iRig Keys MIDI controller is affordable and easily transportable

IK Multimedia is a company from northern Italy that offers a lot of different audio products, from microphones and speakers to amplifiers and synthesizers. It all started a bit over 20 years ago with a goal to get the sound of classic analog gear from a computer. Since then, they have been creating many different products that are both affordable and simple for anyone to use. Among their wide selection of products is the iRig Keys, a standalone MIDI controller intended for songwriting and composing anywhere you go.

As the controller is intended to be easily transportable, it is designed to be very slim that it can even fit in a backpack or a carry-on. iRig Keys consists out of 37 mini-keys that complete three full octaves plus one additional note. Besides these, there are modulation and pitch-bending wheels as well as a control panel with a volume knob and five soft-touch buttons including Program, Octave up and down and, finally, a button for saving up to 4 customized setups. The Keys do not initially come with an expression pedal, but there is an input for additional pedal if needed.

Although the Keys can work without additional power as they are powered by the device they are connected to, there is always the option of additional powering in case of long playing sessions. As they have ultra-low power consumption, they will not straight away drain all smartphone or tablet battery very fast.

The iRig keys come in a standard 37-key keyboard but there is also the Mini Keys version. The Mini controller has 25 keys with one octave less than the standard one and it has only Octave up/down button and the volume knob on the control panel. It is designed to even fit a laptop bag on the go. We must mention the Pro Keys version as well that comes with full-sizes keys with a more realistic feeling and pro performance.

The Keys are compatible with most of the devices, from Mac and iPhones, iPads and even iPods, to Android devices and PCs. They have three connectors for any chosen device including a Lightning connector for iOS devices, OTG to Micro-USB for Androids and the standard USB cable for Mac and PCs.

Despite iRig Keys not requiring any additional software or apps to get set up and working, it comes with a few free ones that might be useful. These include SampleTank iOS and iGrand Piano for iOS devices, and iLectric Piano and iGrand Piano for Android devices. For Mac and PC, there is the free SampleTank 3 SE software that includes 5 collections of Beats and Elektronika series as well as The Grid from Beats Series.

iRig Keys are available right now on Samma3a Shop website, priced at $150. The other two versions, iRig Keys Pro and iRig Keys Mini are also available, priced at $175 and $95 respectively. Besides the Mini, the other two version have a carrying bag with adjustable straps and a small pouch for cables for easier and safer transportation of the iRig Keys. The regular and Pro version carrying bags only vary in sizes to fit the controllers and are priced at $56 and $67 respectively.