Leaked Akai APC Live – What We Know
2 min read
Today a leak of the new Akai controller has been doing the rounds. Not only this, but the product seems to be true!
For starters, we have a manual, but we also have a declaration of FCC authorisation and legal documentation.
You will notice that some other sites which have reported on this product have linked to a manual that isn’t working.
The link above should hopefully work to the gateway, through which you can access the manual.
Most of the information here has been derived from the above link and is signed from inMusic Brands, Inc (the parent company).
You may also be confused by the letter designation “APC” – lots of people seem to think it was Ableton Performance Controller, but perhaps it is just Akai Performance Controller.
So what is it?
From what we can see, it is a rough combination of the Ableton Push and the Akai MPC Live.
While a lot of people out there are discussing whether this is an Ableton controller, or better, a controller with Ableton built-in, it doesn’t seem to be. For starters, there is no Ableton branding on it.
Akai did build the original Push controller for Ableton, however Ableton took over for the Push 2 and Akai were no longer needed.
In addition, Akai do have their own software which is ised in the latest MPC controllers such as the MPC Live seen above.
What this leaked controller seems to be is a different flavour of the MPC Live, using an Ableton-style layout and design.
This will mean we will see clip performance, like you would with Ableton.
The controller’s documentation discusses “Matrix” view, which seems equivalent to Ableton Live’s Session View.
From the manual…
- can use Ableton link
- can connect flash drives to access their files directly
- can insert SD cards to access files directly
- provides phantom power to inputs
- gain knob for inputs is annoyingly on the back
