AKAI Professional LPD8 - Portable USB-powered MIDI Controller with 8 Velocity-Sensitive Drum Pads for Laptops (Mac & PC), Editing Software Included & Behringer UMC22 Computer Audio Interface

I was looking for a midi controller to use with Amplitube. The trouble is that most foot controllers are silly money for not a lot of functionality. Then I came across the LPD8.Obviously this is not a foot controller, but that doesn't mean it can't be used as one. It's pretty sturdy and the drum pads are big enough that I can reliably tap them with a toe in order to perform the actions I want in Amplitube... eg, enable/disable pedals, start/stop the looper, etc. As long as you don't get carried away and stamp on it, it should be fine!The added "bonus" is that it can be used for a myriad of other things too, such as controlling a DAW and, of course, for bashing out drum beats to accompany my guitar recordings. The downloadable customisation tool, which allows you to tweak the functionality of every pad and knob and save multiple different presets for recall at the touch of a button extends the possibilities even further.All in all you get a lot of functionality for not a lot of money. I would definitely recommend this as a first midi controller, especially to those on a budget.

OK. I don't often review but needed to in this instance. What many other people have stated regarding the sensitivity of the pads is COMPLETELY TRUE. You have to pound these guys to register a hit a lot of the time, which means you have no control over velocity at all. Akai have messed up here, but hey, it's a midi pad controller for £30, you need a check up from the neck up if you think you're going to get something utterly flawless so cheaply.All however is not lost. Go ahead and buy the LPD8, you'll find the pads are not as sensitive as you'd like, you'll then google and find people advising you to fix black electrical tape to the underside of the pads. DON'T!!!Instead, go to a well known internet auction site and search for Pad Sensitivity Upgrade Kit for Akai MPK, MPK Mini, LPD8. You'll find a seller there with thousands of positive feedback including my own. This guy researched the issue, found the appropriate materials and started producing a simple insert kit you can use to DRAMATICALLY improve the sensitivity of the pads.Order the right kit (he does two depending on the Akai device you are trying to improve), wait a few days and it arrives in the mail. You'll open it and be underwhelmed by what it is, but, go ahead and open your device, follow the instructions and your own common sense. You will be stunned by how much better your LPD8 is after you've done the job.Now, there'll be a lot of people who will instinctively worry about opening the box and invalidating their warranty with Akai. My answer to that is, "Seriously?". It only cost you 30 quid! Akai aren't going to do anything to improve the device, so, you can send it back all disappointed that it isn't as good as you thought it would be. Or you can spend something in the region of £5 to give yourself an excellent controller. Choice is yours.The knobs I grant you are too low a profile, but these are normal D type push on knobs, so you could easily find something more grippy and taller if you wanted to replace these too.Overall, after a little tinkering, I am extremely glad I bought this controller. Now I've upgraded the pads it's a cracking little piece of kit.

This controller is great. The only problem with this controller is that I want more of them.Where do I start with the positives here? Well OK compatibility. It works without any driver (although to assign the controllers you may want to use the supplied application). It works on Mac OS X Mountain Lion (I believe that it would also work on most if not all previous versions of OS X). I know that it also works on Windows 8 (and again I believe that it would also work on most previous Windows versions). I use it daily in Ableton and is great to give you hands on control of software synths (VST's). It's pretty user friendly to set these things up with a shallow learning curve.One very important thing I thought I would mention is the pads on these are really responsive. I also oen an AKAI MPD18 trigger pad. I wanted this because I wanted to be able to add percussion to my tracks. I personally prefer the trigger pads on the LPD8. They seem surprisingly responsive and as an added bonus they light up when you hit them. I know that may seem superficial but it really seems to add an element of feedback interaction that 'confirms' your beats. I think it helps to visually see that they are working. Anyway they are pretty responsive and velocity sensative too.I use this all the time and as I have already said I just want more. I don't think it would be a problem to have several of these things with each one possibly assigned to a different VSTi or maybe use just one for a mixer with the ability to mute tracks with the pads as on/off toggles.I am very impressed with this dinky little unit. Also with a little extension cable you can pass it to friend whilst you manipulate something else on screen or play another synth. The price is very good considering the control that it gives you. I would regard this as essential for anyone who uses something like Ableton Live or Cubase (or whatever).It truly is a bargain

Bought as Xmas present. Came sealed but with no power lead? Is this a new or second hand product? How does the power lead disappear? Great product if new and all included

I purchased this as a controller for my self-built software synthesizers. It works great on my Debian based Linux OS. The build quality seems good for the price and if it's anything like the LPK25 it should last a good number of years. The only drawback is the pads are not particularly velocity sensitive.