Where to buy
Amazon Affiliate links to all the gear:
Main setup
- Akai keyboard https://amzn.to/4y7Ua2R
- Vention audio adapter https://amzn.to/47s1JWR
- USB A to C adapter https://amzn.to/3TpBopg
Other products mentioned
- Korg MicroKey (5 octaves) https://amzn.to/46Mq7m2
- Yamaha Melodica (Pianica) https://amzn.to/4hhQ42L
- Yamaha Reface CP https://amzn.to/4yZJQdO
Backstory
I made this youtube short about a tiny 3-octave keyboard I’ve been using to practice when I’m traveling. I’ve actually used it for years, but just recently thought to share my setup since a lot of people seem to like it.
Akai MPK Mini Plus
When I first started looking for a way to turn my idle travel time into useful practice time, I found many people online recommending the Yamaha Reface CP. I looked at it a bit, but it’s really pricey, and needs batteries I’d have to keep replacing or worrying about.
So I kept looking, and then I found the Akai Mini MPK Plus which had at least one big selling point compared to the Reface: the Akai is like 1/3 of the price. And then I noticed it has other benefits too, like not needing its own batteries (it’s passively powered by USB), and it’s smaller and lighter even though it has the same number of keys (37), so it fits easily in my backpack.
OK, so game on Akai! Except the catch: the Akai keyboard doesn’t have or make any sounds, it’s just a Midi controller generating midi signals and nothing else. So it’s meant for you to hook up to a computer where the midi signal can be converted into actual sound, but kind of undercuts the whole portability angle which is the whole reason I wanted such a small keyboard in the first place.
Now here’s what’s cool: I realized I could hook it up to my phone running free DAW software, and that solves three problems at once:
- Power: the phone provides the power via USB
- Sound: the DAW software converts the Midi signal into sound
- Portability: I always have my phone with me, so no extra gear to carry (besides an adapter, see below)
Vention Adapter
I always use this keyboard with headphones because I’m typically playing on a plane or train or somewhere public where I’m just looking to get some practice reps in. The problem with today’s phones relying on bluetooth headphones is that bluetooth has way too much latency. It’s just not usable to press a note and only hear it 1/2 second later. So for years I hung on to my Samsung Galaxy 8 because it has a headphone jack built-in.
But eventually apps stopped being supported on that phone, so I had to upgrade. And my early experiments with USB-C headphone jack splitters ended in failure: when your phone receives midi signal from a device like the Akai, the phone treats this as an external sound device and so it sends the audio signal right back to that source device. Which means the headphone jack in a simple splitter never receives any sound.
Then I finally realized there are fancier splitters that include a built-in sound card. And that totally works! I tried a few, they all worked well. I settled on the Vention just because it was cheapest.
More Details
I also made a longer video with more details about the setup