The MPC X is clearly designed to be the more complete studio version of the two MPCs announced today – and it’s a welcome upgrade for many users who want a full-size MPC but never really found the computer-anchored MPC Renaissance to be an attractive option. Beyond a large ten inch screen, it also has dedicated buttons for the menu, master encoder, and 16 touch-sensitive assignable pots with OLED displays. Studio producers can add their own hard drive with the SATA connector, and take advantage of MIDI I/O ports. Despite a studio-centric feature set, the MPC X does have the same internal rechargeable battery – if you want to use it in the wild, not a problem. Here’s the full feature set:

FEATURES

• Standalone MPC – no computer required
• Also acts as a control surface for MPC 2.0 software
• 10.1” full-color multi-touch display
• Internal, rechargeable lithium-ion battery
• 2 RCA phono inputs with ground peg
• 16GB of on-board storage (over 10GB of sound content included)
• User-expandable 2.5” SATA drive connector (SSD or HDD)
• 4 full-size MIDI inputs, 2 full-size MIDI Outputs
• CV/Gate outputs enabling the analog control of modular gear, such as classic synths
• 2 USB-A 3.0 slots for thumb drives or MIDI controllers
• Forthcoming support for Ableton Link and WiFi

AKAI PROFESSIONAL SUPERCHARGES MPC AND FORCE WITH DRUMSYNTH, A POWERFUL NEW SYNTHESIZED DRUM SOUND CREATION PLUGIN INSTRUMENT

High-powered DrumSynth Instrument Plugin delivers advanced synthesizer drum sound design to MPC and FORCE in free update.

Calling all producers, live performers and DAWless jammers, this is the update you have been waiting for! Akai Professional has just announced the add-on of DrumSynth to their MPC and FORCE lines of music production tools with MPC 2.9 and FORCE 3.0.6 firmware updates. DrumSynth joins the unparalleled power of the existing virtual instruments already included in MPC and FORCE - TUBESYNTH, BASSLINE, ELECTRIC and HYPE*.

Powerfully Creative Drum Synthesis

At the heart of DrumSynth is a multi-synth sound generation architecture. Powered by FM synthesis, physical & analog modeling, and sample-based algorithms, DrumSynth propels the FORCE and MPC user into unrivaled dimensions of standalone sound design. This revolutionary plugin features 8 individual instances (Kick, Snare, Clap, Toms, Percussion, Hi-Hat, Crash and Ride), each with its own unique sound generator combination to deliver dynamic drum and percussion sounds. 

With DrumSynth, users can quickly tweak any of the 8 engines for an unprecedented degree of sonic manipulation. Fine tune synthesized drum sounds with a selection of effects and processors, including Transient Shaping, Tuning, EQ, Compression, Reverb and Delay. Add further character with multiple processing textures within each sound engine. Users can even access all 8 engines in multi-mode where sounds can be mixed and balanced against each other and saved as a custom user preset. This truly is next-generation drum synthesis at its finest.

Users will quickly grasp the DrumSynth interface, and on the standalone hardware devices, find the touch screen enables precise editing and lightning-fast manipulation of countless parameters. Fuse this with incredible visual feedback and DrumSynth maximizes users’ productivity with a graphic experience to keep creative responses flowing in the midst of the most inspired moments.

Key Features of DrumSynth

• Build and design any synthesized drum sound
• Powerful sound generators driven by completely new FM synthesis, analog & physical modeling, and sample-based algorithms
• 8 Individual Engines: Kick, Snare, Clap, Percussion, Tom, Crash, Hi Hat, and Ride
• Built-in sound effects, including Transient Shaper, Tuning, EQ, Compression, Delay, Reverb and more
• Multi-Mode to access all 8 engines simultaneously
• Save and store your designs to user presets

*Hype only available in FORCE