Akai Professional MPX16 | 16-Pad Sample Player and Recorder with SD Card Slot and Built-In Mic

Akai Professional’s MPX16 is an advanced sample player with sixteen backlit velocity- and pressure-sensitive pads.

With it, musicians, producers and performers can trigger sound samples stored on standard SD or SDHC cards. Insert the SD card, assign its contents to any of the MPX16’s pads, and go. You can even record audio directly using the built-in microphone, with a dedicated Record Gain knob to make sure you get it right.

MPX16’s compact footprint means it is at home on a tabletop, music stand, lap, tray-table or in your backpack en route to the studio. Solid Akai Pro design and industry-leading pads ensure it stands up to the daily use you expect it to see.

Note: SD and SDHC cards sold separately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can samples be loaded directly onto the MPX16 via USB connection?

The MPX16 allows for a direct USB connection to upload and download directly to the inserted SD card.  

To use the MPX16 as an SD card reader, connect a standard USB cable to your computer USB port and power on the MPX16 while pressing and holding the MAIN button.  

When adding samples, be sure to add the samples directly to the root (main) directory of the card.  Do not add samples to any subfolders on the card.  Also, limit your file names to 8 characters, do not use spaces, and do not use any of the following characters in the name: “” * / \ : ? |

What format should my samples be in?

The samples must be in 16-bit, mono or stereo WAV format.  They can have a sample rate of 48, 44.1, 32, 22.05, or 11.205 kHz.

How much can be assigned to the MPX16 pads at one time?

You can assign up to 60 MB worth of samples onto the MPX16’s pads at a time.  Also, please note that a sample’s size will be rounded up when loaded (eg., a 2.1 MB sample on the SD card will be treated as a 3 MB sample when assigned to a pad).

How long does it take to load a sample from the SD card to a pad?

Using a number of different SD and SDHC cards with various transfer rates, we experienced the following average load times:

6MB stereo WAV, 44/16 – 18 seconds 31MB stereo WAV, 44/16 – 1 minute, 38 seconds

What kind of SD card do I need?

You can use an SD or SDHC card with a capacity of up to 32 GB and it must be FAT32 formatted.  Up to 512 files can be stored in the root directory of the card.

Technical Specs

Display

Backlit, monochromatic LCD; 2.0” x 1.1”

Pads

16 pads, RGB-backlit, velocity-sensitive

Knobs

(5) 360° encoders (2) 270° knobs

Inputs / Outputs

(1) USB port (2) 1/4” TRS recording inputs (left and right stereo pair) (2) 1/4” TRS main outputs (left and right stereo pair) (1) 1/8” TRS stereo headphone output (1) 5-pin MIDI in (1) 5-pin MIDI out

Polyphony

64 voices total Mono or stereo sample playback Mono and poly trigger modes

Envelopes

Attack-Decay (AD) amp and filter envelopes with Envelope>Tuning
routing for filter envelope

Filter

4-pole low-pass filter with resonance per pad

Effects

Reverb

Sample Tuning Range

+12 semitones via Tuning parameter
+12 additional semitones via Envelope>Tuning parameter

Sample File Format: Uses and records mono or stereo WAV files

Power

via power adapter (included): 5.8V DC, 860mA, center-positive via computer USB bus or USB charger (sold separately)

Dimensions (width x depth x height): 11.6” x 5.8” x 1.2”

Weight: 1.5 lbs

Box Contents

MPX16 MPX File Conversion Utility (download) Power Adapter User Guide Safety & Warranty Manual

Product Features

• Record and play back stereo .WAV samples using any SD card (sold separately)
• 16 velocity-sensitive MPC-style backlit pads for sample-triggering and finger drumming
• Sample via 1/4-inch (6.3mm) stereo inputs or onboard stereo microphone
• Filter, tune, envelope, and choke grouping on each pad for dynamic performances
• Pro-quality sampling and playback with up to 16-bit/48 kHz resolution. Please refer User Manual before use.