looking for a small midi keyboard – Hardware (Instruments and Effects) Forum

Depends what you’re comparing it to. Other keyboards in the range? Pads vs keys? Novation Launchkey & AKAI MPK Mini are 2 very similar comparable options and each has their own pros and cons, and there are others too.

I will say that each one has something going for it the other doesn’t. The Launchkey Mini (I have mk3) isn’t the best in terms of key feel. Overall design is good, Ableton control excellent and it has decent pads. The arp is really good too. Arturia meantime doesn’t have a super amazing arp, but it does have both knobs and faders, which are also mapped very nicely in Ableton.

Overall, the hardware of the Minilab is better and the keys are a lot better. Thing is – the pads aren’t as good as the ones on the Novation, and you get 8 instead of the 16 on the Novation. That comes in handy if you’re controlling Ableton sessions with it.

MPK Mini apparently has nice MPC style pads, but the DAW control is limited. I haven’t tried that one personally so I couldn’t comment any more than that.