Arturia - MiniLab MkII - Portable MIDI Controller for Music Production, with All-in-One Software Package - 25 Keys, 8 Multi-Color Pads

The short version of this review is that I think this is built better and feels nicer than all of those. I have also owned a BeatStep. So in my experience, besides nice features, Arturia also has some of, if not the best build quality.For background I've owned an Akai MPK Mini Play, a Novation LaunchKey Mini Mk3, a Nektar SE25, a Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol M32, and a Korg nanoKey 2. Those were a while ago though, as I'm just getting back into music after a while away from it.It's heavier and larger than the MPK Mini and LaunchKey Mini, but it just feels more substantial, more robust. It's definitely portable, but it doesn't feel like the sort of controller you can just get out during a short break and mess around with, but now I just want a MicroLab for that.I think the LaunchKey's pads are a bit more responsive, although I no longer own it to compare directly, but that controller felt borderline flimsy to me. The LauncheKey also has 16 instead of 8, but you get two banks of pad assignments here and I don't miss the extra pads for my usage. The MPK Mini has bigger pads but they felt less responsive.Arturia gets great reviews for the quality of their keys and I can tell why now. Far more experienced players can describe exactly why better than I can, but to put it simply: they just feel nicer, less flimsy.The knobs are larger, and encoders unlike the potentiometers on the MPK and LaunchKey, so they're easier to use and while you have to watch the screen to see the parameter value, you won't end up with a parameter value not matching a knob if you switch instruments or presets. The two far left encoders are also push buttons for navigating menus, although the sensitivity out of the box seems too high when using these to scroll around menus, it's too easy to just skip around instead of smoothly going down the list.All of this said, there is still clearly value to the competition. The MPK comes with great software and the Play version has a built-in sound engine which is super handy. The LaunchKey does have more pads and is really built with Ableton in mind, and both are more portable than the MiniLab without sacrificing pads and knobs. So I'd still like to pick up another of each of those again, but for only having one controller at the moment, I'm very glad it's the MiniLab.

As someone who loves the sounds of synthesizers, I had no idea that there have been affordable software-based synths out there for years now. I didn't want to invest a lot of money because I didn't know if this would hold my interest enough. This is the right piece of equipment at the right price point. The construction of the unit is superb, it isn't all plastic, part of the case is metal which gives it a good heft, it really feels solid. The keys feel great as well, especially for a unit this inexpensive. I had no problems installing any of the bundled software and had it all up and running in short order. It turns out that there are literally hundreds of free virtual instruments available out there (as well as effects, samples, host software) that you can download and use with this controller. If there are two caveats (especially for a non-trained player such as myself), it would be that 25 keys really aren't enough to play stuff that requires both hands, and that these are "mini keys" rather than full size ones, which I find are a bit more forgiving for my adult hands. I wound up selling mine after a few months to upgrade to an Arturia controller with 49 full-size keys, but enjoyed every minute with the MiniLab25 mkII. Keep in mind that the included Ableton Lite host software (sometimes referred to as a "DAW", or digital audio workstation) only allows you to create with a maximum of eight tracks. Even though Ableton is the industry standard DAW, a more capable version will run you around $300. You can get some great DAWs for free, or for far less than what Ableton charges. Unless you eventually plan on upgrading to a better version of Ableton, I'd recommend getting a less expensive DAW and learning on that one rather than learning Ableton Lite and eventually switching to a different DAW and learning that one from scratch. I personally recommend Mixcraft 9 Pro, which comes with many outstanding bundled synths and effects (including Melodyne) and is a killer DAW in its' own right.EDIT: Even though I sold my original Minilab MKII in favor of a controller with more keys, about a year later I saw someone selling a Minilab MKII on Craigslist for $50 and bought it. It has become my "travel keyboard", easily fitting into my backpack along with my laptop. It gives me something portable to play around with when I'm not in my home "studio". I can even foresee using it as a second controller for "live" playing.

The Mini Lab MkII has a quality build. The keys, the knobs and pads are all well done. It's not light weight but, is very durable. I would carry the extra weight because it's build quality and apparent durability.The limitless knobs a are perfect design choice. Moving from one instrument to another doesn't require that the knobs physically reset to the previous instrument. You just pick up where you were.Arturia provided a firmware patch which fixed the blinking octave lights. They did not blink with your DAW (like a metronome) so it was distracting. The patch fixed that. The lights glow solid now, no blinking.The pads were double and triple firing when playing rapid patterns. The patch appears to have fixed that issue too.The modulator and bend pads are preferable to me They are much more flexible than the standard wheels. I can put a finger down in a specific spot without sliding there. That opens up interesting options of playability the wheels don't provided. And, of course you can slide your finger and you have the standard wheel action.It comes with Analog Lab 4, a collection of classic keyboards, including my favorite the Hammond B-3. The MkII is worth the money for that collection alone.It interfaces with your DAW so you can control parameters right from the the keyboard. I have a full 88 key keyboard but, I use the MkII more now.5 stars for this little beauty.