Why I buy this one ?
- Connects to computers via USB and/or MIDI
- Connects to such sound engines as the Akai Z4 and Z8 samplers
- 16 MPC-spec pressure- and velocity-sensitive pads generate Note-On with velocity when tapped
- Full-Level mode produces data with a velocity value of 127 regardless of how hard it is tapped
- A 16-Level mode allows you to generate note velocities in 16 steps with the 16 pads

ProMusicAlaska offers this stuff with condition New, new for:

Price : $135.00 Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Toyzz offers this stuff with condition New, new for:

Price : $277.99 Usually ships in 1-3 weeks

What our customer's say!

"Running version 2.0.0.0 of the USB driver on Windows, still crashes Windows", I'm running the latest driver and it still crashes Windows XP. In my opinion Akai has done a crappy job creating the driver for Windows and probably only really tested their Mac drivers. The 2.0.0.0 drivers has a date of 2006 so they would have fixed it by now if one was coming.

You can reproduce the crash by just leaving Windows up for some extended period of time - you don't even have to be doing anything to get it to crash.

Now I have no choice but to throw an A/C adapter on it and use the MIDI output of the MPD16 in order to use it. Unfortunately I believe this prevents me from customizing the pads via the MPD16 utility so i'm stuck with the default MIDI notes that are sent - I have to look into this more.

"Crashes Windows Vista", Using this product results in Blue Screen of Death in Windows Vista. Akai has no plans to support Vista with driver updates.

"updated usb driver", there is an updated driver on the akaipro site that remedies the XP crashing issue

"Beware of "Blue Screen of Death" Crashes in XP on Pentium D Machines", The MDP16 I just purchased constantly crashes my Pentium D XP machine when plugged in via USB.

There are no problems when connected via midi cable and only using the USB as the power source by "disabling" the device in device manager, but there are some features that are only available via USB.

I emailed Akai support, but never heard back from them. If I had a second chance, I would go with another controller.

"A bargain. But now obsolete.", Yes, the MPD16 is a bargain right now, since they've been superceded by the Akai MPD24, as well as other competitors' models (Korg PadKontrol, M-Audio Trigger Finger). The MPD16 is an acceptable but very basic drum controller, so long as you don't try running it on USB under Windows XP (I have no idea about Vista). The drivers are well known to regularly cause blue screen crashes in XP. I am doubtful that new drivers will ever appear for Windows or Vista. However, the MPD16 is stable if run as a midi-only interface with an external power supply, with no USB connection to your PC. But with this loss of USB functionality, you'll want to spring for $200 and get one of the newer drum controllers mentioned above.