Brand

Akai

Akai, a Japanese company, made their biggest impact with the MPC series of samplers. The MPC revolutionised hip hop, R&B, and beat-driven music. Modern Akai still make powerful MPC units that combine standalone hardware with DAW integration. They also produce popular controllers like the MPK series. If sampling and beatmaking is your world, Akai’s legacy and present-day gear are second to none.

Category

Samplers

Samplers record, import, manipulate and replay audio as playable or sequenced material. Important specifications include input types, sample time, storage, polyphony, pads or keys, pitch and time processing, looping, slicing, quantisation, filters, envelopes and effects. Some samplers are focused on quick one-shot beat making; others are detailed instruments for multisamples, granular work or long-form phrase manipulation. Check file formats, transfer methods, memory expansion, MIDI, CV, USB audio and output routing. A product can also include synthesis or sequencing, but its defining job is turning recorded sound into a controllable musical resource.

Tags

Sampler

Sampler identifies an instrument or module that records, imports, manipulates or replays audio. Check sample time, storage, polyphony, pitch and time tools, file formats, inputs, outputs and sequencing features.