14.Jan.10 Akai Pro announces the APC 20. A slimmed down 40 on the cheap(er)
“Ableton Live software is a powerful, flexible environment for creating, performing, and producing music. This unique software demands an equally unique control instrument. Akai Professional and Ableton are proud to present the APC20 compact professional Ableton Live performance controller. The APC20 transforms your Ableton Live experience from constructing tracks on a computer to fluid, musical creation. The second model in the APC series, the APC20 offers a smaller footprint than the APC40, enabling musicians to more easily create a personalized setup with multiple APCs, effects controllers, and other devices.”
More information in Akai’s website
17.Oct.09 Akai LPK 25 may rip Korg’s NanoKey a new midi socket
This was apparently unveiled at the same time as the Akai LPD 8 but somehow we managed to miss that. Anyway, Akai has announced this new ultra-portable midi keyboard for release on the 29th of this month. From the looks of it we can clearly see that the build quality and likely, the playability should exceed that of it’s closest competetion – the Korg NanoKey – which is quite fragile and unimpressive to play.
Features include 25 velocity sensitive keys, octave up and down buttons, sustain, 4 programmable banks and a f#@king arpeggiator! The unit measures approx 13 inches wide and weighs in at about 1 lb.
The MSRP is listed at $129.99 but all online retailers we checked have the listed retail price at $69.99, making this an affordable solution for the on-the-go music producer. More information can be found on Akai’s website.
UPDATE: Multiple reports are filtering in from people who got an early buy on the LPK 25 keyboard confirming our suspicion that it in fact does destroy the Korg NanoKey in every way. Good job Akai!
08.Sep.09 Aww snap! New Akai pad controller (LPD 8)
Akai just dropped a new midi controller called the LPD 8. It packs 8 backlit, velocity sensative drum pads, 8 knobs and 4 memory banks giving you a total of 32 pads and 32 knobs to assign in one slim, easy to carry controller.
Scope it here > http://www.akaipro.com/lpd8
UPDATE: When we posted this, somehow we completely missed the mini keyboard Akai also announced along with the LPD 8. It is called the LPK 25 and you can read a little about it here.
ANOTHER UPDATE: People are starting to get their preorders filled and while Akai’s LPK 25 has been reviewed across the board as being much better than the Korg NanoKey, the Akai LPD 8 is receiving complaints of feeling cheaper and less responsive than Korg’s NanoPad. The added X/Y controller on the NanoPad in addition the a higher quality construction cuts it out as the clear winner here.
