Loops, leaks and Roger Linn: How Akai’s MPC Sample became the most-hyped gear of 2026Something strange happened when Akai’s MPC Sample leaked online three weeks before its official release. In March, a music gear retailer mistakenly uploaded a handful of images and its $399 price tag to eBay – enough material for excited MPC fans to create their own teaser videos for this dinky sampler using generative AI.
Searching ‘Akai MPC Sample’ on YouTube before the sampler’s official launch produced some bizarre results. There were clips of an MPC Sample with 20 pads instead of 16, LEDs that extended beyond the hardware’s volume meters, and even AI-generated content creators showing off their finger drumming skills on a sampler they hailed as “the greatest creation of all time”.
The Akai MPC Sample on the MusicTech Cover. Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
Fan-made AI product demos are a new challenge for Akai, but leaks are familiar territory. January’s MPC XL and 2024’s MPC Key 37 were also subject to leaks. So frequent are these accidents – which stirred up immense hype from the dedicated sampling community – that you can’t help but wonder whether they’re actually all part of Akai’s plan.
“The leaks have been very interesting. We’re not responsible for them, but they are giving us a good understanding of the excitement online,” Akai’s Andy Mac assures MusicTech three days after the first leak of the MPC Sample. “It was really disheartening. We didn’t want this. We really kept it under wraps. But you have to look at the positives after that, right? And looking at the comments, they’re very overwhelming.”
Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
Mac is the global marketing and artist relations manager for Akai, and also presents a plethora of online video demos and masterclasses on the company’s products. As such, he’s become a micro celebrity among Akai fans; he laughs in bewilderment as he recalls the time a household-name musician called him up after buying an MPC XL and said, “I can’t believe it’s you. Oh my god, I’ve watched all your videos!”
Mac’s role also involves speaking directly to power users, super fans and potential customers to find out what they want from an MPC. And in his opinion, the MPC Sample couldn’t have come at a better time.
“People have been asking for something like this for a while; there’s so much nostalgia around the brand, and we’re in a really strong position to bring something out that honours the whole legacy of sampling,” he says.
“I could probably make 10 beats on this versus one beat on another device” – Andy Mac
Not merely nostalgic
The MPC Sample takes heavy cues from the family’s 1988 debut, the MPC 60. Created by legendary instrument maker Roger Linn, the MPC 60 and its subsequent models defined the look of modern samplers: a grid of 16 drum pads, a small but detailed screen, and a curated collection of knobs, buttons and slider. A design choice that didn’t stick around from the late-80s was the cushion along the bottom panel – providing ergonomic comfort for producers who’d sit at the unit for hours slicing up samples. The new Sample revives that, along with the Pantone grey casing and blue accents. Even the Akai logo has reverted to its old-school styling.
Nostalgia isn’t the only pull here, though. The MPC Sample is decidedly powerful for its iPad-like size and $399 price tag, and, despite some limitations, it’s much more capable than its ancestors. The portable sampler boasts the classic 16-pad workflow with RGB-velocity sensitive pads and polyphonic aftertouch. Its MPC sequencer and Real-Time Swing lets you channel your inner J Dilla, and the 60 different effects are a boon for creative sound-shaping. The full-colour LCD screen, meanwhile, is a true mix of vintage and modern — a small display that gives you just enough control over waveform editing.
Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
“You could put together the foundation of an album so fast on this thing,” Mac says, making beats on the fly during our video call. “Your creativity isn’t focused on plugins and screens. You’re just listening to the vibe of what you’re doing. It really takes you back to a lot of the original ways people were programming music.”
When Mac and the Akai team were road-testing the MPC Sample, they took it to Venice Beach in Los Angeles, captured the sounds of a piano that was on the boardwalk, and flipped the samples immediately. They recorded the ocean waves, warping and detuning them into grainy textures to colour the beats. Mac rejects the idea that the Sample is just a toy and believes it will “take a lot of people out of their comfort zone” to create new styles of music. “You’re just like, ‘It’s just me and this little device — I’m going to see where it takes me.’”
It is, of course, also aimed squarely at hobbyists who have always been enticed by the idea of an MPC, but have never wanted to pay the higher asking price of the brand’s flagship instruments.
Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
But the competition is already incredibly stiff. At $399, the Sample has to contend with Roland’s SP-404 and Teenage Engineering’s TE-133 K.O II, and it’s not far off from the Telepathic Instruments Orchid, which is also catered to music enthusiasts who want a friendly gateway into production. When pressed on why someone would choose the MPC Sample over these instruments, Mac promises that its ease of use is next level.
“I could probably make 10 beats on this versus one beat on another device,” he asserts. “The workflow is second to none. You put all three devices together [MPC Sample, SP-404, TE-133 K.O. II], and this is leagues ahead in speed functionality.”
“Your creativity isn’t focused on plugins and screens. You’re just listening to the vibe” – Andy Mac
Sampling anytime, anywhere
Of course, it is Mac’s job to sell the MPC. One gambit: revealing that Dibia$e, a celebrated SP-404 power user, has taken a shine to the MPC Sample. (The veteran Los Angeles beatmaker has since appeared in an Akai video demo for the Sample.) “He didn’t even have the manual, and he made nearly 16 beats within the first couple of hours,” Mac brags. “We picked him up from the airport, we’re sitting in the car, and he plugs into the auxiliary and plays all these bangers that he made on the plane.”
The MPC Sample’s portability is the major marketing message from Akai: “Sample, chop, and build beats anywhere. No computer required,” says a press release. And the Sample’s pick-up-and-play nature is a joy — I’ve found myself flipping samples in bed, in the kitchen while I cook, and while I’m at my desk. Much like Teenage Engineering’s TE-133 K.O II, the MPC Sample has been subject to online quips comparing it to a calculator, which are not totally unwarranted. But you also can’t deny that the MPC Sample is a head-turner: on release day, Reddit and YouTube saw plenty of unboxing videos and photos uploaded, debates about whether one really needs something like the Sample in their studio, and comments from excited customers and naysayers alike.
Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
The MPC Sample, and others like it, mark a potential shift in sampling culture. Mac notes that more producers are sampling from YouTube – which the unit’s USB-C connectivity is intended to facilitate – rather than digging through crates of vinyl and ripping CDs. Meanwhile, artists in the mainstream such as Justin Bieber, Djo, Fred Again.. and Kenya Grace have all been spotted using an MPC, not to mention a growing number of artists outside the world of hip-hop and beatmaking. Akai wants to pounce on this phenomenon, and is betting the MPC Sample will be the gateway for many other artists.
“The MPC has already been moving into so many different markets,” says Mac. “I’ve never seen this many artists on our platform. [The MPC Sample] is going to bring in people who are into their jungle music, who are making drum ‘n’ bass and house music.”
Leaning into the classic MPC designs that Roger Linn conceived was key to making the new sampler an approachable instrument. Cherry-picking elements from multiple MPCs brought an element of heritage even as Akai seeks to push the series into a new generation. “You can’t go back and change the past, but you could create the past using the future,” says Mac. “I remember it distinctly: I pulled up a picture of the MPC 60 and the 2000 XL, and I was like ‘I want the fader from that, and I want the armrest from that…’”
Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
The MPC Sample combines nostalgia, portability, and affordability — it’s no wonder it captured so much attention when it leaked. Creatives who’ve never touched an MPC now have fewer excuses not to, but will the Sample flip more SP-404 loyalists, Teenage Engineering fanatics and DAW-only producers? Well, the first batch has already sold out.
The Akai MPC Sample is now available.
Words: Sam Willings
Photography: Simon Vinall
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