Akai APC-40 Ableton Live Controller

One of the highlights this year from the NAMM Music Trade-show was definitely the new Akai APC-40 Ableton live midi controller. This device has to be one of the first purpose built devices specifically designed to work with Ableton lives workflow layout.

The Device is a series of triggers, sliders and knob ( standard for most midi controllers, such as the evolution UC-33e or the Akai MPD-24 controllers) the difference lies in the arrangement and concentration of user definable buttons. The device is extremely specific to Ableton's approach to music production- which is neither linear nor vertical but a combination of the two.

"The APC40 talks directly to Live and Live talks directly to the APC40. This exclusive bidirectional communication makes the APC40 an advanced controller in that it can receive feedback from the software and display it on its clip matrix of 40 triggers and on LED rings surrounding each knob. The clip matrix gives you an instant view of clip status: what's loaded, what's playing, and what's being recorded. Each state displays on the matrix in a different color so you can get a quick picture of clip state. You can shift your clip focus and get an overview of the clips you have loaded for your set. The APC40 has 16 knobs, each surrounded by a ring of LEDs. These LED rings make seeing your settings a breeze on dark stages, indicating the currently selected parameters’ values. This advanced visual feedback makes performing with the APC40 focused more on the music and less on squinting at the computer screen. In fact, you might even forget that the computer is there! "- Akai

Later

DJ Azzo

Akai
Ableton Live
NAMM