Top-rated products in the MIDI controllers category
Here's a ranking of the top rated products in this category. To give you a quick overview, we've also added some key information about the products.
1. Akai Professional MPK Mini MK3
Introducing the MPK mini mk3, the third iteration of the legendary best-selling mini keyboard controller in the world, which has redefined the way a generation of music creators makes music. Here you will find everything the modern producer demands: universal compatibility for instant integration into your preferred host music production application; its compact size makes it the ideal travel companion; its arsenal of pads and assignable controls gives you complete control over every aspect of your production; the new, improved dynamic keybed of Gen 2 ensures that your performance captures every subtle nuance of your expression. For beginners, the MPK mini is a complete package with all the tools you need to start creating hit songs from day one. For the working professional, the MPK mini is the ultimate musical Swiss Army knife, ready for any musical task. Every song starts somewhere, so break free from all obstacles by starting your next hit with the MPK mini.
2. Akai Professional MPKmini
Your entry point into a world of professional production starts here. Everything the modern producer demands is included: universal compatibility for instant integration with your favorite music production application; its compact size makes it an ideal travel companion; an arsenal of pads and assignable controls allows you to take complete command of every aspect of your production; the new Gen 2 enhanced dynamic keybed guarantees your performance is captured with every subtle inflection of your delivery.
For beginners, the MPK mini is a complete package with every tool needed to create hit songs from the start. For working professionals, the MPK mini is the ultimate musical Swiss Army knife, ready to deliver on any musical task. Every song starts somewhere, so eliminate any roadblocks by starting your next hit with the MPK mini.
New to the MPK mini is a reimagined Gen 2 enhanced dynamic keybed, delivering a piano key performance fit for the world's finest keyboard players. These bankable velocity-sensitive backlit MPC pads provide the perfect touch for precise drumming and melodic sample playback that even the most demanding performers will find unmatched.
Your journey to a hit song starts with the MPK mini, and the Complete Music Production Starter Kit is the roadmap to your destination. Start with a DAW based on the legendary MPC workflow, add in drum and sample expansion packs that industry pros use, and top it off with the most versatile virtual plugin instruments available today. The possibilities are endless. Create the summer party anthem of the year, craft the next ballad to touch hearts worldwide, or develop the soundtrack to a generation. The MPK mini gives you all the tools to reach whatever level of success you aim to attain. Featured software includes MPC Beats, AIR Hybrid, Mini Grand, Velvet, and assorted MPC expansion packs.
3. Akai Professional MPK Mini Plus
The MPK Mini keyboard line has revolutionized portable music-making for producers and beatmakers around the world. The new MPK Mini Plus builds on this innovation by giving musicians full creative control. Its advanced connectivity links all preferred studio devices for complete and enhanced hardware integration in a compact 3-octave design. Despite its small size, the MPK Mini Plus offers extensive controls that manage a variety of functions. Eight velocity-sensitive MPC drum pads with RGB backlighting not only serve as the backbone for playing dynamic beats and programming drums but also for assigning program changes and triggering additional CC parameters. For the first time in an MPK Mini, there are dedicated transport controls for full integration with the preferred DAW.
4. Loupedeck Live
Whether you're producing photo or video content, live streaming, gaming, or browsing the internet – Loupedeck Live is a powerful and customizable console that keeps everything you need right at your fingertips. Loupedeck Live is a natural extension of your keyboard, mouse, graphics tablet, and stylus, optimizing your workflow so you have more time for what matters most – expressing your creativity and connecting with others.
With its seamless and intuitive controls packed into a compact and portable premium housing, Loupedeck Live is designed to meet all your needs – in the studio, on the go, or at home. Equipped with deep native integrations with a wide range of creative and streaming software, creating, composing, editing, and going live has never been smoother.
Loupedeck Live is built to deliver an impressive live streaming experience thanks to its deep integration with Twitch, Streamlabs, and OBS Studio. With the organized layout of the console, you can arrange your functions according to your needs and go live in seconds, effortlessly switch scenes and sources, record gameplay, and save replays.
With the Custom Profile Creator in the Loupedeck software, you can create profiles for any programs using available keyboard shortcuts and macros. Such profiles can be freely created, customized, and shared with other Loupedeck users.
5. novation Launchpad Mini MKIII
It provides you with everything you need for performances in Ableton Live and fits comfortably in your backpack or bag. Start making music and play your tracks with Ableton Live wherever you are, with a wealth of instantly available sounds for the perfect start.
With the brightly lit pads, you can better visualize your Ableton Live session and trigger your sounds with precision. Optimal visualization: The full RGB colors perfectly match your clips and scenes. Thanks to seamless integration with Ableton Live, you have your session right at your fingertips on the Launchpad Mini. Less clicking, more music. With Launchpad Mini, you can start making music today. Take the device with you anywhere and use your sounds wherever inspiration strikes.
