AKAI Intros MPC Touch Touchscreen Music Production Controller

akai-mpc-touch-front

Akai Professional today officially introduced the MPC Touch, a new MPC design that incorporates a touch screen interface, in addition to the traditional drum pads.

Like the MPC Renaissance, the MPC Touch is designed to be used in tandem with your computer.

mpc-touch-sample-editing

The touch screen is designed to streamline tasks like sample editing, shown above, step sequencing, browsing samples, adjusting envelopes and more. According to Akai, ‘the result is the most capable and user-friendly music production controllers Akai Professional has developed to date.’

Here’s the official intro video:

The MPC Touch lets you grab and pinch waveforms, draw MIDI events, adjust envelopes, chop samples, add effects and precisely set controls using your fingertips.

Features:

  • 7″ color multi-touch Display
  • 16 velocity-sensitive MPC pads with RGB backlighting
  • 2-in/2-out audio interface
  • Step Sequencer with touch interface
  • XYFX control adds effects, adjusts sound dynamics in real time
  • Phrase Looper, enables connection of any instrument to create loops
  • Pad Mixer for setting levels, stereo panning and adding VST effects
  • Sample Edit control, for trimming, chopping and processing your samples
  • 4 new, performance-ready touch-sensitive controls
  • Data Encoder knob, for push-and-twist control of display parameters
  • Includes MPC software with over 20 GB of sound content

Akai shared two additional intro videos. The first is a look at making beats on the MPC Touch, with producer Needlz:

The second video features Metro Boomin:

Pricing and Availability

The Akai Professional MPC Touch will be available November 2015, priced at US $799. See the Akai site for details.  at Akai Professional dealers and online directly from Akai Professional.

71 thoughts on “AKAI Intros MPC Touch Touchscreen Music Production Controller”

  1. Looks like something more professional from Akai. I’m proud of them. But still…

    Where are all of the samplers for keyboard players?
    The ones that have:
    ADSR (+loop start/loop end points), Cross-fade looping, polyphony sample playback (I said for keyboard players, duh), modern storage mediums, velocity layering, split points, the whole nine yards?
    In other words… Hey Akai: redo the S1000 (or even the Z4) and reissue them for keyboards players.
    The one-shot phrase sampler player/DJ market is saturated, but there are zero solutions for keyboard players who want to play samples polyphonically.

    1. …before people shout them out, I’ll preemptively say:
      I want stereo sampling and playback; a hardware solution (not software); something smaller than a 1984-sized VCR; and a big bonus if it has WAV, Akai S-Series, and old Roland S-series sample import (a software bridge for that is acceptable).

  2. They already had my money until I saw that it needed to be tethered to a computer. If I wanted maschine I’d buy maschine. What would be cool if it worked both ways. They were trying to hit maschine’s price point and everything. I kept seeing laptops but no mention of it being a controller. Sly on their part but dam, I just got a 5000 last week and when I saw this I said “got dammit” shoulda waited. Nevermind. Imagine if that thing was standalone, like an mpc 2500 with a touchscreen and updated. Got dam!!!

    1. Agreed. If they took the best aspects of an MPC1000 (rip off jjOS) and combine them with the better parts of the iMPCpro app (yes, there are some great features there if you can look past the bugs and UX issues) then I’d be willing to sell my hardware MPC, put down the ipad, and GLUE myself to this thing for the rest of my foreseeable future. People who use MPCs hate DAWs and laptop screens, otherwise we’d buy a machine or just use a pirated copy of Ableton and an old MPD (???) and get the same result for like 80 bucks. They aren’t winning over any younger kids, their real goal should be to re-assert their brand as a instrument instead of a controller that shares its name.

  4. I would be interested even at that price point if it did everything my MPC 500 did WITHOUT A COMPUTER but no thanks x100, would sooner just buy a Surface Pro

  5. Lost me at 2-in/2-out audio interface and the fact you need a computer. Multiple outs and standalone please, did you completely forget the point of an MPC?

  6. It would be so awesome if it was standalone! Like this, not interested.

    This just competes with Maschine. Standalone, it would compete with all grooveboxes, iPads and samplers. I already have enough extensions to the computer.

    1. Then why even bother with this version? To kill any hype/momentum the standalone might have later? not likely IMO.

      1. Probably to soften the blow for the exorbitant price of the standalone version. After people see this piece of crap for $800 they won’t even flinch when the standalone is priced at like $1500+..

    2. Yep !!! Though I like having access to all my plugins/vsts plus drag and drop plus an mpc. HEY standalone units were more to carry around than a MPCTouch and laptop together !!!!! But with that said the did say it’s just the beginning, I believe that’s a hybrid but there just letting people talk.

  9. Sounds like everyone is disappointed with this release from AKAI. Ouch!

    Does this one feature a cool “duck wearing a hat” as well?

  10. I was SO excited by the headline, quickly scrolled down to the price and thought ‘Dayum!’ and then read its a controller 🙁 Another controller. An $800 controller.

