Akai Professional MPC Key 37 Production Synthesizer

Great standalone MPC. I've used it portably while in hotels for work also. The Key 37 is NO slouch!

I use this MPC as a standalone box which allows me to control all aspects of production.

Making music is easy with this product right out the box just using the basic features. I am excited about the the possibilities of music making as I learn and grow with the other amazing features.

All in one beat making.

The mpc 37 is fire.Basically provides me with what I need in a workstation

As your average bedroom beatmaker-producer, this is how I break down my recently acquired MPC Key 37. Style: 4/5 Functionality: 5/5 Ease of Use: 5/5 Standalone DAW: 4/5 Total score: 4/5 Would recommend! As for my personal experience, it met all my expectations, right away I was impressed with the durable, yet lightweight feel of the hard exterior. The standalone DAW, was simple, navigable and easy to jump right into, yet not without nuanced controls when needed. The polyphonic sensitivity and aftertouch in the pads and keys respectively operate smoothly as promised, everything feels great. From the time I got it out of the box, to setting it up, exploring the sounds, and learning the DAW to finishing a completed best, took probably around an hour and a half total. And this is coming from someone that's never used MPC hardware or software before this one. So I agree that this Key 37 has achieved its goal of streamlining the production process. However, not everything is perfect, there are a few problems that are worth mentioning, most notably the 2GB of RAM built into the machine. For those wondering why this is a problem, the answer is that it ISN'T always a problem. What I mean is, RAM gets used most commonly on plug ins (a plug in is more or less a program designed to replicate a music instrument or effect), and so let's say if you use 2 plug ins on a track you're fine, but if you use 8, you've exceeded the amount possible allowed by the RAM limitations. However there are some workarounds to this problem, and this specific problem is mainly one experienced producers deal with, not beginners. Other minor problems i have are, I would've appreciated the ability to have a mobile battery pack, for even greater increased transportability, an internal, built-in speaker so you can actively hear what you're doing without needing monitors or headphones, more MIDI / USB outputs as well as an XLR output for stage musicians looking to incorporate this in their live setup and also, more color options. I am personally a huge fan of the bold red, but I know of many who would love to see it in the other classic AKAI color schemes. But one must consider, with the improvements I'm asking for, excluding the RAM and color options, any extra hardware upgrades could affect affordability, which is currently exceptional in regards to this unit. All that said, i would recommend this MPC to 3 types of people 1.) People who are new/just getting into beat making 2.) People who are experienced musicians/producers but are new to AKAI products/hardware/standalone units 3.) People who are experienced musicians and have AKAI products, but are looking to downsize the amount of stuff in their studio People who don't really need this are those who already own AKAI MPCs and perhaps accompanying keyboards. People who already have a full studio set up. People who own the Key 61. Also, to all my guitarists, don't look past this thinking it's simply for hip hop/electronic music producers. I also highly recommend this as a studio in a box to a guitarist/multi instrumentalist. You can plug a guitar, bass, electric drums basically anything with a standard 6.5 jack output, and also you can plug in a microphone via audio interface or USB port and record vocals straight into the machine, so it's a great tool for ANY musician. That's why I believe this is a great introduction for anyone into the world of MPC. Old or young, experienced or not. IN A NUTSHELL: Pros: -Portable -All in One -Unprecedented Affordability -Easy to use Cons: -Short on RAM -Could use more MIDI, USB, XLR outputs -Lack of options for color -No option for portable battery pack support at this time Once some of those problems have been addressed, I could see this going from a near perfect to a perfect machine.