Launchpad gives you direct and tactile access to Live's performance control in a way that simply isn't possible with a mouse. You can take your eyes off the computer screen and see your session along with all sounds on the 8x8 grid. Then you can control your performance directly via Launchpad Mini with the stop, solo, and mute buttons. By registering your Launchpad Mini, you automatically gain access to Sound Collective. You will regularly receive new free plug-ins from some of the biggest names in the business, as well as offers, discounts, and much more.
6. M-Audio Keystation 61 MK3
Pitch bend, modulation, and octave selection for an expressive performance. iOS compatible via Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit (sold separately). USB-MIDI connection for virtual instruments, recording software, and more. Powered via USB, with plug-and-play support for Mac and PC. 61 velocity-sensitive piano keys with a natural playing feel. Transport buttons and arrow keys allow control of the DAW from the keyboard.
7. Akai Professional MPK Mini Play MK3
Plug-and-play functionality via USB connection. Standalone mini keyboard with built-in speaker and USB MIDI controller. Built-in sound module with over 128 instrument sounds and 10 drum kits. 4 knobs for sound editing or MIDI transmission. OLED display for easy sound browsing. 25 synth-action mini keys and a 4-way joystick for pitch and modulation control.
8. novation Launchkey Mini MK3
With the new version of Launchkey Mini, Novation has made its extremely popular handy 25-button MIDI keyboard controller for Ableton Live more versatile, adaptable and playable than ever. Now you can record tracks anywhere with Launchkey Mini's new arpeggiator, fixed-chord mode, dedicated MIDI capture button, 16 large RGB pads, transport controls, and more. With our best, fastest reacting mini keyboard, all-new pitch and modulation touchstrips, a sustain pedal input and 16 new backlit RGB pads, Launchkey Mini is the perfect platform for expressive performance and color-matched clip starts. The new Fixed Chord Mode and Arpeggiator help you steer your melodic and harmonic ideas into new creative directions by allowing you to extract chords from individual notes and transform held chords into riffs, melodies and sequences. Thanks to the MIDI capture MIDI key, you will never lose a single note, even if you forget to start recording.
Launchkey Mini's comprehensive and intuitive integration with Live lets you keep your eyes on the screen and feel the beats. Start and stop playback and recording using the special transport buttons, control the mixer's mute, solo, volume, pan and send controls, and control device macros directly with eight knobs. Now you can connect even deeper to your music and navigate and mix your projects even more easily than with a mouse and computer keyboard. Launchkey Mini comes with everything you need: sounds, virtual instruments and plug-in effects from AAS, Softube, Spitfire Audio, XLN Audio and Klevgrand. Plus access to Novation Sound Collective, which gives you free new content every few months from our plug-in partners. It also has a MIDI output for connection to hardware synthesizers and grooveboxes. And if Live isn't your only production environment, the included mapping templates make Launchkey Mini the ideal solution for mobile control of Logic, Cubase, Reason or any other HUI-compatible DAW.
9. M-Audio Keystation 49 MK3
The world's best-selling keyboard controllers let you create and play music on your Mac or PC: the M-Audio Keystation Series. Whether you're an experienced pro looking for the right controls or starting with the right USB MIDI controller, the Keystation 49 MK3 is a simple, powerful MIDI controller designed for sequencing music and playing virtual instruments on your Mac or PC.
The Keystation 49 MK3 features 49 natural-size velocity-sensitive keys and comprehensive controls that expand the range of playable notes, expressiveness, and recording workflow. With the Keystation 49 MK3, it's easy to maximize your creativity while minimizing complication: use the fully assignable octave range buttons, pitch bend and modulation wheels, volume control, and transport and direction controls to play and record with your music software without a mouse or trackpad.
The Keystation 49 MK3 also features a 6.3 mm (1/4") sustain pedal input, allowing you to use an external control pedal for true piano sound. The compact, lightweight, and durable Keystation 49 MK3 is perfect for traveling musicians who want to take control of music software during live performances or producers who want to add an intuitive MIDI controller with a natural keyboard to their studio—it easily fulfills both roles.
For a user-friendly and portable setup, the Keystation 49 MK3 is USB powered, class-compliant, and supports USB-MIDI connectivity. In addition, the Keystation 49 MK3 supports iOS connectivity with the Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter, so you can run and compose audio applications on your iPad and other iOS devices.
10. Arturia MiniLab 3 White
MiniLAB 3 is a compact keyboard and pad controller that allows users to make music instantly. With its plug-and-play creative workflow, versatile assignable controls, and 500 curated sounds from the extensive Analog Lab library, MiniLAB 3 is designed to provide beginners and professionals alike with a smooth music workflow, regardless of music genre.
