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{{short description|Music workstation}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox instrument
| name = Akai MPC
| image = Akai MPC60.jpg
| caption = An Akai MPC60, the first MPC model
| names = MIDI Production Center, Music Production Controller
| classification = [[Music workstation]]
| inventors = [[Roger Linn]]
| developed = 1988
}}
The '''Akai MPC''' (originally '''MIDI Production Center''', now '''Music Production Center''') is a series of [[Music workstation#Third generation music workstations|music workstations]] produced by [[Akai Professional|Akai]] from 1988 onwards. MPCs combine [[Sampler (musical instrument)|sampling]] and [[Music sequencer|sequencing]] functions, allowing users to record portions of sound, modify them and play them back as sequences.

The first MPCs were designed by the American engineer [[Roger Linn]], who had designed the successful [[Linn LM-1|LM-1]] and [[LinnDrum]] drum machines in the 1980s. Linn aimed to create an intuitive instrument, with a grid of pads that can be played similarly to a traditional instrument such as a keyboard or drum kit. Rhythms can be created using samples of any sound.

The MPC had a major influence on the development of [[Electronic music|electronic]] and [[hip-hop]] music. It led to new sampling techniques, with users pushing its technical limits to creative effect. It had a democratizing effect on music production, allowing artists to create elaborate tracks without traditional instruments or recording studios. Its pad interface was adopted by numerous manufacturers and became standard in [[Disc jockey|DJ]] technology.

==Development==
[[File:Roger Linn-MusicTech Summit 2010-CROPPED.jpg|thumb|The MPC was designed by [[Roger Linn]] (pictured in 2010), who also created the [[LinnDrum]]. |250x250px]]
By the late 1980s, drum machines had become popular for creating beats and [[Loop (music)|loop]]s without instrumentalists, and [[hip-hop]] artists were using [[Sampler (musical instrument)|sampler]]s to take portions of existing recordings and create new compositions.<ref name="Aciman-2018">{{Cite news|last=Aciman|first=Alexander|date=16 April 2018|title=Meet the unassuming drum machine that changed music forever|work=[[Vox (website)|Vox]]|url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/4/16/16615352/akai-mpc-music-history-impact|access-date=2018-05-11|archive-date=21 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221091206/https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/4/16/16615352/akai-mpc-music-history-impact|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Groovebox]]es, machines that combined these functions, such as those by [[E-mu Systems]], required knowledge of music production and cost up to $10,000.<ref name="Aciman-2018" /><ref name="Sonic State" />

The original MPC, the MPC-60, was a collaboration between the Japanese company Akai and the American engineer Roger Linn. Linn had designed the successful LM-1 and LinnDrum, two of the earliest drum machines to use [[Sampling (music)|samples]] (prerecorded sounds).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/jun/22/linn-oberheim-drum-machines|title=Hey, what's that sound: Linn LM-1 Drum Computer and the Oberheim DMX|last=McNamee|first=David|date=2009-06-22|website=the Guardian|language=en|access-date=2018-02-09|archive-date=26 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026233316/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/jun/22/linn-oberheim-drum-machines|url-status=live}}</ref> His company, Linn Electronics, had closed following the failure of the [[Linn 9000]], a drum machine and sampler. According to Linn, his collaboration with Akai "was a good fit because Akai needed a creative designer with ideas and I didn't want to do sales, marketing, finance or manufacturing, all of which Akai was very good at".<ref name="Sonic State" />

Linn described the MPC as an attempt to "properly re-engineer" the Linn 9000.<ref name="Sonic State">{{Cite web |title=Feature: Industry Interview — Roger Linn |url=https://sonicstate.com/articles/article.cfm?id=71&page=3 |access-date=2018-05-13 |website=Sonic State |archive-date=24 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124155738/https://sonicstate.com/articles/article.cfm?id=71&page=3 |url-status=live }}</ref> He disliked reading instruction manuals and wanted to create an intuitive interface that simplified music production.<ref name="Aciman-2018" /> He designed the functions, including the panel layout and hardware specification, and created the software with his team. He credited the circuitry to a team led by the English engineer David Cockerell. Akai handled the production engineering, making the MPC "more manufacturable".<ref name="Sonic State" /> The first model, the MPC60 ([[MIDI]] Production Center), was released on December 8, 1988,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Solida |first=Scott |date=January 24, 2011 |title=The 10 most important hardware samplers in history |language=EN-GB |work=[[MusicRadar]] |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/the-10-most-important-hardware-samplers-in-history-361471 |access-date=2018-05-13 |archive-date=2 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702035529/https://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/the-10-most-important-hardware-samplers-in-history-361471 |url-status=live }}</ref> and retailed for $5,000.<ref name="Aciman-2018" /> It was followed by the MPC60 MkII and the MPC3000.<ref>{{Cite web |last=White |first=Paul |date=June 2002 |title=The return of Roger Linn |url=https://www.soundonsound.com/people/return-roger-linn |access-date=2018-12-16 |website=[[Sound on Sound]] |archive-date=30 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330183456/https://www.soundonsound.com/people/return-roger-linn |url-status=live }}</ref>

