Akai ProfessionalMPC Key 37 Standalone Production Synthesizer, Drum Machine, MIDI Keyboard, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Touchscreen, Plug-ins, and Native Instruments Integration

Short version: the MPC Key 37 is accessible, affordable, and powerful, and the supplied presets and sounds are very much all killer, no filler material. The depth of its abilities is astonishing at this price and in such a portable, user-friendly format. It complements existing DAWs and studios, but for people who have yet to buy anything, this is a multi-tool for making music that has no mainstream rivals anywhere near this price point.Start with this and you'll go a VERY long way before feeling you need to buy more gear or have reached your, or the synth's, maximum potential. You'll probably enjoy just messing with it, too.I'll start this review by saying that I am not a 'newbie' to synths, recording or music. I've been enjoying this hobby for almost 40 years, and perhaps that starting point is why the Akai MPC had never crossed my path before. The one thing I am looking for is a seamless transition from inspiration to sound, and I've tried everything from 'three string guitar simplicity' of a four-track and a couple of basic electronic instruments, to having over 20 synths and a 48-channel desk all trying to juggle them at once.In all that time I haven't produced much because so much of it was wasted messing with cables, setups, presets, patches, process, frustration, changing mode and environment and ALWAYS looking for the best thing, the right thing. The closest so far has been the OP-1, and that's quite limiting in many ways. I've had huge Korg and Roland workstation-class keyboards, trackers, DAW... but never tried an MPC.It too Akai slinging a keyboard on the front to make me look (my last Akai keyboard wasn an AX73 with S900 tied to it). It took a frankly bargain price to make me buy the MPC Key 37, and I noticed it because I was shopping for a small controller.I was entirely prepared to send it back if i didn't like it. A benefit of buying from Amazon.First impressions mean everything though - and in ten minutes from unpacking it, without reading a manual, watching a video, or anything else, I'd recorded a quick four-track loop of my own composition. Not a preset. Not cheating with sampled loops. Not 'blocs wave hiding in hardware'.This is only scraping the surface and already it had acheved something for me I've always struggled with. Drums, bass line, texture and melody, all so intuitive that I didn't have time to overthink it.So, if it's that easy for me, who has learned hundreds of machines and got all the bad habits and preconceptions, just think how easy it is if you've never used anythng like it before and actually follow the instructions. MPC owners, it seems, are a fiercely loyal bunch of people who have found the hardware in all forms amazingly rewarding (financially, for some artists), and adding a keyboard just makes it accessible to those of use who still think in notes and tones and instruments, rather than production and clips and stems.All that stuff is there and it's brilliantly curated, you get a very comprehensive library with the MPC Key 37. So here's the other thing – IGNORE THE MARKETING. The product comparison makes the Key 37 look stripped to the bone vs. the Key 61, but two points apply:One - why do you NEED all of those instruments and things? Are you collecting VSTs or making music? Do guitarists buy EVERY pickup and string and amp that might fit their guitar, or do they learn to choose the right guitar and then make it produce the tones they want?Two - the MPC Key 61 comes with six more instruments. Not 25. SIX. Six that you might be able to buy for a crazy discount at some point during the next year. There really is very little in it between the machines, the biggest shift being the 2GB RAM (which most MPCs have, or less) vs 4GB in the Key 61. There are a couple of detail differences, such as needing to use an SD card instead of an internal SSD for storage, but the internal SSD isn't that much faster. And you lose the riubbon controller.So despite the small package and consumer-friendly price, the Key 37 is a full-blown MPC keyboard workstation. It supports plugging in an external USB audio interface for up to 32 channels of extra audio recording - to tracks on the machine - or sampling from a lot of connected things. There's already an audio input bus, and of course, it's an audio interface for your computer.(It also comes with a complete replica of the MPC environment to run on Windows or Mac machines - so you can work ITB at your desktop, in a workstation with many shared plugins and resources on the road, and take the finished product on stage. Wow).Playing-wise the hardware is good enough, the keys have a nice consistent action and aren't too clattery, the pads and dials are materially a bit cheap feeling, but work well. The plastic shell is thick and robust-feeling while still being light enough to be truly portable (battery power, from a suitable USB power bank, is possible - plug in headphones and go).You can activate your plugins from the machine, so while a smartphone is handy for login, it's possible to use this without the distraction of computers or connected devices. It has WiFi, wired ethernet and bluetooth built in, and does network MIDI for some truly advanced remote control possibilities.How does the Akai Key 37 sound?It's a miniature DAW with VST-style plugins as well as sample playback and manipulation. The good news for 99% of kids being offered music as a hobby, the Key 37 does NOT sound like a Casio with a bossanova beat. You've got a huge library of contemporary, pre-mixed, pre-processed, production ready sounds for drums, bass and effects all at your fingertips for a wide range of genres.Usually you check this stuff and throw away most of it Not here. Nearly all of the sample packs are useful and inspiring. I'm not even a fan of half these genres, and I enjoyed trying new arrangements and improving my finger drumming technique and bass line structure.No ideas, need a jumping off point? There are sequences to get you going. It's brilliant because it doesn't force you down one or other way of working, you can be an accomplished musician with amazing ideas and it will capture them without interference, loop and arrange them, and let you keep working rather than cursing quantization or puzzling over mode switches.And you'll like the plugin instruments. Yes, the voucher only gives you one and it's not Fabric (a sort of mini-Halion). oP-X4 is good, as is Jura, do NOT use the voucher for the MPC Stems expansion - it's only £9.99 to buy and if you wait the store gives a 10% off voucher, so £8.99.DLC - the bane of 21st century life.Magic isn't free, and I was definitely annoyed by the whole sign up, download, LOOK AT WHAT YOU COULD HAVE HAD aspect of modern system and software. Fastspring store is AWFUL and unstable - Akai Professional are moving away from it but you need it to get the free plugin activated and also buy the stems expansion.On reflection though, if you wait for a sale (or buy because you have a genuine need RIGHT NOW for a paid project) the plugins are reasonable and what you get in the box is more than ample for most applications. Like the sample sets and drum kits, the presets are wonderfully curated with none of the filler you find on many synth libraries.Don't get drawn into being dissatisfied, wait for sales to buy upgrades, and enjoy what you get for what is a bargain price when you consider the hardware, control and sounds on offer.Conclusion: MPC Key 37 - one keyboard ro rule them all?Here's a thing, I'm a hoarder. I'm a collector. I WANT IT ALL. But things are not free so when I found the MPC worked for me I had to sell some things. I'd mentally marked two or three synths to part with.I sold six devices, and am looking very carefully at some others. Because everything is accessible in one place and very cohesive, I don't WANT to argue with another device that makes similar sounds, so my Circuit, CMS, EP-133, BassStation rack, and OP-Z all disappeared to new owners, meaning the MPC Key 37 sort of saved me money. In a weird way.Because it's so intuitive and easy to use as a first-thing to noodle on, it took over from an Arturia Keylab 61 MkII for my main controller as well. This freed up a load of desk space so I get to use other gear more naturally, and can focus on making new patches or sounds while sitting in comfort and still working with Cubase/the MPC environment.It's earned these words and this praise. Very little surprises me, even less makes me feel delight and excitement when trying new music gear, but the MPC Key 37 did so – and continues to build on that feeling of confidence the more I learn about it. If I'd had one of these 30 years ago, you might even have heard of me.Five stars, a gold medal, and a big recommendation. It has technical flaws and quirks, for sure, but at this price it's not aimed at anyone who will notice or care, and those that do can probably afford better stuff in the first place. Though, I'm not sure that there is much that is better, when so much high end gear is basically code anyway. Why not accept that bits are bits, pay less, and ehjoy the freedom of affordable music tech?

