midiplus X3 mini USB MIDI keyboard Controller

I've been using the midiplus X3 mini and X4 mini for about three years now. You will not find a better MIDI controller for the price. The keyboard is solid, level, and well-built. The keys themselves are satisfying to play, with a nice resistance -- neither too stiff, nor too giving. The keys don't feel quite as nice as the Arturia KeyStep, but then the KeyStep is more expensive and has many features I don't need. For those of you using external hardware synths with 5-pin DIN inputs (i.e. the old-fashioned MIDI ports ubiquitous until about 2009), you'll be relieved to finally find a decent and affordable MIDI controller that can send MIDI to your gear. That's right: this midiplus MIDI controller is useful for DAW-less (i.e. non-computer) workflows. I personally use the midiplus X4 to control an Elektron Digitone and a Roland MC-707, and it excels at this task. These mini midiplus keyboards are a great size and form factor, virtually ideal. The X3 mini fits nicely in the slide-out tray of a corner computer desk, while the X4 mini fits nicely on a 31" folding table on which I like to improvise melodies and chord progressions with external hardware synthesizers. One nice thing about the midiplus mini keyboards is their horizontal span. On normal-sized keyboards, it's a stretch for me to play 10ths, and 11ths are impossible. But on the midiplus mini keyboards, I can easily play 10ths, and 11ths are possible with only slight discomfort. This is a important for me because I'm a composer who often likes to use 9ths, 10ths, and 11ths in my chords and riffs. It's also super convenient to be able to quickly change MIDI channels and velocity settings: the midiplus keyboards allow this, and more. You can also reassign the MIDI CC messages that each knob and button use. For instance, knob 1 uses CC 7 by default, but you can reassign it to any value, such as 92. In practice, this means you can use these 4 knobs to actually control a dozen or more MIDI CC parameters. (But you'll have to change the CC assignment on the fly, which is a somewhat awkward process made easier by repetition and memorization.) I only rarely use the 4 knobs at top to control filter cutoff, resonance, volume, etc, but it is nice to have that ability. Though smallish, these 4 knobs have a really nice feel and resistance, too, with a non-slip coating. The capacitive touchstrips on the far left, for controlling pitch and modulation, are better and more responsive that I'd hoped for. Yes, they're a little bit imprecise and coarse-grained, but they are useful for trying out ideas, and good enough for improvisation. Caveat: I'm not a pianist or even a particularly good keyboard player. I use my midiplus keyboard to compose music and try out various ideas/riffs/phrases/chords. For my purposes, these midiplus controllers are close to ideal. For my uses, there are only two defects with this midiplus keyboard. It lacks an expression pedal input, and it lacks a dedicated power supply (DC-input). So I have to power the keyboard using a USB cable connected to a USB power brick. Kind of annoying, but certainly not a deal breaker.

Being an inexpensive Chinese keyboard, I felt like the Midiplus X6 was a gamble, but it turned out to be a very good one. It has everything you need in a footprint no larger than it absolutely needs to be. It's very aesthetically pleasing, and the somewhat smaller keys make the whole thing remarkably portable and appropriately sized for most desks. The smaller keys and the lack of weights means it isn't a substitute for a full size, 88 key weighted keyboard for classical pianists, but it is enough to scratch that itch when you want to learn half of Moonlight Sonata and Maple Leaf Rag without committing your mortgage to a grand piano. It really shines for sampled instruments, and does everything you need, plus the knobs are useful for controlling volume swells, low-pass filters, pitch shifters, and anything else you want for wild experimentation. I can't recommend it enough if you're on a tight budget.

The quality is amazing for the cost. This controller is unique as it is a mini-key keyboard controller. The size, ease of use, quality of design are all good elements as well as it's easy plug and play connectivity! The key press takes some getting used to. It doesn't effect the overall effectiveness of a mini keyboard. Mini sized keyboards are nice for many reasons. One being that they can be more pleasant to play when less effort is required to play consistently. (After a day of learning the key articulation, playability is very comfortable and more controlled with a smooth, clean response.) The velocity sensitivity is respectable but tricky. It's best not to purchase this controller for that particular function. It is better to have velocity touch response included than not have it. The velocity settings can be changed to accommodate your playing preferences. Experienced piano/keyboard player of +20 years. This is a must have! Can't be recommend enough.!

Bought this keyboard several months ago. I previously purchased a Midiplus AKM 322 which was surprisingly well built for under $50 but I wanted more keys. I found a Korg Micro Key 37 on eBay for $50 which I thought played pretty nice for a mini keyboard. Soon after, the USB port on the Korg broke which is how I found the X4 Mini. I have full size controllers but i wanted something I could play on the couch or wherever, whenever inspiration struck. Anyway, I loved the idea of a mini sized keyboard with 49 keys so I took a chance with the X4. Immediately after taking the X4 out of the box, I could see that it was really well built. Most mini keyboards I've seen, including ones I have as well as the Akai MPK mini, all feel like toys. The X4 feels like a miniature professional controller. It's pretty stripped down feature-wise but the transport controls and knobs are still useful. It also has a midi out port and sustain pedal 1/4" jack. The touch strips for pitch and mod work well although the pitch bend could be a little smoother so if that's a big part of your playing style, you might not be thrilled. The key size is a little wider and bigger than the Korg Micro 37's. The overall feel is really good for a keyboard at this price. The chassis is metal so it's heavier than the other mini keyboards I've seen and it really feel rather indestructible. You can play it pretty aggressively and it stays put. While not as important, the x4 looks pretty cool when plugged in. The buttons and knobs all light up with nice bright LEDs... Well, I don't write reviews as much as I should and I've been meaning to write one for the X4 for a while. I'm about to purchase another one for a friend as a surprise gift because I like it that much. For anyone looking for a good high quality mini key controller, I can't recommend this one enough. Don't be put off by the fact that it's not one of the name brands. This keyboard is far superior in quality to the Korg and Akai mini keyboards.