After Akai went out of business in 2006,<ref>{{cite news |title=Akai Professional MI launches bankruptcy proceedings |url=http://www.kanalog.jp/news/local/entry_16076.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060112023246/http://www.kanalog.jp/news/local/entry_16076.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 12, 2006 |access-date=December 7, 2005 |publisher=kanalog.jp}}</ref> Linn left the company and its assets were purchased by [[InMusic Brands|Numark]].<ref name="BBOY TECH REPORT-2012">{{Cite news|url=http://www.bboytechreport.com/2012/11/02/interview-roger-linn/|title=INTERVIEW with Roger Linn|date=2012-11-02|work=BBOY TECH REPORT|access-date=2018-05-13|language=en-US|archive-date=8 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808024401/http://www.bboytechreport.com/2012/11/02/interview-roger-linn/|url-status=live}}</ref> Akai has continued to produce MPC models without Linn.<ref name="Sonic State" /> Linn was critical, saying: "Akai seems to be making slight changes to my old 1986 designs for the original MPC, basically rearranging the deck chairs on the [[Titanic]]."<ref name="BBOY TECH REPORT-2012" />

== Features ==
[[File:Akai MPC2000.jpg|thumb|right|An MPC2000]]
Instead of the switches and small hard buttons of earlier devices, the MPC has a 4x4 grid of large pressure-sensitive rubber pads which can be played similarly to a keyboard.<ref name="Aciman-2018" /> The interface was simpler than those of competing instruments, and can be connected to a normal sound system, without the need for a studio. According to ''[[Vox (website)|Vox]]'', "Most importantly, it wasn't an enormous, stationary mixing panel with as many buttons as an airplane cockpit."<ref name="Aciman-2018" />

Whereas artists had previously sampled long pieces of music, the MPC allowed them to sample smaller portions, assign them to separate pads and trigger them independently, similarly to playing a traditional instrument such as a keyboard or drum kit.<ref name="Aciman-2018" /> Rhythms can be built not just from percussion samples but any recorded sound, such as horns or synthesizers.<ref name="Aciman-2018" />

The MPC60 only allows sample lengths of up to 13 seconds, as sampling [[Computer memory|memory]] was expensive at the time and Linn expected users to sample short sounds to create rhythms rather than long loops.<ref name="BBOY TECH REPORT-2012" /> Functions are selected and samples are edited with two knobs. Red "record" and "overdub" buttons are used to save or loop beats.<ref name="Aciman-2018" /> The MPC60 has an [[Liquid-crystal display|LCD]] screen and came with [[floppy disk]]s with sounds and instruments.<ref name="Aciman-2018" />

== Legacy ==
{{Multiple image
| align             = 
| direction         = vertical
| total_width       = 180
| image1            = DJ Shadow tim festival.jpg
| alt1              = 
| caption1          = DJ Shadow (pictured wearing an MPC shirt) created his landmark album ''[[Endtroducing.....]]'' with an MPC.
| image2            = Kanye West Coke Live Music Festival 2011 (6314648600) (cropped).jpg
| caption2          = Kanye West performing with an MPC 2000XL
}}

Linn anticipated that users would sample short sounds, such as individual notes or drum hits, to use as building blocks for compositions. However, users began sampling longer passages of music.<ref name="Milner-2011">{{Cite book|last=Milner|first=Greg|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x-faxiGMNWoC|title=Perfecting Sound Forever: The Story of Recorded Music|date=2011-11-03|publisher=Granta Publications|isbn=9781847086051|language=en|access-date=7 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209124448/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=x-faxiGMNWoC|archive-date=9 December 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In the words of Greg Milner, the author of ''Perfecting Sound Forever'', musicians "didn't just want the sound of [[John Bonham]]'s kick drum, they wanted to loop and repeat the whole of '[[When the Levee Breaks]]'".<ref name="Milner-2011" /> Linn said: "It was a very pleasant surprise. After 60 years of recording, there are so many prerecorded examples to sample from. Why reinvent the wheel?"<ref name="Milner-2011" />

