Arturia Microlab: amzn.to/3CZV599 Novation Launchkey Mini Mk3: amzn.to/3AYyole Arturia MiniLab MKii: amzn.to/3usI9FF Akai MPK Mini MK3: amzn.to/3kTWUOQ M-Audio Oxygen Pro Mini: amzn.to/3ASIpjP Donner DMK 25: amzn.to/3imzXlE Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol M32: amzn.to/2WqJIaE Arturia Keystep 32: amzn.to/3B1OnPp Arturia Keystep Pro: amzn.to/3usI9FF
Would have been nice for a comparison of which one integrates best with each respective daw. I got an m32 and was really disappointed with how it integrated with Logic with regard to having to map controls and it not having good functionality with stock instruments. The launchkey mini is a different story
I’m personally going with the Oxygen Pro Mini over the M32 just due to the size. The M32 can definitely fit in some larger backpacks but a lot of people will find that it doesn’t fit in the one they own. I think the M32 would be perfect if they just placed the mod wheels on the top instead of the side of the keybed.
Awesome video! Do you have a favorite for someone just starting their music production journey? Thinking about pulling the trigger on the Oxygen Pro Mini, wondering if it might be to much for a newbie though. Thanks 🤙🏼
What midi keyboard is good for iPhone XR and garage band app. I don’t have a computer and would like to Control the keys from garage band app on I phone through a midi controller
Dear John Mike in your ranking you have not included MIDIPLUS AKM322 that you reviewed some time ago. Doesn't it fit into any of the 5 categories? Thank you
@@Johnmike what do you think about the nectar panorama t4/t6? I remember when you did a comparison and you seem to suggest that that one was one of your favorites
M32 your fave? I've found the velocity is very.... weird on that one. You have to bang on the keys for the notes to be heard, just about... there's definitely a velocity curve issue with that, that I wish NI would address. I would say the best feel and response out of all of these: Minilab MK2. And also pretty configurable! Really love that one.
@@Johnmike Nope, it's been talked about a lot on the NI forums and Reddit, too. Something's weird with it. I have a ton of these tiny midi controllers, too... definitely wouldn't go to the M32 most of the time, but the Komplete Kontrol integration is nice.
@@DopamineOverload interesting….I’ve had mines since like 2018…love this thing…I guess to each it’s on and everybody’s expectations and experience will be different
@@Johnmike True. Well, glad you have great response with yours, haha. I'll look into it more. Maybe I can send mine in to exchange with NI even though I got it around the same time.
That's true. I bought M32 recently and that's the first thing I noticed after playing weighted keys for a long time. But I think they made this on purpose, maybe to have a better control when playing drums. The reason I think so is that in their own Kontakt piano lib Grandeur they have a premade velocity curve preset named Komplete Kontrol which looks like a logarithm function. I guess it's designed specifically for KK keyboards to address velocity issue or peculiarity so to speak. With that velocity preset you can play piano and have expected response from your kb. Anyway this keyboard is not for playing piano. It's great for playing synth lines though
