MPC Sample Key vs Bheringer ‘Kick’
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All right, the other day I posted about the implications of the open-source community on the MPC ecosystem, and today two major events popped up. The first one comes from Behringer, a company known for ripping off other companies. They released their MPC clone Yesterday, and it’s priced at about 150 bucks. I’m not too sure about the details, but at first glance, it looks exactly like an MPC1. So, if you remember from the article (I’ll link it down below, I was saying that a Kai should definitely embrace the open-source community because things like this would definitely happen. I just didn’t see it happening in that timeframe.
What we know about the Behringer “Kick”:
It mirrors the MPC One’s layout
7-inch touchscreen
16 RGB pads across 8 banks
4 assignable knobs, jog wheel, touch strip — plus a built-in AI camera for gesture control.
Linux-based, with a sampler,
step sequencer, looper,
300+ built-in effects.
I/O: MIDI In/Out, USB-A + USB-C,
stereo I/O, headphone, SD slot, 4x CV/Gate
Open-source firmware! (repo public at github.com/MusicTribeOpenSource) Behringer doesn’t build the firmware; the user base does!
This Kind of Feels Like A 90s Rap BeefAkai’s answer in my feed
Now, Akai actually has some funny tricks up their sleeve. I opened Instagram and, to my surprise, saw an MPC sample being custom-modded or loaded with custom firmware that's vibe-coded. And I said to myself, wow, that fast, Akai can create a product that will ultimately kill Behringer’s $150 offering, hopefully, but it actually satisfies the modern community's needs.
What We Know So Far:
akai_pro, posted Oct 27, 2026,large rotary knobs (K2, K3 visible), and “AKAI” + “SAMPLE KEY” printed on the front edge.
No drum pads on the keyboard unit itself. No voiceover announcement, no price, no release date, no specs.
What about Force, One, and X?
Now, what does that mean for products like the Akai Force and the MPC and the MPC X? I actually don’t know, but I do believe that this compact format is an incredibly smart value proposition. And it actually makes me rethink my modular. comments as before.
Rethinking modular
Now, in that article, whether it’s for paid or free subscribers, I'd say it's ridiculous for Akai to have that many SKUs within modular MPC. You’d have to have faders, pads, et cetera, et cetera. But given the architecture of the MPC samples, OS, and the MPCOS, I do believe a Kai might be able to squeeze out a few SKUs that make a lot of sense.
The 64-pad grid idea
Now hear me out. For something like a 64-pad grid matrix, that would be incredibly useful for somebody using the MPC Live 3 or the MPC sample with upgraded firmware. This gives them clip-launching abilities, and it’s more visual, more tactile. That should be able to plug directly into the MPC and give them all of the features of essentially the Akai Force. So now MPC is not just an operating system or a workflow. We’ve created an entire ecosystem around the Kai products that lets people customize exactly what they want on their devices to make the music they’re so passionate about.
AI building the tools, not the music
And if Kai can support this community, as it seems it can, I think Nekai has solidified its position. In the marketplace, as AI is starting to take over almost every aspect of music creation. Now, instead of using artificial intelligence to make music, we’re using it to make the software and firmware that let us create the music we want. So what does that mean? I think that we’re gonna see a lot more innovations coming from people that never thought about coding. I think the hardware marketplace will look drastically different, since companies like Roland and Kurzweil still haven't embraced modern communities or production workflows.
Backstory:
In September 2026, the MPC Modding community/Mockba/Hakai discovered a JUCE VST2 host inside of the standalone MPC OS; sd88me’s open-source mpc-vst project almost instantly brought 70+ hardware plugins to an open MPC catalog on Gumroad. Plugins like Dexed, DX7 FM, and Roland JV-880 run as native touchscreen instruments with Q-link mapping and recall.
Around the same time, Elektron banned mod links on its forum, and Beatport did too. Though Akai hasn’t released an official statement, they seem to be embracing the community with their new initiatives
Dubsbot agrees with us that Akai should embrace the modding community and perhaps create a device (MPC Sample Key, maybe) that does.
Modular MPC Ecosystem anyone?
I think the case for a modular ecosystem really rests on integrating specific MIDI controllers not creating new products.
The second that Akai brings the Clip Matrix to MPC software, they have a viable reason for a 64-pad controller,
*Force enters chat
If that controller is as integrated as the MPK MINI Plus II, then the ecosystem needs to be plug-and-play and essentially modular.
I think Akai should start thinking about how their samplers integrate and sync with one another.
It’d be nice to have two devices that could link together, giving access to both modded firmware and AKAI firmware, with file transfer, tempo sync, launch capabilities, etc.
God forbid there’s continuity between MPC Sample and MPC software, you’re talking about an ecosystem where YOU are the brain. Instead of being locked into the computer or standalone, there could be a hybrid approach,
starting a track on the controller, or MPC Sample key,
im
Closing
So I just wanted to pop in with this little update because this is incredible news. I didn't expect this to happen this fast, but apparently Akai has some tricks up its sleeve. We’ll see what happens next, but this is definitely something to pay attention to. It’s definitely something I want to be involved in. I still haven't updated my old force with the Hakai system, but that’s a song for another day.