Akai has introduced the MPC Fly, a compact music production center designed specifically for the iPad 2. The tablet connects to a dock connector within the hinged case, enabling users to take advantage of buttons, including 16 backlit pads and several other controls, while working with Akai's MPC app on the iPad's touchscreen display.
At the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) expo, Akai showed the APC40 MIDI control surface it has developed in conjunction with Ableton, making it the first such device to be ready to run out of the box with the Ableton Live music editing software. As there is no need to load drivers, users simply plug in their notebooks via a USB port and can begin mixing or otherwise modifying their music using Ableton Live. The APC40 is being touted as the simplest, most direct hardware interface with the popular software, yet still allows advanced users to assign the board's 40 buttons, knobs and fader controls to any virtual controls in the software.
