

The combination of VIP and APC Key 25 maximizes workflow and ensures a playing experience that feels natural and enhances creativity – the natural, tactile feel of hardware fused with the unrivalled processing capability of virtual Instruments. VIP3.0 provides you with unparalleled access to your virtual instrument and effect collection, seamlessly integrating the hardware / software experience and grants the unrestricted freedom to create in a user-friendly, intuitive format. However, the Scene Launch and Navigation buttons are all the same as on the keyless version.NEW: Welcome to The World of VIP Music Software | Effortless Integration, Enhanced WorkflowĮxperience expanded control of your VST instrument and effect collection with APC Key 25 and Akai Pro VIP3.0 (Free Download Included a $99.99 Value). The trade-off is that the matrix only consists of five rows of RGB pads instead of eight. It offers many of the same features as the APC mini but adds a velocity-sensitive keyboard with 25 slim keys, complete with – still awkwardly placed – octave and sustain buttons.

Not surprisingly, the keyboard has also received a new look with red sides. If you find yourself wanting to play and control virtual instruments a lot, you might opt for the APC Key 25 Mk2 instead. This makes the tiny controller more useful for recording your musical ideas, rather than just launching pre-recorded clips.

In addition, the pads can also now be used as a chromatic keyboard with a variety of scales to choose from. In this mode, a 4×4 section of the grid is repurposed for drums, while you can still use the rest of the matrix for something else. The new AKAI APC mini MK2 features a drum mode that allows you to control Drum Racks in Ableton Live. However, it turns out that there is something new, after all. The bottom line is – not much has changed in the hardware department apart from the design. To the right of the grid, you’ll find the familiar line of eight Scene Launch buttons, which do double duty for activating the Clip Stop, Solo, Record Arm, Mute, and Select modes. You can quickly change the fader assignment using a set of four buttons, which are now conveniently located to the left of the arrow keys. Like the predecessor, the APC mini MK2 features nine faders for controlling volume, pan, send, and Ableton Live Devices.
