APC Mini MK2 - USB MIDI Pad Controller for Clip Launching with Ableton Live Lite, 64 RGB Pads, Drum and Note Mode and MIDI Mixer

While this is built for Ableton, I use the APC Mini MK2 specifically to control my lighting setup via SoundSwitch, and it works perfectly. Mapping the pads to my light shows, overrides, and static looks makes a huge difference during a live set. The pads are responsive and the RGB lighting on the controller itself helps me stay organized in a dark booth. The sliders are great for controlling master dimmers or the intensity of my Chauvet bars and moving heads on the fly. It’s compact enough to fit into my gig bag but feels sturdy enough for regular use. If you are a lighting tech or DJ using SoundSwitch, this is a game-changer for getting hands-on control of your show.

Simple and Great

There are a lot of reviews for this as a DAW. This isn't one of them. Welcome to my newest DJ Deck. My greatest love in this digital DJing world is the flexibility that DJs have with workflow. My greatest complaint is that everyone is still stuck in the thought processes that began with a two deck setup and a 3 band eq. It's time to move on from the hardware defined to the software mindset. This thing helps. It only took three days for me to custom map this to the two DJ programs I use; TRAKTOR and Virtual DJ. I can control stems, pitch, key, hot cues, transport pads, and a heck of a lot of effects. With all of them on the main page. Since then, I've had more time to work on my art due to it's size and portability, and having all my options on the main page means that I'm not flipping through pages, but just playing music and working my my sets. Being able to be software defined, it matters not that your use if different than mine, just program it for what you need. And the size is perfect to carry along - or just have near your desk so when the work day is done, you just move your keyboard out of the way... No big deck, No location change, No big deal. And performance? Let's be honest. Very few DJs need platters. I certainly don't. And neither does anyone else who isn't scratching, as long as you've got the nudge buttons, which I may add are trivial to map. I use this along my main deck for gigs to give me flexibility, but it would work just as well with a basic 2 or 4 channel mixer, and I wouldn't even need the mixer is someone, hint hint, would make an appropriately sized and priced 4x4 or 4x6 rotary encoder box. But if you want a new button or slider to bust out or cut a stem? It's right there! You want to set an instant double or loop? It can be right there! You have effects that are sick, but are a pain to set up and find in the menu? Program it! These can all be right there. There are 64 RGB pads, 17 led backlit buttons, and 9 sliders. The sliders aren't innofaders. (Duh) But they are consistent and smooth. And the pads are what you expect for $100. But they work every time, even if they are a bit more sensitive than I like. Programming was straightforward for my DJ software with no unexpected hiccups. Build quality is fine. I wouldn't want this for $300, but it is a super good value buy at $100. Especially considering the costs of it's competitors in this space. But the real benefit is the variety of pads and sliders. Depending upon your priorities, you can use 16 pads for 4 decks, 32 pads for 2 decks, or even 64 for one deck if you wanted. I use one row for common actions and loading. Two rows for effects, two for hot cues, one for loops/beatjumping, one for pitch/key (I do a lot of key mixing), and one for transport. The sliders run main volume, vocals, melody, and rhythm. There are still a few pads and a lot of buttons not in use. It is tools like this that make the age of digital DJing the magic that it is. I Highly Recommend this for anyone looking to try something different in their DJ skills, to move on to the next level, to get more mobile. After 3 weeks of use I'm already doing things I've never done, and sounding better and more entertaining that I've been in a while. You can do it. This can help.

Great responsiveness and wonderful tactile feel to the buttons. Nice rubber pads and colorful lights that respond to coding in Ableton live. Wonderful hardware.

Most people will be buying this as an Ableton thingamajig. I bought it because I wanted a cheap grid-layout chromatic keyboard. It's well-constructed and it's a good size for my needs. The main annoyance was that it was kind of tricky to set up. It really wants to be an Ableton controller. The thing to know is that if Ableton is not running, the APC Mini will show up as two MIDI devices; the 2nd one is the Note Mode output, which is what I wanted. Note mode is fairly good as an isometric keyboard, since its layout is configurable right on the device. It's not velocity sensitive, but it's like a quarter the price of a Launchpad X, so that makes sense. I sometimes have to reset my MIDI settings a couple times or start Ableton once and then shut it down in order to get everything working; I haven't 100% percent figured it out yet, but it definitely works. The other annoying thing I should mention is the software that comes with it. Akai is now owned by inMusic, and so they want you to download the inMusic download manager, which wants you to buy virtual instruments and such through it. None of the software keys for Akai software worked (just the Ableton Live Lite key). Not sure what I'm missing out on if anything. But it certainly makes it feel cheaper.

Se recibe lo que se espera en cuanto a la marca Akai, el mejor y compacto de su stock! Ligero problema con el embalaje de envío, pero afortunadamente no hubo daño en el hardware!

Buenisimo lo uso con ableton

I use this to run lights for live music. It's exceeded my expectations. I use 3 at once, no problem.

Worked well with ableton

Works very well on an Avolites lighting desk. Also usable on my PC with an Avolites T2 interface to control or design a light show.

What can I say, it works as it should.

Wonderful 😊

Vraiment un bon produit. Je m`en sert comme contrôleur d`éclairage DMX. Répond vraiment bien, pas de latence dans le signal ou des boutons qui restent coincés ou s`enfonce mal. Les faders vont très bien aussi.