If you’re a music producer, you’ll admit that the keyboard was your first MIDI controller. However, AKAI Professional MPD226 Midi USB Pad Drum Beat Controller is a software that will take your profession to the next level.
Times are changing, and new products are hitting the market each day. Keyboards aren’t the best MIDI controllers anymore since drum pad controllers are quickly replacing them.
A drum controller software can help you program your beats since it has a better interface. You could also use your MIDI controller drum to control stage lights, achieve complex guitar effects, and control digital audio mixers.
As such, MIDI drum pads are versatile, and every music producer deserves to have one. While there are plenty on the market, not all of them work excellently. So, what makes this MIDI-over-USB Pad controller unique? Read on for more information!
Akai Professional MPD226 Midi USB Pad Drum Beat Controller Review
Professional mpd226 is one of the best drum pad controllers from Akai inmusic brands. It delivers an incredible user experience, with many customers rating it 5 stars.
It’s common to find a drum pad in Hip Hop and electronic music genres. But not all drum pads work excellently.
But with this MIDI pad controller, you can tap out beats, trigger beat samples, and use it for DAW controls. Thanks to its robust design, the Akai MPD226 is a device you could use to create beats that will sweep everyone off their feet.
This 5-stars drum pad features an intuitive blend of MPC controls and technologies mesh . These comes with USB connectivity that offers you a feel of classic beat. This Ultra-portable pad controller also comes with velocity and pressure sensitive MPC pads.
Who Is The Product For?
MPD226 is a MIDI-over-USB pad controller ideal for producers, programmers, musicians and sound engineers. Music producers will find this Akai Pro very useful in computer music production and classic beat making.
Sound engineers, too, use this product to control digital audio mixers and achieve complex guitar effects.
You could also use this product to control other MIDI-compatible devices such as stage lights.
What’s Inside the Box?
This product is a bundle of two items:
- 16 Multicolor Backlit MPC Pads
- Four Faders
- Four Knobs
- Four Buttons
- Transport Controls
- MIDI Input and Output
- Bundled Software
What Are Its Features?
The Size
The Akai Pro MPD226 USB Pad controller is a bundle that contains two products: the drum pad controller and a USB 2.0 hub.
The drum pad controller is highly portable, thanks to its ultra-compact design. You can carry it to wherever your work takes you to create vibrant beats that will revolutionize the music industry.
The Design
When holding a high-tech piece of musical machine, you can expect to find an impressive design.
That’s very true if you look at the drum’s 16 RGB illuminated velocity and pressure pads. These thick, fat MPC pads are sensitive enough and give the drum durability.
You can tap out beats by pressing the pads with minimum pressure. With its expandable bank, you can have a total of 64 assignable pads to create musical beats.
The Sound Quality
One thing you can bet on is that Akai MPD226 has robust sounds to enrich your beats. It has fantastic controls such as, classic MPC note repeat, MPC swing, 16 level, full level and tap tempo.
You can achieve multiple sounds via the unit’s three expandable pad banks of 4 assignable faders, 4 assignable Q-Link buttons and 4 assignable Q-Link knobs.
The three banks for 36 total controls. At the end of the day, you get 36 assignable controls accessible via 3 banks.
There is no limit to the sound you can create with this drum pad controller. That’s why it is one of the best devices in a producer’s set of equipment.
Connectivity
You can connect this device to your laptop or smartphone since it is iOS-compatible . Its iOS apps are plenty to give you more room to customize your beats to meet your clientele’s preferences. You can enjoy this robust connectivity feature by using the camera connection kit sold separately.
Software Compatibility
This 16-pad controller is compatible with various software. The software includes Ableton Live Lite, Sonivox Big Bang cinematic percussion and Big Bang universal drums.
Therefore, it gives you plenty of options when looking to create music with the help of software.
AmazonBasics USB 2.0 Hub
The Akai Professional mpd226 pad drum beat controller contains an Amazon all rights reserved accessory – the AmazonBasics USB 2.0 Hub.
The USB hub is simple and features plug-and-play connectivity. The best part is that you don’t need to install any drivers to use this USB hub. The hub also features an automatic connection that has speed detection.
As a USB hub, it has four USB ports. As such, you can connect up to four devices on the USB hub to increase your equipment’s working capacity. The USB 2.0 is fast, capable of achieving data transfer at a rate of 480 Mbps. That’s enough data transfer rate.
Thanks to its current detection and protection feature, the USB hub has a safety feature to protect your devices from excessive electric currents. Its four ports perform with sufficient power since each port has 2.5-Watt power output.
The hub also has a backward compatible design with USB 1.1. with all these features, you can charge your iPad, phones, and other devices that need a USB port for charging. Therefore, the hub is versatile and will meet your daily needs when working to create music.
Alternatives to the Akai MPD226 MIDI Drum Pad Controller
Table could not be displayed.Conclusion
The 5-stars Akai MPD 226 is truly a professional’s beat-making machine. Its software download package features 16 pads, four knobs, four faders, and four buttons, to yield a fulfilling production experience.
Since this device also comes with a USB hub, you can be sure to connect your other MPC essentials big bang like iPads and smartphones, that you may use alongside the controller. Whether you a new customer or not, you can try this controller.
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