AKAI Professional APC40MKII – USB MIDI Controller for Ableton Live with Clip Launch Matrix, Knobs & Faders, Plug & Play Setup for Mac / PC and Pro Software Suite Included


The Power Of Clips

APC40 mkII features a 5×8 RGB clip-launching grid meticulously engineered for dexterous exploration: launch clips, samples and one-shots, and create / perform your song from the ground up using 40 responsive triggers. Radiant RGB lighting provides visual feedback and displays three clip statuses—loaded, playing and recording—so you can intelligently perform without looking at your computer. For a customised experience, colour code your clips with selectable RGB lighting for advanced visual organisation; for expanded control, use the Shift button and directional arrows to manipulate the scope of the 5×8 grid. With APC40 mkII, experiencing limitless creative potential has never been easier.

Total Control

Take command of your production and performance with APC40 mkII. With nine reinforced faders and eight channel control knobs, arranged in-line per channel, APC40 mkII provides a familiar, intuitive layout and a powerful workflow. Eight lit Device Control knobs make it easy to tweak virtual instruments, DAW controls and more, providing critical visual feedback of each parameter. In addition, the Sends button enables users to cycle through all eight send buses right from the APC40 mkII – plus the A/B crossfader has been reimagined for continual assignment without ever having to touch the mouse.

Seamless Integration

APC40 mkII comes pre-mapped to Live (version 9.1.3 or later) for instant performance and production right out of the box. When APC40 mkII is plugged into your computer, its hardware controls correspond 1-to-1 with Ableton Live’s interface—no additional configuring is required.

In addition, all of APC40 mkII’s controls can be re-assigned on the fly for customised setups that change with your performance or production style.

Plug and Play

APC40 mkII is also powered over USB and supports plug-and-play connectivity, for seamless integration from the studio to the stage.

Whether you are an electronic music artist and Live is your canvas, a DJ using Live for performance and real-time mixing, or a more traditional musician using Live on stage or in the studio, you will find the APC40 mkII to be the intuitive, powerful instrument that directly links your inspiration with Ableton Live.

Clip Launching

Total Control

Seamless Integration

Plug and Play



Weight: 1.8 kg
Dimensions: 25.3 x 42.37 x 4.57 cm; 1.8 Kilograms
Model: APC40 mkII

58 Responses

  1. Anonymous says:

     Spai

    Es fcil de usar, no es complicado y mejorar la experiencia con Ableton. Es ya preparado por Ableton y ‘maps’ automticamente con los controles de Ableton.

  2. ShoshanWinneke says:

     Italy

    il programma in dotazione (licenza) un p vecchia (9) e il programma (LITE) 11scaricato con il seriale molto limitato molto utile la guida nel programma

  3. Anonymous says:

     Canada

    Lots of fun to use, great options. Wasn’t really an ableton user before but combined with this it’s a great time.

  4. Anonymous says:

     Canada

    Just plug it in and play. It lines up perfectly with ableton and auto syncs once you select it as a midi controller. It’s so simple and straight forward a kid could use it. I love it!

  5. Anonymous says:

     Germany

    This device is quite good – functionality, drivers, connection, integration, both for professionals and amateurs…
    What I find annoying are a few design issues:
    – the quality of materials in the buttons and sliders has to levels: ranging from very good quality (for most of the lit buttons, rotary buttons and for the channel strip sliders) to actually crappy and cheap (for the cross-fade slider and for the non-lit buttons); also, the location of the cross-fade slider, the location of play/stop rec buttons (and their shapes) I find it very unfortunate; it looks like they were put there just because there was some empty space left between all the other buttons…
    – and the most annoying thing is the assignment of 8 free-assignable rotary buttons – here I think the software should be much improved; the assignment of those buttons to the controls of a 3rd party plugin is just non-intuitive (although I would qualify it as just difficult and annoying).

    Overall, it is a good product! But I would expect a better version in the future…

  6. BelenGrover says:

     France

    Appareil aurait pu etre mieu emball, la reu dans son simple carton origine et ouvert , heureusement il ne manquais rien, mais les pieces aurait pu se perdre.

  7. FZOWillisq says:

     Spai

    Muy buena calidad precio, cambio positivamente mi manera de producir ya que me permmite no tener que estar con el raton del pc, trabajo mas practico. La entrega bien, aunque tienes que especificar si quieres que venga en caja de Amazon ya que sino viene en su caja original.Aun as ningun problema.

  8. Anonymous says:

     United States

    This is my second APC40 MKII. While I love the controller itself I understand that what I do can be taxing on the product. I use my APC to mix Video so flicking faders to the beat of music can cause stress and damage. I did purchase a warranty on the first one and ultimately decided to go with another APC40 MKII since it’s pretty much the only controller out there with all the control surfaces I love. My only gripe with the process was getting a naked package left on my porch. High value items like this could’ve easily become porch pirate booty. All I would ask is at least put it in a brown box next time so the large red and white box doesn’t attract the wrong kind of attention.

