Akai Pro LPK25 Laptop Performance Keyboard

by Akai Pro

Product Features

• USB-MIDI controller works with virtually all audio software
• 25 velocity-sensitive mini-keyboard keys
• Arpeggiator, sustain button, octave up and down, and tap tempo controls
• Plug-and-play USB connection for Mac and PC requires no driver installation
• USB bus powered - no additional power cable needed

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.8 x 13.4 x 1.1 inches ; 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002M8GBDI
• Item model number: LPK25
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #450 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments)
  • #8 in Musical Instruments > Recording Equipment > Computer Recording > MIDI Controllers

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Create melodic and harmonic riffs in seconds, anywhere, with the Akai Pro LPK25 Laptop Performance Keyboard, a scaled-down relative to the MPK series of keyboard performance controllers. Made up of 25 miniature, velocity-sensitive keyboard keys with synth action, the LPK25 is a great choice for keyboard players who want to work with software on their computer. Measuring less than 13 inches across and weighing less than a pound, it easily fits into a laptop case, backpack or messenger bag for extreme portability.

The LPK25 contains an arpeggiator, which steps through chords automatically, assisting musicians with creating quick melodic ideas. Sustain, octave up and down and tap tempo controls round out the LPK25's easy-to-learn layout. It offers plug and play capabilities with Mac and PC and requires no software driver installation or wall power for operation. And it has four memory banks for programming and recalling settings appropriate to different software programs you use. Key Features USB-MIDI controller works with virtually all audio software 25 velocity-sensitive mini-keyboard keys Arpeggiator, sustain button, octave up and down, and tap tempo controls Plug-and-play USB connection for Mac and PC requires no driver installation Small enough to fit in a backpack or laptop bag Four programmable memory banks Comes with editor software for Mac and PC USB bus powered--no additional power cable needed

The Akai LPK25 keyboard controller. Small enough to fit in a backpack or laptop bag (see larger image).

Product Description

Melodic performance in the palm of your hand. The LPK25 laptop performance keyboard is a USB-MIDI controller for musicians, producers, DJs and other music creators. It measures less than 13 inches across and weighs less than a pound to easily fit into a laptop case, backpack or messenger bag for extreme portability. Keyboard players who want to work with software on their computer will find that the LPK25 gives their laptop the keys they need to express themselves anywhere. The LPK25 is a scaled-down relative to the MPK series of keyboard performance controllers. The diminutive keyboard is made up of 25 miniature, velocity-sensitive keyboard keys with synth action. The LPK25 contains an arpeggiator, which steps through chords automatically, assisting musicians with creating quick melodic ideas. Sustain, octave up and down and tap tempo controls round out the LPK25’s easy-to-learn layout. The LPDK25 works plug and play with Mac and PC and requires no software driver installation or wall power for operation. It has four memory banks for programming and recalling settings appropriate to different software programs you use. Create melodic and harmonic riffs in seconds, anywhere, with the LPK25.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

96 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT SONG WRITTING TOOL., November 18, 2009

By 

Yucano (Tampa, FL, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Akai Pro LPK25 Laptop Performance Keyboard (Electronics)

Akai Pro LPK25 Laptop Performance Keyboard

OVERALL IMPRESSION: NOT A TOY! This is an excellent songwriting tool, that makes music making on the go a reality. Not intended to replace your main MIDI controller.

DISCLAIMER: I am an amateur musician making songs mostly to share with family and friends. Also, guitar is my native instrument, and my keyboard skills still leave much to be desired. That being said:

I LOVE THIS DEVICE!!

PROS:

-PORTABILITY AND SMALL FOOTPRINT. I can take this thing with me anywhere and it does not take much space in my laptop bag or work-surface. I have a 20"x20" wood board that I use as a work-surface for my laptop, mouse, LPK25, and headphones. Using that setup I composed whole songs in my bed, sofa, dinner table, backyard chair, passenger seat of my car (at work during lunch time), hotel room, in-laws house...you get the idea. I also have a room with a full size desktop piled with recording equipment in my house, but I only use that setup for recording vocals, guitars, mixing, and mastering (when I have time). Most of my music creation is done with the LPK25 and my laptop.

-PLAYABILITY. Although the keys are small they are still comfortable to play without hitting more than one note at once with each finger (and I have thick fingers). The keys also have great sinth-like action.

