Akai Professional MPC Key 61 Keyboard Synth

Akai Professional MPC Key 61 Keyboard Synth Overview

The intuitive and inspiring MPC workflow in a fully-featured keyboard, with twenty-five unique instruments and effortless sampling capabilities.

The MPC Tradition

Akai Professional’s Music Production Centre range has defined the sound of electronic, hip-hop and pop music since it hit the scene in the late 1980s. Countless producers across the decades found favour with the MPC platform’s intuitive pad-based workflow, inspiring sequencing and fluid sample capabilities. Thanks to legendary artists such as DJ Shadow, J Dilla, Mark Ronson, Outkast and many others over the years, the Akai Professional MPC has become easily one of the most influential and game-changing pieces of music gear ever made.

The MPC Key 61 is a leap forward for the range, presenting a fresh take on that renowned workflow by fusing a superb keyboard, a plethora of new sounds and comprehensive connectivity with the modern MPC workflow.

The Complete MPC Package

At its core, the MPC Key 61 is a complete music production suite that is incredibly accessible, playable and powerful. Whether you’re exploring the wide range of astonishing synth sounds, sequencing new ideas or polishing a finished track, the MPC Key 61 makes it all easy and fun to use. Like the MPC One, MPC Live II and MPC X, the MPC Key 61 is a standalone music creation platform. Boasting 4GB RAM, a Quad-Core ARM processor, an onboard audio interface, a 128-track MIDI sequencer and eight audio tracks, the MPC Key 61 gives you the ability to compose, capture and polish entire tracks - no computer required.

As a first for the Akai Professional MPC series, the MPC Key 61 features a 61-key semi-weighted keybed. This keyboard also features velocity sensitivity and aftertouch, allowing you to bring the new plugin instruments to life with dynamics and expression. The dedicated pitch bend and mod wheels let you manipulate the plug-in instruments on-the-fly. They’re also illuminated, making them easy to reach for when performing on a dark stage.

Sampling is a fundamental part of the MPC workflow. That’s why the MPC Key 61 is equipped with two pristine mic preamps, high-resolution AD/DA converters and phantom power for your condenser microphones. Once you’ve captured your audio from your mic, instrument or line-level source, you can effortlessly morph, shape and transform it as you see fit using the onboard sampling engine. With the assignable Touch Strip controller and Q-Link knobs at your fingertips, customising samples, tweaking sounds - and a whole lot more - is hands-on and immediate.

16 velocity-sensitive RGB drum pads with aftertouch

With sixteen velocity and pressure-sensitive RGB drum pads at your disposal, the MPC Key 61 delivers that classic MPC experience that’s become so beloved. Iconic MPC features such as Full Level and Note Repeat are ready to help you craft your beats. As well as triggering drum hits and launching samples, the pads can also be used in Notes mode for inputting chord progressions and melodic ideas.

The onboard transport controls make punching in rhythms, overdubbing and navigating through your projects a breeze. The centre-piece of the MPC Key 61’s sleek control panel is the sharp 7-inch multi-gesture colour display, which handles preset browsing, designing sequences, manipulating the acclaimed AIR Music Tech effects and much more. Plus, you can assign, control and automate the parameters in real-time via the four 360-degree rotary Q-Link knobs.

Comprehensive Connectivity

Akai Professional has kitted the MPC Key 61 with an astonishing array of connections, enabling it to slot seamlessly into any studio setup. Two Class Compliant USB ports are available for hooking up your favourite MIDI controller, audio interface or external drive. Modular synth users are catered for with the eight 3.5mm CV/Gate outputs whilst the full-size MIDI ports are on hand for connecting your vintage and modern hardware. A trio of footswitch inputs - Expression, FS2 and Sustain - give you hands-free control over parameters and let you perform the onboard piano sounds. The four TRS 1/4" audio outputs can be flexibly configured as either four-mono or dual-stereo signal paths.

The Power of Sound

The Akai Professional MPC Key 61 is loaded with twenty-five unique sound engines and thousands of inspiring presets that you can start using in your music straight away. Within these sound engines are MPC staples as well as instruments that are exclusive to the MPC Key 61. From authentic acoustic instruments to fat retro synths to crisp modern plucks, the MPC Key 61 is packed with a vast palette of sounds and textures. When you’ve discovered a preset that you use regularly, you can save it in your Favourite Bank to get back to it in an instant.

Fabric XL

Fabric XL is a highlight of the MPC Key 61’s onboard plug-in instruments. This flagship power synth contains a host of jaw-dropping synths and sampled acoustic instruments that were designed with modern music producers in mind. Powering this sound engine’s expansive selection of presets is a cutting-edge multi-sample-based synthesis engine.

OPx4

OPx4 gives you the crystalline sounds of FM synthesis. Featuring an advanced 4-operator synth engine and an easy-to-use interface, OPx4 presents a universe of sound design possibilities.

Stage Piano, Session Strings, Stage EP, and Organ

These plugins offer world-class sounds of acoustic and electromechanical instruments. Stage Piano is an extraordinary MPC Key 61 that offers a variety of world-class acoustic and electro-mechanical instrument sounds to use within your music. Stage Piano features a comprehensive lineup of incredible piano sounds, including a Steinway grand and Bechstein upright. Session Strings covers orchestral instruments, including serene solo violins and string ensembles. It’s perfect for composing lush arrangements or adding a touch of sophistication to your beat.

Stage EP covers a range of classic electric piano sounds like Rhodes, Wurlitzer and FM Electric Piano. The Organ instrument gives you the warm, soulful sonics that you’d associate with the Hammond B3. The authentic Leslie speaker simulation can add grit and movement to your Organ sounds.

The MPC Key 61 represents a new chapter in that remarkable legacy, combining the impressive standalone MPC platform that’s become renowned amongst modern music producers, a wealth of unique instrument plugins and an astonishing level of playability that’s never been seen in an MPC before.