Exclusive details about Akai’s MPC Sample Key — SkimNews
Get the Tech newsletter
Daily tech — startups, AI labs, chips, the launches that shape the next decade. Free.
- Akai teased the MPC Sample Key on Instagram earlier this week and said it plans to open-source the software so the modding community can customize it.
- MPC Sample Key appears designed for pitched sample playback rather than drum chopping, with the standard MPC Sample’s “chop” button absent.
- MPC Sample Key shows the MPC Sample’s three context-sensitive encoders and large main encoder, alongside dedicated pitch and mod wheels.
- MPC Sample Key has a corrected 25-key specification, plus octave-range controls and buttons labeled “chord” and “arp.”
- MPC Sample Key appears to include a dedicated looper and a function called “Swarm,” replacing the MPC Sample’s FlexBeat effects; Swarm’s exact behavior is unclear.
- MPC Sample Key includes a built-in microphone and speaker, while front-panel configuration options suggest MIDI and CV outputs for modular-synth integration.
- Akai has not announced a launch date or price for the MPC Sample Key.
Why it matters: Akai’s modding community has a concrete target for customization in a 25-key instrument whose software the company plans to open-source. The melodic layout, pitch and modulation wheels, and dedicated looper distinguish it from a drum-chopping controller, while the absence of a launch date and price leaves access terms unresolved.
Ask SkimNews
