Description
SOME INSTRUMENTS SHAPE MUSIC. OTHERS SHAPE CULTURE.
MPC Live III Retro honors the innovation and influence of music‑making machines that do both. The original MPCs of the late 1980s set the visual and creative foundation for modern beatmaking and hip‑hop culture, helping to define the art of sampling.
The Foundation of Beatmaking
With expressive pads, a hands‑on workflow, and a clean layout, these machines shaped how music has been created and celebrated for nearly four decades. MPC Live III Retro pays tribute to that legacy, reimagining the soul of the originals through the lens of a powerful new standalone MPC, finished in the classic Akai Professional colorway. Vintage attitude meets modern performance in a special retro edition built for today’s creators.
From early hip‑hop studios to bedroom setups, MPCs have always been more than music production tools. Their look is unmistakable, their workflow legendary, and the culture they represented when they first came on the scene set the stage for a whole new lifestyle built around the artist experience.MPC Live III Retro honors the innovation and influence of music‑making machines that do both. The original MPCs of the late 1980s set the visual and creative foundation for modern beatmaking and hip‑hop culture, helping to define the art of sampling.
Under the retro exterior lives everything that makes MPC LIIVE III a true studio and stage centerpiece: powerful standalone performance, a streamlined workflow, and complete freedom from your computer.
MPC Live III Retro delivers the same flagship experience as the MPC Live III, running MPC3 OS on next‑generation hardware for a fast, fluid, and deeply expressive creative flow. Whether you're sketching ideas, building full productions, or performing live, it's designed to keep your process focused and uninterrupted.
A True, Hands‑On
MPC has always lived right at the physical connection between idea and sound. MPC Live III Retro is built for hands‑on creativity, combining expressive pads, intuitive controls, and a vibrant multitouch display into an instrument that feels alive under your fingers. From finger‑drumming and sampling to sequencing and performance, every interaction is organic and immediate.
With a built‑in battery, speakers, and mic, it’s ready for your next creative session whenever and wherever inspiration strikes.
For a full feature list, loads of in-depth video tutorials, and complete technical specifications, check out our MPC Live III page.
We built MPC Live III for producers who move fast. It’s packed with dynamic production tools, responsive controls, sounds designed by the industry’s top sample makers, and the fastest processor of any MPC to date. From basic beatmaking to advanced music production and the most demanding live-performance workflows, MPC Live III redefines the power of standalone.
An Icon Evolves
MPC has been at the heart of modern music—powering iconic records, shaping genres, and defining the sound of a generation. We’ve listened closely to the creators behind that legacy, taking in what you need to stay inspired and keep creating.
MPC Live III is the result: a genre-defying, boundary-breaking production machine built for wherever music takes you. It honors the past, drives the present, and empowers you to shape what’s next.
Powered by the fastes
Unbelievably Fast, Ut processor we’ve ever put in an MPC, this complete standalone system gives you all the production, mixing, and performance capabilities you expect from next-gen Akai Pro hardware, while unlocking the full potential of the MPC3 operating system.
Experience dynamic features like Pro Stems Separation and the ability to load up to 32 instrument plugin instances and 16 audio tracks seamlessly. This is creative horsepower without bottlenecks—it’s your flow, uninterrupted.
MPC Live III debuts our new MPCe pads: 3D-sensing, ultra-responsive, and designed for more nuanced expression and performance. These pads enable X/Y control of one-shot layers, seamless sample blending, and dynamic note repeats and articulations for more ways to perform and produce with feeling.
Standalone, Portable, Designed to Adapt
MPC Live III is built to break out of the studio. With onboard battery, speakers, and mic, plus deep MIDI and CV control, your full setup goes wherever inspiration hits—no laptop, no limits. Whether you’re programming beats, sampling grooves, layering stems, triggering clips, or sequencing a whole track from scratch, MPC Live III’s got the range to keep up.
Expanded Workflow for the Perfect Drop
For the first time ever in an MPC, clip launching, step sequencing, and assignable performance buttons empower new ways of working—beyond the classic production toolkit. Trigger clips that land on the one. Lock in basslines and grooves that form the backbone of electronic styles.
Whether you're building a live set or dialing in the perfect drop, this MPC is for modern performance.
Introducing MPC Live III. The most powerful all-in-one standalone music production center to date.
FEATURES IN MOTION
KEY FEATURES
Expressive pads
16 MPCe pads with 3D-sensing technology for flexible music production and expressive performance
Dedicated controls for groovebox-style workflow
Built-in condenser microphone
For those moments when inspiration strikes
Direct sampling via USB-C
Grab sounds from your computer or smartphone to expand your palette
8-core processor with 8GB RAM
The most powerful processor ever put in an MPC
24-channel audio interface
With 32 channels of MIDI for seamless DAW integration, via class-compliant USB-C connection
Classic MPC-style beatmaking and programming tools
All the essentials
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
To enable wireless collaboration and file transfer
Ableton control mode
Connect via USB-C to use MPC as a controller for Ableton Live
MPC Pro Pack
Powered by next-gen MPC3 OS and enhanced with new MPC Pro Pack features like studio-grade time-stretch, clip-launching, expanded CV control, and new pro plugins
Standalone operation
Create freely and without distraction — no computer required
7-inch multi-touch display
Intuitive layout and easy navigation, stay in the zone and in control
Touch-strip and four rotary encoders
Add tactile control for dynamic real-time performance
Rechargeable 4hr battery life
Run your session off the grid or on the plane
Clip Matrix
Clip launch workflow for enhanced song arranging and performance
Powerful stereo monitors
For instant playback
Included sounds and samples
Access over 1,000 MPC-ready drum kits and instruments, along with a collection of premium plugin instruments for instant inspiration
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