USB MIDI Keyboard Controller MINI 32-Key, Donner N-32 with Screen, Sequencer, Chord, Bend Sound Effects By Light-up Joystick for Mac/PC, Music Production Software, 40 Teaching Courses

I wanted to start using midi during my sessions. This top-rated beginner board came along at the right moment. The Donner N32 has 32 keys but with Octave Transpose (+/-) one can move up/down the scale. Physically, the keys on the board are responsive, not mushy, not much to complain about given the price point on this unit. All of the controls seem fairly intuitive. Donner provides training videos for your consumption but you have to contact Donner and ask for the links.The unit is very portable - small and light - at 16.5" long, 4.5" wide, and 1.5" thick and weighing in at 1 pound. Once at your destination, this keyboard is surprisingly powerful and able to handle most tasks - it's not in a Studio nor is it as powerful as a full Studio Unit. Although it does have four Program Banks to help keep your interest engaged. The features included on this unit also dont seem available on other similar keyboards competing in the same market, roughly same price.I required no drivers for interface to make my computer see this unit - it was pure plug n play. The keyboard has a USB-Type C connector port which plugs into a USB-A or USB-C port on your computer or Hub. GarageBand had no trouble 'seeing' the N32 keyboard on my Mac Laptop and on my iPad.I think this is a very versatile midi-keyboard.

I use this with a MacBook Pro and the music notation program Dorico by Steinberg. It works flawlessly.

UPDATE 7/27/2024: Donner support contacted me, asked me to upload video with problem but instead I wanted to try new USB-C cables after trying several I had and not working BUT an original apple connected fine, so I got the new ones I ordered and it worked ok on iPad with the lightning adapter. It was just weird but I stand, partially though, corrected, not all USB-C cables work.Bought in Nov. 2023, today is Jul 2024. It was working fine in iPads and newer Macbook Pro as I only use it when I travel/vacations, then lent it to my son and we connected it his newer iPad 10 and it worked great, got it back and now a month later I'm trying to connect it to my Mac in Ventura/Logic or my other iPads running iOS 16 in Garageband and nada, my iPhone 13, nope either, it lights up but doesn't transmit anything. I just connected back to my son's iPad/Garageband and it works fine in there. No help from Donner neither I can't find any info on what is going on. Sad, I should have bought the other one that is the same but different brand, I thought Donner was a better brand. Wrong. Sad.

This 32-octave small MIDI keyboard is great for musicians who do a lot of computer music work, whether entering music into notation software such as Dorico or Sibelius or Finale or MuseScore, or playing single lines into a DAW. The response is instantaneous, the keys feel solid, the cable it comes with has USB C to plug into the keyboard and either USB C or the older USB A on the other end to plug into a computer. It fits perfectly into my computer backpack for travel, and it draws its power from the USB port of the computer so there's never any worry about dead batteries or needing to recharge.This is NOT for someone trying to learn to play piano, however. The feel is nothing like a real piano and the small keys won't help when trying to play on a full-size keyboard.But for musicians who travel and need to work with a computer it's a great compromise!

When I'm working in the DAW, I like to have a small 25-key MIDI controller propped up right behind my QWERTY keyboard, so that I can easily pluck out melodies, play simple chords, adjust the volume of tracks, start or stop playback, etc. Seems like an easy request, but unfortunately it took me several attempts to find the right MIDI controller for my purposes.After trying nearly every 25-key MIDI controller on the market, this Donner DMK25 "Spacline" is the one for me. It's cheap and cheerful, quick and easy to setup and use, and yet manages to surprise me with its depth and customizability. For instance, nearly every pad, knob, fader, and touchstrip can be custom-programmed to send a user-specified Note Number or CC Number. What this means is that this Donner DMK25 is very flexible, and can accomplish tasks that may not be obvious at first glance. In my DAW, which is Reaper, I'm able to create shortcuts in the Action List, so that a single button press or pad strike will execute a task of my choice. For example, I've customized Pad1 to map to "Copy", Pad2 maps to "Paste", Pad3 maps to "Undo", Pad4 maps to "Redo", etc. I've created shortcuts for the 12 or 13 tasks that I do most often, which saves me from having to use the mouse or enter clumsy keystroke combinations on my QWERTY keyboard. It took some extra work to program the Donner DMK25 for my needs, and further work in my DAW (Reaper) to map the various Actions, but it was well worth it.If you're on the fence about which color to choose, I'd recommend the white one. It's more legible in low-light conditions, and stands out from most other computer/laptop accessories which are black.The only imperfections I can find with the Donner DMK25 are the following:1) The keys are not a joy to play; they're merely serviceable. Compared to the Arturia Keystep or Yamaha Reface, the Donner's keys are playing in a lower league. But despite that, these are fast, accurate keys, with fairly good velocity detection.2) The USB connection is in the back, rather than on the left side. This makes it awkward in some arrangements, for instance if you want to place the Donner DMK25 right in front of your laptop, the cable gets in the way.3) There's no 5-pin MIDI Din output. Of course that is uncommon at this price point, but still, it would have been nice.