Exclusive details about Akai’s MPC Sample Key

Akai teased its new MPC Sample Key on Instagram earlier this week, and said it plans to open-source its software so the modding community can hack it to their hearts’ delight. While there’s no word yet on when the device will launch or how much it will cost, The Verge has received exclusive images of the upcoming instrument that offer some details about its feature set.

Akai 本周早些时候在 Instagram 上预告了其新款 MPC Sample Key，并表示计划将其软件开源，以便改装社区能够随心所欲地进行破解。虽然目前还没有关于该设备何时发布或售价多少的消息，但《The Verge》已经收到了这款即将推出的乐器的独家图片，其中提供了一些关于其功能集的细节。

While the Sample Key shares many of the same controls as the MPC Sample — including the three context-sensitive encoders, a large main encoder — it seems designed for pitched sample playback, rather than chopping up drums. In fact, the “chop” button from the MPC Sample is missing entirely from the Sample Key.

虽然 Sample Key 与 MPC Sample 共享许多相同的控件（包括三个上下文相关编码器和一个大型主编码器），但它似乎是为音高采样回放而设计的，而不是为了切分鼓点。事实上，MPC Sample 上的“切分”（chop）按钮在 Sample Key 上完全消失了。

The dedicated pitch and mod wheels are another clue there. But there are also buttons for changing the octave range of the 25-key keyboard, as well as ones labeled “chord” and “arp.” Presumably, those enable a chord playback mode and an arpeggiator. While using an arpeggiator to play back drum samples can be a fun way to create rhythms, it’s more commonly used for melodic and bass parts. And a chord mode would be basically useless for drums. Those options also appear to replace the chop function from the standard MPC Sample.

专用的弯音轮和调制轮是另一个线索。此外，还有用于改变 25 键键盘八度范围的按钮，以及标记为“和弦”（chord）和“琶音”（arp）的按钮。据推测，这些按钮启用了和弦回放模式和琶音器。虽然使用琶音器回放鼓采样是一种创造节奏的有趣方式，但它更常用于旋律和低音部分。而且和弦模式对于鼓来说基本没用。这些选项似乎也取代了标准 MPC Sample 中的切分功能。

There also appears to be a dedicated looper that could be useful for live performance and layering sounds. And, instead of the Flex Beat effects from the original MPC Sample, there’s something called “Swarm.” Though what that is isn’t exactly clear at the moment.

此外，似乎还有一个专用的循环器（looper），可用于现场表演和声音分层。而且，它没有使用原始 MPC Sample 中的 Flex Beat 效果，而是采用了一种名为“Swarm”的功能。不过，目前还不清楚这具体是什么。

Like the first entry in the Sample series, the Key has a built-in mic and speaker for all-in-one music production. While we haven’t gotten a glimpse at the back panel yet, the config options on the front suggest that, in addition to MIDI, the Sample Key will have CV outs for integrating with modular synths.

与 Sample 系列的第一款产品一样，这款 Key 内置了麦克风和扬声器，可实现一体化音乐制作。虽然我们还没有看到后面板，但前面的配置选项表明，除了 MIDI 之外，Sample Key 还将具有用于与模块化合成器集成的 CV 输出。