AKAI Pro Updates MPC Live, MPC X With Ableton Link & More

Akai Professional has announced a major firmware update for the the MPC Live and MPC X that delivers new features for audio warping and time-stretching on the individual drum pad level for manipulating loops and hits on each pad within a drum program, improved Program and Audio editing, Bluetooth 4.0 MIDI capability and enhanced support for storage expansion/external drives.

Another huge new addition to 2.0.5 is Ableton Link support, the first time ever on a standalone hardware unit. MPC users can now synchronize and play back audio in real time.

Features:

  • Ableton Link via Wi-Fi – Sync MPC with any Link-enabled apps and devices for cross-platform collaboration.
  • Bluetooth 4.0 MIDI support – Controllers such as the LPK25 Wireless and LPD8 Wireless can now be used to control MPC instruments and kits
  • Audio warping and time-stretching on the individual drum pad level within a drum program
  • Improved Audio and Program Editing
  • Enhanced Support for Storage Expansion – Hard Drives can now be formatted using the MPC

Ableton Link Demos:

The MPC 2.0.5 firmware upgrade is available as a free download. See the product download pages for the MPC Live and MPC X.

18 thoughts on “AKAI Pro Updates MPC Live, MPC X With Ableton Link & More

  1. This is like the release update. Now its not so crazy to have “Midi and Bluetooth enabled” on the front of the packaging. I read through an extensive list of all the updates, its actually pretty great and they added a ton of stuff people have been asking for since day 1. Now the forums are blowing up asking for a bunch of new stuff now like “If you don’t add pitch bend I want a refund”. Silly entitled people.
    Great Update! Going to load it up this afternoon.

  2. well played Akai!
    NI sleeping as usual… realtime time stretch, in maschine you say???
    ahhhh nononon u meant make a new controller with the same software right??

  3. Wish they would make the sound engine multitimbral, so you could play multiple sounds simultaneously along with the sequenced sounds. Currently you can only use a kbd to play one sound at a time. I think that’s pretty lame for 2017.

  4. If Akai sticks with it, their MPC is going to catch up with Beatmaker 3. In fairness, Intua had decades of lead time to get things right – they practically invented the drum machine! It’d be pretty silly if Intua had squandered their considerable knowledge and rich pedigree to show up a day late and a firmware update short.

    1. I mean, appreciate snark, especially with regard to InMusic but ffs. People kvetched for a stand alone MPC and they delivered one. BM3 is pretty cool and all but a) convoluted AF and B) reliant on Apple for hardware, blah for an audio/midi interface and blah blah for a pad controller (plus a hub, etc).

      Intua gets to be a “nimble” software company with 1/100 the investment costs. Akai actually committed to a fully spec’d all in one hardware unit. Mind, I use an iPad for beatmaking but this sort rub on akai just rings hollow.

  5. Next Update: Arpeggiator + Multitimbral! Plus! A new advanced technology where the MPC has every function and feature from every piece of music gear ever created since the beginning of time. Even guitar strings on the back so you can pluck it like a real guitar and capture the MID notes.
    New response: Wish they would make it function in like a VR environment.
    Its a great update, we can’t have everything guys.

  6. Since Beatmaker3 came out, I think that plus MPD controller, could be pretty much the same thing sans audio interface, midi, and storage. But then, costs become same, depends on what you want.

    1. My Live hasn’t crashed since the 2.0.3 update. Or whichever update before this one. Actually forgot about crashing and internal errors until I read your comment. I’m sure someone else is still having issues but im happy.

  7. FYI For anyone wondering about playing chords with warp on, it is now possible in 16 levels mode ONLY (AFAI can see…).

    Using a keygroup:
    “The sample will play fully but the pitch will directly affect the playback speed. Pitching a sample down will result in slower playback, pitching a sample up will result in faster playback. If you were to play a chord with a vocal sample, the notes in the lower register would finish later than the notes in the higher register.”
    http://community.akaipro.com/akai_professional/topics/mpc-live-standalone-timestretch

    That means the ability to play chords with samples is really not comparable to Ableton / BM3 but is still the same as Maschine.

    Was really hoping to be able to do this to make some chords with vocal samples etc. Sadly not for now.

    1. Have you tried this? With the warp on? Or just basing it off the documentation? I didn’t get as far as to try that but I’m on it. Even if it’s just 16 levels, that’s fine. Pad perform is great but I don’t like being stuck in that screen. I like staying in the grid and whenever you leave pad perform, it’s turned off. No deal breaker, just a lot of back and forth. 16 levels would be great and you can manually get some strumming or offset note strikes that feel natural rather than hammering a chords notes all at once or manually offsetting the notes in the grid.

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