From a beginner's perspective, the Donner DMK-25 Pro is a good entry point with both the keys and pads, yet offers plenty of room to grow once you figure out how to map the various dials. It's not the most beginner-friendly in terms of software, but MIDI is a fairly standard protocol that doesn't require drivers, so you shouldn't have too much difficulty. The OLED screen helps a lot in figuring out why something isn't working the way you expect it to. On the face of it, the DMK-25 Pro is excellent value for money and will be a useful all-in-one bit of kit in your studio.

Specifications
  • Brand: Donner
  • Keys: 25
  • Touch screen: No
  • Assignable Switches: 3 software banks of 4 physical knobs and sliders
  • Speakers: None
  • Dimensions: 337 x 183 x 26 mm (13.2 x 7.2 x 1 inch)
  • Weight: 680g / 24oz
  • Drum pads: 8
Pros
  • So many knobs and dials and bits to play with
  • Light up pads and button help to identify current banks (and look great)
  • Helpful OLED screen
  • Dedicated transport buttons
  • Built-in Arpeggiator
Cons
  • USB must remain plugged in, no Bluetooth.
  • Sliders can feel a bit plastic
  • Lack of beginner-friendly software

The Donner DMK-25 Pro is an all-in-one mini-sized MIDI controller with all manner of keys, knobs, sliders, and even some pads to lay down some sick beats on. It costs $110-$200 depending on where you source it, and it's a follow-up to the successful DMK-25 non-pro version. Is this an ideal compact keyboard and multifunction mini MIDI controller for you, whether you're a complete beginner like me, or even a seasoned pro? Let’s find out.

donner dmk25-pro- contents

Donner DMK-25 Pro Design

The DMK-25 Pro is all-black, very sleek, and very compact. The keys feel good, but fitting 25 of them into such a compact device means they're smaller than average. If you have big fingers, you may struggle with any compact MIDI controller, and this is no different. In that case, you should consider the Donner Starrykey model instead, which has full-size keys and otherwise shares many of the features of the DMK-25 Pro (minus the sliders).

donner dmk25-pro- key profile

In terms of actual size, the DMK-25 Pro is indeed very compact: 337mm wide by 183mm deep by 26mm tall (13.2 x 7.2 x 1 inch), and weighs a scant 680g (24 oz) due to the entirely plastic design. However, despite the light weight, it doesn't move around in use. The rubber feet are secure enough to let you bash away at the pads without concern.

Several elements around the controller light up, though this doesn't extend to the keys themselves, sadly. The LED color of various mode keys indicates which of the three key/pad/slider banks are currently active.

donner dmk25-pro- lit up

Overall, the aesthetics are good, and the DMK-25 Pro will be a sleek bit of kit in your home studio.

Keys, Knob, Sliders, and Pads

So, what MIDI functions can you find on the Donner DMK-25 Pro? Rather a lot, actually.

The most obvious feature is the 25 velocity-sensitive keyboard keys. They’re reasonably deep considering the size of the unit, though again, not as deep as something like the Starrykey or an actual piano. They felt good, but a little on the soft side for my preference (not that I'm even remotely an expert when it comes to playing piano, but merely comparing to other keyboards I own).

Then you have eight velocity-sensitive pads, which light up when hit. You can swap between three arrays of samples via the pad bank button, and all pads will change from red to blue, then green, to indicate which bank you're currently using. You can also adjust the velocity curve for both the pads and the keys. As someone who owns an electronic drum kit, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was very much cheating, making it super easy to tap out a pleasing beat. Of course, the pads aren’t just for drums; they can also be used for chords, scales, or to trigger your choice of samples. While these eight pads are directly supported by Melodics for learning how to play, once you move to a professional DAW, you're left on your own.

donner dmk25-pro- buttons and screen

You'll find a full set of transport buttons beneath the pads, which will generally be supported out of the box by most DAWs. Not by Garageband though, as I found out.

On the far left are touch-based pitch and modulation bend controls. Uniquely, these feature some white LED arrays next to them to give instant visual feedback.

