Akai has unveiled one of its most accessible beatmaking tools yet, clearly aimed at producers who want to ditch the laptop.
The new MPC Sample is a fully standalone, battery-powered sampler that packs the brand’s classic workflow into a much smaller, portable form.
At its core, this is Akai doubling down on simplicity. The MPC Sample borrows inspiration from legacy gear like the Akai MPC60. However, it trims things down into something you can throw in a bag, measuring just 23.6 x 19.4 x 5.0 cm. It also runs on a rechargeable battery that delivers up to five hours of use, making it one of the more genuinely portable MPC devices in recent memory.
What makes it stand out, though, is how self-contained it is. There’s a built-in speaker and internal microphone, so you can start sampling and building beats without plugging into anything else. It’s very much designed for quick ideas on the move rather than studio-heavy production.
The hardware still sticks to what MPC fans expect. You get 16 RGB-backlit, velocity-sensitive pads with poly aftertouch, giving it that familiar tactile feel. There is also a 2.4-inch colour display for waveform editing. Controls are kept simple too, with three real-time knobs and a classic parameter fader for hands-on tweaks.
Under the hood, there’s 2GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. You can also use microSD expansion if you need more room for samples. Akai is also bundling over 100 factory kits and four onboard effects engines, so it’s ready to go straight out of the box.
For anyone who’s always liked the idea of an MPC but didn’t want something bulky or tethered to a computer, this might be the most straightforward entry point yet.
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