The MPC KEY 61 is REALLY neat
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- This week I finally got hands on with the MPC KEY 61. Let’s talk about why it’s basically everything someone would need to make music standalone (especially keyboardists)!
Thanks to Zzounds for sending over the MPC! If you’re already looking to get one, using the link below will give me a percentage commission. If you’re not interested in one, do not use the link, save that money boss!
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#mpckey61 #dawless #musicproduction
Thanks to Zzounds for sending over the MPC! If you’re already looking to get one, using the link below will give me a percentage commission. If you’re not interested in one, do not use the link, save that money boss!
www.zzounds.com/a--3981117/item--AKAMPCKEY61
Love the authentic review. I love the MPC Key 61. It has a lot going for it. It's not as good at live performance duties as some traditional workstation style keyboards out there. But as a production machine, it beats the established brands in this category in many respects. Well done as always!
Thank you! Yeah it seems like it would be a mixed bag for live stuff. All of the MPCs have so many features that would be cool for live shows but I feel like I’d have to change projects per song which would create potentially weird gaps in a performance
Cleanest vid of this keyboard I’ve seen yet. Excellent job. Great filming and editing. I Gotta get one now haha
Thank you! 🫡🙏
Got me one of these several months ago - I have to say its awesome; synths, sampler, sequencer and a full suite of effects and tools. It is a joy. Super productive - and no, I am not doing hip-hop... pretty much anything but! It's well rounded and I use it for ambient, rock and fusion, space rock and trippy goodness, plug ina pedalboard with a guitar and any synths (including modular) that you have and be prepared, after a learning process, to be in musical heaven. No bull.
Agreed! It has enough tools in the kit to make just about anything!
Interesting! Can it PROG? I haven’t seen one person using the sequencer for anything more than a 4 chord progression. I had a go on one and it seemed really hard to use? Can you have multiple sections (with different progressions) like you can on the akai force?
So cool to see somebody using it for other than beatmaking ❤
I love how your tunes sound so different to everything else I hear done on these devices. Lovin the 2nd tune especially ❤.
Thank you! 🙏😎
I love this device. It’s my first MPC ever and I’ve been at music for quite a while. Had it just about nine months getting better at using it but it’s a good unit to have
I bought mine at release (because to me it was the perfect Poor-man's version of a Fairlight for everyone), but it's funny to watch you use it - you literally use it as an Mpc with a keyboard attached to it. When I bought mine I was totally unaware of the MPC universe, I didn't even know of an MPC live or similar. I was just looking for a music workstation where I could do better recording than I do with Yamaha Montage, Roland, Korg in combination with an Tascam DP32SD or similar, I wanted it all integrated ...kinda like Fairlight, but this is so much more. So I use it as a keyboardist who wants to use the keyboard as a synth but without the "windows or mac daw" connected, I want it to be ready to fire up when I am, and for that - The MPC Key 61 was the perfect match for me. Never found anything like it for 30+ years.
Have you heard the tron on it? It’s fabulous ❤
This gear is impressive!! Really worth the price.
Congrats on the purchase.. i was looking at one in guitar center they let me use it for an hour.. coming from 30 years of using the 3000, 2000, 2500, and the X.. I couldn't get my mind off of the keys are there and small pads.. dope purchase for what you get .. I wish I could have pulled the trigger, but I own the X and other midi keyboard.. oh, by the way, the view you have is inspiration for making music 😆
Aw man I wanted to love it… but I couldn’t get into the layout of the sounds and the fact that kits and some sounds take moments to load. I’m so used to instantly loading up sounds on other workstations like the Fantom and motif from back in the day! Anyway, dope video!
Super fair! This was your first MPC too right? It’s a really weird workflow to get into, and if you had better experiences with other workstations I totally get not vibing with this one. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts!
@@DylanParisMusic indeed it was! I also believe that if I only had this and just spent like a good week learning it, it would have been awesome. Sooo there’s that. Anyway keep up with the awesome content my guy
Thank you for being transparent Dylan. I know you overlooked the non maschine functionality. We are all human brother. Mistakes are going to happen. Stay blessed
Much appreciated friend 🙏 definitely a learning moment for me for sure. I appreciate the kindness
The the best value MPC hands down it’s between the Key 61 and XSE/X as far as a center piece the live II is obviously the go to for portability
I have a larger keyboard so I wanted a smaller compliment to the Nord Stage 3...
I do Not want Anything to do with Computers and have searched for a Computer Free recording solution extensively..
MPC seems to fill the bill...
Pretty Happy with the The Possibilitys..
Key 37 for me ...
Great Color Match to the Nord too.
I love the 37! Great choice
Does the mpc key 61 have speakers built into it? There is nothing that appears to be speakers on it. I was also wondering if it can be paired with a blue tooth speaker.
I want to buy one but I want them to release one with a bigger screen that tilts,bigger pads a more q links
All of those would be welcome, the screen angle is actually pretty solid but more q links would be awesome and more options is usually a good thing!
