The first MPC, the MPC60, was designed by Roger Linn with Akai and released in 1988; the initials stood for MIDI Production Center. It combined a sampler, recording 12-bit sound at 40 kHz, with a sequencer and a set of pads, so beats could be played in by hand. The MPC3000 followed in 1994 and became, among many others, J Dilla’s main instrument; his unit was later donated to the Smithsonian.
Akai Professional, today part of inMusic, describes its MPC sequencing samplers as having changed how modern music is made, and the line continues with models such as the MPC One, the MPC Key and the MPC Live III of 2025. Pad-based sampling, chopping and swing are all part of the MPC workflow that shaped boom bap and, through it, lo-fi hip hop and jazz lo-fi.