The Akai MPK Mini IV is the 4th generation of its MIDI keyboard controller, featuring a redesigned look, real pitch & mod wheels, and more.
Compact MIDI controllers are best-sellers. They fit in the studio but are equally easy to fit in a backpack for making music on the go. The most well-known are certainly those from Arturia (Minilab 3), Akai (MPK Mini III), and Novation (Launchkey Mini).
All are around 100€ and offer many inspiring features for their price. After previous major updates from France and the UK, Akai now follows suit and shows the all-new redesigned MPK Mini IV MIDI keyboard.
“The MPK Mini IV embodies our commitment to empowering creators of all skill levels with professional-grade tools,” said Andy Mac, Creative Global Marketing and Artist Relations Manager at Akai Professional.
“We’ve completely reimagined what’s possible in a compact controller — delivering tactile, expressive controls; instant access to premium sounds; and true portability at an accessible price point. It’s designed to inspire creativity from the moment you plug it in.”
Akai MPK Mini IV
With the MPK Mini IV, Akai is bringing its affordable MIDI keyboard controller into 2025. There are some significant differences between the processor and the competition.
This starts with the completely redesigned design. For the first time, the keyboard is available in black and gray from day one.
Besides the slightly shifted layout of the controls, the highlight is the new real pitch and mod wheels, replacing the red joystick. Yes, Arturia and Novation take a closer look.
The controller showcases Akai’s new 3rd-generation keybed technology and an all-new, even more responsive design for its velocity-sensitive, RGB-backlit MPC pads. Pressure sensitivity (aftertouch) on the pads is also available
Then, you can find eight assignable push/turn rotary knobs for tactile sound shaping, along with a full-color display with a dedicated knob and navigation buttons.
Creativity
The new MPK Mini IV ships with an enhanced built-in arpeggiator with multiple patterns, an arp freeze, and mutate functions to encourage on-the-fly experimentation.
Also onboard are scale and chord modes for playing in key, adding harmonies, and building progressions with ease.
The transport section has also been expanded, offering more mapped DAW controls for Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio, and more for an uninterrupted workflow. There’s no mention of Native Instruments NKS support yet. That will likely be added later.
Central to the Akai MPK Mini IV experience is the all-new Studio Instrument Collection, a comprehensive software instrument featuring over 1,000 professionally crafted sounds from renowned inMusic brands – Akai Professional, Moog, and AIR.
With a single download and installation, users can be up and running in under 15 minutes, with 1-to-1 parameter mapping that provides seamless control over every sonic detail. It is comparable to Arturia’s Analog Lab and Novation’s Play software.
Connectivity
On the back, you’ll find a USB-C port for MIDI duties, a sustain pedal input, and a 5-pin MIDI output socket, allowing you to use the MPK Mini IV with hardware instruments as well.
Like its predecessors, the MIDI keyboard is bus-powered via the USB-C connector
First Impression
A nice further development of the MPK Mini series. Real pitch-and-mod wheels are a big plus on these.
Akai MPK Mini IV is available now for $99/109€
More information here: Akai Pro
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