The keyboard was too springy and the pads did not have that fabled Akai sensitivity. The first iteration of the Akai MPK249 (MK1), unfortunately, did not meet those expectations. Even though the Akai brand today is owned by the same company that owns the Alesis, Numark, and M-Audio brands ( inMusic), I expect a certain quality from any Akai instrument. In my 15 years of music production, I've come to associate Akai with a certain history and quality. So when I talk about the “legacy” of the Akai brand, keep this in mind. The best-selling Akai MPC60 changed the music production landscape ( Image source)

It's not unreasonable to even say that hip-hop music wouldn't have been a thing if Akai MPC hadn't made production-grade sampling accessible to bedroom producers. It's nearly impossible to find a single hip-hop track from the decade onwards that did not use the MPC in some capacity. The Akai brand name has been synonymous with hip-hop music production since the late 1980s when it debuted the iconic MPC series. We'll look at the design and build quality before digging into the performance, integrations, and features. In this Akai MPK249 review, I'll dig deeper into this popular offering and tell you if it's worth your money. But if you're an intermediate or even professional, the MPK249 has everything to become the star of your studio. It is probably too expensive and complicated for the rank beginner. And with its pads, enhanced keyboard, and build quality, the MPK249 is one of the best 49-key keyboards around. It is neither too bulky for carrying around, nor so tiny that you need to constantly hit the octave up/down button. I've always preferred the 49-key format as the ideal size for a keyboard. At the higher end of this line-up is Akai MPK249.Īs the name suggests, MPK249 is a 49-key MIDI controller. The result of this upgrade was Akai's current line-up of best-selling MPK instruments, including our low-end favorite Akai MPK Mini MK2. So following 5-years of user feedback, Akai revisited the MPK series and upgraded every instrument, focusing on fixing common complaints about the keys and pad quality.

The first iteration of Akai's MPK series of MIDI controllers was a failure by Akai's own lofty standards. Performance packed, feature rich MIDI keyboard that offers everything a professional producer would need.

Mpc live with midi keyboard