Published
Fri, Mar 14, 2014, 16:30
- Its MPK and APC controller lines all get a revamp, and a new all-analog drum machine called the Rhythm Wolf enters the fray.
Akai Professional has some new and revamped offerings on the way later this year.
Visitors to the brand's booth at Musikmesse, the Frankfurt music equipment showcase that's running this weekend, will have noticed that their widely used line of controllers is getting a facelift. The APC40 ($399), Akai's flagship Ableton controller, has been streamlined and rejiggered, with a lower profile, RGB-backlit buttons on the clip-launch matrix and a new knob layout. (The APC mini and APC Key 25 also feature similar overhauls, for $99.99 and $129.99, respectively.) The MPK MIDI keyboards also have a new look, and now they'll connect with iOS devices, provided you have a Camera Connection Kit. They'll run from $99.99 up to $499.99.
Some wholly new products are also joining the fray. The most radical, for a brand known mostly for controllers and samplers, is a $199.99 analog drum machine and bass synth called the Rhythm Wolf. It boasts kick, snare, open & closed hi-hat and metallic percussion modules, plus another for generating bass tones. All of them can be triggered by the six MPC pads or the onboard 32-step sequencer. Gate trigger I/O (for connectivity with CV devices) and a distortion signal path called Howl round out the package. The MPX16, a $199.99 hardware sampler, is also new from Akai.
Akai will release its new line in summer 2014.