Ableton & Akai Announce APC20

Ableton and Akai seem to be a match made in heaven.

Akai means red in Japanese, and the eastern hardware developer has shied away from collaborations in the past, before collaborating with Ableton on the popular APC40 hardware:

APC40

Ableton is purely a software company, and Akai is purely a hardware company, and both - not market leaders in their fields - obviously see each other as the perfect other half, combining to eliminate their shortcomings into a powerful whole.

In the past, Ableton and Novation brought you this lovely hardware:

But now Ableton and Akai have brought a streamlined version of their APC40 to the table, called the APC20:

APC20

Developed by Akai Professional and Ableton, the new sibling of the APC40 - the APC20 - aims to eliminate the need for a keyboard and mouse when used in conjunction with Ableton Live software.

The Ableton press release states:

The APC20 is a slightly smaller version of its big brother, the APC40, with the same 40-button grid for direct access to the clips in Ableton Live's Session View. Perfect if you're already using multiple controllers, short of studio space or working on a budget.

They go on to say:

The name Akai Professional suggests quality, and the APC20 certainly delivers. From the multicolor, LED-backlit buttons to the traction on the faders and the road-worthy metal casing: the APC20 is tactile, rugged and responsive.

Interestingly, every Akai Professional APC20 comes with a custom-tailored software package, Ableton Live 8 Akai Professional APC Edition, to help you get the most out of the hardware:

Ableton Live 8 Akai Professional APC Edition

Unavailable at the Ableton Webshop, the APC20 will be available in the second quarter of 2010 from reputable retailers and all Akai/Ableton distributors.

More information on the APC20, and Ableton products, is available on the Ableton homepage.

Tags: