First I'm hearing about this new 25 key midi controller the Synido TempoKey K25.

Really wish it had 32 keys. The purple looks sick tho. Keys seem similar to the native instruments m32 which is very good. Has semitone transpose which I don't normally see on midi controllers. Has an Arp mode and note repeat with swing which is cool. Drum pads look average. $119 is a bit too high of a price imo.

Here's the video I saw it in:

Would love to hear what you guys think.

 

I think it's not bringing anything new to the party, except maybe purpleness. It needs to be a whole lot cheaper if it's going to compete with Arturia, Akai and Novation (at least two of these three can do the semitone transpose, not that I find it a particularly useful function).

 

I agree it's not bringing a lot new to the table. I'd have to try it out hands on to know if it's better than the competition. It comes with a carrying case which is nice, but adds to the cost. They should sell a cheaper version without it.

I owned both the Akai MPK Mini MK2 and Arturia Minilab MK2 and found them to have different problems.

The keys on the Minilab are the worst of any mini keyboard I've tried. Mushy and respond poorly to velocity. The pads worked but weren't great. The pads on the MPK Mini are great but the keys aren't great and often need cleaning when dust gets in them. I haven't tried the newest MPK Mini tho.

I don't remember either of those having a semitone transpose (only octave) but I owned the MK2 versions of them. That's nice to have for baselines it you're playing in the key of B or something you can shift to have you lowest and highest note in key.

If the keys on this are actually like the NI m32 and the pads are at least as good as Arturias it could be good competition tho. Also there's a mapping app which is nice.

 

If Prince were alive....

 

Ugliest controller I've ever seen

 

Looks like a Behringer.

 

even behringer look pretty after this monstrosity

 

I'm actually in the market for a small keyboard/controller, something that would fit in a backpack, for using ipad synths at band jam. I've currently got a beat up old Alesis 25 key controller which works fine, but is lacking severely in the knob department. I'd go for NI normally, but it's a no go for that purpose.

I'll add this to my list of considerations, thank you very much for letting us know!

 

there's nothing like the Novation remote SL series. I search the market every day but that 30 years old guys are the best. Obviously second hand. Then comes the Novation MKII series, the rest is BS

there are 25, 37 or even longer versions (or zero keys). it comes with a nice simple software app to program it, endless possibilities, it works both midi and USB. OH, it has 2 DISPLAYS which show whats the knob you are tweaking is. Nothing like this.

 

Never heard of this company.

TBH it sounds like one of those aliexpress products that some dropshippers are trying to resell...

 

nothing beats the original arturia keylab 25

at all a ball busting 10lbs, packing this around will make you a superman in only a few weeks.
real midi, for real men..

 

I know. It's hideous. I love it.

It's crazy that every midi controller looks basically the same to the point that making it purple is considered a wild move.

FFS I had a limited edition Arturia (keylab?) 25 that had a black body. That's what made it special edition. A black body lol.

 

Oh yeah. Looks like it has great build quality and greats keys. Tons of I/O too. I think they go for upwards of $200 on the used market. 10lbs is a bit ridiculous though

 

It does kinda seem like one of those no name brands (Donner comes to mind). We'd have to get hands on to really tell what the build quality is like. My concern would be electronics failure, or maybe build defects.

Idk tho all of these companies use the same/similar factories for the molds and small parts. Wouldn't be surprised if it's decent. To be fair my Akai MPK Mini MK2 felt like absolute crap and I had to take it apart to clean it twice. BUT it did survive being lugged around in a backpack for years.

 

Very interesting! Never seen that before.

 

Absolutely! Glad to share. I owned one of those Alesis 25 key controllers. Loved the full size keys and the pads were alright. Weird key triggering issues sometimes tho.

 

Is it uglier than the Behringer Corksniffer?

 

yeah its not really portable unless you aren't going far, I have a dj turntable case I use for mine when its moved or stored. I see them on reverb and ebay for under $100, they were over 300$ new. They have aftertouch and split among other features. Still works well with arturia system v 9.5.

it will transpose in octaves or chromatically, which is handy.

its made of steel, so yeah its bullet proof. I'm tempted to buy another, but I just got an 88 key so i'm out of room for now.

 

I like every Arturia bit of hardware I've ever used and have a KeyLab 61 mkII controller, a Drumbrute Impact, a Polybrute, and a SparkLE drum machine. I have in the closet a Keystep 27 for traveling. They do make good hard stuff.