Wadup people, I'm somewhat new to this community, so I decided to make my presence known by posting a review of the midi controller which I recently purchased, the Akai Mpk49. I'm aware that there is already a review posted about it, but I wanted to have my word on it as well.

First remarks of this controller, is that it's pretty sturdy, a little heavy, and demands a bit of space to work with on your desk (or whatever you have.) So if you are into extreme portability, this might not necessarily be the controller for you. However, I don't mind the size, as it provides me with access to more octaves on the piano (4 octaves to be exact) as well as allows for more bells and whistles  

So here are the pros of this controller:

1. As spoken of before, 4 octaves allows for a broader pallet of musical expression then the alternative 25 key midi controller. 
2. 8 360degree assignable knobs, 8 faders, and 8 solo/mute buttons (which double as the arppegiator buttons as well) which are all assignable and nicely built. Smooth.
3. Bus Powered!!!!
4. Transport controls so you don't need to touch the mouse to start a recording
5. And the mod and pitch wheels work pretty nicely as well

Here are some things that might make you think twice:

1. The pads are pretty bad. They play when they aren't supposed to, and they just feel kind of bad. The fact that there are only 12 also can cause confusion, because most applications are set up for 4 rows of 4 columns (such as ableton's drum rack) The first problem can easily be fixed however, (but at the cost of voiding your warranty which shouldn't frighten anyone considering the unit is a workhorse) with pad upgrade kits that one can purchase from eBay, or make themselves. They are usable, just would have liked to see some better quality put into them considering... well... it's akai. Mpcstuff.com is a wonderful resource for pad kits and other upgrades for all akai products and even some maschine shit.
2. The keys are semi-weighted, which means that they feel nothing like an actual piano (if that's where you come from) I mean, they work, just not the best feeling keys in the world. But if that's not really an issue since you don't play piano that much anyway, this shouldn't apply to you.
3. No Logic Pro preset for mapping. Frustrating. But that only applies to a few of us. Need to hand map everything. There are some resources that can aid you in the process of doing this, but why akai didn't just make this a preset raises some eyebrows. 

And it's not that this controller is a bad controller either, just there are better ones available for your money. The novation impulse, seems like a much better purchase in my opinion. Take a look here http://www.musiciansfriend.com/keyboards-midi/novation-impulse-49--49-key-midi-controller/h78020000000000?src=3WWRWXGB&ZYXSEM=0

The pads correspond to Ableton clip launching and light up like the apc400 or novation impulse, but there are only 8 of them which might be reason enough to not purchase in some people's opinion. The feature of a master fader is also a big plus on novation's part. Oh and did  I mention almost every daw is supported along with almost every synth? 

If I were to give the Akai MPK49 a star rating, it would be probably a 4. Because this is NOT a bad controller at all. It works well and efficiently, although it has minor flaws. I have had no technical issues with it (shit falling apart, software messing up) Just other controllers on the market with the same price appear to be better. The only advantage I can see to purchasing this over the novation, is the fact it's much more durable as far as I can tell. 

If you have any more specific questions regarding the controllers, message me and I'll let you in on the lowdown. 

The best

Joe Oso