Akai Introduces MPC Live + MPC X

Akai Professional, one of the most formative brands for production workstations, specifically their MPC lineup, has announced two new standalone products – the MPC Live and MPC X.

MPC Live The new MPC Live makes the process of performing studio inventions on stage seamless by combining the power of a production centerpiece with the portability and rugged design of an on stage workhorse.

At the heart of the new MPC Live is a beautiful, full color 7” multi-touch screen, four touch-capacitive Q-Link controls, a clickable master encoder knob and 16 amazingly responsive, velocity and pressure-sensitive RGB pads.

Weighing in at less than 6 pounds, the MPC Live ushers in a new era of ultra-portable production. Powered by a rechargeable lithium++++ion battery and packing 16 gigs of on-board storage, the MPC Live features numerous ways to take the users’ sample library and MPC sessions anywhere. Files can be accessed and transferred to the built on-board storage via the built-in SD card slot and/or two-port USB hub. If that’s not enough storage, the MPC Live also features a 2.5” SATA drive connector providing additional storage via installation of a fixed hard drive – SSD or HDD. The same USB hub can also be used for MIDI controller connectivity.

Powering Live is MPC 2.0, Akai Professional’s new update to the MPC software. Capable of running natively on the MPC Live in standalone mode, MPC 2.0 can also be run from a Mac or PC with the Live tethered to a computer. A number of major workflow enhancements have been added to 2.0, including: audio track recording, an improved time warp algorithm, refined Q-Link control, audio and MIDI drag and drop – all appearing on a new graphical interface. Future versions will support Ableton Link.

Pre-installed with 10 gigs of world-class sounds, The Vault 2.0 features samples and kits from some of the top-notch sound design companies including Capsun Audio, MVP Loops, CR2 Records, as well as radio-ready kits. MPC Live features a 2.5” SATA drive connector providing more storage via external hard drive – SSD or HDD. Additionally, sounds can be accessed and added to the library using the built-in SD Card slot or the USB thumb drive.

“The MPC Live is an absolute beast. It truly represents a huge step forward in the product category. “MPC Live is the most powerful MPC we’ve made to date and yet it’s portable enough to take anywhere,” said Dan Gill, Product Manager for Akai Professional.

MPC X The X is a standalone MPC featuring a beautiful, full color 10.1” multi-touch screen, 16 responsive, velocity- and pressure-sensitive RGB pads and 16 gigs of internal storage. To make it untethered, computer-free experience, the X also features two USB slots that can be used for MIDI controller connectivity.

Powering the X is the MPC 2.0 Software, which runs natively in standalone mode. For more expressive performances, there are 16 touch-sensitive 360-degree assignable pots— ideal for precisely automating individual QLink parameters. Above each of those QLink pots is a high-resolution OLED display, detailing info for the individual parameter.

Pre-installed with 10 gigs of world-class sounds, The Vault 2.0 features samples and kits from top-notch sound design companies including Capsun Audio, MVP Loops, CR2 Records, as well as our own. The X features a 2.5” SATA drive connector providing additional storage via installation of a fixed hard drive – SSD or HDD. Additionally, sounds can be accessed and added to the library using the built-in SD Card slot or the USB thumb drive. The user can also record directly to all the aforementioned storage locations.

The MPC X has a number of additional features that makes it powerful music production tool. Onboard CV/Gate outputs enable the analog control of modular gear such as classic synths and drum machines.