On balance, the benefits offered by the RGB pads do outweigh the issue of clarity; it’s a massive leap forward from the old 3 colour system, but you should keep it in mind if you perform at a lot of daytime events. On the original, the knobs could only be switched between Pan and Sends A–C; now a single Sends button gives access to up to eight Sends. Akai have refined the choice of controls and layout and, at least for me, delivered on user requests. As well as the shape change, the most noticeable change is that the MkII’s pads are now fully multi–coloured, upgraded from the MkI’s green/yellow/red.

The MkII maintains my favourite feature, which is the control pots mimicking the 2x4 Macro layout used on the top panel of Live’s Rack Devices. In 2009, Akai Professional collaborated with the creators of Ableton Live, a powerful music performance and production software environment, and introduced the original Ableton Performance Controller-APC40. Up until now they’ve been limited by tri–colour buttons, but the upcoming Launchpad Pro boasts multi–colour pads and velocity sensitivity, nipping at the heels of Push for less money than the APC40. The Mini loses the right–hand side, and all the knobs, leaving just the clip launch grid and mini faders.

Due to abrading, various wood grains, paint finishes and the general hand crafted nature of our products, variations and minor imperfections can occur. Alongside the launch of the APC40 MkII, Akai have extended their Ableton controller range with the APC Mini and APC Key 25 (the original APC40 and 20 are also still available).

The Apc 40 Mk2 is equipped with a standard midi remote script in Ableton Live, so you just need to connect it (see instructions below) to get it working. The original Akai APC40 is one of the rare breed of products in the computer music age to achieve iconic status.Almost every aspect of the original APC40 has been deliberated, reworked, and improved to provide extended controller functionality, countless musical capabilities, and a smarter workflow. Ableton's midi mapping system is a great solution for quickly mapping your Apc 40 Mk2, however, you must take into account some potential limitations. That’s quite a step up from the original, which required a fairly hefty wall-wart at all times, and makes the Mk2 a much more portable solution. The Apc 40 Mk2 from Akai is an incredibly versatile midi controller and is a powerful tool when used in combination with Ableton Live. While there’s a lot of crossover between these products, there are genuine points of difference that will steer you toward one or the other.