a legendary tape-based sampling keyboard. AIR Solina: based on the classic string synthesizer keyboard, and WayOutWare Odyssey—a faithful recreation of the all-time favorite analogue duophonic synth with added The first of AIR’s insert effects is the wonderful AIR Half Speed. This effect can be used to create instant half-speed versions of any audio you send into it. You can also sculpt the affected audio with the onboard Low Pass and High Pass filters. The Fade In and Out parameters are great for smooth transitions between dry and processed audio. AIR Limiter From the advanced multi-engine plugin synthesis of Hype to a faithful plugin emulation of the legendary Mellotron Tape Synth keyboard, MPC2 delivers a wide palette of sonic textures with its MPC plugin instruments for powerful music composition.

It lags behind some rivals on the sampling front, but on the whole, the MC-707 is powerful, well-designed and a lot of fun. software, and also developed a suite of award-winning virtual instruments specifically for Pro Tools. Leveraging this history of excellence, AIR’s has created four exclusive new instrument plugins for MPC, as well as including If the display layout of the MPC Live II ever feels cramped, you can simply transpose your project into the MPC software and view it via a computer display, which is an awesome ace in the hole. Though Akai received many requests to feature a monitor output on this new model, for now, this is as good as it gets. Software version 2.8’s new retrospective-record feature is as welcome as Capture was to Ableton Live 10, and a brilliant bit of insurance if you ever forget to hit record or didn’t expect yourself to play so well. All you have to do is press Shift+Rec to print the last MIDI part you played in. Good question! The MPCX and MPC Live support Bluetooth MIDI. While this means you can't connect your Bluetooth speakers or Bluetooth turntable, it does mean that you can use Bluetooth MIDI keyboards like the new LPD8 and LPK25 Wireless. WIFI was added to the MPC X and MPC Live with plans to expand its purpose in the future. Potential uses include Ableton Link, Dropbox-style file transferring and more. Stay tuned for any updates! to your favorite outboard gear for analog processing or record live drums and create your own breakbeats and loops right on your MPC One, MPC Live II and MPCX. Support for plug and play audio interface devices expands

However, with the plethora of effects and plugins, one could create mix and master a song totally in the box. With your modern production work taking place in various studios and even on the move, the Akai MPC Live II gives you all the tools you need to keep creating music the way you need. There are no plans for official MPC X or MPC Live cases at the moment, but we’re glad to hear that there is interest! In the meantime, you may be able to find an alternative third-party case/bag that meets the size requirements:

Speakers are good enough to get a beat going and play along with. Battery is nice to work away from a plug. The Force does not interact with the MPC software, though it’s entirely possible that Akai is going to bring all of its hardware products into line with a future software update. The Live has a song mode and a selection of software instruments but, at heart, it’s always been more about the sampling and the beats – you can probably tell that by looking at it. The Force is more of an Ableton-in-a-box concept, which is something that many users have wanted for years. The Live boasts more ways of connecting with the outside world – more audio inputs, full-size MIDI ports, and the CV/gate outputs – than the Force too. In terms of quality, you can’t really go wrong with either. Akai’s hardware prowess is second to none.AIR Mellotron features 6 Tape Sets of the OG’s Flute, Choir and Strings tape samples which give it a truly authentic sound. You can also select “Dirty” and “Cleaned” versions of the original tapes. Other sound-shaping parameters include Formant, Age and Sample Start. There are 30 factory presets to get you going and a selection of built-in effects, including the new AIR Flavour (instant lo-fi goodness). AIR Solina The full Undo history can now be accessed via the TUI so you can rapidly jump through a project’s lifespan.

The MPC X, MPC Live and MPC 2.0 software will all be supported for use on Windows 8.1 and up, as well as Mac OS X 10.10 and up. This will only require the installation of a single driver to use the MPC X or MPC Live as a controller with MPC 2.0. As a side note, the MPC X and MPC Live can be connected to virtually any operating system for simple file transfer. That means if you need to transfer files off of your Windows 7 computer, you can connect your MPC and your OS will be able to recognize any connected USB drives or SATA drives. How big is the display? Is it a touch screen? An amazing array of plugin ranging from Drum synth, polyphonic VA, macro synth, E-piano, and some beautiful recreation of Odyssey, Mellotron and Solina. In addition to those free plugins, you have the option to acquire paid deep FM synth, Piano/Organ/Strings plugins, great sounding rompler and now a Mini D recreation (an MPC is the perfect GAS killer). It doesn't end there though; you've also got capacity to load up any samples of your own to create fresh sounds. Record them in, load them via USB or even SD card! New in MPC Firmware 2.10 - Incredible new features and Sounds Plus, with a wide range of inputs and outputs, you can connect to a computer or a multitude of other devices for limitless production potential. Akai Professional MPC Live II Key Features: You will need to invest some time to get into the MPC workflow and the few quirk and limitation. However it is more than worth it and I cannot imagine my music life without it.Third on the list is AIR Stutter. This insane glitch plugin can pull off a wide range of pitch, volume and pan stutter effects. AIR Improved Diffuser Delay