The MPC Archive

The one that started it all. The MPC60 combined a 12-bit sampler with a 16-track MIDI sequencer and 16 velocity-sensitive rubber pads in a single, rock-solid unit. At $5,000, it wasn't cheap — but it was transformative.

Linn expected users to sample short drum hits. Instead, producers began sampling entire passages of music, pushing the machine's 13-second sample limit to its absolute edge. Havoc famously built "Shook Ones Part II" within the MPC60's 8-second window. The constraint became the creative catalyst.

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Internally identical to the MPC60, the Mark II swapped the metal case for plastic and added a headphone output — a seemingly minor change that inadvertently helped launch the bedroom producer movement. Private monitoring without a full studio setup opened the door to a generation making beats at home.

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The quantum leap. 16-bit CD-quality sampling at 44.1 kHz, doubled polyphony to 32 voices, onboard effects, resonant filters, and SCSI connectivity. Most critically, quantisation could be completely defeated — enabling the loose, human timing that became J Dilla's signature.

This was Roger Linn's final MPC. After the 3000, he parted ways with Akai. A limited edition black version (2000 units, individually numbered) remains one of the most coveted pieces of music gear ever made.

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Akai's first MPC without Roger Linn. The "step back" in model number reflected its roots in Akai's S2000 rackmount sampler. At $1,599, it was dramatically more affordable than the 3000, bringing the MPC workflow to a much wider audience. 64-track sequencing was a significant upgrade.

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The most popular MPC of its generation. New time-stretching and auto-chopping features transformed the sampling workflow. At under $1,500, it opened the door for a whole new wave of producers. The community-developed JJOS alternate firmware later expanded its capabilities far beyond the original design.

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The most powerful standalone MPC of its era. First to offer 24-bit/96 kHz sampling, a built-in phono preamp for direct turntable connection, and an advanced 6-pole filter system. 512 MB of memory and an 80 GB hard drive were staggering specs for 2002. The $4,000 price tag limited its reach.

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The first truly portable MPC — compact enough to fit in a backpack. Despite smaller pads and a reduced feature set, it maintained the core MPC workflow. USB connectivity and CompactFlash storage modernised the file transfer workflow. Like the 2000XL, the JJOS firmware community transformed this into a far more capable machine than Akai shipped.

Large Professor called it "the MPC version of the SP-1200."

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The smallest and most portable MPC ever — and the first to run on 6 AA batteries. It traded the classic 4×4 pad layout for 12 pads (the only MPC with fewer than 16) and had a minimal 2-line LCD. What it lacked in power it made up for in go-anywhere portability and affordability.

The most ambitious MPC yet: a built-in 20-voice virtual analog synthesiser, 8-track hard disk recording, and 12 Q-Link controllers. It tried to be everything at once. Sound On Sound warned the "ever-expanding feature-set is straining the seams of the ageing user-interface design." Commercially disappointing at launch, it's now one of the rarest and most coveted MPCs on the used market.

A philosophical pivot. No longer standalone, the Renaissance was a controller + audio interface tethered to MPC Software on Mac or PC. With the computer's unlimited RAM and storage, the ceiling was gone. Vintage Mode emulated the sonic character of the MPC3000 and MPC60 — an acknowledgment of the legacy while embracing the future.

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The bridge between the controller era and the standalone touchscreen generation. Its 7-inch multi-touch display let users grab waveforms, draw MIDI, adjust envelopes, and chop samples with their fingers — a completely new way to interact with the MPC. RGB pad backlighting and XYFX touch control hinted at the future.

The triumphant return to standalone hardware. A full-colour 7" touchscreen, a quad-core ARM processor, 2 GB of RAM, and a rechargeable lithium battery delivering ~5 hours of playback. A complete production studio you could take anywhere — on a plane, in a park, on stage. Also works as a computer controller for hybrid workflows.

The later MPC Live II added built-in speakers. A Retro edition paid tribute to the classic MPC aesthetic.

The most fully-featured standalone MPC ever built. A 10.1-inch touchscreen (the largest in MPC history), 16 Q-Link pots with individual OLED displays, and 8 CV/Gate outputs for modular synth integration. The CV outputs bridged the gap between digital sampling and the analogue/modular world.

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Nearly everything the MPC X and Live could do, at half the price. A 7" touchscreen, the same quad-core processor, built-in synth engines (Electric, Tubesynth, Bassline), 4 CV/Gate outputs, Splice integration, and network connectivity. The most accessible full-featured standalone MPC ever, and likely the best-selling modern MPC.

The most radical departure yet: the first MPC with a 61-key semi-weighted keyboard. 25 instrument plugins, 100+ effects, a 32 GB SSD, XLR mic preamps, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and 8 CV/Gate outputs. Vintage emulation plugins recreate the sound of the MPC60 and MPC3000 — a full-circle moment, 35 years after the original.