Akai MPK Mini Play User manual

3
User Guide (English)
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing the MPK Mini Play. At Akai Professional, we know how serious
music is to you. That’s why we design our equipment with only one thing in mind—to make
your performance the best it can be.
Box Contents
MPK Mini Play
USB Cable
Software Download Card
User Guide
Safety & Warranty Manual
Support
For the latest information about this product (documentation, technical specifications, system
requirements, compatibility information, etc.) and product registration, visit akaipro.com.
For additional product support, visit akaipro.com/support.

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Quick Start
Playing Sounds
Note: To play internal sounds, the Internal Sounds button must be engaged.
To access the Drum sounds: There are 10 drum kits available. Press the Drums button and
rotate the encoder to select a drum kit. Tap the pads to trigger the drum kit sounds.
To access the Keyboard sounds: There are 128 Keys programs available. Press the Keys
button and rotate the encoder to select a Keys program. The Keys programs are played with
the 25 keys.
Accessing the Favorites: A Favorite consists of a Keys patch, a Drums patch, and your
effects knobs settings. To access a Favorite, press the Favorites button then tap one of the
pads to call up that Favorite.
Saving a Favorite: You can store up to eight Favorites with MPK Mini Play. To do this, press
the Favorites + Internal Sounds buttons, then tap one of the eight pads to store your Favorite
to that location.
Setting up MPK Mini Play with GarageBand
1. Adjust the power switch on the MPK Mini Play’s rear panel to the USB position.
2. Connect MPK Mini Play to your computer using a standard USB cable. (If you are
connecting MPK Mini Play to a USB hub, make sure it is a powered hub.)
3. Open GarageBand. Go to Preferences > Audio/MIDI in GarageBand and select “MPK
Mini Play” as the MIDI input device (the controller may appear as USB Device or USB
PnP Audio Device.
4. Choose from the list of instruments in GarageBand and play the keys on MPK Mini Play
to hear the instrument being played through your headphones or speakers connected to
your computer.
Setting up MPK Mini Play With Other Software
To select MPK Mini Play as a controller for your digital audio workstation (DAW):
1. Adjust the power switch on the rear panel to the USB position.
2. Connect MPK Mini Play to your computer using a standard USB cable. (If you are
connecting MPK Mini Play to a USB hub, make sure it is a powered hub.)
3. Open your DAW.
4. Open your DAW's Preferences, Options, or Device Setup, select MPK Mini Play as
your hardware controller, and then close that window.
Your MPK Mini Play is now able to communicate with your software.

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Features
Top Panel
1. Keybed: This 25-note keyboard is velocity-sensitive and, along with the Octave Down / Up buttons,
can control a ten-octave range. You can use the keys to access certain additional commands, as well.
Hold down the Arpeggiator button and press a key to set the Arpeggiator parameters. Press the Keys
button and turn the encoder to change sounds triggered from the keys.
2. Drum Pads: The pads can be used to trigger drum hits or other samples in your software. The pads
are velocity-sensitive, which makes them very responsive and intuitive to play. When the Drums
button is pressed, you can turn the encoder to change sounds on the drum pads. Access one of the 8
Favorites (a combination of a sound on the keyboard and a sound on the drum pads) by pressing and
holding the Favorites button and tapping a drum pad.
3. X-Y Controller: Use this 4-axis thumbstick to send MIDI pitch bend messages or send MIDI CC
messages.
4. Arpeggiator: Press this button to turn the Arpeggiator on or off. Pressing it during a latched arpeggio
will stop the arpeggio. Hold down this button and press the corresponding key to set the following
parameters:
ARPEGGIATOR
RESONANCE
REVERB AMT CHORUS AMT
FILTER
VOLUME
FAVORITES
FAV 8
FAV 4
FAV 7
FAV 3
FAV 6
FAV 2
FAV 5
FAV 1
RELEASE
EQ LOW EQ HIGH
ATTAC K
45
6
910
11 12
13 14
15 16
17 18
19 20 21
22
1
2
3
7
8

