Novation Launchkey Mini MK3

Here's my review for the Novation Launchkey Mini MK3:

Pros:
- Ableton. Really helped my workflow in Ableton for sure. There's just so much it can do. I recommend reading the manual and watching tutorials on Youtube so you can use all the features. Great for a jam session.
- Lightweight, and very portable
- Pads are responsive to light touch
- Keys are small, but playable. Better than I expected.
- The coloured lights are a cool feature. They add a vibe for sure.
- The mod wheel and pitch bend strips work well. It takes some getting used to if you're used to a mod wheel, but it saves space.
- Comes with great included software, including Ableton Live Lite and a choice of one of the 4 Addictive Keys (I chose Mark One).
- It came triple boxed (thumbs up for Thomann.de, excellent service as always).

Cons:
- The build quality is a little light to match the light weight. Would recommend buying a bag for it.
- Pads are a little stiff to the touch.
- The buttons are a little flimsy but work well.
- Would be nice if the knobs were endless encoders, but this hasn't been a big issue for me.
- Velocity on the keys can be a little jumpy at times (noticed this on the black keys).

Overall:
- A great midi keyboard, especially for the price. It has so much going for it that I'd happily overlook the above cons.
- Highly recommend if you're an Ableton user.
- The portability is amazing.

This keyboard is, in my humble opinion, the best in its price range. I have tried the most famous ones like the Akai, some M-Audio ones and the Nektar Impact lineup, but this is by far the best.

The layout is absolutely gorgeous, which may not be needed to make music, but I personally think it is important that your gear is beautiful, and I find this keyboard quite aesthetically pleasing.

For Ableton users this is a no-brainer, since the amount of features you get to handle the software are absolutely insane. Despite that, Novation have taken other DAW users into consideration and brought up some nice features and add-ons for non Ableton users.

Technically speaking, I am no expert, but I find the keybed much more confortable to play than the other ones and the pots are nice. They wobble a bit but can't ask much.

I find the slider-type modulation and pitch wheels much more comfortable to use than the real thing. Also, they show no bump since they are flat with the surface, so I think it is a great design decision.

The pads are no special good in quality concerns (also not special bad, either, they work absolutely fine), but the device comes with a piece of sofware (Components) that lets you program every single pad and pot in every possible way, which I find absolutely amazing.

Speaking of software, at the beginning, they let you download everything that you get from the device from a nice landing page, so it is very easy to get everything set up.

All in all, I think you don't give up in anything with this device, while still keeping it cheap. Can't imagine how good their higher end devices may be.

I'm using this with REAPER and it works just great. If this is your first MIDI device, there is a learning curve that you will have to tackle. You will have to learn how to setup the controller, how to make it work in your DAW and how to use it with your virtual instruments. Yes, it seems like a lot, but it's not hard. Give yourself a day or two to settle in. As the saying goes "RTFM!" ("read the fricken manual!") and Google/YouTube are great resources. Use the Novation "Components" app to help set the custom colors and upgrade the firmware to V1.1.

Like: Works great. Touch sensitivity is excellent.
Like: Small! Overall form factor is great for a small desk. I chose this over other models because of this. Flip side: piano keys are small.
Like: It's not too light. It's small but feels substantial and won't move unnecessarily in use.
Like: New firmware (v1.1) allows LED brightness adjustment and adds a 'strum' mode to the ARP feature.
Like: Once registered on the Novation website you have some nice virtual instruments to work with.

Dislike: My one does not sit perfectly flat on the desk - I would recommend using additional rubber or felt pads under the top right and left corner, or removing the two centre rubber pads.
Dislike: It's designed for Ableton so "Session" mode is not available for other DAWS.
Dislike: Only one custom pad mode can be loaded at a time. The Components app allows you to edit and save you own presets but each must be uploaded to the unit individually through the app.
Dislike: Pad colors and assignments in Drum mode can not be edited.