-BUILT-IN ARPEGIATOR. I am a novice at using arpegiators but I have found the built-in arpegiator on the LPK-25 very useful and simple to use. An excellent tool to develop ideas, particularly if you (like me) are lacking serious keyboard skills.

-USB POWERED. No power brick required, and it does not drain my laptop's battery quickly either.

-PLUG & PLAY: No drivers to download and fuss with.

CONS:

-VELOCITY RANGE NOT AS WIDE AS I WOULD LIKE. The difference in loudness when you press a key fast/hard VS. soft/slow is not as noticeable as more expensive controllers I have used in the past. If you are a very expressive player you won't like it this very much.

UNKNOWNS:

-QUALITY & LONGEVITY: I have only owned it for a few months so I don't know how well it will stand to the test of time. But that being said as far as I know AKAI products are pretty reliable, and well built, and this product feels solid.

FINAL NOTE: Although this will be obvious to most, I think it is worth mentioning that this is a midi controller and NOT A STAND ALONE KEYBOARD. The unit makes no sounds of its own and you need a separate computer program (i.e. virtual instrument) to use it.

UPDATE 12/08/2010: I am happy to report that as of today (12/08/2010) my Akai LPK25 is still working as good as the day I bought it.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great feeling keyboard. Forget the Korg Nano keys, get this!, October 20, 2009

By 

Paul A. Roberts "Jazz Keyboardist" (Kansas City, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Akai Pro LPK25 Laptop Performance Keyboard (Electronics)

I purchased a Korg Nano Keys yesterday and did not like the "button" like keys you had to play on. I could not tell what notes I was hitting without looking at the keyboard. (My old piano teacher would have been cracking the backs of my hands with a ruler for looking...lol).

I traded the Korg in for the Akai LPK25 (which I did know existed till last night!). It was [...] more, but so worth it!

This thing is much better built than the Korg. The Korg felt like it might break in my laptop bag. This is much more solid.

It is about twice as thick as the Korg, but still small enough to put in your messenger bag or laptop case.

No drivers needed, just plug it in and you are ready to go.

Sustain button is a nice feature that the Korg did not have. Only drawback about the sustain is that you cannot shift octaves and add more notes while holding the sustain button down.

The octave buttons light up but could have used a multi-colored method of letting you know how many octaves you are shifted. (Korg did this)

The arpeggiator is a feature I will probably never use. It would have been nice if the editing software would let you re-assign these buttons to something else like pitch bend, modulation, or a couple of transport button functions. (The Korg had pitch and mod buttons, but not really practical for anything I could think of compared to a full sized controller.)

Here are the PROS & CONS....

PROS: No drivers needed, sturdy, sustain button, octave buttons.

CONS: Sustain only good for current selected octave, Arpeggiator is a wasted feature to me (or at least let me set these buttons up to do something else!).

In all, a solid product that is already getting alot of use since I brought it home this afternoon, (I'm already finishing up one writing assignment on it).

It was [...] @ GC which compared to the Korg Nano Keys @ [...], but the quality is worth the extra [...]. (You get what you pay for!)

Paul Roberts

Keyboardist/Composer

Prospekt Media

[...]

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but velocity response is odd and the midi channel can't be changed with buttons on the hardware., June 6, 2010

By 

Samuel Danielson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Akai Pro LPK25 Laptop Performance Keyboard (Electronics)

The LPK25 has a good build quality. I travel often and it's perfect for that. Still, there are two major annoyances so I can't give it five stars. Four may actually be a bit generous.

The keys have a spongy feel and I do not like the velocity curve. It feels like an instrument more than a toy and it is possible to play expressively, though for me it requires much concentration to hit the keys hard enough to make a sound yet soft enough to avoid running out of velocity response. I could not find any evidence that it is possible to program the velocity curve.

A worse annoyance is that, according to the manual, it requires the included software to change the midi channel. Since I use the keyboard with Linux I have not yet been able to change the channel from 1. Things I thought would work, like depressing "program" and "up" have no effect. It is possible to use the included software to program four presets but that would still yield a maximum of four preset channels. All presets came set to channel 1 on my unit. The arpeggiator is a superfluous waste when you consider that something as simple as changing the midi channel can't be done with the buttons on the hardware.

There is room for improvement but it is still the best in its class, unfortunately. If this keyboard appeals to you on the web then you should be at least satisfied with it.