Novation Launchkey Mini 37 MK4

Sources split, and the split tracks physics rather than taste. Sound On Sound calls the mini-keys comfortable, and a verified Mini 37 owner rates them the smallest usable keys he's found and the velocity excellent. Against that, MusicRadar and SoundGuys both flag the mini format as inherently less playable than full-size, and a Mini 37 owner reports velocity going binary on dynamic instruments — too loud or too quiet with little middle ground — which he attributes to short key travel leaving the sensor less room to tell fast from slow. Both things are true: it's a good mini keybed, and a mini keybed. There's no aftertouch on the keys (that's on the pads), and velocity response is adjustable only via Soft/Normal/Hard-style presets in Novation's Components app.

The clearest strength, and unusually specified for the money: 16 RGB pads with velocity and polyphonic aftertouch, which reviewers and owners alike call responsive and accurate for finger drumming, clip launching and step sequencing. Nothing in the source set argues the other way.

“The pads feel firm and responsive, with just enough resistance for accuracy, and the RGB lighting is bright and easy to see in any environment.”

AudioNewsRoom

“The only missing feature is any form of aftertouch on the keyboards; however, you will find polyphonic aftertouch on the velocity‑sensitive and brightly lit pads.”

Sound On Sound

Sources split on the hands-on feel while agreeing on the feature set. Everyone likes what's there — eight endless encoders, a 128×64 OLED that names what each unlabelled encoder is doing, transport and page buttons, and the arpeggiator and chord modes reviewers rate best-in-class — and every reviewer notes the OLED is small. The arguments are physical. One Mini owner reports the endless encoders are so stiff a filter sweep takes two or three turns, with no encoder sensitivity setting to fix it; a reviewer who spent weeks with the range reports the opposite, calling them smooth with no dead zones. Separately, the touch strips that replace pitch and mod wheels draw sustained owner criticism — they self-centre when you lift your finger, so a bend can't be held — though Sound On Sound points out they let you reach into the arpeggiator in a way a wheel can't.

The reason most people buy it, and near-uniformly praised — in Ableton Live, where it's auto-detected and maps mixer, devices, transport and a step sequencer with no setup. Logic draws almost equal praise once its script is installed. The consistent caveat is that everything outside Ableton needs a downloaded script and is less deep: Sound On Sound found Reason quirky and under-documented for third-party plugins, and a Mini 37 owner ran aground on Cubase's routing and multitimbral handling. Anything unscripted falls back to HUI, which reviewers report works fine.

“As you’d expect, the integration with the included Ableton Live 12 Lite is flawless.”

Sound On Sound

“Right out of the box, it gives you deep control over your DAW, making your workflow more efficient without the hassle of manual mapping.”

SoundGuys

Sources split, though lopsidedly. The bundle is near-universally called generous for the price — Ableton Live 12 Lite plus Klevgrand, GForce and Orchestral Tools plugins, Novation Play, and Melodics lessons — and reviewers note it doesn't lock you into one maker's ecosystem. The dissent, from an owner review that a lot of readers found helpful, is about the redemption cost rather than the contents: each plugin comes from a different company, and each wants its own account, permissions and installer.

The thinnest part of the package, and the one place the Mini is meaningfully poorer than its full-size siblings: where the Launchkey 25 and up get a 5-pin DIN MIDI out, the Mini gets a 3.5mm TRS jack, so driving hardware means buying an adapter Novation doesn't include — and which flavour of 3.5mm MIDI your gear expects can bite. Otherwise it's USB-C, a 1/4" sustain jack (pedal not included) and a Kensington slot: no MIDI in, no CV, no audio. The upside reviewers highlight is that it's class-compliant and bus-powered — MusicRadar ran one straight off an iPhone.

“The Mini 37 Mk4 offers a 3.5mm MIDI output (adapter not included), so you’ll need to budget for that if you want to connect to standard MIDI gear.”

AudioNewsRoom

“As a portable keyboard, you get a limited selection of I/O.”

SoundGuys

The whole point, and the least contested thing about it: roughly 478 × 177 × 49 mm and 0.98 kg, bus-powered, class-compliant, and small enough for a laptop bag while still giving three octaves. Reviewers repeatedly note it works straight off an iPhone or iPad, which makes it a credible mobile rig rather than just a desk-shrinking exercise.

“The Mini 37 Mk4 is a true travel companion. It fits in a laptop bag, sets up quickly, and provides the same deep Logic control as the larger model.”

AudioNewsRoom

“The Launchkey Minis are ideal for producers on a budget, educators who want to kit out a classroom, and pros who want a fully-featured travel keyboard.”

MusicRadar

Quietly uncontroversial: every source that comments calls it solid plastic that feels better than the price suggests, with no reports of key or pad wobble and no QC pattern in the set. The caveats are honest rather than damning — MusicRadar notes you never really know a controller's durability until it's been gigged, and Sound On Sound's only structural gripe is that there's no power switch, so the lit pads stay lit when the computer sleeps.

“Otherwise, the guts and the intelligence inside the controllers are the same throughout the range, as is the single MIDI output on the back and the smart, plastic but solid feel.”

Sound On Sound

“Build quality seems fine – you never really know until you take it to some gigs – but we’ve never had problems with Novation controllers in the past.”

MusicRadar

Strongly positive, with one dissent worth knowing. Reviewers treat it as one of the best travel controllers going — Sound On Sound, having tested all six MK4 sizes, singled the Mini 37 out as the one he'd keep — and SoundGuys scored value 9/10 and called it the best starting point for new producers. MusicRadar is the mild outlier, reading the MK4 as an incremental update rather than a leap. The one negative in the set is a buyer who chose the older MK3 instead, specifically because he preferred its pots with pickup to the MK4's encoders.

“It has some great tools, good integration, and the Mini 37 could easily stick around as my day‑to‑day controller.”

Sound On Sound

“For beginner producers, this is one of the best MIDI keyboards available.”

SoundGuys