Specifically, the LPD 8 is the least expensive MIDI pad controller on our list, making it our best budget option. Still, with a history in the industry, the LPD 8 seeks to follow its predecessors while filling a specific niche. This is even though they have distinctly shifted from the top-tier market to the budding professional and consumer market. More recently though, Akai still takes a rather large slice of the MIDI device market. It was with their MPC line, used in many popular 1980s hip-hop songs, that Akai became known. While they may not be the ones who manufactured the original product itself, they were the ones who started the pad-based controllers trend. This means that the MPD 218 can’t serve as a “true” MIDI device and will require a DAW to function.Īkai is the main brand responsible for having popularized the MIDI pad controller device in the first place. That is a surprising flaw since Akai prides itself on making some of the most responsive and accurate pads in the MIDI device market, regardless of the hardware design.Īnother flaw is the absence of any true MIDI ports. It also gives ghost notes from buttons that are next to the one pushed. It can require many music producers to step their precision up just to be able to use the MIDI pad controller without hours of additional editing.Įssentially, the MPD 218 is noted for producing double notes from a single push. Put simply, the velocity of the MPD 218 is well beyond what most users expect. A in this regard, it comes from a surprising place considering Akai’s reputation: Pad encoding. This is since it’s still taking a surprising amount of time to see full implementation on similar products across the product market.Īs with all values, the shoe must drop. It might be the combination of these iOS-compatible features while being priced affordably that makes this such a steal in terms of value. The latter amount is second only to the Ableton Push 2 which itself cannot accomplish the needed controls quite as quickly.

With 16 pads and 3 data banks, the Akai offers 48 pads and 18 knob controls.

The Akai accomplishes this by providing a number of data banks. In fact, this MIDI pad controller can compete with other controllers on our list that feature far more individual controls. Akai’s MPD 218 is great, in terms of functionality.

Midi drum pad controller