While it only has up to eight tracks of MIDI and audio (compared to the original version’s 128 tracks), each MIDI track can host an entire drum kit, meaning you’re unlikely to hit walls any time soon. It has everything you might need to make tracks, including MIDI, audio, built-in plugins and VST and AU support, a mixer, and plenty of sounds to get started. It may be based on the MPC software that runs in units like the MPC Live and MPC Touch but MPC Beats doesn’t feel hobbled in any way. Files can be accessed and transferred to an inserted SD Card. Powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and packing 16 gigs of on-board storage, the MPC Live features numerous ways to take your beloved sample library and MPC sessions anywhere. Now Akai Professional has made the MPC workflow available to the world in the form of a free DAW, MPC Beats. Weighing in at less than 6 pounds, the MPC Live ushers in a new era of ultra-portable production. Over the years, the series has become more technologically sophisticated, with Akai integrating more sampling time, touchscreens, and PC connectivity, but the core workflow has remained largely the same. Its instantly recognizable grid of 16 pads (and its ability to chromatically spread samples across them) created a new way to think about music production. It began in 1988 with the Roger Linn-designed MPC60 and has continued to dominate the world of beat-making for more than three decades. There’s no denying the pedigree of Akai Professional’s MPC series. Is it worth your time to learn another DAW? Akai Professional have released a free DAW based on the famous MPC workflow.