The AKAI MPC One Retro Edition flaunts vintage looks like it’s 1988
AKAI is megadosing vibe into its MPC One standalone groovebox with a facelift that harkens back to the days of gray MPCs in damp, smokey project studios. Available from today, the MPC One Retro recreates the iconic light gray housing and dark gray pads look of the old-school MPCs. It’s still the same machine on the inside, and an example of how far the groovebox concept has come in recent times.
AKAI MPC One Retro
The Retro looks great on the picture and I get why you’d be thinking that AKAI should have released that instead of the original MPC One. They have a good reason for holding onto this beauty until today, though. Not all of the One’s customer base is aware about the MPC’s legacy. For many younger producers, the MPC One sitting on a store shelf or online listing is their first time looking at an MPC. Rad as it is, the vintage aesthetic could have turned some aspiring producers off. So it makes sense that AKAI handled things on the safer side.
The MPC One is still a mean machine packing 16 RGB-backlit pads for note input, 4 touch-sensitive macro knobs, a 7-inch multitouch screen, and respectable connectivity (USB, MIDI DIN, Link, CV/Gate, line input, SD card slot). You can connect a USB MIDI keyboard to complement the pads, control modulars from the 8 CV/Gate outs, sequence external MIDI gear, sample into the unit from the line input; there’s lots you can do before hooking the One to a computer for tapping into further production power with the included MPC2 software.
As the unit itself is standalone, you get to add your own sounds through the SD card or USB port and use a suite of virtual instruments and effects processors made by AIR Technology.
All in all, the MPC One Retro is a looker and a fitting tribute to the MPC’s legacy. I wouldn’t expect any less from AKAI’s MPC department.
The MPC ONE Retro · Source: AKAI Professional
Price and availability
The MPC One Retro is available for pre-order from AKAI dealers (such as Thomann) priced EUR 689.
More information
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