The MPC sample key hasn’t even been formally announced yet, but Akai is already showing off what the modding community is cooking up through vibe coding. Akai has decided to take advantage of the explosion of hackers and custom firmware developers by giving them early access to the device, which will have open source firmware.
It will likely run some version of the same software found in MPC Sample, but with adjustments to accommodate the traditional keyboard, pitch and modulation wheels. However, unlike the high-end MPC Key 37, the Sample Key has no pads. Instead, play samples with the keys.
In short Instagram Reels posted last night and today, Akai shows off a series of vibe-coded mods that add synths, including Native Instruments Massive, to the device, as well as virtual analog and FM synths. One is even shown running a completely custom operating system, with “several different synthesizers.”
According to the clips, the same “community” features will be included in the regular MPC sampler, which is also shown running some vibration-coded synths created by Claude. That could mean that Akai plans to open source the entire MPC Sample platform.
CEO Jack O’Donnell said The edge that inMusic brands, especially Akai, would seek to embrace the modding community by offering the first devices to developers. These efforts will also include sourcing open source software and providing an SDK.