I'm new to your channel and I just subscribed. I bought an mpc key 61 a few months ago and am just baffled by this thing. If you have a video showing exactly how it works I'd appreciate you getting back to me. Thanks
I own a 3k , 60, 4k , 5k and the MPC One and to me This is the best Me ever made hands down .
It really is a beast, it’s probably my fave MPC so far as well, potentially tied with the MPC One
Can you do this on your AKAI MPC KEY 61? Use any key to manipulate any parameter in real time while playing or recording: cut, res, pan, volume, eq, effects and any other settings.
You can automate parameters mapped to the q links, pitch, and modwheel, as well as aftertouch while recording in real-time as lot as you’ve enabled write mode for automation. As far as any key to manipulate any parameter, it’s not necessarily an open box in that way but there’s a lot of realtime automation options
Good review and interesting reflections on how this compares to other gear. Cool to do that correction on the Komplete Mk3. By the way, I think NI was really dumb to remove the Maschine buttons and integration. Thousands of composers use the Maschine workflow because it’s the only one that avoids a computer mouse and keyboard and still allows you to arrange your songs . Perhaps NI is letting the Maschine platform quietly fade away. They haven’t invested in it for years now.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the kind words! And yeah, I’m a big believer in not buying something until it does what you want it to do. I want to believe that NI will wow the maschine users in the future but I have no insider info on that and am waiting to see what they do on that front.
I produce , mix and arrange my songs all on the key 61 no computer or mouse . People prefer a computer but you really don’t need one all of it could be done on the key 61 . Copy sequence and track mute allows you to build a entire song , I find it faster than a computer because it like making a list it takes seconds to edit a sequences. Example copy a sequence 4 times name 1 , intro mute out the tracks , another chorus , another verse mute instrument, another brake down mute more instruments,etc you can create as many as you want even make your beat change . After your done which takes minutes . You can sequence a entire song less than 30 seconds because its like making a list .
You’re the best, Dylan. 🤙 With all the companies that Fransisco Partners/Native Instruments acquired, all they had to do was release an answer to the mpc key. They would have blown up this side of the internet. The mpc key is dope, but with a Live 2 and several different midi keyboards and hardware synths, I’m set…
Just still bummed how NI has turned out. Either they completely abandoned maschine, or they did an entire overhaul and 3 will be insane. I doubt it though. All the surveys we did, and they say no one cared about kontrol s working with maschine?? That’s the entire reason maschine users bought kontrol . Their decision making is so bizarre. Regardless, they have virtually no customer service, they notoriously do not listen to user requests, and they make promises they never keep. They’re even saying features for the mk3 “coming soon”. Just can’t trust this company anymore.
Back at you dude! And yeah, the NI situation is a bummer for real. My main contact there is awesome but it’s so weird to see the company as a whole seem to not be making things that their biggest fans are asking for. Idk what’s going on as a mostly outsider with the smallest bit of inside info.
Using the MPC Key after using the Kontrol MK3 really makes me wish they’d make a Maschine + Key 61 powerful enough to run all of Komplete. If it’s even possible it would be like 3000 or more probably, but what a beast that would be.
@@DylanParisMusic For sure, but think about how much work stations used to be, even the old mpc’s. People buy the op-1 lol.
Agreed! I feel like it could be a lose lose for them but if they made it as powerful as possible and let it be crazy expensive, maybe make like a weaker version with a slightly better Maschine plus cpu config, I would get the expensive one as long as it was like 3500 or less probably lol
@@DylanParisMusic Yea, definitely.
Fantastic rundown! I’m so frikkin pissed at NI. Yeah, my MK-1 KK is old, but to completely not support it in modern MacOS is shitty. I definitely think the keybed is far superior to the Akai’s 61 but it’s worth the tech & support to switch. Like the Akai workflow too!
I’m gonna keep a legacy setup with my iMac/Maschine for fun.
This is probably super uneducated, but could I still run NI software with my new Akai? Maybe thru my DAW?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated 😊 Please keep up the great vids. Brand new subscriber here!!
Dylan forgot to answer 😭
Hi! What kind of adapter do you use for the headphones?
I wondet how the keyboard works in conjunction with the akai force? Ive been curious about it but no one's tested it out yet.
Honestly would probably too redundant in my opinion. They’re nearly the same device with a few differences. I’d prefer a “dumb” midi keyboard as a companion to the force over this.
@@DylanParisMusic hmm...but if you have a 'Dumb' midi keyboard, if it was compatible, would you prefer that vs the force solo?
I almost always use a midi keyboard when I use the force, just plugged into one of the usb ports
I suggest brother that you start out by telling us. Who is this keyboard designed by?
Apologies! It’s an Akai MPC!
If you have an arturia keylab 49 mkii, based on your experience with the key 61 would you trade it in for the key 61? Thanks for a gr8t video.