    This is my second APC40 MKII. While I love the controller itself I understand that what I do can be taxing on the product. I use my APC to mix Video so flicking faders to the beat of music can cause stress and damage. I did purchase a warranty on the first one and ultimately decided to go with another APC40 MKII since it's pretty much the only controller out there with all the control surfaces I love. My only gripe with the process was getting a naked package left on my porch. High value items like this could've easily become porch pirate booty. All I would ask is at least put it in a brown box next time so the large red and white box doesn't attract the wrong kind of attention.

  9. AbbeyMitford says:

     United States

    Golden Review Award: 2 From Our UsersThis is super cool. I wish I was back into production. I tried to get back into it by buying this. I enjoyed the bit I had with it. There are a lot of functions for beginners/non-newbies. However, I was watching tutorials for Ableton and producing and a group that I love said the following, “Yeah, we worked really hard on this album. It’s got a lot of weird stuff that we have never tried. I definitely recommend experimenting (in a ton of areas), unless you are like…30 or something. hahaha.” So I returned it.

  10. Onyinye FaFi Obi says:

     Germany

    Super Teil fr ABLETON, alles dran was man braucht und in AKAI Qualitt eben.

  11. Anonymous says:

     Canada

    This will change the way you perform with Ableton. It’s geared more towards Session View, but it can be used for Arrangement View as well. It’s much more intuitive than the Ableton Push, with dedicated faders buttons for each track. If you’ve used Ableton and have been using the mouse to adjust tracks on/off, Solo, Record, Stop, etc, this will make your Sessions so much easier and allow you to get much more creative. Less time spent searching the screen for these buttons, they’re all laid out right in front of you. Being able to turn multiple tracks on and off is a game changer. The A/B slider will also let you showcase tracks that you’ve armed accordingly. Want only the cool bass line to come through while you’re readying other tracks? Press the B button on the track, and hit the slider over to B. Isolated bass line. This works for multiple tracks, so you can have 2 completely different songs playing with the slide of the A/B fader. Big selling point. This controller will open up a whole new world of possibilities for you in Ableton.

    This will change the way you perform with Ableton. It's geared more towards Session View, but it can be used for Arrangement View as well. It's much more intuitive than the Ableton Push, with dedicated faders buttons for each track. If you've used Ableton and have been using the mouse to adjust tracks on/off, Solo, Record, Stop, etc, this will make your Sessions so much easier and allow you to get much more creative. Less time spent searching the screen for these buttons, they're all laid out right in front of you. Being able to turn multiple tracks on and off is a game changer. The A/B slider will also let you showcase tracks that you've armed accordingly. Want only the cool bass line to come through while you're readying other tracks? Press the B button on the track, and hit the slider over to B. Isolated bass line. This works for multiple tracks, so you can have 2 completely different songs playing with the slide of the A/B fader. Big selling point. This controller will open up a whole new world of possibilities for you in Ableton.

  12. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    What can I say…
    I love this toy!!!
    It’s so fun to play with it, easy to control.
    It’s my favourite toy for now
    But.. Its not really a toy. Well build, feels pretty premium.
    I like it, because it’s made not only for live performances, you can easily record everything you played. So.. I LOVE AKAI APC40MK2 worth every single penny.
    Thank you.

  13. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    I’ve only spent a few hours with this but love it already.
    It works so seamlessly with Ableton and speeds up working in Session mode to make it more fun.
    I noticed Ableton only really mentioned their own more expensive Push device and this one, which came out about 6 years ago, which to me indicates it’s a winner after years of competition.
    Having used it briefly, I can see why.

  14. Anonymous says:

     Germany

    Sehr hochwertig verarbeitet und luft schon seit knapp 5 Jahren in meinem Studio!

  15. Anonymous says:

     United States

    Golden Review Award: 3 From Our UsersI purchased this unit to be used as a lighting control surface from a program on my laptop. I was looking for an alternative to purchasing a small lighting console that can cost several grand. I already had a USB to DMX dongle, so I started looking around for midi controllers that seemed to have the right amount of buttons, knobs and faders.

    You can go with some of the cheaper models if you want but I really like the look and feel of this board for the use I bought it for. This si coming from someone who has been in the world of professional AV for 20+ years. I think that the versatility of the midi controller for use as a lighting control surface is a great innovation of an existing technology.

    For small set ups this is the way to go before investing in a proprietary board such an an MA, Hoglet, or Chamsys MagicQ, ETC Nomad, etc.

  16. ThelmaSams says:

     Spai

    La calidad y tacto es excepcional, as como la conectividad. Ahorra mucho tiempo de trabajo y es muy intuitiva para directo. Recomendado, sin duda.

