Recording January 2022 - 35

the controller have a bit of a learning curve. In keeping with its
lineage, the language and terminology Akai uses in the MPC
hardware and software is pre-DAW and can initially be hard
to understand. I immediately remembered having a similar experience
back in the day with the MPC 1000. I had to read the
manual a few times and reacquaint myself with the workflow.
Up and running
Once I did get going, I had a blast! The included sounds and
effects are excellent. A few notable favorites are the Mellotron
synth which faithfully reproduces that sound we all know and
love, and there is a new vocal tuning plugin. While it may be a
little more straightforward and minimal than many full-fledged
tuning plugins, I thought it was easy to use and adjust quickly
for the right sound, and it worked great.
Pad modes
I love the different modes and functions available across the
16 pads by holding down the shift button. These functions range
from shortcut keys for saving your project to toggling between
the sampler and looper, as well as my personal favorite, the step
sequencer. This provides an alternative to live finger drumming
and turns the pads into a 16-step sequencer. The various colored
RGB backlights give you easy-to-understand visual feedback
about which steps in the sequence you have engaged.
Touch and go!
The touch strip controller is a cool addition to the MPC Studio
that cannot be found on any other MPC in the Akai lineup. It
does the expected functions (pitch / mod, etc.) and can be
assigned to a host of other parameters. Significantly, it can also
stand in as the Q-Link knobs (used to control different parameters
within each program) found on standalone MPC models
but not in physical form on the MPC Studio. The touch strip can
also activate Touch FX-realtime effects such as reverse and
filtering that you can drop onto individual sounds or whole
mixes. It's also handy for beat repeat features; sliding your
finger up and down the strip gives you options of repeating a
selected sound in intervals such as 1/8th
note, 16th
note, 32nd
note, etc. There are many more options, but you get the idea of
how versatile this touch strip can be.
To DAW or not to DAW?
In addition to standalone mode, MPC 2 software can also
be opened inside your DAW and run as a plugin, which is
certainly a cool feature. I played around with the MPC 2 inside
of Ableton Live 11, but in use, it felt odd having a DAW within
a DAW. Wrapping my head around the dual workflow actually
slowed me down, and I ultimately preferred to choose one or
the other when sampling and creating songs. In and of itself,
the MPC 2 software is a fun experience, and I enjoyed creating
full songs with it on its own.
M1 support
One last thing to be aware of is that the MPC 2 software
does not yet run natively on M1 Macs; it has to be run using
Rosetta 2 to translate the app in the background. I recently
upgraded to an M1 MacBook Air, which initially concerned
me; However, I have noticed zero performance issues so far. I
Wrap It Up
I really am just scratching the surface here on the Akai MPC Studio
Controller and MPC 2 software. There's so much more to dive
into-at the end of the day, I'm happy to be back in MPC land!
Using the MPC Studio puts me back into the mindset, workflow
and excitement I remember having all those years ago when I was
sampling and making beats on the old Akai MPC 1000.
At $269, the MPC Studio is less than half the price of the next
MPC model in the lineup, and it comes with a generous content
package to get you going making music. If you are an old MPC
user/fan like myself or a happy MPC noob and you're looking
for an affordable way to get into the MPC world, check out the
new MPC Studio.
Price: $269
More from: akaipro.com
RECORDING January 2022 35
imagine when Akai irons out support for Apple Silicon, the experience
will be that much more optimized. [Akai Professional
notes they have an M1 build in flight.]
http://www.akaipro.com
Recording January 2022

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