The Akai Mpk49 is a 49-key Midi controller keyboard for use with Daw applications such as Cubase, Reason, Logic and Live. It does not furnish any sounds of it's own; instead it controls software synthesizers or other hardware devices that can accept a Midi input.
Various manuals are in case,granted in Pdf format on the premise Cd. Also included are preset editor and librarian applications and a link to a special edition of Ableton Live Lite. Overall, it is a ample package and I doubt anyone will be disappointed with the included extras. The keyboard features 12 Mpc-style pads (useful for triggering drum sounds) 8 sliders, 8 rotary encoders, transport controls and numerous other buttons. The ample layout is intelligently designed and all things is clearly labelled. The Mpk49 will happily be powered over Usb, any way an elective power furnish is ready should you prefer that way of doing things. The unit measures 730 x 300 x 100mm and, for me at least, looks the business.
Rotary Encoder
In use, the Mpk49 proves to be very capable. The full-size keys are semi-weighted and have a very nice action. All of the other controls, along with the chunky pitch-bend and modulation wheels, feel very solid and should withstand being tugged and twisted for many years. The display features a blue back light and is nice and easy to read. A nice aesthetic touch is that the pitch-bend and modulation wheels are illuminated yellow when the unit is powered on.
30 preset slots are available, the first 16 of which include templates for favorite Daw software packages along with Ableton Live, Reason, Sonar and Cubase. All presets can be edited and saved by the user. The faders, buttons and rotary encoders have one of three ready control banks assignable to them, which means that each set of 8 controls becomes 24. This results in an awful lot of controllability!
The keyboard and 12 percussion pads forward velocity and aftertouch data as well as the usual note on information. In addition, the sensitivity of the percussion pads is adjustable, so you can fine-tune the set-up agreeing to how aggressive you are when banging out rhythms. In a similar fashion to the controls, the pads have four banks available, meaning they can trigger up to 48 sounds. Other beat-based functions include a Tap Tempo button and a Note Repeat function, for rolls and dance-style builds. For melodic lines an arpeggiator is included, with Up, Down, Inclusive, Exclusive, Random and Chord modes. The arperggiator has proved to be a great source of inspiration for me and I suggest anyone purchasing an Mpk49 to experiment with it.
All of these positives make the Mpk49 a sensible decision for anyone in the shop for a Midi controller. anyone that cuts down on mouse usage is very welcome, and this keyboard is well bristling with controllers that do just that.
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Akai Mpk49 performance Controllerabsolute rotary encoder