NAMM Update: The MPD32 is Akai Professional’s latest pad controller for musicians and DJs. Using a USB cable to connect to a PC or Mac, the MPD32 is designed for hardware control of programs like Reason, Ableton Live and GarageBand.

The MPD32 is the only pad controller on the market to feature the MPC Note Repeat with swing and gate time parameters. Additionally, it is the only pad controller that can also work as a master clock for MIDI sequencers. With the built in Tap Tempo button musicians can control tempo in real time during performances.

The MPD32 also features transport controls for interfacing with DAW/sequencing applications like Sonar, Cubase and Logic.

Key features of the MPD32 include:

• MIDI synced note-repeat with MPC swing
• Sixteen full-sized, genuine MPC pads with velocity and pressure-sensitive response
• Three banks of eight assignable switches, sliders and endless knobs for a total of 72 controllers
• Two assignable Foot Switches
• One assignable Foot Pedal controller
• Large, easy-to-read custom LCD display
• Thirty user-definable presets for various DAW and software applications
• MMC/MIDI Start/Stop transport buttons
• Ableton Live Akai Edition software included
• BFD Lite software included

The MPD32 is coming Q2 – 2008 to musical instrument retailers with an MSRP of $499.