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• Time Division: 1/4 note, 1/4 note triplet (1/4T), 1/8 note, 1/8 note triplet (1/8T), 1/16 note, 1/16
note triplet (1/16T), 1/32 note, or 1/32 note triplet (1/32T).
• Mode: The mode determines how the arpeggiated notes are played back.
o Up: Notes will sound from the lowest to the highest.
o Down: Notes will sound from the highest to lowest.
o Incl (Inclusive): Notes will sound from the lowest to the highest, and then back down. The
lowest and highest notes will sound twice at the directional change.
o Excl (Exclusive):Notes will sound from the lowest to the highest, and then back down. The
lowest and highest notes will sound only once at the directional change.
o Order: Notes will sound in the order they were pressed.
o Rand (Random): Notes will sound in random order.
o Latch: The Arpeggiator will continue to arpeggiate the notes even after you lift your
fingers. While holding down the keys, you can add more notes to the arpeggiated chord by
pressing down additional keys. If you press the keys, release them, and then press down a
new combination of notes, the Arpeggiator will memorize and arpeggiate the new notes.
• Octave: Arpeggio octave range (Arp Oct) of 0, 1, 2, or 3octaves.
• Swing: 50% (no swing), 55%, 57%, 59%, 61%, or 64%.
5. Tap Tempo: Tap this button at the desired rate to determine the tempo of the Arpeggiator.
Note: This function is disabled if the Arpeggiator is synced to external MIDI clock.
6. Octave Down / Up: Use these buttons to shift the keyboard's range up or down (up to four octaves in
either direction). When you are higher or lower than the center octave, the corresponding Octave
button will light. Press both Octave buttons simultaneously to reset the keyboard to the default center
octave.
7. Full Level: Press this button to activate or deactivate Full Level mode in which the pads always play at
a maximum velocity (127), no matter how hard or soft you hit them.
8. Note Repeat: Press and hold this button while striking a pad to cause the pad to retrigger at a rate
based on the current Tempo and Time Division settings.
9. Display Screen: Shows the sounds, menus, and adjustable parameters.
10. Selector Knob: Select from the internal sounds and menu options with this knob.
11. Keys: When this button is pressed, the current program being played by the keys is displayed. Also,
when this button is pressed, you can turn the encoder to change sounds on the keyboard.
12. Drums: When this button is pressed, the current program being played by the Drum Pads is
displayed. Also, when this button is pressed, you can turn the encoder to change sounds on the drum
pads.
13. Favorites: Press this button and Internal Sounds button, then tap one of the eight pads to store your
Favorite to that location. Also, press this button and then tap one of the pads to recall a Favorite.
14. Internal Sounds: Press this button and the Favorites button, then tap one of the eight pads to store
your Favorite to that location. Press this button to enable/disable the internal sounds when a key or
pad is pressed. When disabled, your MPK Mini Play will send and receive MIDI only using the USB
port.
15. Pad Bank A/B: Press this button to switch the pads between Bank A or Bank B.
16. Knob Bank A/B: Press this button to switch the knobs between Bank A or Bank B.
17. Filter/Attack: This assignable 270º knob sends a MIDI CC message and can be switched to its
secondary function using the Knob Bank A/B button. When the Knob Bank A/B button is set to Bank
A, adjust this knob to change the Filter setting for the internal sounds. When the Knob Bank A/B
button is set to Bank B, adjust this knob to change the the Attack setting for the internal sounds. In
USB mode, adjust this knob to send assignable MIDI CC messages.

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18. Resonance/Release: This assignable 270º knob sends a MIDI CC message and can be switched to
its secondary function using the Knob Bank A/B button. When the Knob Bank A/B button is set to
Bank A, adjust this knob to change the Resonance setting for the internal sounds. When the Knob
Bank A/B button is set to Bank B, adjust this knob to change the the Release setting for the internal
sounds. In USB mode, adjust this knob to send assignable MIDI CC messages.
19. Reverb Amount/EQ Low: This assignable 270º knob sends a MIDI CC message and can be switched
to its secondary function using the Knob Bank A/B button. When the Knob Bank A/B button is set to
Bank A, adjust this knob to change the amount of the Reverb effect for the internal sounds. When the
Knob Bank A/B button is set to Bank B, adjust this knob to change the low band EQ setting for the
internal sounds. In USB mode, adjust this knob to send assignable MIDI CC messages.
20. Chorus Amount/EQ High: This assignable 270º knob sends a MIDI CC message and can be
switched to its secondary function using the Knob Bank A/B button. When the Knob Bank A/B button
is set to Bank A, adjust this knob to change the amount of the Chorus effect setting for the internal
sounds. When the Knob Bank A/B button is set to Bank B, adjust this knob to change the high band
EQ setting for the internal sounds. In USB mode, adjust this knob to send assignable MIDI CC
messages.
21. Volume: Controls the internal sounds volume sent to the internal speaker and the Headphone Output.
22. Speaker: Hear the internal sounds that are played with the keys and pads from here.
Note: The internal speaker is disabled when the headphone output is used.
Rear Panel
1. Power Switch: Adjust this switch to the appropriate position when powering the unit through a USB
connection or with batteries. When set to USB, with no cable connected, this button will turn off your
MPK Mini Play to save battery life.
2. Headphone Output: Connect headphones here to listen to the internal sounds triggered with the keys
and pads. You can also connect MPK Mini Play to speakers using an 1/8” adapter.
Note: Connecting this output will disable the internal speaker.
3. Sustain Input: This socket accepts a momentary-contact foot pedal (sold separately). When pressed,
this pedal will sustain the sound you are playing without having to keep your fingers pressed down on
the keys.
4. USB Port: The USB port delivers power to the keyboard and transmits MIDI data when connected to
a computer to trigger a software synth or MIDI sequencer.
Bottom Panel (not shown)
1. Battery Compartment: Install 3 AA alkaline batteries here to power the unit if not being powered
through a USB connection.
USBPOWER
USB BATT
FAVORITES
SUSTAIN
1
2
34