The most helpful user interface feature is a small OLED display, situated on the left of the sliders. This allows you to navigate the system menus or operating modes, as well as giving immediate feedback about the exact MIDI note being sent and the velocity. Underneath this is a set of configuration buttons for things like transpose or changing octave. These are also used to start the built-in chord mode and arpeggiator. Having dedicated buttons rather than obscure key presses is great, and where combination key presses are used (such as choosing the type of arpeggiator or setting the tempo), you'll find the relevant keys are labeled.

donner dmk25-pro- sliders

Finally, on the top right, you have four customizable sliders and four customizable endless control dials. Again, these also have three different banks, so you can tap the S-bank button to change those. In this case, only the S-bank key changes color; the sliders and dials themselves are not lit. The sliders are the only disappointing hardware element of the package: they're functional but somewhat plasticky-feeling, and the slider mechanisms aren't always consistent, sometimes losing friction on the slide downwards.

Overall, the amount of things to twiddle is impressive in a good-looking package, which offers more than enough to get started with and then grow into.

The Software; or Lack Thereof

Are there any downsides to the DMK-25 Pro? There was no software in our box: no download links or serial numbers, despite the website claiming it included Cubase LE and 40 free Melodics lessons. Our Donner representative mentioned that there would be a software package for the first how many thousands of orders, so it's possible that initiative just wasn't started yet with our review pack. But if you're not in that set either, you'll be equally as bereft as we are. It's pretty much entirely on you to figure out how to get started and figure out how to integrate the DMK-25 Pro with your DAW of choice.

Thankfully, MIDI is a standard protocol, which means there are no drivers needed to send a signal into your machine. However, you may need to study what to do with that signal once it's in there, as not all DAWs or instruments will react to the MIDI signals in the same way.

donner dmk25-pro- melodics pads learning

I have a Melodics subscription anyway, so I mostly used that to test out the various features. Melodics is a guided learning system for keys, pads, and electronic drumkits. It integrates perfectly with both the keys and pads of the DMK-25 Pro, so there's no additional configuration needed. It can help you to learn all the things you can do with those pads, and even play along to some well-known songs.

Outside of Melodics, you're mostly on your own. I tested with Garageband for MacOS, which is free. The sliders controlled the current track volume; the keys all worked fine, but the transport buttons didn't. The pads worked superficially (they triggered something), but needed manually assigning to samples to do anything useful.

Are there any other downsides other than lack of software support? There's no Bluetooth nor internal battery, so the DMK-25 Pro is strictly a wired device. If you want to use with your iPad or smartphone, you'll need a USB MIDI connection kit. That's not a problem for me; it's rare that I need to whip out my keyboard on the train, and internal batteries never last.

Comparisons to Similar MIDI Controllers

The closest competitor to the DMK-25 Pro is the Akai MPG Mini, which is also around the same price point of $150. That lacks assignable faders, as well as dedicated transport buttons. It also has a slightly different pitch and modulation bend using a single joystick instead. However, the Akai MPG Mini does include some software.

You might also compare the DMK-25 Pro to the Novation Launchkey Mini. The biggest difference is that it features 16 pads compared to the 8 on the DMK-25. It doesn't have any faders, but does have more physical knobs, which can do the same job. It also has much better Ableton integration out of the box, so if that's your favorite DAW, the Launchkey will probably be your best option.

Is the DMK-25 Pro the Mini MIDI Controller You’ve Been Looking For?

From a beginner's perspective, the Donner DMK-25 Pro is a good entry point with both the keys and pads, yet offers plenty of room to grow once you figure out how to map the various dials. It's not the most beginner-friendly in terms of software, but MIDI is a fairly standard protocol that doesn't require drivers, so you shouldn't have too much difficulty. The OLED screen helps a lot in figuring out why something isn't working the way you expect it to. On the face of it, the DMK-25 Pro is excellent value for money and will be a useful all-in-one bit of kit in your studio.

donner dmk25-pro- key size

One thing I discovered after using this: I probably don't need keys at all. I don't need to learn music theory if the correct scales can be mapped to the pads! (But more pads would be nice). If you're serious about learning piano but looking for something to hold your hand more, you might also want to check out the Popupiano, which we reviewed earlier this year and is now shipping. It features only keys, but each key lights up and integrates with a full learning environment. It's wireless, works over Bluetooth, and of course, can function perfectly well as a MIDI instrument when you want to get creative.

For pro users, the necessity to use the DMK-25 Pro over USB is a limiting factor for portable use, and you might want more on every front: bigger keys, or more pads. It's only going to suit you if you want a little bit of everything to play around with, before deciding where you should spend more money on.