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AKAI

AKAI Professional MPD218 - USB MIDI Controller with 16 MPC Drum Pads, 6 Assignable Knobs, Note Repeat & Full Level Buttons and Production Software

    • Based on 6,125 reviews
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Availability: In Stock.
Fulfilled by Amazon
Arrives Monday, Nov 4
Order within 23 hours and 30 minutes
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Size: MPD218


Style: Pad Controller Only


Features

  • Beat Production, Anywhere - Ultra-portable, feature-packed and USB powered pad controller with 16 thick fat MPC pads for triggering drums, melodic samples, effects and more
  • Expandable Banks - Easily accessible dedicated controls for three pad banks provides a total of 48 assignable pads
  • Assignable Control - 18 fully assignable 360-Degree potentiometers accessible via three banks for controlling DAW, virtual effect and virtual instrument parameters
  • Feature Packed - MPC note repeat and full level controls for immersive expressive performances
  • Comprehensive Software Suite Included - Ableton Live Lite, Drum Synth 500 by AIR Music Tech
  • The MPC Production Experience - Includes MPC Beats Software complete with the finest features and essential production tools from the Akai Professional MPC Series
  • iOS Connectivity Covered - Control your iOS apps and open up a world of pad control capability using the Camera Connection Kit (sold separately)

Description

Beat Production - AnywhereAkai Professional’s MPD218 is a MIDI-over-USB pad controller perfect for producers, programmers, musicians and DJs alike. Its intuitive blend of MPC controls and technologies mesh with seamless USB connectivity to bring the feel of classic beat making into the world of computer music production. At the heart of MPD218 are 16 ultra-sensitive, hyper-playable. Thick Fat MPC pads, ideal for triggering drums, one-shots, melodic samples, basslines and more; with 3 pad banks available and a pressure- and velocity-sensitive specification, expand MPD218’s performance capability to 48 fully-assignable, ultra-reactive triggers that capture every subtlety and nuance of your performance.

Brand: AKAI


Number of Keys: 22


Connectivity Technology: USB


Special Feature: USB powered; MPC pads; note repeat; full level; production software included


Model Name: MPD218


Item Weight: 2 pounds


Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 2 inches


Country of Origin: Philippines


Item model number: MPD218


Is Discontinued By Manufacturer: No


Date First Available: July 14, 2015


Color Name: Red LED Pads


Compatible Devices: Akai Professional’s MPD218 is a MIDI-over-USB pad controller perfect for producers, programmers, musicians and DJs alike.


Connector Type: USB


Hardware Interface: USB


Supported Software: Ableton Live


Material Type: Plastic


Musical Style: Electronic


Number of Keyboard Keys: 22


Size: MPD218


Frequently asked questions

If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is: Monday, Nov 4

Yes, absolutely! You may return this product for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it.

To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.

View our full returns policy here.