You're buying this because it's inexpensive and has a bare-bones feature set. You are not buying this for playability or extensive implementation a high degree of specific customization. I bought it because it was the least expensive controller with Miidi-DIN out. I remind myself of that every time something doesn't work the way I'd hope or I try to ply it like a music instrument rather than a data entry device. If you want a playable keyboard or great midi control, spend more for a Keystep. If you want something quick and cheap that you can blonk out notes without a computer around, this will do the job.

This thing quickly became part of my dream portable synthesizer. I've tested it with iPhone and Android, with DRS, SynprezFM, and Ableton Note. Works better than I'd hoped with all of them. I can even select patches with Bank messages. Here's an annoying compatibility detail: the hotkey buttons have a transport layer and a CC layer. The CC layer is programmable and easy to use; layers are switched one button at a time, which is strange but could be useful to you. However, the transport layer only uses MIDI Machine Control, which is Sysex (raw MIDI). That's not Mackie control, and it is totally incompatible with Ableton Live. It requires a MIDI translator like BOME to use at all; MIDI mapping will not work. Doable, but clunky. I think there might be some way around this (Python scripts), but I haven't executed it. Support for MMC varies, and some DAWs and a great deal of hardware do support it. The keybed is excellent. Unfortunately, I can't compare it to the most relevant controllers; I've never used a Keystep or a Microkey. The Keystep 37 is supposed to have a somewhat nicer keybed and it has aftertouch (not supposed to be that great), but it's much bigger and has many features I don't need while lacking features that I do (I also heard that they're made in the MIDIPLUS factory, and Arturia fans always talk a big game, so I don't know if they're ACTUALLY better). The Microkey is supposed to have a lighter touch. However, I've used a wide variety of full size controllers (I have a gold-standard Fatar which I love), and this feels better than many of them. The keys are firm, but nothing like the woody, painful stiffness of an MPK mini. They are all individually hinged. It just feels like a great semi-weighted synth action, only small. Very responsive and musical. I'm especially blown away by the velocity sensitivity. Perfect, good enough for piano-style dynamics. Chef's kiss. Velocity customization is available but shallow; I don't miss it. The action is also nearly silent! Keys do not have leverage, and they become very stiff around the last 3mm which I consider fine. The knobs are ROCK solid. They have internal lighting and feel like the knobs on my Push 3. The touch strips are virtually weighted! In that way, they're better than the strip on the Push. They feel a little plasticky but function is natural. End caps also have a somewhat brittle texture. Nothing else on this looks or feels cheap at all. There is no software! All functions are more or less elegantly accessed from the controller. It seems to take a second or two to switch channels or functions, but the process is well designed. Patches and channels are selected with a numeric keypad built into the keybed, which works very well. The manual leaves some things out. The interface is intuitive, but don't expect it to be crystal clear for a novice. Overall pleased. The keybed was the most important feature to me, and it is a total joy. My wishlist would include better key leverage for a totally consistent feel, and normal programming for the transport layer. I have a hard time believing that anything else can be much better; if you get it right, you get it right. This gets it right.

Excellent at this price. The keys have a decent feel and are somewhere in between too-small and full size. Surprisingly playable and pleasant to use for long periods unlike some compact controllers I've used in the past. The velocity response seems consistent from key to key and the layout really maximizes the number of octaves per inches of footprint better than most 61 note controllers. I'd buy this again if anything ever happened to it. It's comfortable, compact, and reliable. Edited to add specific details: The keys are laid out at about 6 inches (15.25 cm) per octave. A full-sized keyboard is anbout 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) per octave, so this is about 95% the lateral spacing of a standard piano keyboard. The true 'mini' aspect of this is the key length which is only 60% of that of a full-sized key. Personally, I find the spread of the keys much more important to comfort and playability than the depth of the keys. For my hands, this is the best compact keybed I've found yet-- it feels close enough to full-sized but takes up the least-possible amount of space.

This keyboard is built like a tank and seems of good quality (hence 2-stars instead of 1). However, like most midi keyboard manufacturers the User Manual/Guide is skimpy/lean/inadequate if you are looking to use more than the basic functions--e.g. like MIDI features. MIDI functionality is technical and the 11-page English version of the manual, is sorely lacking details (like step-by-step keystroke/workflow instructions). When I sent the seller/manufacturer questions (Taiwan) multiple times, I was completely ignored. If they are on holiday for Lunar New Year, etc. they could be more professional by at least returning an "Out of Office" message with the date of when they will reply--they did not. Days, weeks or never, don't go very far for the customer experience for technical products, even if the hardware is built well. And I now question that, since one of my issues was about the keyboard not sending Program Changes, MSB, LSB content as it is supposed to. Overall recommendation: Do Not Buy if you want to dig into the MIDI functionality, because "MIDIPLUS" will let you down. Written Feb 2025.