Akai Professional Unpacks the MPC Live III: Deep Dive into MPCe Expressive Kits

The video opens with a clear mission: to demonstrate how the MPC Live III, Akai Professional’s latest standalone workstation, leverages its new MPCe Expressive pads for custom drum kit creation. The presenter sets the stage for a hands-on, workflow-oriented exploration, emphasizing the tactile and flexible nature of the hardware.

From the outset, Akai positions the MPC Live III as more than just a pad-based sampler—it’s a dynamic tool for expressive performance and intricate sound design. The eExpressive pads, with their multi-layer capabilities, are introduced as the centerpiece for building kits that respond to nuanced playing, hinting at a design philosophy that prioritizes both immediacy and depth.

Akai’s workflow begins with installing the MPCe Expressive expansion pack, a process streamlined via the InMusic Software Center. Users can transfer the expansion to the MPC Live III either through SD card or direct USB-C connection, making the setup accessible for both studio and mobile producers.

Once installed, the expansion offers a broad palette of preset kits: from acoustic drums and percussion to electronic kits crafted by Audio Tent, classic drum machines, and genre-specific sets spanning trap, lo-fi, and electronica. The inclusion of one-shot chords and artist kits demonstrates Akai’s intent to cater to a wide spectrum of production styles right out of the box.

Diving into kit editing, the video highlights the MPC Live III’s four-layer pad architecture—each pad quadrant represents a distinct layer, allowing for up to four samples per pad. The interface enables users to select, tune, and swap samples on each layer independently, facilitating granular control over every hit.

This multi-layer approach isn’t just about stacking sounds; it’s about enabling dynamic beat-making. The presenter demonstrates how a single pad can house multiple toms, kicks, or rims, streamlining the creative process and making it possible to construct complex, evolving beats with minimal menu-diving.

Akai showcases a series of kit templates designed to inspire diverse workflows. The 64-pad layout, for instance, multiplies the standard 16 pads into a grid of 64 by assigning four layers per pad, dramatically expanding the available sound palette. Users can quickly populate these layers with their own samples, creating highly customized kits tailored to their style.

Other templates demonstrate advanced modulation and sequencing concepts. The X Cutoff/Y Resonance template maps filter parameters to pad axes, enabling real-time sound morphing by sliding across the pad surface. There’s also a template for slicing loops into eight regions, assigning them across a single pad for rapid sample chopping—a workflow that encourages melodic experimentation and rhythmic complexity.

Further templates include center/edge assignments for nuanced snare and hi-hat articulation, quadrant morphing for blending between four samples, and X-axis layouts for triggering up to eight sample variations per pad. These configurations, combined with real-time effects like Tapefly, illustrate how the MPC Live III’s architecture supports detailed sound design and expressive performance without leaving the hardware environment.