Akai’s new MPC One Retro is a throwback to the golden era of hip-hop production
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12.05.2021

Akai’s new MPC One Retro is a throwback to the golden era of hip-hop production

Words by Will Brewster

A modern sampling tool with an old school twist.

Debuted to the market last year, Akai’s MPC One was hailed for its classic aesthetic and intuitive modern features, taking the MPC workflow into the contemporary era without depending solely on the touchscreen functionality of the Live.

Now, Akai have re-released the sampler as the MPC One Retro, decking it out in a grey finish to make it akin to the brand’s classic MPC output of the ’90s.

Read all the latest product news here.

Favoured by the likes of J Dilla, Pete Rock, DJ Premier, Kanye West and more, the MPC range is considered to be one of the most important tools within the development of hip-hop.

Combining an intuitive sampling workflow with a powerful sequencer, units such as the MPC3000, MPC2000 and MPC2000XL helped to usher in a new era of sample-based productions, while the quantisation algorithm included in each unit has resulted in some of the best drum programming of all time.

While the sampler retains all the features and functionality of the original unit, the beige finish and retro-inspired logo acts as a throwback to the MPC’s golden era as the king of samplers, while the 16 drum pads and control buttons are also surrounded by a similar blue colour to the MPC2000.

Packing an impressive array of onboard samples, virtual instruments and effects from AIR, the MPC One provides a killer option for producers looking to work outside of the box and sequence and control their studio within the confines of a single unit.

Other features include 2GB of RAM, MIDI and CV/Gate ins and outs and a swathe of SD and USB ports to load up your own samples.

Although it lacks the battery powered functionality of the MPC Live and Live II, its functionality as a standalone studio hub simply can’t be refuted, and holds up as one of the best hardware-based production tools released in recent years.

Find out more about the MPC One Retro via Akai. For local enquiries, hit up Electric Factory.