Akai Professional MPC Live – Standalone Music Production Center with Sampler and Sequencer

Akai Professional MPC Live Overview:

The MPC Live from Akai Professional is a complete standalone music production workstation with an integrated sampler, sequencer, 7″ touchscreen, 16 velocity-sensitive RGB-backlit pads, and 4 endless encoder “Q-Link” controls.

The MPC Live incorporates a powerful 1.8 GHz quad-core ARM Cortex A17 processor, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage to power the MPC 2.0 software without the need to connect to a host computer. What’s more, the unit can operate in Control Mode, which further expands the functionality by connecting to a computer to operate the same MPC 2.0 standalone software as a plugin in your favorite DAW. The MPC 2.0 software has added some powerful features including audio track recording, real-time time-stretching (audio warping), pitch shifting, audio and MIDI drag-and-drop, clip program mode for clip-launching, an updated mixer layout with advanced signal routing, and enhanced Q-Link control.

The MPC Live is pre-installed with “The Vault 2.0″—a 10GB library of world-class sounds—featuring samples and kits from top-notch sound-design companies including Capsun Audio, MVP Loops, CR2 Records, as well as Akai’s own high-quality content. Should you wish to incorporate your own samples and recordings, the MPC Live offers a 2.5″ SATA drive connector, allowing you to install an optional SSD or HDD hard drive. Content can easily be uploaded and/or recorded to the full-sized SD card or USB thumb drives.

The full-color 7” multi-touch screen offers quick and easy visual feedback and editing capabilities. View samples with “pinch” zoom, trim start and end times, and adjust and process samples on the fly. The XYFX allow you to control multiple effect parameters simultaneously, while the sequencer and mix page make short work of entering/deleting notes, editing values, and adjusting mix parameters.

The rear panel offers a comprehensive set of inputs and outputs including two 1/4″ inputs and two RCA inputs with a turntable ground for sampling direct from vinyl, while the six line-level 1/4″ outputs are arranged in three stereo pairs. For MIDI I/O, the unit offers two MIDI inputs and two MIDI outputs on full-sized 5-pin DIN connectors. Connect a computer via the USB Type-B connection, while two USB Type-A connectors allow for the integration of MIDI controllers to further expand your MIDI inputs. A dedicated 1/8″ headphone output is available for monitoring the Master L/R outputs. The MPC Live can be powered via the internal Lithium-ion battery for up to four hours, or by the included power adapter. The unit also ships with a USB cable.