Hello
It's rare that I post, but I saw your question, and for once I can offer some experience! I use a Novation Impulse 49 as my main keyboard for playing at my computer (a PC). I map all of my VI matrices starting at the lowest note (C-1), and over time, have tested two small format 25 key keyboards that I use for keyswitching only. Namely the Akai LPK25, and the Korg MicroKey25. Here are the pros and cons as I see them:
Akai LPK25 Pros:
- Very compact (Both in area and height)
- You can create four presets which can be accessed from the front panel buttons. Importantly for me, the preset can define the octave offset. I only use one preset, but when the unit powers, that reset is restored.
Cons:
- The octave Up/Down buttons are single colour. They are both off when there is no octave offset, but lit when there is. It is therefore not possible to see whether the offset is 1, 2, 3 etc. This is not a problem the way I use it though since I use the preset to control the octave offset.
- The buttons/LEDs are very bright when lit! In fact, I have taken mine apart and made a hardware modification to dim them.
Korg MicroKey25 Pros:
- Slightly more rugged construction than the Akai (but not significantly so though)
- The keys feel a bit nicer, they are not as springy as the Akai. For the purpose of key switching though I don't think this is an issue.
- Octave offset has tri-colour LEDs
- Has a decent (though small) joystick which can be useful at time (Not for keyswitching though obviously)
Cons:
- Although the octave buttons are tri-colour, when set to start at the bottom note I use, the LED flashed red since three colours are not enough. I find this very annoying.
- There is one stored configuration which can be set from the editor, but this does not include the octave offset. I found myself always forgetting to set the correct octave every time I turned it on.
- More expensive than the Akai
- Takes up more desk space than the Akai
So I prefer the Akai for this function. I just feed it into a USB hub and leave it connected all the time. I have been happy working that way and not experienced any down sides when using it with Cubase.
I hope that helps
Ian