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Cumberland, R.I. (Jan. 15, 2009) Akai Professional, the name synonymous with music production, announces MPK25, a new addition to its popular MPK series of keyboard controllers with MPC pads. The MPK25 will be on display at the 2009 NAMM Show in Anaheim, Calif., January 15 18, 2009 at the Akai Professional booth, number 6400.

The MPK25 draws on the design of the popular MPK49, the first keyboard ever to feature genuine MPC pads. It features a 25-key, semi-weighted keyboard with aftertouch, 12 MPC pads, Q-Link controls and MPC technology. Its smaller, more portable size makes the MPK25 the perfect travel companion. Its small footprint can fit in a musicians lap on the couch or on a plane, enabling them to create tracks whenever inspiration strikes.

The MPK series features Akai Professional-exclusive MPC pads that are pressure and velocity-sensitive to capture every nuance of the users creativity. The pads can access four banks of sounds, so performers can have 48 samples at their fingertips with the touch of a button.

The MPK25 offers extensive assignable controls through its Q-Link section. The MPK25 gives players 32 parameters of hands-on control through 12 virtual knobs and four virtual buttons, each of which can access two different banks of assignment via a bank-change control.

Two technologies pioneered in the MPC series and built into the MPK series are MPC Note Repeat and MPC Swing. These note-modifying features can be heard in many of the most popular tracks over the last two decades. MPC Note Repeat automatically plays a rhythmic pattern, such as 16th notes on a hi-hat, for accuracy and speed of entry. MPC Swing is sometimes referred to as “the heart and soul of hip hop”. Users can specify exactly the degree and timing of swing they want to apply for the perfect feel.

The MPK25 has an arpeggiator, which enables performers to develop creative riffs in seconds. The arpeggiator features six different modes and can have its own swing settings independent of the MPC Note Repeat settings.

Because MPK series controllers are USB class compliant, they do not require custom drivers to work with Mac or PC computers and will work with all MIDI recording, sequencing and performance software. The MPK series is perfect for musicians, producers, DJs and VJs.

The MPK25 comes with Ableton Live Lite Akai Edition software, one of the most popular and powerful performance and production programs in the world. Ableton Live Lite enables musicians to spontaneously compose, record, remix, improvise and edit musical ideas in a seamless audio/MIDI environment.

This new addition to the MPK line takes the expressive, creative capabilities of the MPK49 to new places, said Gregg Stein, Director of Marketing, Akai Professional. The MPK25 can go away for the weekend with you and it is easy to integrate into on-stage setups for multi-instrumentalists and drummers.

Cumberland, R.I. (Jan. 15, 2009) Akai Professional, the name synonymous with music production, announces the APC40 Control Surface developed specifically for Ableton Live software. The APC40 will be on display at the 2009 NAMM Show in Anaheim, Calif., January 15 18, 2009 at the Akai Professional booth, number 6400.

Akai Professional worked in partnership with software developer Ableton to make the APC40 the optimal Ableton Live control surface. The APC40 is designed to be a powerful, intuitive controller for electronic-music performance artists, DJs, hip-hop producers and traditional musicians using Ableton Live on stage and in the studio.

Because Akai Professional and Ableton designed the APC40 for use with the Live software, users need not map its controls for the Live software interface. Advanced Live users will appreciate that the APC40 enables them to remap every one of its controls to suit their own style.

The APC40 communicates bi-directionally with Live, enabling the controller to display information from the software on its clip matrix of 40 triggers and on LED rings surrounding each knob. The clip matrix provides performers an instant view of clip status: what is loaded, what is playing and what is being recorded.

The APC40 has two sets of eight knobs: one for Track parameters such as pans and bus sends, and the other for instrument and effect parameters. The second bank of eight knobs is dynamically re-assigned to the track selected by the user. This unique capability enables performers to control at least eight track parameters per track a total of 72 using the same eight knobs and the nine track-selection buttons. Channel faders, bus faders and a crossfader enable smooth control of key values.

The APC40 enables performers to spend less time looking at a computer screen, using a mouse and keyboard, said Adam Cohen, Director of Business Development, Akai Professional. It is a professional-grade controller with truly unique capabilities.

With the introduction of the APC40 we thought it was a great time to catch Ableton CEO Gerhard Behles for a quick interview. Have a look at what Gerhard had to say about APC40, Ableton Live and the future of music production.

