In many cases, some of the new DJ and production tools featuring iProduct integration have been little more than a perfunctory capitalization on the popularity of the mobile market. It’s not too often that a product comes along which uses an iPod or iPad to do something not ordinarily possible without the use of such a capable device. Akai’s...

The Electrix Tweaker is an enigma. It isn’t quite laid out like a traditional DJ controller, with two jogwheels and a mixer section. It doesn’t quite have the form of an Ableton controller you’d expect from something like the Novation Launchpad or Akai APC40. So, what’s it for? That is entirely up to you. The Tweaker is, at its core,...

The market for studio keyboards these days is so saturated with nearly identical products – keys, knobs, faders and pads, we’ve seen it all – that it’s hard to think of a way to truly revolutionize the modern MIDI keyboard and control surface while also retaining all of the familiar and necessary elements producers have grown to love....

The Beat Thang audio workstation from BKE Technology was unexpectedly one of my favorite pieces of equipment showcased at NAMM 2013, and recently I was afforded the privilege to spend some quality time with one of these incredible drum machines. To call it just a drum machine isn’t quite fair; it’s more of a DAW-in-a-box, providing a compelling...

Moving even deeper into the still-exploding mobile market, Akai has recently released the iMPC mobile app for iPad. Sporting the look and layout of its popular hardware counterparts, the iMPC should feel natural to anyone who’s ever used one of these iconic beat machines. But can it hold its own without the feel of rubber pads, a physical...