New Akai MPC to run Windows Embedded?

We didn't have much of an eye on Microsoft's Build 2014 developer conference last week, but one of the presentations made there might just have pointed towards a new kind of music-making device.

As you can see in the video above, it seems that, thanks to the company's Windows Embedded technology (which enables developers to run a version of Windows in devices that you wouldn't think of as computers), Akai has come up with a prototype of a standalone MPC device that has Microsoft's OS at its heart.

Akai's current flagship MPC Renaissance, of course, is effectively a controller that relies on its companion Mac/PC software in order to run, so going back out of the box would be an interesting move for the company to make.

And this isn't just pie in the sky: Create Digital Music reports that an MPC with an Intel processor running Windows is a very real possibility, with a Numark DJing device supporting similar technology also on the cards.

What this doesn't mean is that you'll have a piece of pad-based hardware that can also run your DAW and plugins, but it does suggest that all-in-one, standalone products might soon represent a viable alternative to the 'hybrid' software/hardware solutions that are currently so popular.

Akai mpc with windows embedded

Akai mpc with windows embedded
Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.