I'm an aspiring musician working out of my bedroom. I purchased this controller so I could have something in my backpack while at school or work, but I was so impressed by this thing when I started playing around with it that it's replaced my $1000 synth as my main workflow tool. I'm planning on purchasing a second one soon.

PROS:

- MIDI Bluetooth has almost ZERO noticeable latency (the time between hitting a key and sound being played on the computer) which means I can make music from my bed while my iPad is on the other side of the room. Other models have the same technology, but none at this price range. This is the biggest selling point.

- LOVE the built in arpeggiator

- Drum pads are responsive and haven't double triggered while playing "” something that happened frequently on my more expensive AKAI.

- Build quality is sturdy, and it's just heavy enough to be satisfying to hold without feeling like a brick.

- Excellent selection of colors.

- Impressive battery life, AND IT CAME WITH THE USB CABLE. So many companies are making you purchase accessory cables separately, but this small company I've never heard of throws theirs in for free. Bravo.

CONS:

- Connectivity issues are frequent enough to be annoying. I usually have to turn it off and on once or twice to get my MacBook to register that it's nearby. Once it's connected, it stays connected and doesn't have any issues.

- Keys feel "˜spongy' and weaker than they should. The springs should be upgraded for a tighter response and better playability.

- Software setup for DAW control could be more intuitive. Look up YouTube videos and you'll figure it out.

(Personal gripe) - Pitch control is a touch pad. I prefer mod wheels but I know some people don't.

Overall, I think this is the perfect choice for someone looking for a portable, playable, cost effective MIDI controller. The Bluetooth is responsive once you get it connected, the battery lasts forever, and it's sturdy enough to bring on the go without the fear of breaking it. You won't be disappointed.

Unpacked this unit and began playing it right away. I had no trouble linking and pairing the Bluetooth midi function. It worked well with my iPad, and MacBook Pro. I used it with Garage Band. Logic Pro x, and other software synths.
I liked the overall build quality and the keys and pads felt right.
This is a mini keyboard so those with large hands may require a full size keyboard.
I'll give Four Stars because the owners manual and instructions are sparse. Some of the key features are not explained at all. If you're familiar with midi paramaters you'll be able to figure it out on your own.

I have used various midi keyboards such as Akai, Arturia, Korg etc. However, this is so universal item. I can connect any computers(pc and mac) and tablets like ipad.i have the 4th gen. ipad and it's lightning socket is too picky to connect usb as a hub. This midi keyboard has bluetooth so i can directly connect keyabord and my old ipad via Sunday-worship key. So Awesome product!!

Interested in making music on iOS? This MIDI controller is THE easiest way to get started and get to the fun part - making music! It's also well constructed, surprisingly configurable, and best of all: no wires!

Most music creation setups require a fixed workstation with cables snaking everywhere, but the handy thing about iPads is how mobile they are. Until now, making music on iOS also required a setup with at least 2 cables, plus a $40 adapter from Apple. You might even need to add a powered USB hub in the middle of all that. Good luck playing music on your couch!

That's why I was so excited to find this keyboard controller - it uses low energy bluetooth to connect to your iOS device wirelessly and that's all you need to get up and running! Just switch the power on, a couple of taps in your music app of choice (NOT via the usual bluetooth settings page - connect to it within your music app!) and you can start creating your next song!

As for the keyboard itself, it's quite well made for the price. It uses minikeys to keep the size down so you can toss the controller and an iPad in a backpack and work on the go. The keys feel very good at this price point, and are velocity sensitive so you can add dynamics to your playing. The knobs are also solid and spin infinitely. The pads have a good feel to them as well, a bit of give but don't trigger with minimal pressure, so there's no accidental hits. The only misstep are the pitch bend and mod strips; they work adequately but it may not be the tactile response you're used to. There's 8 knobs and 8 pads, but a single button press for each switches their controls to a second bank or 8 each and essentially doubles the number of controls you have!

Extra features that you might not expect to find on a controller at this price point include an arpeggiator that can be controlled via the keys, a smart chord and smart scale system (play chords with one finger! Never play an off-scale note again!), and the ability to change velocity curves for the pads and keys from the controller itself.

