Akai
by gecco!

Article by Shannon Sobcheck

The original Akai MPC was designed by Roger Linn, who was hired as a design consultant by Akai. He developed the functional design, including the panel layout and software/hardware specifications. He then created the software with a team of engineers. The hardware electronics of Akai MPCs were designed by English engineer David Cockerell and his team. Cockerell was a founder member of the synthesizer firm EMS (co-creator of their famous VCS3 along with Peter Zinovieff), and had then worked for effects manufacturers Electro-Harmonix.

The Akai MPC is a professional and user-expandable 64-track sampler-sequencer workstation. Akai MPC comes with 2MB sample memory which can be expanded to 32MB. Sampling specs include a cd-quality 16-bit, 44.1 kHz sample rate in stereo or mono. All the necessary edit tools are here: tune, pitch shift, truncate, looping, key placement, velocity effects and more. Akai MPC feature up to 32 voices of polyphony, complete MIDI implementation, a built-in disk drive and a SCSI interface prepare this sampler for any situation.

The newest models of Akai MPC add several new features which include a next sequence key, four bank keys, track mute key, a hinged LCD. These Akai MPCs also include multi-program playback, device naming, MIDI soft thru, multi-track recording, time stretch, simultaneous playback of a second sequence, and folder file management. A standard Akai MPC can be upgraded to the studio sampler using the optional IB-M20T SMPTE board and Multi-8/DM Digital In/Out Board. Akai MPC comes with all the expansion boards found in the Studio Sampler version and a processor board option built-in.

The Akai MPC is designed to be the centrepiece of the music production studio. Akai MPC will transmit sync and MIDI information too. Individual tracks can be muted for building and changing the music lives. The Akai MPC series of sequencer samplers have long been the standard means of Hip-Hop and Trip Hop music creation. The Akai MPC will do notes as fast as 32nd notes and can record in real- or step-time. There are several sequence edit functions. Akai MPC has also swing and quantizing functions.

About the Author

Akai MPCs are a popular and well respected series of electronic musical instruments originally designed by Roger Linn and produced by the Japanese company Akai from 1988 onwards. Intended to function as a powerful kind of drum machine, Akai MPCs drew on design ideas from machines such as the Sequential Circuits Inc. Studio 440 and the Linn’s own Linn 9000, combining a powerful MIDI sequencer with the ability to sample one’s own sounds.

Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines
whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.

 

Akai MPCs are a popular and well respected series of electronic musical instruments originally designed by Roger Linn and produced by the Japanese company Akai from 1988 onwards. Intended to function as a powerful kind of drum machine, Akai MPCs drew on design ideas from machines such as the Sequential Circuits Inc. Studio 440 and the Linn’s own Linn 9000, combining a powerful MIDI sequencer with the ability to sample one’s own sounds.

Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines
whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.

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