If you’re a beginner, AKAI’s freeware DAW is a great place to start.

MPC Beats features a virtual mixer, effects, sample editing, and much more. You get the classic MPC workflow which is simply perfect for making beats, along with some of the advantages of modern-day digital audio workstations. The platform provides plenty of functionality for beat making and music production in general. If you’re just starting out or are mostly focused on producing hip-hop or EDM and don’t mind the track count, it’s really hard to, well, beat MPC Beats. It’s an overall very refreshing and forward-thinking approach and AKAI really should be commended for pulling the trigger on this. MPC Beats running as a VST plugin in PreSonus Studio One. Use it as a drum sequencer? Add 80 brand new plugins to your toolkit? None of these answers are wrong. Oh, and MPC Beats can not only load third-party VST plugins but can be used as a plugin itself, which opens up a whole entire new world of possibilities when combined with your other DAW. To double down on their approach, AKAI has also launched a series of videos introducing the software to would-be beatmakers and going through it in detail. Remix one of the included songs, or start off with a genre template like Trap, Dance, Pop and more. From the moment you install MPC Beats, you’re ready to start creating. Presenting MPC Beats, the fully-featured, beat-making software based on the legendary MPC workflow to quickly make great-sounding beats. It’s genuinely impressive what AKAI is giving away for the fair price of nothing. You also get VST and AU plugin compatibility, and a massive 2 GB sound library to boot. It features eight MIDI tracks, a fully-featured sequencer, 80 effect plugins designed by Air, MPC-style time-stretching, and preconfigured hardware integration with both AKAI and third-party products.

MPC Beats is a pretty compelling offering.

If ever there was a way to throw your hat in the DAW ring, however, this is it.

The thing is, that was always a bit of a puzzling product, as it seemed more like a direct emulation of the OS running on their hardware devices. AKAI has, of course, previously released its MPC software, which is steadily nearing its third version.

Plugins for mpc essentials