Akai APC40

Description

Meet the Akai Professional APC40 controller - the perfect solution for performing with Ableton Live. AKAI and Ableton worked together to develop the APC40 performance control surface, giving it an intuitive interface - that resembles Live's software interface - to make the transition from in-the-box work to hands-on control totally seamless. Just connect the APC40 to your laptop via USB - you don't need to map any controls to get going. There are 40 clip triggers, 16 knobs, level faders, a cross-fader, tap tempo, and more. If you're an Ableton Live artist - or soon to be - AKAI's APC40 belongs in your rig.

Akai Professional APC40 Ableton Live Performance Controller at a Glance:

• Co-designed by Ableton and Akai Professional for flawless control of Live
• Clip Launch Matrix for directly accessing clips in Session View
• 8-fader mixer section with volume, solo/pre-cue, record arm, and mute
• Eight encoders - with LED rings - for track selection and device control
• Transport and Global buttons
• Eight more encoders - bankable - for track control
• Tap Tempo and Nudge Left/Right buttons
• Smooth-moving, replaceable crossfader
• Plug-and-play ready, but also totally customizable
• Includes Ableton Live Akai Professional APC40 Edition Software

8 encoders - with LED rings - for track selection and device control

Use the Akai Professional APC40 Ableton Live controller's eight Device Control buttons to take charge of your effects and virtual instruments onstage. There are eight endless dials and four control buttons, which map to your devices automatically. The Track Selection button routes the eight endless encoders to the first device or device rack on the track, and the LED rings automatically show you the levels on the selected parameter. Then, four buttons below the dials give you even deeper control. Clip/Track lets you switch between viewing the devices on a track, or the devices of the clip currently playing on the track. Device On/Off turns the currently selected device on or off. And Device Left and Device Right (two arrows) let you shift one step sideways along a track's device chain. When an effect or virtual instrument has more than eight parameters, just hold down the shift button and select through up to eight banks of eight device/parameter controls

Transport and Global buttons

The Akai Professional APC40 sports handy transport and global buttons, so you can access Live's main functions, so you can clean up your screen view onstage and part with using the mouse. Detail View opens and closes the Clip/Track View, so you can see more clips. MIDI Overdub lets you overdub on a MIDI clip. The Record Quantization button lets you toggle input quantization between "none" and the last selected quantization setting. And, the metronome lets you turn the metronome on and off.

Eight more encoders - bankable - for track control

You can take charge of pan settings and send effects for whichever eight tracks are currently selected, using the Akai Professional APC40's Track Control section. It features eight endless dials with LED rings plus four buttons - Pan Send A, Send B, and Send C. The buttons let you select what the encoders are controlling, and the encoders let you dial in the amount or depth of the pan or send effect.

Tap Tempo and Nudge Left/Right buttons

One of the coolest features in Live software, in general, is the ability to dynamically control the tempo of the performance - nudging it in one direction or another, or tapping it into place. The Akai Professional APC40 gives you control over that, as well, thanks to its Tap Tempo button, and "Nudge -" and "Nudge +". Stay in sync with turntables, the other members of the band, or quickly repair timing issues. You can use the Tap Tempo traditionally, to make the set follow your tapping, or use it to count in.

Smooth-moving, replaceable crossfader

Akai Professional and Ableton packed the APC40 with a rugged crossfader, designed to stand up to serious use. It's also easily replaceable from the bottom of the unit, so you can extend the lifetime of the already seriously durable APC40. In Live, you can set any track as an A or B destination, then smoothly crossfade between them. The crossfader is also handy for controlling effect, volume, and modulation curves.