This is why Akai continues to produce a huge variety of MPCs, and producers keep buying them. But if you want to liberate your production and performance, you need a hardware instrument to complement it. Today, every DAW ships with built-in drum machines. The massive surge in hip hop production after the MPC was released wasn't accidental. But with the MPC, anyone could create great beats on their own. Before the MPC, if you wanted realistic drum patterns, you had to get access to a drummer – always a rare commodity. The Akai MPC liberated producers and performers from the band. The result was music that could be driven primarily by drums.

While there were drum machines before it – notably the Roland TR-808 – the Akai MPC was the first that could reliably create complex, natural-sounding rhythms. The Minimoog was another, creating the entire electronic music/synth genre.Īnd then there was Akai MPC. The Les Paul electric guitar was one, ushering in the rock and roll era. Only a few instruments have had a transformative impact on music.

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