sheer magic in such a small package love it so easy to use get your ideas down fast .nice keybed screen is fantastic controls are all set out in a very intuitive way connects external synths with ease .

Excellent product. Great sounding with loads of potential to create music in any genre.

I was sent abused/used keyboard instead of new with items missingSoftware keys missing.USB cable missingColoured stickers placed on keys

Despite being someone with wide experience of music technology products over many, many years, this has exceeded all expectations and we’ve barely got started with it.

The Akai MPC Key 37 is a great all round unit. A brilliant music making machine. Only limited by my knowledge of the MPC ecosystem and my Keyboard skills.I’m learning new things every day. There are some great sounds and instruments you can add to it and then you can still hook it up to your PC and it will control you MPC PC software to add even more to your music creations. If you know you are doing you could be creating hits in no time.

Not too sure what's the hype about this. Tested it and I'm returning it. It comes with 2gb ram instead of 4gb like in the precursor - Akai 61 which withdrawn from the market in UK and in many other places for no reason.The console glitches even when playing with one sound. The engine cuts off sounds with filters on it - just one sound! meaning the polyphony in synth engine is terrible.It's a dope, fun toy - I can't say it isn't. But this isn't equipment for music creators - rather for mixing samples - yes.The mentioned memory of 2GB and the 'guts' - the system takes up to 900mb of RAM leavingyou with jsut a 1GB left and when you get those fancy plugins they are selling you won't be able to work on it smoothly or at all.This is an old MPC with new 'clothing'. The arranger inside / the software - is pretty cool! Easy to navigate however the touchscreen isn't accurate and it turns the joy into bothersome clicking to remove a note.I like the way it looks and that arranger - the rest is... well... not for me. For that money definitively not.Also the plugins to it are really expensive and for what it is you can get Akai MPC 2 software with tons of sounds to use on your PC and then you get cheap MIDI keys for a £100 and you ahve AKAI on steroids for half the price... I don't undersatnd what's happening with the music keyboard indistry lately... Maybe it's tine to go back to old school oscilloscopes and plug in raw speakers to it and the result is the same haha... So dissapointed.I will revert looking for a decent keyboard instead.

Buying preowned Akai, you do not get all the same level of enjoyment of a new product.You cannot register your product which means warranted cover does not exist, likewise you do not get any new product vouchers or updates.Will be getting a refund