I’ve only used the keylab essential which is a much cheaper device but I definitely prefer the keys on the 61 and the ability to be completely standalone for playing sounds and making songs
@@DylanParisMusic Thank you, I was not aware that it did not have speakers until I watched your video. I do like the fact that it is also an Audio Interface, but frown on Akai for not adding speakers, especially because of the investment that you are making.
Came for the gear review. Subscribed for the morals.
Thank you 🙏😎
Is there a song mode where you can arrange the sequences?
There’s a basic mode where you create a list of sequences and then play them back or export them in that order, which is good enough for me but some folks would definitely appreciate something more like an arranger
I think the biggest mistake with Akai was they made a workstation and tried to cater it to the MPC crowd instead of the keyboard crowd. Andy Mac tried to hype it up on SonicState like it was some revolutionary new concept. Some of the sounds are decent but nowhere near the quality or variety of Yamaha, Korg, Roland, Kurzweil, Nord etc. Even during the comparison videos, more often than not the MPCKey61 wasn’t the winner sonically. I was seriously contemplating getting it but I think if I were to go back to the workstation market...I’d have to go with the Nautilus.
I think this is a fair take! That said, I’m basically the target audience for this thing cause I already loved the MPCs and have been interested in workstations but would rather have an MPC than a workstation. For me the sound quality gap between my vsts on my pc and any standalone gear is way larger than the gap between the MPC plugins (with fx and tweaking) and the Korg, Yamaha, and Roland keyboards. That said I mention in the video I don’t have hands on experience with those, my opinions are based on watching videos and listening to demos.
If I have to record an audio source into a device I’d almost rather use a daw in that case but it is definitely dependent on the situation and I think your point still stands
I think some of the sounds from Fabric XL are great and OP4 is pretty unique sounding too. I think it’s because I’m not a beat maker so I’m looking at this expecting it to handle something it’s not really meant for.
@@EverettDudgeon138 in your defense though they really did heavily market it to people who use workstations and a lot of music tech UA-cam channels directly compared it to those so I think it’s fair to compare them and be a bit let down.
Jura (Juno) and MiniD (MiniMoog) are top notch. Also Stage EP. Hopefully Akai only continues their recent streak of solid plugins.
Mk2 with 88 keys 16 q links and a 10 inch screen
That would be a beast! I’d prefer a 61 key option but I don’t see the harm in having a few different versions for people to choose from
I have the X sincr 2017. I love it and am on it literally everyday. Sometimes id call out sick lol just so i can spend just sequencing for 8 hours . No body to bother me lol. Btw if im to restart over id grt the mpc61 and get a behriger 2600 and be done.
Btw do use the software. I do and it's on all the time with X. Its a luxury and I love the drag and drop midi or audio. I love it.
That is so rad dude! The X always looked so fun, 16 Q links would be so useful!
@@DylanParisMusicuse it as a main sequencer to sequence your other midi synths or samplers. What we have is a fantastic hub.
Double tap your full level button. It will turn red. That's bout medium.
no save button huh the one defiantly has one, also liked the extra buttons of the one over the live 2 i also always got double triggers with the mpc one pads even with velocity turned down
I think I might be getting some doubles on these too, but my settings might be wrong like I mention in the video
@@DylanParisMusic yeah curious if ya can get them set correctly otherwise I just was lighter with the fingers if that makes sense to avoid the double triggers
Wow, this video is not sponsored by the manufacturer and all of a sudden this keyboard has all sorts of totally unjustified cons. Like not having a speaker. Or not having enough buttons. While the sponsored Native Instruments keyboard had "no cons", regardless of how many buttons they had removed or the missing Maschine integration.
Watch the whole video bud
@@DylanParisMusic Ah OK. That's cool from you. But without a proper follow up video on the Kontrol S MK3 it still looks like an advertisement.
I feel you, I really didn’t do due diligence on that video and it won’t happen again. Thanks for taking the time to hear my thoughts and sharing feedback
I’m not currently planning on doing another video about the MK3 until it’s out of beta and actually available for people to buy so I can see what it can actually do at that time. Otherwise it does feel like I’m fumbling in the dark and inadvertently making free ads which I don’t like
@@DylanParisMusic I love how you reply to every single comment Dylan. You’re a top bloke. Is it peripheral neuropathy by the way? I sometimes see signs of it and I play drums keys and guitar (and game a lot) 😮
👍🏾💙❤️🔥
Im torn. Im a keyboard player and also do a lot of finger drumming aka finga bangin!!!!
This is a nightmare if you're finger drumer but a wet dream for a keyboard player
Honestly the pads aren’t the worst ever, but I don’t like them as much as most other devices. Having a standalone with both is pretty cool though!
What’s the best way to run expansions off a usb drive? If I just put the xpn file it won’t show up and if I turn it to to a zip and open it it’s too unorganized need help
This site outlines the process pretty well (link at end of comment). Basically you need to use the software to convert / export the expansion so that it works in standalone.
www.superb-sound.com/2019/10/06/how-to-install-mpc-expansion/
@@DylanParisMusic appreciate it