The MPK49 has landed !!

Well, after a very long wait (and an even longer story to explain why), the Akai MPK49 arrived !!

First impressions were that this thing is built like a feckin' tank ! It's by no means light being a shade under 10Kgs !! And it feels equally robust when it's unpacked. Connectivity at the rear is simple and uncluttered, with a standard MIDI IN & OUT as well as the obligatory USB connection. 2x 1/4" jacks are supplied for connecting a sustain & expression pedal. There is a power supply socket, although a power supply isn't provided and finally there is a Kensington Lock socket for added security, although given the weight of the MPK49, the thief won't be able to run too fast with it ;o)

"Up top", there is a wealth of controllers. first of all, in common with many other USB controllers, there are 8 endless rotary knobs, 8 sliders and 8 switches, each of which can store 3 commands (3 BANKS OF 8) giving you 72 controllers. To the left of these are the transport controls, a TAP TEMPO button, octave shift buttons and some edit/global functions. The LCD screen is a good size and there is a separate rotary with "push" function to simply navigate through the settings.

What sets the MPK apart from most is the 12 MPC pads it contains. Velocity and pressure sensitive and featuring NOTE REPEAT, 12 LEVEL & FULL Level functionality, these give you some of the neatest inspirational tools from the MPC range. The pads themselves are the exact same as used in the MPC500 (I have one of those too) and each pad can have four settings, giving you 48 individual settings. The MPK also features an arpeggiator which although not as powerful as those found in proper synths, is simple, effective and a welcome addition.

The Pitch Bend and Mod wheels are chunky, rubberised and illuminated from behind and the keybed itself is a very nice semi-weighted affair with velocity and aftertouch.

I was expecting something a lot less substantial, but this keyboard certainly leaves you in no doubt where your £300 went. It feels like it is worth every penny.

However, it's the performance that justifies the cost, so how does it fare ?

Well, installation is a breeze. It's a class compliant device, so no drivers are needed. Just pop it in a USB port and after about 20 seconds, it's installed and ready to use, with the USB MIDI ports available straight away. It draws it's power from the USB host like most other controllers and boots up instantly. As far as software is concerned, it comes with an editor (WIN/MAC) based on MIDIQUEST and is very comprehensive. It also comes with templates built in for most major DAW's and some soft synths to boot, although I was surprised at the choice of soft synths chosen for default settings. As good as Rob Papen, Arkaos and Virsyn stuff is, I'm sure more people have got NI, Korg Legacy or other VST's installed, but that's just my personal preference. Given that Kontakt forms the basis of most sample based VSTi's, I'd expect it to be in there. GMedia are represented, as well as Arturia, so that makes up for it in a way. At the end of the day, it's a case of creating and storing your own settings in the vacant slots if your synth of choice is not listed.

I did have some issues when installing, but these were not the fault of the MPK, but of Windows and it's dodgy handling of multiple USB Audio devices. It installed perfectly on both my XP and Vista laptops, but my desktop, which is laden with gear and software, did not want to show the MPK as a MIDI device across USB. Sadly, the tinkering I did to try and rectify my bloated USB config resulted in a major system failure, leaving me with an unbootable HD. Luckily, I had a back up and a spare HD and I am now up and running again, and able to rescue all my data from the other HD.

The MPK then went on to install first time, no questions :o)



So, to test it out, I installed it on Reason (using the enclosed Reason LUA Codecs and Maps) and it was seen by Reason and immediately installed without question. Now, for someone like me who hasn't had a controller like this before, using it with Reason was a revalation. A simple and intuitive workflow coupled with a great feeling keyboard, just made it a very pleasurable experience. The MPK also comes supplied with an Akai branded version of Ableton Live Lite which is a neat little app, especially when it's free.

All in all, this is a great controller. Sturdy, simple, uncluttered, functional and intuitive, it gives the user immense confidence in it's abilities. With this baby sat in front of you, you feel that you have everything right there, immediate and solid. It's even taken the place of my Fusion as the "keyboard on the desk" !! My only criticism is that it may be too big and heavy to be considered truly portable and convenient. I still think I may go for a nice little 25 note board for my travels as I can't see the MPK fitting in my suitcase ;o)