Akai Seeds MPC Mods To Developers

Akai is opening its MPC Sample Key to outside developers before the product has even been formally announced. The company is sending early units to a group of independent creators who are already building custom modifications for the device. This strategy marks a shift toward embracing the community of hackers and firmware writers who frequently alter music hardware.

The MPC Sample Key is a 37-key version of the lower-cost MPC Sample. It will likely run software similar to the standard MPC Sample but adapted for a traditional keyboard layout with pitch and modulation wheels. The device does not include the performance pads found on the higher-end MPC Key 37. Instead, users will trigger samples using the keys.

Akai previewed these community projects in short video clips posted on October 27 and October 28. The reels show developers adding new synthesizers to the hardware, including Native Instruments Massive and various virtual analog and FM synths. One modification runs a custom operating system that houses several different synthesizers within a single interface.

The videos also indicate that these community features may extend to the standard MPC Sample. The clips show that unit running synthesizers built with Claude. This suggests Akai might open-source the entire MPC Sample platform, though the company has not confirmed those plans yet.

Jack O'Donnell, CEO of inMusic, told The Verge that Akai intends to support the modding scene by providing early hardware to developers. The company plans to open-source portions of the software and release a software development kit. These tools will allow creators to build their own applications for the instruments.