Akai Professional has added to its MPK series of keyboard controllers with MPC pads with the MPK25.

The MPK25 draws on the design of the MPK49, the first keyboard to feature genuine MPC pads. It features a 25-key, semi- weighted keyboard with aftertouch, 12 MPC pads, Q-Link controls and MPC technology. Its smaller, more portable size makes the MPK25 an ideal travel companion. Its small footprint can fit in a musician's lap on the couch or on a plane, enabling him to create tracks whenever inspiration strikes.

The MPK series features Akai Professional-exclusive MPC pads that are pressure- and velocity-sensitive to capture every nuance of the user's creativity. The pads can access four banks of sounds, so performers can have 48 samples at their fingertips with the touch of a button.

The MPK25 offers extensive assignable controls through its Q-Link section. The MPK25 gives players 32 parameters of
hands-on control through 12 virtual knobs and four virtual buttons, each of which can access two different banks of assignment via a bank-change control.

Two technologies pioneered in the MPC series and built into the MPK series are MPC note repeat and MPC swing. These note- modifying features can be heard in many of the most popular tracks over the last two decades. MPC note repeat automatically plays a rhythmic pattern for accuracy and speed of entry.