Is the a25 suitable for my needs or should I look elsewhere? Already own Maschine MK3

Hey guys.. new to the forum. I need a new midi keyboard. Currently own Akai mini mk2. It's ok but I hate the way keys feel plus they're not full size. I do want to stay with 25 keys since I'm not a piano player and the size is convenient. Plus easier to travel with.

With my workflow, I prefer to just make a full song in Maschine then bounce to ableton/reaper and handle mixing there. So after researching I've kind of narrowed it down to the a25 or akai mpk225. Let me know if there are others I should consider based on my needs.

Like I mentioned, I'm not a pianist (and don't plan to be) so I'm fond of the scale/chord mode in the a25. Plus, they're full sized keys and I've heard they have a good feel. Which is important in my search. However, I've also heard the encoders are limiting. So I'm assuming the a25 is more suited be used for creation (inside NI eco-system) and not really part of the mixing process if you wanted to use another DAW. Is that true?

Mpk225 also has full size keys. It has 8 assignable knobs and 4 switches so I'm assuming it could be useful in the mixing process. Doesn't have a scale/chord mode that I'm aware of. 8 pads is a nice bonus even though I don't need them. Also has a bigger screen but I'm not sure how useful it is.

If anyone has any other thoughts or advice that would be great. Is the choice really creative process vs. DAW integration/mixing or am I missing something?

 

If you make full songs in maschine then I’d go with the a25 , for the integration and smart play features
Personally I think there are better ways/controllers to mix in a daw than a keyboard
What’s the price difference between the two ?
do you have a maschine controller ?

 

Yeah.. I have a Maschine mk3. I decided to do a 360 and get a KK s49 mk1. Basic midi functionality missing in the a series turned me off. I'll upgrade my akai mini mkii to a different 25 key another time.

 

Cool , can you use the mk3 for a daw midi
Controller