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yoTrakkz « very portable »
Published on 10/16/11 at 22:05So far, from playing around with the Akai LPK25 for about an hour, it seems pretty nice. Keys feel good and construction is light but durable. Velocity curve seems OK. Arpeggiator is fun - I thought I wouldn't use it, but maybe I will, since I often have to plunk out baselines at gigs and I'm not really a keyboardist by any stretch of the imagination! I like the different arp modes and the latching system.
UTILIZATION
Sustain switch is not that useful when not in arpeggiator mode, because it takes a finger to hold it down (granted the keyboard is small, so you can still use a few fingers form that hand to play). I would have preferred a jack for a foot switch (even if it had to be 1/8" to fit, you could easily use a 1/8" to 1/4" adapter). I also wish it had at least one continuous controller. A suggestion would be to use software that turns your laptop track pad into a continuous MIDI controller. I am not sure what's out there to do that, but it can be done in Max/MSP very easily.
OVERALL OPINION
Overall, I wish there was some indication of how many octaves you have shifted up or down - right now the button backlights if you have shifted by any number of octaves in the direction. A different color LED backlight to the button or even a blinking pattern (the cheaper solution) to indicate how MANY octaves you are shifted in a direction would be good. Also the graphics above the octave keys appear to be wrong - there is an UP pointing arrow over the octave down (left) key and a DOWN pointing arrow over the octave up (right) key no big deal, but kind of weird. But this is a nice portable midi controller that you will use often In your portable set up. Akai has done it again.
UTILIZATION
Sustain switch is not that useful when not in arpeggiator mode, because it takes a finger to hold it down (granted the keyboard is small, so you can still use a few fingers form that hand to play). I would have preferred a jack for a foot switch (even if it had to be 1/8" to fit, you could easily use a 1/8" to 1/4" adapter). I also wish it had at least one continuous controller. A suggestion would be to use software that turns your laptop track pad into a continuous MIDI controller. I am not sure what's out there to do that, but it can be done in Max/MSP very easily.
OVERALL OPINION
Overall, I wish there was some indication of how many octaves you have shifted up or down - right now the button backlights if you have shifted by any number of octaves in the direction. A different color LED backlight to the button or even a blinking pattern (the cheaper solution) to indicate how MANY octaves you are shifted in a direction would be good. Also the graphics above the octave keys appear to be wrong - there is an UP pointing arrow over the octave down (left) key and a DOWN pointing arrow over the octave up (right) key no big deal, but kind of weird. But this is a nice portable midi controller that you will use often In your portable set up. Akai has done it again.