How To Connect Akai Lpk25 With Ipad Garageband

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  • Jun 07, 2012 This shows how to easily connect your AKAI mini midi keyboard to the iPad. DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product.
Hello everyone,
First of all i recently purchased the Lpk25 wireless .
I love it how easy it is to set up and especially how it makes me so portable in combination with my ipad over bluetooth.
Good job there at akai!
This is the future, now !
One thing tough keeps frustrating me and i can't get to be able to fix it:
I connect the Lpk25 wireless over Bluetooth to my ipad, for example garageband (or any of my other apps that support Bluetooth midi) the controller works as it should.
But
If i put the Lpk25 wireless to externally sync the midi clock (press on/off + ext sync key) the Lpk25 wireless doesn't seem to recieve any midi clock signal!
So my arpegiator is useless then..
I double checked my app if midi clock sync send is on and it is!
I have this with Garageband and with beathawk and i'll check with iMPC pro soon .
Am i doing something wrong or is it not possible to externally sync midi clock over Bluetooth midi (what would be really bad in my case, this is a very usefull feature..)
Can akai Please advise me in this !?
Thank you!

You can connect any class compliant USB audio interface or MIDI controller or keyboard to your iPad. This article shows you what you can connect and how, and also includes some tips to ensure success with the Apple Camera iPad Connection Kit. Virtual dj n.

Akai LPK25

Editor Rating: Good (3.5)
US Street Price$129.00

  • Pros

    • Very compact.
    • Inexpensive, but feels well made.
    • Quiet, springy key travel.
    • Accurate velocity sensitivity.Useful Sustain and Arpeggiator buttons.

  • Cons

    • No mod wheel, which can be a problem with many virtual instruments.

  • Bottom Line

    The inexpensive and portable Akai LPK25 compact MIDI keyboard controller is a perfect companion for an iPad- or laptop-based studio as long as you don't need a mod wheel.

Need a tiny MIDI keyboard controller for working on music projects on the go? The Akai LPK25 ($129 list) features miniature keys, instead of regular, full-size synthesizer keys, but it's very playable. And given the unit's tiny size—perfect for a backpack or overnight or laptop bag—and ability to run on USB power, it may be all the keyboard you need. The only downside is the lack of a mod wheel controller of any kind, which with today's virtual synthesizer plug-ins, often does much more than adding vibrato. If you can live without that, the LPK25 is an inexpensive, yet solid, choice.

Design, Controls, and Arpeggiator
The Akai LPK25 is made entirely of black plastic. The 25 non-weighted keys are miniature, though they're almost the same width as normal keys, so playing them feels more natural than you'd expect. The LPK25 is USB bus-powered; there's no AC adapter in the box. That's fine for use with a PC or Mac laptop. If you have an iPad, all you need is the $29 Apple Camera Connection Kit; plug the LPK25 in and it will work as a standard MIDI controller for Garageband, Moog Music Animoog, FL Studio Mobile HD, and other iPad apps. Akai also includes some basic editor software that works on PCs and Macs, though you generally won't need it.

One nifty feature is the Arpeggiator button, which outputs actual MIDI data. It's great if your synthesizer plug-in or digital audio workstation software doesn't have that facility readily available. (I'm looking at you, Apple Logic Pro 9.) A Sustain button is another great add, since carrying around a pedal would be impractical—even the small, black plastic kind. You also get the expected Octave Up and Octave Down buttons, plus a Tap Tempo button to go with the arpeggiator.

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How To Connect Akai Lpk25 With Ipad Garageband 1

Unfortunately, there are no pitch bend or modulation wheels, or even something you could use in their place, such as a function key combination. That makes it tough to work with popular pro-level plug-ins like Garritan Personal Orchestra and Spectrasonics Omnisphere, both of which depend heavily on the mod wheel. I realize actual full-size wheels would have increased the size of the LPK25 substantially, but something could have been provided, so that you don't have to resort to inputting MIDI controller data manually in an event editor.

Testing and Conclusions
In use, the Akai LPK25 does exactly the job it's supposed to do. The keys are velocity sensitive, and easily good enough for recording dynamics into a MIDI sequencer. I had no problem playing fast solo lines or chord progressions on them, either. There's no aftertouch, but given the price, that's to be expected. It's also very easy to toss the LPK25 in a bag, which is something I can't say for the vast majority of controllers out there. And unlike, say, the Korg nanoKEY2, you get real (albeit miniature) piano keys, as opposed to bizarrely shaped buttons.

Akai Lpk25 Manual

If you want something with full-sized keys, the Alesis Q25 may be more to your liking, and it also comes with proper pitch bend and modulation wheels. Another option is the 25-key version of the M-Audio Oxygen 49, known as the Oxygen 25; it offers much more in the way of real-time controls, thanks to the built-in transport buttons, eight knobs, and MIDI slider. The Oxygen 25 also has a three-digit LED display so you can see the exact levels you're entering in while playing. Virtual dj playlist download. But if you need something ultra-portable, the Akai LPK25, your laptop or iPad, and a pair of headphones may be all you need to lay down ideas away from your home or pro studio—and at street prices hovering in the $40 to $45 range, it's an easy impulse buy.

How To Connect Akai Lpk25 With Ipad Garageband 2

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