Akai Professional Unveils the MPC Live III Retro
Akai Professional has officially unveiled its latest hardware innovation: the MPC Live III Retro. This new unit serves as a bridge between the company’s storied history and the demands of contemporary music production.
Inspired by the iconic MPC units of the late 1980s, the vintage-styled MPC Live III Retro is far more than a nostalgic aesthetic choice. It is packed with modern features, most notably the new MPCe™ pads. These pads utilize advanced 3D-sensing technology, allowing producers to achieve more nuanced and subtle manipulation of their sounds than ever before.
At its core, the device is powered by a next-generation Gen 2 eight-core processor and features a robust 16-step sequencer. The hardware is housed in a classic retro-styled Akai Professional colourway, complemented by a seven-inch multi-touch colour display and four touch-capacitive knobs. For mobile producers, the unit remains highly portable, featuring a built-in battery, integrated speakers, and an onboard microphone.
“The original MPCs didn’t just make music — they shaped culture,” said Akai Professional’s creative global marketing and artist relations manager, Andy Mac. “MPC Live III Retro is for the producers who grew up on those machines and the new generation discovering them now. Every detail of the retro colourway is intentional. This is vintage attitude with everything the modern MPC has to offer.”
The Akai Professional MPC Live III Retro is available now with a retail price of $1,699 USD (€1,649.99, £1,399.99). This release follows a busy year for the company, which recently announced a free firmware update to improve integration between MPC Sample and other hardware, as well as the launch of their most powerful unit to date, the MPC XL.