    So glad I have my MPC1000 with JJOS… Dear Akai… Yawn! Let me know when you make a SAMPLER with these specs. Thank you.

  11. Back to your Electribes and Maschines everyone. Nothing to see here. Standalone Hardware Redemption fail. Rhythm Wolf maintains its flagship groove box status. All hail the Wolf.

  12. Ya, did the renaissance do so bad they they thought “hey, lets make another one”. Those things are filling up the used section of Guitar Center to the point you have to scroll a bunch to actually find what you were searching for “MPC”. They have made so many controller, you would think they would pause for a second. I mean dam, do we need another keyboard controller and pad controller. Imaging the landfills in 20 years full of MPC controller gear. I think computers have advanced us so much they no one realizes that hardware is still a thing. They aint selling 4000.00 Moogs because they cant sample those sounds into a multisampled patch, its because of the maschine. People still rocking 2000XL’s for a reason. Who the hell works at AKAI/Numark? A bunch of dudes in suits with their jeans too tight and haircuts like Skrillex trying to make the next best controller. Maybe they are super cheap to make and they are appeasing their investors this way. KORg is like the only company still kicking with hardware.

    3. Wow… that’s some low level shit right there!

      I didn’t like their products anyway, but this seals the no-deal!

      Thanks for posting, I’ll be sharing this!

  14. I don’t get it man. We already have a ridiculous amount of options w/ a computer and a iPad. Wtf are AKAI thinking. My Maschine Studio got this covered. I don’t even want a touchscreen on my Maschine. I have an iPad for that.
    They really fuvked up by not making this stand alone. My hardware set up really needs a good sampler. Guess I’ll get on eBay and buy an old Mpc from 10+ yrs ago. Get ur head outta ur ass AKAI. DAMN

  15. Did they forget that MPC stands for Music Production Center? Because the “center” here is a laptop, that you have to buy, and the “MPC” is a controller with some lights and a screen on it.

    2. mpc originally stood for -midi production center-, actually. they changed to -music production controller- when they released the renaissance .

  16. Yeah, they missed a trick here. Akai already do a cheap sampler – MPX8 and MPX16. And you think with all the electronics in this controller they could have squeezed an SD-card slot for a basic sampler engine function. I am not saying they should have a full-blown touch screen stand-a-lone crazy sampler at that price, but just keep it as a the hardware controller, that it is, with a option to function as a MPC style sampler and sequencer, if needed – just a simple MPX8 with a nicer layout.

  17. It’s a pretty nice looking bit of hardware, if they ever pull their finger out and roll with it as an MPC it could be great. That said after the Wolf I have almost no faith in that company anymore

  18. To all the guys saying “standalone” – have you considered buying (maybe a used) mac mini together with this, and use it standalone? With the screen you wouldn t really need a laptop for rennaisance, would u?
    If the interface doesnt meet your demand, just plug in your own (which most people already have).

    Wasnt there a Rennaisance demo at some Microsoft convention where they showed an oem version of win10 together with MPC? I guess they are at least thinking in that directiin.

    But from all those AKAI bashing comments, a reconsidering of standalone MPC Solution would be not bad…

    1. i like your comment even if i don`t consider an mpc combined with a mac mini to be standalone. The perfect standalone would even work with batteries. Best way to make a city beat. Watching the city over the rooftops and composing

  19. Akai needs to stop trying to compete with NI and stick to what they did well:

    Hardware midi sequencers with sampling.

    4 outs, 2 ins for midi
    8 outs for audio
    USB 3.0 for file transfer
    128gb minimum ssd onboard
    Good, large, nicely spaced out pads

    extra credit if they hire JJ to build the OS.

    1. and the first thing i want to read about it is:

      WE DESIGNED A FUTURE CLASSIC SOUND !

      and not

      we designed a MPC with a touch screen

    2. Akai needs to stop trying to compete with NI and stick to what they did well

      This is an pretty generous statement. Sad truth appears to be that they don’t really do very much well at all any more. If anything, what they do best these days are MIDI Controllers (both keyboards and grid based); this is an extension of exactly that.

  21. At first i couldn`t believe my eyes and started thinkin what i can sell in order to gather the money to buy it. But when i read that you need to use a computer in order to use it,….. i felt like one time a really hot girl accepted to go out on a date, gave me her number and then never answered the phone.

    1. Oh yeah, I know that type, there are worse out there, the ones that give you their number then when you call they make a big show of how you’re harassing them… er… what? Totally owned!

      Now I have a rule, if I see a girl and go “whooooooo” I just remember it’s actually only half the signal and it’s actually “whooo whooo whoo whoooo” like an alarm siren going off. It works perfectly, haven’t dated any psychos since I started doing that!

