Akai’s next MPC trades its pads for a keyboard, and its maker wants you rewriting the software inside. inMusic, which owns Akai, Moog, Native Instruments and Denon DJ, is opening its gear to modders. “We’re going to provide a toolbox to the community,” CEO Jack O’Donnell told The Verge.
That’s the MPC Sample Key, a 37-key take on Akai’s MPC Sample with pitch and mod wheels. Akai hasn’t formally announced it, so there’s no price or date yet. The pad model ships now.
Price: $399 (MPC Sample, pad version)
Where to Buy: Amazon
What can modders actually do with it?
Akai’s own clips already show extra synths running on Sample hardware, Native Instruments’ Massive among them, plus one unit on a fully custom OS. Some of those synths were written with AI coding tools, and inMusic is fine with that. Developers get early units, some open-sourced software and an SDK. O’Donnell also promises a reset button, so you can experiment and still get back to the factory firmware.
Will the MPC you already own get mods too?
Probably. inMusic says it’ll release open versions of the regular MPC Sample as well as the Key, and CDM reports its bigger MPCs are on the list. Custom code may run in a sandbox rather than replacing the stock firmware.
When can you try it?
At NAMM in Anaheim, January 28 to 30, 2027. inMusic is bringing 22 new products, says many will be open to traditional and AI-assisted coding, and is running a hands-on Creator Lab with its engineers in the room.
Price: $399 (MPC Sample, pad version)
Where to Buy: Amazon
If you want in before the Key ships, the pad model is the one to buy today.
