Lots of the Mini Plus’s main features are quite standard fare for small controllers in this price range. The pads are expressive and controllable, the assignable rotary pots are smooth and progressive, while the software integration is all logical and intuitive. The second-generation version of Akai’s Dynamic mini keybed offers a good, responsive feel and nice playability. The Mini Plus is super easy to set up and use, but also immediately feels good. Hook up to a computer or device over USB and connect to hardware using MIDI or CV/gate connections. There are no nasty surprises in terms of setting up the controller with your existing gear. It’s not an ultra-portable design like the LPK25 Mk2, but at 45 cm long and just over 1.25 kg it’s certainly small enough to transport if you want to collaborate in someone else’s studio or use it for a live show. It’s a 37-key design with Akai’s Gen 2 Dynamic mini keys, eight RGB-backlit MPC drum pads, eight assignable rotary knobs, a step sequencer, arpeggiator, assignable joystick and CV/gate functions as well as MIDI. The Mini Plus sits in the Akai range above the MPK Mini Mk3 and below full-size controllers like the MPK249. All controllers are a compromise, no matter how much money you have to spend or how advanced you want to get it’s always a trade-off between size, weight, features and cost. The Mini Plus is designed to be a compact and portable controller but one which offers a bit of everything.
Nevertheless, it’s reassuring that the smaller controller comes from a brand with heritage. Both have a mixture of keys, pads, knobs and other controls, designed to give you all-round control of all your instruments, although it’s clear that the Mini Plus is a far more humble offering. In fact, it’s fun to compare the MPK Mini Plus with the MPC Key 61 we reviewed recently there’s more than £1,000 separating the compact controller and the full-on workstation, but you can see the shared DNA. Akai’s pedigree when it comes to controllers is right up there with the best, given the brand’s vast experience of producing everything from ultra-portable micro-controllers to industry-standard samplers like the MPC series.
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