Support for the new MPC Touch.Close all other audio/MIDI software (including MPC Essentials), connect your MPK Mini MKII to your computer, and open the editor software. MPC 1.9 also provides significant workflow enhancements and audio processing improvements. You can now get hands-on with your music using MPC Touchs large multi-touch display and new hardware controls. MPC 1.9 is a major software release that provides support for Akais revolutionary new MPC Touch.In terms of its 'footprint', the MPK is just over an inch deeper than my laptop and about four inches wider. It has full‑sized keys, like the MPK49, but half as many of them the same percussion pads and many of the same assignable controls, all of them squeezed into a case measuring 477 x 359 x 88mm. Comparing pictures of the two keyboards you don't really get a sense of just how compact the MPK25 is.
Music Editing Software That Works With Max 49 Akai Mac OS XHowever, it lacks the assignable faders sported by the larger models in the MPK range — and although the MPK25 has four more physical knobs than the MPK49, only two 'banks' of assignments can be made (for a total of 24) while the MPK49 allows three (giving the same total).On the back panel is a pair of standard MIDI ports (one in, one out) and a standard USB socket. This includes (from left to right) an input for a 6V PSU (not included), USB port, MIDI I/O and sockets for sustain and expression pedals.Along with its 25‑key, semi‑weighted keyboard, the MPK25 provides 12 MPC‑style drum pads, 12 assignable controller knobs, four assignable buttons, a data-entry knob and a set of five sequencer transport buttons (rewind, fast‑forward, stop, play and record). Keys & ControlsThe MPK's rear panel is where we find all of its socketry. The MPK25 is a genuine 'plug and play' device: neither Windows nor Mac OS X requires a driver to be installed, and once plugged in, the keyboard will work almost immediately. A standard USB cable is also provided, for connecting to a host computer. The PDFs and bundled software packages (see the 'Software' box) arrive on two installation CDs. The modulation wheel can have different Continuous Controllers assigned to it, although the pitch‑bend wheel only sends pitch‑bend data.The MPK49 has a large, bright-blue, backlit display, which is clear and easy to read. The pitch‑bend wheel is spring‑loaded in the usual way, while the modulation wheel, again in the usual way, is not. The 'semi‑weighted' keys feel solid and reliable, and are slightly springy, while octave Up and Down buttons can shift the keyboard's range up and down in two‑octave increments, over a 10‑octave range.The large, rubberised pitch‑bend and modulation wheels are similar to those on the MPK49, and are very comfortable to use. Velocity sensitivity is linear in its response, and this is fixed (a choice of velocity 'curves' is not available). There are also quarter‑inch jack sockets for connecting sustain and expression pedals (which aren't included).The MPK25's keyboard is both velocity and aftertouch sensitive, but both sensitivities can be toggled on and off. No mains adaptor is supplied, although there is a socket for connecting a third‑party adaptor (6V, 1A). These can be used to send control-change or aftertouch data, and can also be set up to function as increment/decrement controls via NRPNs (Non-registered Parameter Numbers). The first 16 come with useful pre‑programmed templates for software including Ableton Live Lite (included with the MPK), Reason, Cubase, Sonar and various other applications.The 12 controller knobs are endless rotary encoders, whose two banks, as mentioned earlier, allow a total of 24 controller assignments. There are 30 preset slots available, all of which can have user presets saved to them. A knob to the right of the display allows you to change between 'presets', a preset being simply a record of all the current controller assignments. The threshold for the minimum force to trigger a note‑on is adjustable, and whereas keyboard velocity response is linear, the pads offer a choice of four velocity curves. Aftertouch) sensitive, which you might not. Although they're not large, there's enough room on each one to allow simple, two‑finger 'rolls' to be played.The pads are velocity sensitive, which you'd expect, and pressure (ie. ConclusionIn spite of its small size, the MPK25 manages the neat trick of not seeming at all cramped. Six arpeggio types are available: Up (from the lowest to the highest note held) Down (the opposite of Up) Inc (Inclusive, going from lowest to highest notes and back again, with lowest and highest notes retriggered when the arpeggio changes direction) Exc (Exclusive, like Inclusive, except that the lowest and highest notes aren't retriggered) Rand (Random) and Chrd (which repeats the held notes as a chord). The arpeggio's range, in octaves, can also be adjusted. As with Note Repeat, the Time Division setting controls its phrasing, and there are adjustable gate and swing parameters. There's also a 'gate' parameter, for controlling the duration of the repeated notes, and a 'swing' parameter offsets alternate repeats to 'loosen up' the phrasing.Like the MPK49, the MPK25 has a built‑in arpeggiator, which is easy to use and works well. If the sound source is a 'one‑shot' sample, the result will be a rhythmically gated sweep, its phrasing determined by the tempo and Time Division settings. For example, where a sound source has filter cutoff modulated by MIDI note velocity, you can play real‑time filter‑sweeps by holding down a pad and varying the pressure. Mac os emulator downloadThe software is developed by PsiCraft and based on Sound Quest's highly‑regarded MIDI Quest universal editor and librarian. Its two‑octave span limits its usefulness as a live performance keyboard, but for studio‑based programming, or simple triggering of sounds in a live situation, the MPK25 could be ideal.Included with the MPK25 is a useful Vyzex MPK25 preset editor and librarian application, for Windows and Mac OS X. Overall, the MPK25 feels like a serious, grown‑up MIDI controller, rather than a scaled‑down toy keyboard.Its compact size might make the MPK25 a good choice for the smallest home studio setups, or for musicians on the move seeking a powerful, professional‑quality MIDI controller that's small enough to travel with. It works well, and is definitely a useful addition to the bundle.
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