Akai Opens MPC Sample Key Firmware to Hobbyist Coders
The 37-key controller will ship with open-source code, allowing users to install custom synthesizers and operating systems before the hardware is even officially released.
By Javier Sanders ·
Akai is betting on a fragmented future for its MPC line. The company is handing early access to the MPC Sample Key, a 37-key controller, to a community of hobbyists who write custom firmware using generative AI. This move signals a shift away from closed hardware ecosystems toward a platform where users can build their own musical interfaces from the ground up.
The MPC Sample Key is a simplified version of the existing MPC Sample. It lacks the dedicated pads found on the higher-end MPC Key 37, requiring users to trigger samples directly through the keyboard. It includes traditional pitch and mod wheels. The device will run a modified version of the software currently on the MPC Sample, adjusted for the new key layout.
Akai released short Instagram videos on Tuesday and Wednesday showing the device in action with custom modifications. The clips feature the controller running Native Instruments Massive, a popular virtual synthesizer. Other examples included virtual analog and FM synthesizers. One demonstration showed the device running a completely custom operating system that housed multiple different synths.
Jack O’Donnell, CEO of inMusic Brands, told The Verge that the company plans to seed early devices to developers. The strategy includes open-sourcing specific software components and providing a software development kit. O'Donnell said the goal is to embrace the modding community rather than resist it.
The videos also showed the standard MPC Sample running virtual synths built with the assistance of the AI model Claude. The same community features demonstrated on the Sample Key are expected to arrive on the regular MPC Sample. This suggests Akai intends to open-source the software platform across the entire MPC Sample family, not just the new keyboard model.
The MPC Sample Key is not yet formally announced. Akai is using the pre-release period to showcase the capabilities of the open-source firmware. By allowing third-party code to run on its hardware, the company is inviting a level of customization that has traditionally been the domain of niche, hackintosh-style projects.
