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 are instruments that record, manipulate and play back audio, allowing you to turn sounds into playable and rhythmic elements. Used for beats, textures, vocals and experimental sound design, they are central to many production and live performance workflows. If you enjoy building music from captured sounds and shaping them in creative ways, samplers offer a powerful and hands-on approach to making music.

Tags

MPC

MPC is a standalone music production instrument that combines sampling, sequencing, and performance control in a single unit, originally developed by Akai. It is used to record and manipulate samples, program beats, and build full arrangements using pads, a sequencer, and onboard processing. For example, an MPC might be used to sample drum hits and musical phrases, sequence them into a rhythm, and layer additional parts to create a complete track without needing a computer.

Sampler

A sampler is an instrument that records, stores, and plays back audio recordings as playable sounds. It allows samples to be triggered, pitched, sliced, and processed, turning recorded material into musical elements. Samplers are widely used for rhythm creation, melodic parts, and sound design in both studio production and live performance.