Akai's next entry in its MPC Sample line appears built for melodic playing rather than drum chopping. Images of the MPC Sample Key obtained by The Verge show a 25-key instrument that carries over several controls from the MPC Sample but reorients the feature set toward pitched sample playback. Akai teased the device on Instagram earlier this week and said it intends to open-source its software so the modding community can modify it. The company has not said when the instrument will launch or what it will cost.
The most telling change is the absence of the MPC Sample's chop button, which is missing entirely from the Sample Key. The new model retains the three context-sensitive encoders and the large main encoder found on the MPC Sample. It also adds dedicated pitch and mod wheels, along with buttons for shifting the keyboard's octave range. Those additions point to an instrument designed around playing samples melodically rather than slicing drum breaks.
The Sample Key also carries buttons labeled chord and arp, which presumably enable a chord playback mode and an arpeggiator. Such tools are commonly used for melodic and bass parts, and a chord mode would serve little purpose for drums. The two options appear to take the place of the standard MPC Sample's chop function. An arpeggiator can be used to play back drum samples as a way to create rhythms, but that is not its typical role.
A dedicated looper also appears to be present, a feature that could be useful for live performance and for layering sounds. Where the original MPC Sample offers Flex Beat effects, the Sample Key instead shows something called Swarm, though what that feature does is not yet clear. The front panel's configuration options suggest the device will include CV outs for integrating with modular synths, in addition to MIDI, though the back panel has not been seen.
Like the first entry in the Sample series, the Sample Key has a built-in mic and speaker for all-in-one music production. Akai's open-source pledge means the modding community is expected to be able to hack the software to their liking. The teaser offered no further specification details, and the images reviewed do not fill in the remaining gaps in the feature set.
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