AP: Why do you think hardware is still so popular with such powerful software available such as Live?

GB: A musician is also interested in expression and expression is tied to the tactile experience. You’re trying to use your body to express your emotions.

AP: If you could look into the future, what do you think you’d see in terms of where music production is going for software and hardware tools?

GB: You’re going to see more of this type of thing, tighter integration as with the APC40 and Live. It’s needed. The generic approach that we have seen is great but also limited. We’re going to see less signal processing via hardware and more control via hardware, because that’s the part that’s intrinsically and necessarily tied the hardware. Sound processing is at a point where we can do it really well with powerful generic computers.

AP: What does Live offer for musicians that just isn’t found anywhere else?

GB: I think what we keep hearing over and over boils down to: it’s more fun, thats what musicians keep reiterating. It’s a more fun approach to making music and it brings the fun back to what has become a very cerebral activity. Many say that they open Live and they smile.

AP:: How much of a role did customers play in the development of a partnership with Akai Professional.

GB: Ableton Live users have long asked for a dedicated controller for Live, and we listen very closely to what our customers wish for. Akais success with the MPD 32, MPK 49 and of course the MPC line has been particularly impressive. When Akai reached out with a preliminary design, we knew we had to work with them to make this product the best that it could be.

AP:Live has quite a following among electronic and dance musicians. What does Live bring to the table for Hip-hop producers?

GB: In short, fluid beatmaking, dead easy sample chopping and timestretching all without stopping the program. Were seeing a huge increase in hip-hop producers using Live, and when Ableton Live users like Jazzy Jeff, DJ Numark and Ski Beatz tell us how they think the program should work, we listen to their requests and weigh their ideas strongly. Lives Impulse, Drum Racks and Simpler instruments deliver an easy drag and drop workflow and layout that should be familiar to users of hardware like the MPC.

AP:Would the MPC and APC40 work well together, or are they not likely to be found on the same tabletop?

GB: The MPC and APC40 absolutely can coexist in the same setup. The MPC is legendary on stage and in the studio and this is something we at Ableton are obviously influenced and indebted to. Both Live and the MPC line are dedicated to a particular workflow that enhances creativity and we are not in a position to tell any musician how they should make music. Theres a time and a place for computers and a time when you just want to turn on a hardware piece and make a beat without the risk of getting sidetracked on the Internet.

AP:Is there anything exclusive that people get with the bundled version of Live in the APC40 that they can only get with the hardware?

GB: The APC40 is the first controller to have official, Ableton supported control of Lives Session View. No other controller works in the way the APC40 does with Live with such an easy two way communication and set up. We worked long and hard bringing our engineering teams together to find a quick, intuitive method for putting vast numbers of effects, instruments and Audio and MIDI clips at your fingertips, and Live users wont be disappointed.

AP: Are you planning any features in the future that would take advantage of the APC and let musicians do things in ways that would be much harder to do with software alone?

GB: Its quite fortuitous for Live users thats weve worked for Akai at this time, as it coincides with our product partnership with Cycling 74, Max for Live. Owners of the APC40 who also own Max for Live can change the way the APC40 controls Live, and completely customize their experience. This means things like step sequencers and drum rack support and other things that only feel right with hardware will now be available for people who own these two great products. The boundaries of what you can do with complete customization and hundreds of LEDs are infinite.

AP:: Many people might think of Ableton Live only as a studio tool, while others make quick use of it for live performance. Do you see the APC40 shifting that balance one direction or the other?

GB: Not at all. We will always have and support both kinds of users, and frankly most of our users are some combination of both creative producers who make music and sometimes or often take it to the stage. Giving them a tool like the APC40 only enhances this flexibility you get to know the APC40 in daily use in the studio and you feel confident to take it onstage, much as you would use a guitar or set of drums in both places

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It’s North Americas the biggest musical instrument trade show in the world and Winter NAMM was also the place to be for the latest news from Akai Professional. The show ran January 15-18 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA. Did you miss the show? No worries,  we’ve got you covered.

We introduced the new MPK25 25-key performance controller with MPC pads, the brand-new OS 2.0 for the MPC5000 with more than 25 new features, and the gear thats now on to of everyones wish list: the APC40 Ableton Performance Controller. We also had tons of booth performances, including this one by jazz star Jeff Kashiwa.

Here are some additional Akai Professional booth images and videos from this year’s Winter NAMM.