Topic
Akai has hinted in Instagram reels that the MPC Sample will get an open-source framework in its next update, with demo instruments written by Claude. There is no licence, repository, SDK or date yet, so treat it as a promise, not a product.
Releasesvia Akai Professional
A sampler is an instrument that plays back recorded sound: load a recording, map it to pads or keys, and play it like an instrument, chopped, pitched and re-sequenced. It began as hardware, most famously the Akai MPC, and now lives inside every DAW. In an AI DAW you can describe the chop you want and get loaded pads plus an editable groove.
Workflows
Two standalone beatmaking rigs priced at one Indian retailer, Bajaao, on 28 Oct 2026. The starter build (Korg Volca Sample 2 and AKG K92) is INR 20,850 (about USD 219); the step-up build (Roland SP-404MKII and the same headphones) is INR 59,288 (about USD 623). Neither needs a computer to make a beat.
Music tech
DSP Bricks has released Optigan, a software version of the 1971 organ that played looped recordings from optical discs. It ships with all 40 original Program Discs, adds independent pitch and speed, and costs €49.
Releasesvia Synthtopia
Decent Samples' free player Decent Sampler 1.40.1 can now convert unprotected Kontakt 2 to 8 instruments into its own format and auto-sample MIDI hardware from the standalone app. Scripts and copy-protected libraries do not come across, so this is a rescue tool for simple patches, not a Kontakt replacement.
Releasesvia Decent Samples
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