  17. Anonymous says:

     India

    Interested in live performance? hate the mouse and keyboard?
    BUY IT!!

  18. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    My husband is very impressed! Found it easy to use.

  19. Anonymous says:

     United States

    Golden Review Award: 9 From Our UsersI love my APC40 mkII so much that I’ve bought 2 now… My workflow was forever changed when I got my first APC40 mkII a couple years ago. The design is much improved over the original APC40 and compared to other Ableton Live solutions like those from Novation, the APC40 mkII does it all in a single device. Sadly 3 of my faders on my original APC40 mkII stopped working. I’ve since purchased another unit and also got a hard shell case to better protect the faders. I’ve ordered new fader pots for the original unit that was just out of warranty and it’s also working well now. I hope Akai can reinforce the faders to be more robust in the mkIII APC40 and until then make sure to keep it safe and out of harms way on tour with a hard case.

    I love my APC40 mkII so much that I've bought 2 now... My workflow was forever changed when I got my first APC40 mkII a couple years ago. The design is much improved over the original APC40 and compared to other Ableton Live solutions like those from Novation, the APC40 mkII does it all in a single device. Sadly 3 of my faders on my original APC40 mkII stopped working. I've since purchased another unit and also got a hard shell case to better protect the faders. I've ordered new fader pots for the original unit that was just out of warranty and it's also working well now. I hope Akai can reinforce the faders to be more robust in the mkIII APC40 and until then make sure to keep it safe and out of harms way on tour with a hard case.

  20. Miriam says:

     Mexico

    Me lleg un da antes y es todo lo que esperaba

  21. EthanLumholtz says:

     United Kingdom

    Took a long time for me to decide to get one of these as, on the face of it, many other machines do a similar job (launchpad) or do a lot more (Push). But, now I have it it really has become central to my workflow and is very intuitive to use. For me it works but, if you want to play instruments with pads then you’ll have to look elsewhere.

  22. FedericoMortloc says:

     Canada

    Super straight forward to use. Does exactly what I bought it for EXCEPT it does not have an “undo” button. You have to use your laptop for that, which is super annoying.

  23. AmelieGalloway says:

     Mexico

    Muy funcional, y elegante en sus controles; nunca haba visto un dispositivo as con iluminacin en las escalas de las perrillas, de lujo. Y aunque todo es de plstico es de muy buena calidad. Por otro lado, es la creacin perfecta para Ableton Live por el diseo del programa. Como lo dicen sus creadores. Se mapean en automtico todos los controles y esto ayuda muchsimo y es un plus los vst s y packs que incluye. Excelente controlador lo recomiendo ampliamente.

  24. Jeff Blyskal says:

     Germany

    Exactly what you can expect of this device delivers. Sturdy encoders, faders, lightweight, definitely worth every cent.

  25. Anonymous says:

     Germany

    Golden Review Award: 2 From Our UsersEinfach nur das Beste bis jetzt.
    Als kontroller fr das loopen zum live spielen.
    Qualitt ist sehr gut. Top zufriede

  26. Mary Farrell says:

     Germany

    Das Gert ist sehr hochwertig verbaut.
    Nur Leider ist der Gebrauch des Gertes mit Hilfe der Gebrauchs Anleitung fr die Steuerung als dmx Lichtsteuerung sehr DRFTIG.

  27. Anonymous says:

     France

    J’ai employ l’Akai APC 40 MKII pour contrler des lasers avec le logiciel Pangolin Beyond, et c’est assez fantastique

  28. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    Even if you are not musically trained, so long as you are not tone deaf and you can tap a foot to a beat, if you want to make a jingle, some music for a picture slideshow or go onto being famous touring the world, you can do everything with this and the software. Not just the usual electronic music, only your imagination limits you. From classical to experimental music and everything in between. So many music samples you can use with this free online or compose your own using your computer keyboard. You will not regret buying this. Just youtube some videos on how to use it and it is so easy. Sussed mine out in two days.

  29. Anonymous says:

     France

    j utilise apc 40 sur ableton live suite 10 dans mon home studio produit trs lger en plastique de bonne qualit qu on peut facilement transport . installation rapide en usb sur pc win 10 pro x64. pour la qualit des potards et des faders des pistes a voir sur le long thermes pour info moi je fais pas de live donc l usure ne seras pas la mme, pour le Tlchargement des logiciels qui son marqu sur la boite certain son juste des essai de quelques jours mais bon personnellement j ai pas achet ce produit pour cela y en dj un ableton et autre vst a ma possession.

  30. GerardPDRnjxqx says:

     India

    Best controller for Ableton live specially when it comes to djing.