      😉

  22. Alrighty then

    We want

    } Zoom R24 stylee HD SSD recorder } :
    4 XLR mic instrument guitar in, 4 aux ins, MIDi in out through
    } Muse Receptor stylee
    } MPC stylee
    } 9 inch touch screen tiltable
    } 5 USB A 3.0 (plug midi KB, DJ, backup external hd, mouse)
    2 USB B (plug battery pack, plug into …)
    Heck just make em all USB C
    } USB class compliant OS
    } AA x 8 Battery powered.

    All in one box.
    Standalone totally.

    We will call it the MFK (MuthaFuggaKreata)

  26. i’m kinda glad it isn’t standalone because it’s coming awfully close to something i’ve been developing for over 10 years if it was standalone. there’s hope out there guys, and it’s coming.

    1. @rarefaction-

      Aw dog you can’t leave us hangin after saying something like that? Give us at least a hint about our hope please!!!

    4. wow! interesting… please let Synthtopia readers know when info on this is available. all the very best with your development.

  27. Others have already said it – it’s trying to compete with Maschine. I’d rather have maschine, which I could get used for under $200.

    But a trendy guy with ripped jeans and a sweatband said it was cool so maybe we should all consider that before ignoring this product.

    1. you obviously have never read any akai user manual specifically the midi sequencer section. or you’d know that the midi sequencer in maschine is only worth $200, also I don’t wanna break it to you but ripped jeans and sweat bands are no longer trendy, might wanna update your fashion data along with your sequencer data.

      1. komplete is a great package but if you’re sequencing your instruments with a crap sequencer then you’re not getting very far. that would be like saying that the sample packs you buy are more important than the sampler itself….. that’s no, and no.

    3. i even heard some Drake music in the backround. He MUST be right. Let us all buy one each. What the heck. p.s they might be producing great beats and all but Akai really could have hired better actors…

    4. I am not in the market for something like this, but if I was I’d take this over a Maschine and Native Instruments, purely based on the fact that it isn’t a Maschine and Native Instruments – I wouldn’t want to be making beats in the same fashion everyone else.

      But I find Maschine and this Akai thing wrong in equal measures, as a controllerist it puts in place a prescribed hardware and software layer on top of an existing fluid hardware and software layer, this is the last thing a controllerist wants. I can see the appeal for people that want that pre-mapped, prescribed ethos, but many a controllerist setup couldn’t accommodate such a rigid and conformed workflow – to me they are just electronics waiting to be hacked and made useful.

  28. I like the MPC so much but the standalone version. i can imagine an MPC1000 with touch screen interface but this is a dream only and i want a sampler to make some job as standalone my choice as a good alternative sampler and sequencer of my dream is the korg electribe sampler do the job you want and save the files in ableton format!
    KORG ROCKS

  29. If AKAI wants this to be the new MPC, then be it. I don’t care. But we all know how many people are asking for alternatives to the BOSS SP404 SX and the Octatrack and the older MPCs.

    Why not combine midi/sync options (like ACME ), cv /gate, looper functions and easy sampler with enough memory and good fx.

    i just don’t get it …

    ps and why there is still no big (patchable?) desktop fx unit for synth players, while there are zillions of guitar boards and pedals.

  30. US $799 ?

    For US $499 I can buy a Maschine with several VST synths like Massive, Monark, Prism, …

    Very confusing ‘idea’ from AKAI.

  31. Pop a surface pro 4 i7 in a portable slot type mpc with midi connection , assignable knobs audio interface ect … People seem to be craving the all in one approach – kick starter anyone ???? Listen to your buying public akai, native instruments ect ! All in one on the go solution please take the big hint

  32. I would much prefer something half the size, that gives you SD storage and lets you hook up your tablet/phone to use for the screen. And why not give it a rechargeable internal battery?

    But more importantly, why is it that promotional videos are getting worse and worse as the years go by?

    1. If tablet form factors were stable, that would be a great idea, but as it is it’s a sure fire way to destine stuff to the tip before it’s even begun it’s life!

  33. Personally I think all comparisons should start and end with the sequencer. Until native instruments overhauls the sequencer in maschine it’s not even a true comparison.

  34. I have two Mpcs, a 2500 and 5000, been using hardware samplers since 92.
    I hope that Akai produce another beast of a sampler with ten audio outs that is easy to travel with.
    I love the MPCs . I do have the mpx 8 , but that is two basic!
    Long live Akai, but please makes us a proper sampler again with lots of outputs,
    Lighter and better !!

  35. Computer tether aside, I think the UI on this looks amazing. Were it stand alone, it would be hard to resist. But, from the video anyway, every thing this does is also covered by the $15 iMPC Pro app (I’m sure this has bugs too). Add an MPC style controller and it’s at least closer to a portable MPC.

  37. i’d be very interested in this box if it was stand alone, in fact it would be hard to keep myself from purchasing it right away if it was stand alone. back to my beloved 1000.

  38. Guys lets cool out AKAI has been around way to long not to no what works and what doesn’t, KEY !!!! It’s just the beginning. !!!!!!! Relax ,The King is Back ???????? MPCTOUCH !!!! ????????????????????????????.

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