This product is not made by one of the big names in music devices which saves you some serious money. It also means that the documentation is a little sparse - but I'm here to fill in the gaps so you can get the best experience for the best price! The controller comes with 8 presets that are preconfigured pretty intelligently - preset 1 follows the classic MIDI setup of having keys transmit on MIDI channel 1, and the pads, representing drums, on MIDI channel 10. Works right out of the box.

But if you want more control, there's a free iOS app that gives you virtually complete control over every input on the controller. It's called "cube suite" - and make sure you search of it in the app store just as I typed it there because the app store is not smart about searching for apps. cubesuite, all one word will give you zero results. This app is well done but has some minor rough edges - expect minor spelling mistakes and the very occasional "what does that mean?" That said, I've always been able to get it to do what I need.

On opening cube suite, if your controller isn't immediately recognized (the official name is the SMK25), hit scan nearby devices at the bottom, and it should find and connect. Tap the SMK25 icon and then you'll be taken to a screen with two sections. The top, "GLOB" for global, exposes the controls in app form that you can also control from the keyboard, namely, the arpeggiator, smart scale/chords, and key and pad velocity. Nice to have, but you can change those settings from the controller, so it's not strictly necessary.

The last tab, "Preset" is where things get interesting. There's 8 presets on the controller. This is where you select what preset the controller is using (also can be done on the controller by pressing 2 buttons together and then pressing one of the pads - 8 pads, 8 presets!), but more importantly you can make changes to the controls in the bottom section of the screen (USER CONFIG) - the keys, pads, knobs, pitch/mod strips, and transport buttons - and then use "Persistent save" to save those changes to the selected preset, giving you ultimate control! You can even set the exact color you want the Pad LEDs to be - and I have to say they look very slick.

How to change what the controls do: USER CONFIG has 5 tabs, each representing a type of control. So "Pad" lets you customize the pads. And oh boy are they customizable: you can set them to send lots of different type of MIDI commands. Send notes, program changes, momentary CC signals, toggle CC signals. Depending on the type of signal, there are appropriate subsettings to change as well. For example, in CC toggle mode, you can say what 2 values to send each time you "toggle" the pad by hitting it - send 127 and 127 (full on), send 0 and 127 (full off and full on), send 43 and 87 (I don't know why, but you can!).

At the top of the section is "Pad Index" - this is which pad you are editing, and then all the possible things you can set it to are below that. Tap the pad on the right to select which of the 16 pads you want to change. The same is true for knobs. Keys are a bit different - you set what channel to send the keys over, and then can set what note each key will send. Note that this is one off the few poor UI experiences - for example, MIDI values can range from 0 to 127 and rather then letting you type in the number, you have to navigate a drop down list with 128 different entries, one for each number. Not a huge deal since you will only be occasionally changing the controls on the controller, but it isn't ideal. And if you are changing the controls very often - time to upgrade and get a serious MIDI controller that makes it easy to program it to your heart's content!

Anyways, once you have the controls the way you like them, hit "Persistent Save" to save the preset back to the controller, and with just 2 button presses on the controller, you have your preset ready for jamming!

Just to give you an example of how powerful this amount of control is, here's my setup: Presets 1 through 4 have been customized by me to send on the same channel number. So preset 1 sends on MIDI channel 1, 2 on 2, etc. This allows me to put different instruments in my music software and have them listen only on those channels. So I can hit the pads on channel 1 and get some drums going, then by pressing the preset change button and then pad 2 - now I'm playing bass on the keys! I can switch super easily and get back to the fun part - writing and playing some tunes!

Alright, if you've stuck with me this long, here's my summary: this controller is well made for the price, highly configurable even if it's not the fastest process, but most importantly - EXTREMELY EASY to get up and running with ZERO wires. It's got a 2000 mAH battery (with charging cable) that lasts longer than my iPad's battery and I'm really enjoying it.

Get it for making music anywhere - an iPhone and this keyboard in a backpack lets you make music on the beach, at the park - anywhere. Get it for kids and teens who want to get into music without a huge upfront cost. Get it for noodling on your couch.

Just Get It!

It works perfect for the project I'm doing on Ableton. Love the pink color and the bluetooth allows me to use it anywhere. I also bedazzled mine and it still works great.