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Similar Products

Top Amazon Reviews

    • Electrical Tape is Your Friend
Size: MPD218 Style: Pad Controller Only
Review Image by Matt Matt
EDIT 7/14/2019: *There is 3/8" black cloth "pickup coil tape" on Stewmac.com. I use this for guitar work, so I had some on hand, but it just so happens it's the perfect width for this job. I also recommend the Double Stick tape, also available on Stewmac, and using this on the bottom of the black cloth tape. This ensures good adhesion to your rubber MPC pads. The black cloth tape seems to be more consistent than traditional electrical tape, and is easier to work with. Simply cut it into one inch strips and layer them together as needed, with double stick tape on the bottom. *I'm using 2 strips for most pads. Add more and see if you like the feel or not. Adjust accordingly. *I've found that setting these up is a balancing act. Every single screw makes a difference: installed/not installed, and how tightly installed, both on the circuit board itself and the red shell/cover that fits over the device. As for the tape: more tape can actually reduce the velocity range/sensitivity, which can be a good thing. Hyper-active pads that are triggering with too much velocity compared to the others may benefit from extra tape, not less. Balancing act. *Currently I'm using no screws on the circuit board at all. On the hard red plastic cover, I'm using only the 4 outside screws, and have them slightly backed off, about 1/4 turn. This seems to be enough to hold everything in place, and gives great sensitivity response with the least amount of accidental triggering. *I still get double triggering if I use the "Full Level" button, and I still get some accidental triggering of other pads, though they're usually at such a low velocity you can't hear it. My main problem was the Snare triggering the Closed Hi Hat pad(s), so when I'd do Snare and Open Hi Hat together, often the Open Hi Hat would be completely cancelled out by the Closed Hi Hat pad triggering. Setting up the pad as I've explained here fixed that. It may be that a lot of these pads are defective. But defective doesn't mean "not salvageable." It's a ton of work, and a major pain, yes -- but salvageable, and beyond that, transformable into a great pad controller. Now, back to my original review: I carefully disassembled the MPD218 and cut electrical tape to fit over the pads. This is a well-known trick online, and the simple idea is this: it reduces the force you need to strike the pads with in order to trigger them, and especially to trigger them fully. As others have mentioned, the other setup option is to very slightly back off on the screws that hold the circuit board down. You can even leave only the 4 outer screws attached and remove the 4 inner screws. Or remove all the screws on the circuit board completely. I've had the best luck so far by removing all of them completely, and only using the 4 outer screws on the hard red plastic back cover. Tape method: Step 1: Remove the screws holding the cover on. You're gonna want a magnetic holder or well-sealed plastic bag to keep the screws in as you remove them...trust me. Now take the cover off. Step 2: Now remove the smaller screws that are holding the circuit board in place. Then carefully lift the circuit board and place it out of harm's way. You'll see a thin plastic sheet underneath with squares on it. Remove the conductive plastic sheet once you get to it. Remember: it needs to go back on the right way, i.e. the conductive side facing the circuit board, or else it won't work when you plug it back in. Shiny side = insulated side. That goes down on top of the rubber pad. Make sure the conductive Matte finish side is facing up when you're all done. Step 3: Now you can easily remove the pads. It's literally just a floppy mass of rubber, all one piece, that you can just lift out. Take it out, and get some electrical tape and some scissors or an Xacto knife ready. Step 4: Cut the tape, similar to how I did it in the picture. On the MPD218, the LEDs are dead center. So if you cover them with tape, the LEDs will be obscured and your pads won't light up. You can customize it however you want. I'm using two layers of tape. You may like more. You may like less. Step 5: Reassemble. And you're done! Good job. Now test your MPD218 for responsiveness. Now I'm enjoying my newly set up MPD218 much more than before. Very, very light touches also seemed to trigger nothing before, whereas now they trigger exactly what I want: very light, soft sounds. Just be careful with the screws and the circuit board when dismantling and reassembling this thing, and you'll be fine. It's a very easy fix. Just a bit time consuming when it comes to dialing it in perfectly. Overall I'm very happy with this unit. It looks good, was very easy to work on, and with a couple tweaks, it's performing extremely well. It needs to be set up properly just like any other instrument. Which is always a pain. But it's to be expected. The only major issue is the "Full Level" button, which I simply don't use. Akai really needs to address whatever is going on with that. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2019 by Matt Matt
    • Perfect
Size: MPD218 Style: Pad Controller Only
Great product
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2024 by Gladys
    • I love this piece!
Size: MPD226 Style: Pad Controller Only
Although I'm still learning how to use this item, I can say that it is a wonderful addition to my current ensemble. It's light weight but firm and sturdy. It connects with abelton with ease, the pads are easy to use. I love learning this item. think I should be a spokesperson for Amazon Vine.
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2023 by Amazon Customer
    • works well, but confusing
Size: MPD218 Style: Pad Controller Only
I am a producer and I found myself wanting a midi drum pad. This one was a great price so I decided to try it out and was happy to see that the setup was quite easy. The one thing I was slightly disappointed about was the navigation of the notes. It was initially confusing and took some time to get used to. other than that I think this is a great product. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2024 by Liz M.
    • 👍
Size: MPD226 Style: Pad Controller Only
👍
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2024 by sean
    • GREAT INSTRUMENT! the ghost note complainers dont understand playing is not easy
Size: MPD218 Style: Pad Controller Only
quality feel to the knobs, chunky pads, thin profile really capable, tons of flexibility with 3 banks and 16 programs to select (each program is a whole new 3 banks) it makes soft-synths and samplers very riffable in realtime and is great for overall daw control once programmed with a dedicated daw control set of banks. I use it to navigate and edit track lanes split/copy/paste/delete i can nearly produce music mouseless using this midi you can even do polyphonic after touch once used to the editor. i recomend this to anyone making music heavy in the digital realm i may end up using an mpd over most analog options for the foreseeable future ive had a great experience with mine. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2023 by Logan J Molloy
    • Ghost notes. Stiff pads.
Size: MPD226 Style: Pad Controller Only
Mainly bought to use pads for playing drum samples. May be the worst pads I've used. I've owned several Akai products and this one just seems to have a lot lower quality of pads than my previous controllers. Very stiff/hard and the velocity is not easily controlled even after experimenting and adjusting parameters. The velocity range does not seem to match what the display reads (0-127.) Ghost notes are a big problem. I cannot play a simple bass drum, snare, high-hat combination without triggering ghost notes and definitely cannot control the velocity well. It's all over the place. The knobs and sliders aren't too bad. Sliders are a tad bit loose but the knobs are pretty solid. Would be fine for adjusting parameters live or for recording automation. It is very easy to program if you have any experience with similar machines. Pretty easy for a beginner even I'd imagine with a little YouTube research. If you're looking for a controller for just recording/automation this may work for you. If you plan to use this in a live setting (drumming, sequencing, etc.) my opinion is that this is not for you. I will most likely return this one and spend a little more for an upgrade. May try Maschine MKIII. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2023 by Sandy R
    • Does exactly what I needed it for
Size: MPD226 Style: Pad Controller Only
Out of the box this will probably not work for beginners. There’s a lot of prep work to do in your DAW and in the MPD226 editor. I use it with Nuendo (Cubase for Post) and Live. With version 12 of Nuendo, I just built a custom device script fairly easily. It works great and better that way as I have full access to all the CC controllers at a push of a button. This is not the case with the factory DAW templates inside the MPD which are helpful as a starting point but need tweaking. The unit comes with MPC Beats which I thought was really cool considering what it can do if you don’t have any other DAW. The manual is useless so unless you are well versed with controllers fire up Youtube and Reddit. What I like most about this are the pads; they are nice, thick and very sensitive/responsive. The build is solid; not the plastic box I was excepting so it was a nice surprise. Overall good product, solid build, lame documentation. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2023 by Amazon Customer

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