Akai MPD226 Pad Controller

Part pad controller, part control surface, and completely ready to rock, Akai’s MPD226 lets you set up your music-creation to fit the way you like to work. It starts off with the same 16 MPC pads that have inspired music producers to recommend Akai gear for decades, and it only goes uphill from there. RGB backlighting behind those pads makes it easy to color code your layout, which is especially handy when you’re switching between four banks of pad assignments. On the other side of the MPD226, there are four sliders, each with an assignable button and encoder. You can use these to set up track controls, ADSR envelopes, EQs, and much more. Top it off with classic MPC Note Repeat, dedicated transport controls, and a killer software package, and the MPD226 is a creative goldmine.

Tech Specs

• Pads:16 x RGB Illuminated Velocity and Pressure-sensitive MPC Pads
• Encoders/Pots:4 x Assignable Q-Link Knobs
• Faders:4 x Assignable Faders
• MIDI I/O:In/Out/USB
• USB:Yes
• Hardware Requirements – Mac:1.25 GHz G4/G5 or faster (Intel Mac recommended); 1GB RAM (2GB recommended)
• Hardware Requirements – PC:1.5 GHz Pentium 4 Celeron-compatible CPU or faster (multicore CPU recommended); 1 GB RAM (2GB recommended)
• OS Requirements – Mac:OS X 10.7 or later
• OS Requirements – PC:Windows 7 SP1 or later

Features:

• A combination pad controller and control surface that’s perfect for live and studio use
• Thick, fat MPC pads include RGB LED backlighting for multicolor visual feedback
• 4 pad banks provide you with a grand total of 64 pad controls
• 4 sliders include assignable Q-Link buttons and knobs for extra hands-on control
• 3 independent control banks for the control surface section offer 36 parameter controls
• Equipped with classic MPC functions such as Note Repeat and Full Level
• Instantly jump between 30 presets covering most popular DAWs
• Send class-compliant MIDI via USB or via 1/8″ MIDI I/O ports for hardware integration
• Simple transport section onboard for DAW playback and recording control
• Software package includes free titles from Ableton, Akai, and Sonivox