The MPC's ability to create percussion from any sound turned sampling into a new art form and allowed for new styles of music.<ref name="Aciman-2018" /> Its affordability and accessibility had a democratizing effect; musicians could create tracks without a studio or [[music theory]] knowledge, and it was inviting to musicians who did not play traditional instruments or had no music education.<ref name="Aciman-2018" /><ref name="Trew-2017" /> ''Vox'' wrote that the MPC "challenged the notion of what a band can look like".<ref name="Aciman-2018" /> The 4x4 grid of pads was adopted by numerous manufacturers and became standard in DJ technology.<ref name="Aciman-2018" /> As of 2018, the MPC continued to be used even with the advent of [[digital audio workstation]]s, and used models fetched high prices.<ref name="Aciman-2018" />

''[[Engadget]]'' wrote that the impact of the MPC on hip hop could not be overstated.<ref name="Trew-2017">{{Cite news |last=Trew |first=J. |date=January 22, 2017 |title=Hip-hop's most influential sampler gets a 2017 reboot |language=en-US |work=[[Engadget]] |url=https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/22/akai-mpc-live-mpc-x/ |access-date=2018-04-03 |archive-date=19 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519174516/https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/22/akai-mpc-live-mpc-x/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The rapper [[Jehst]] saw it as the next step in the evolution of the hip hop genre after the introduction of the [[Roland TR-808|TR-808]], [[Roland TR-909|TR-909]] and [[Oberheim DMX|DMX]] drum machines in the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.clashmusic.com/features/my-precious-the-history-of-the-akai-mpc|title=My Precious: The History of The Akai MPC|work=Clash Magazine|access-date=2018-04-03|language=en|archive-date=15 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180815140027/https://www.clashmusic.com/features/my-precious-the-history-of-the-akai-mpc|url-status=live}}</ref> The producer [[DJ Shadow]] used an MPC60 to create his influential 1996 album ''[[Endtroducing.....]]'', which is composed entirely of samples.<ref name="Keyboard2">{{cite journal|date=October 1997|title=DJ Shadow|url=http://solesides.com/winblad/shadowkeyboard1097.html|url-status=dead|journal=[[Keyboard (magazine)|Keyboard]]|location=New York|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130223043722/http://solesides.com/winblad/shadowkeyboard1097.html|archive-date=2013-02-23|access-date=March 16, 2013}}</ref> The producer [[J Dilla]] disabled the [[Quantization (music)|quantize]] feature on his MPC to create his signature "off-kilter" sampling style.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Helfet |first=Gabriela |date=2020-09-09 |title=Drunk drummer-style grooves |url=https://www.attackmagazine.com/technique/beat-dissected/drunk-drummer-style-grooves/ |access-date=2022-01-24 |website=Attack Magazine |archive-date=24 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124003352/https://www.attackmagazine.com/technique/beat-dissected/drunk-drummer-style-grooves/ |url-status=live }}</ref> After J Dilla's death in 2006, his MPC was preserved in the [[Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture]] in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Aciman|first=Alexander|date=2018-04-16|title=Meet the unassuming drum machine that changed music forever|url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/4/16/16615352/akai-mpc-music-history-impact|access-date=2022-01-23|website=Vox|language=en|archive-date=21 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221091206/https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/4/16/16615352/akai-mpc-music-history-impact|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Camp|first=Zoe|date=2014-07-19|title=J Dilla equipment will be donated to Smithsonian Museum|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/55953-j-dilla-equipment-will-be-donated-to-smithsonian-museum/|access-date=2022-01-23|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|archive-date=24 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124003352/https://pitchfork.com/news/55953-j-dilla-equipment-will-be-donated-to-smithsonian-museum/|url-status=live}}</ref> The rapper [[Kanye West]] used the MPC to compose several of his best-known tracks and much of his breakthrough 2004 album ''[[The College Dropout]].''<ref name="Aciman-2018" /> West closed the [[2010 MTV Video Music Awards]] with a performance of his 2010 track "[[Runaway (Kanye West song)|Runaway]]" on an MPC.<ref name="Caramanica">{{cite news|title=Lots of Beats No Drums in Sight|last=Caramanica|first=Jon|date=February 13, 2011|work=[[The New York Times]]|location=New York}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Drum machine]]
*[[Groovebox]]
*[[Sampler (musical instrument)|Sampler]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite magazine|title=Akai MPC2000|page=39|magazine=[[Future Music]]|issue=56|date=May 1997|publisher=Future Publishing|issn=0967-0378|oclc=1032779031}}

==External links==
* [http://www.rogerlinndesign.com Official Roger Linn site]

{{Linn Electronics}}

{{Akai}}

[[Category:Akai synthesizers]]
[[Category:Samplers (musical instrument)]]
[[Category:Music sequencers]]
[[Category:Sound modules]]
[[Category:Music workstations]]
[[Category:MIDI controllers]]
[[Category:Hip-hop production]]
[[Category:Japanese inventions]]
[[Category:Musical instruments invented in the 1980s]]