FM | FILTER
Akai release the first keyboardequipped MPC
MPC Key 61 puts Akai’s iconic beatmaker format into a standalone keyboard workstation
>Akai’s MPC range has taken many forms over the years: from the chunky retro samplers of the ’90s, through compact MIDI controllers, to the CPU-equipped DAW-in-a-box models of the current lineup. With the MPC Key 61, however, Akai are moving away from the MPC’s traditional pad-focussed design for the first time and introducing a keyboard-equipped MPC.
The MPC Key is a self-contained workstation keyboard with a built-in CPU. Like its current gen siblings, this allows the hardware to run a slightly restricted version of the desktop MPC 2 software, which can be used to sequence sounds, sample, record, process, mix and perform all without the need to connect to a computer.
The central feature of the hardware is the semi-weighted, aftertouch-equipped keyboard. This
puts a new emphasis on the MPC’s capabilities as a playable instrument. Akai boast that the MPC Key setup features 25 instrument plugins, which run the gamut from FM synthesis through to virtual analogue, multi-sampled pianos, strings and organs, and beyond.
Along with the keyboard, the hardware adds pitch and mod wheels as well as an assignable touch strip, which can be used for various forms of expression and modulation. Despite the change in emphasis, this latest MPC doesn’t entirely ditch the classic workflow, thanks to the inclusion of a 4x4 pad grid tucked above the keyboard. The hardware also packs the same 7-inch touchscreen that can be found on the MPC One and Live, along with four of the range’s standard Q-Link multi-use rotaries.