Akai’s MPC is an icon of electronic music, but while sound is achievable today, for style, you had to get in tune with your own retro wardrobe while hitting its familiar pads. Everything changes with the Akai MPC One Retro, combining modern MPC functionality with a classic retro colourway.
So, you get the classic theme that modern users have enviously looked at as they price more and more expensive classic material. That includes the gray pads – with their RGB lighting – and the familiar chassis. In addition to the pads, there are four tactile Q-link buttons.
On the tech side, of course, this is a modern MPC. Based on the MPC One Standalone – therefore capable of operating independently of a computer, as before – it has a 7-inch touchscreen for editing and cutting samples, 16 pads supporting velocity and pressure, and a full music production center with 4 GB of on-board storage and a quad-core processor. You can load custom samples via SD or USB.
It comes with the same loops and samples as the regular MPC, plus an exclusive MPC expansion pack for MPC One Retro owners only. You can also copy any previous MPC project, program, or sequence file. On-board instruments include DrymSynth, Electric, TubeSynth, and Bassline, and there are AIR FX mixing and mastering processors.
A USB controller input allows the use of an external controller keyboard. There’s also MIDI I / O and eight CV / gate outputs to control any modular synths you might have on hand. Line-level stereo inputs and outputs use 1/4 ” TRS connectors.
If you prefer to use the MPC One Retro with a computer, Akai includes the MPC2, its DAW software for Mac and PC. It supports 128-track sequencing, real-time stretching, MIDI editing, clip launching, Ableton Link support, and VST plug-in support with other DAWs .
The Akai Professional MPC One Retro is available starting today, priced at $ 899.
