Akai APC40 Ableton Live Controller

The APC40 Performance controller is an incredible piece of hardware, designed to combine greatly with Ableton Live software, and that's because Akai Professional and Ableton are presenting the APC40 together!

Incredibly Easy To Set Up with Ableton Live!

Since Akai Professional and Ableton designed the APC40 specifically for Ableton Live, all you need to do is connect your laptop to the APC40 via USB and you're ready to go; no worry about control mapping here! If you're a beginner, well, it's plug-and-play and already premapped, so no install drivers needed. The setup is as simple as loading Ableton Live, plugging in and powering up your APC40, and then selecting the APC40 as Ableton Live's controller.

Customisable Mapping

If you're an experienced Live user and wish to customise the mapping, you can map every single single knob, button, and fader on the APC40.

Virtual View

The bidirectional communication between the APC40 and Ableton Live means the APC40 can receive feedback from the software and display it on its clip matrix of 40 triggers and on LED rings surrounding each knob. The clip matrix gives you an instant view of clip status: what's loaded, what's playing, and what's being recorded. Each state displays in a different colour for convenience. You can shift your clip focus and get an overview of the clips you have loaded for your set.

LEDs for Easy Visual

The APC40 features 16 knobs, each surrounded by a ring of LEDs, which works great if you're on dark stages, indicating the currently selected parameters values.

Premium Feel

The APC40 is built with a rugged, metal chassis and slip-proof rubber detailing. All of the knobs and faders are solid and precise for pinpoint performance. It even boasts a high quality, replaceable crossfader for transitioning between clips and loops assigned to "A" or "B".

Albeton Live Akai Professional APC40 Edition Software Included

Of course, even if you don't already own a copy of Ableton 7 or 8 (which work seamslessly with APC40), this hardware comes with Ableton Live Akai Professional APC40 Edition software, which is fully functional for performance and production.

(For full support with the APC40 for Live 7, you'll need the latest automatic update. All versions of Live 8 are APC40-ready.)

Superb Control

The APC40 has two banks of eight knobs. The first set controls Global parameters, meaning instant access to your main sends, pans, and other essentials. The second bank of eight knobs is dynamically reassigned to the Track you select. You can control eight track parameters at a time, and as you switch channels, the Track knobs follow your focus.

For example, you might be working with the Beat Decoder on track two. When you switch to track four, the eight Track knobs that you had been controlling the Beat Decoder with are now controlling the Flangeverb on track four. You'll even notice that the settings for each knob load on the light rings so you'll immediately see each knob's status.

Special Clip-Status Views

The APC40 also enables special clip-status views and feedback that only the APC40's matrix can display. The matrix is not limited to only 40 clips: you can scroll and shift, allowing you to access, control, and perform with an unlimited number of cells.

A Wide Range of Controllers

The APC40 has a wide range of controllers. The eight Global knobs can access four banks of controls; the eight Track knobs control nine different track parameters each. So you have a massive total of 72 controllers that are dynamically reassigned each time you switch tracks. Channel faders, bus faders, and a crossfader give you smooth control of key values. You have even more control power with special controls including Tap Tempo, Tempo Nudge, record enables, solo/cues, and two assignable footswitch inputs.

Features/Specifications

System Requirements

• Mac: G4 or faster/Intel Mac recommended, 512 MB RAM/1 GB recommended, OS 10.3.9, 10.4 or later. recommended, QuickTime 6.5 or higher, DVD-ROM drive, USB port
• PC: 1.5 GHz or faster, 512 MB RAM/1 GB recommended, Windows XP or Vista, Windows-compatible sound card/ASIO driver support recommended, QuickTime 6.5 or higher, DVD-ROM drive, USB port