  31. mprincipato says:

     Germany

    Golden Review Award: 7 From Our UsersIch nutze den Apc40 mk2 nicht fr Abelton sondern fr Resolume. Es gibt bei den Funktionen ein paar Einbssen, wofr aber Akai nix kann. Zbsp vermisse ich eine umfassende Mapping Software die es mglich macht den Apc40 so zu mappen wie ich mchte (Bnke whlen, Led Feedback genau bestimmen etc) Andere Hersteller schaffen das auch (Livid, Novation…)
    Dafr punktet der Apc40 mit seinen Endlosreglern und Anordnungen der einzelnen Tasten…. Es ist fr Vjs nicht perfekt, aber im Workflow dennoch unschlagbar.

  32. Anonymous says:

     Italy

    Ho fatto un regalo a mio figlio, li piaciuto tantissimo.

  33. Anonymous says:

     France

    Produit nickel, de bonne facture, prise en main rapide et toucher agrable, livraison un jour avant la date prvue

  34. Anonymous says:

     Spai

    Lo vengo usando y es complejo pero tiene muchisimas opciones para experimentar y funciona perfecto.

  35. MaureenYia says:

     Spai

    Es muy cmodo para utilizar ableton, plug and pay, buen peso y portabilidad. Construccin solida, desde perillas hasta los plsticos.

  36. LouieLankford says:

     India

    one to one compatible to Ableton Live. Very much helpful for very fast work flow.. If you have launchkey / launchpad it is the perfect pair and highly recommended.

  37. Anonymous says:

     Canada

    I like everything about this controller, I’ve had mine since November an everyday still learning , but it takes me awhile cuz I’ve bought akai midimix, the APC key25, an tomorrow getting the akai mini delivered, I like to bring the key 25 out instead of bringing the apc40 mkii everywhere but this is definitely worth the price, I had to buy ableton live standard but will get the suite. If you want to make music I’m sure you can’t buy a controller at this price for how much you can do, I’m seeing if you can use 2 APC40 MKII 2 AT THE SAME TIME cuz I may very well buy a second. I don’t think you’ll ever see a bad report about these machines other then they didn’t like making music, but I give it 5 stars an perhaps 10 if I buy another one. This is what buying this thing did now I want a whole set of akai products. They have my vote all the way. Cheers an happy music making peeps

    I like everything about this controller, I've had mine since November an everyday still learning , but it takes me awhile cuz I've bought akai midimix, the APC key25, an tomorrow getting the akai mini delivered, I like to bring the key 25 out instead of bringing the apc40 mkii everywhere but this is definitely worth the price, I had to buy ableton live standard but will get the suite. If you want to make music I'm sure you can't buy a controller at this price for how much you can do, I'm seeing if you can use 2 APC40 MKII 2 AT THE SAME TIME cuz I may very well buy a second. I don't think you'll ever see a bad report about these machines other then they didn't like making music, but I give it 5 stars an perhaps 10 if I buy another one. This is what buying this thing did now I want a whole set of akai products. They have my vote all the way. Cheers an happy music making peeps

  38. KristinHahn says:

     United States

    This is it, the best Ableton Live controller. Everything in the right place, controls that have a nice feel to them, and the all-important launch grid. With this controller, you can master your live set and have control over your instruments at the same time. Add a keyboard and the world is yours.

    I’m really appreciate if of the high quality of the parts, the buttons have a nice feel and actuate reliably when you press them. The faders have good damping and are accurate and have a reasonable amount of throw. The crossfader moves nice and easily, so you can be and effective DJ with this piece of kit.

    The APC40MKII is unquestionably responsible for a new round of creativity in Live. It really does help to have a controller that is physically similar to the software GUI and that integrates as perfectly as this controller does. I’ve already used it to create a dozen excellent grooves and I’ve only had it for a few days.

  39. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    Perfect piece of equipment to have when working with ableton. Complete control of the interface, can even adjust knobs to a specific control button. Haven’t tried it at performance yet. not a must have but definitely an advantage.

  40. ScottyMichaud says:

     Spai

    Una herramienta musical potentisima, con el mejor Sw del mercado para edicion, pero quiza algo complejo para los que somos amateurs….

  41. Mohamed33D says:

     Canada

    Very happy with this purchase , good for anyone who produces and performs in ableto

  42. Anonymous says:

     Mexico

    Excelente calidad/precio, lleg en fecha indicada, bien Amazon y bien AKAI

  43. sarahmoomaw says:

     United Kingdom

    Good build quality, works just like expected. Buttons are a bit stif, so are the faders except the A/B translation fader.

  44. Anonymous says:

     Italy

    Golden Review Award: 8 From Our UsersSono un DJ produttore e utilizzo anche Ableton Live e devo ammettere che il controller Akai APC 40 MK II davvero fantastico, se rapportiamo il tutto a “qualit/prezzo”.
    Agevola molto nelle funzioni principali del software, potendo agire in manuale, ma non crediate di acquistarlo e suonare immediatamente ci che si desidera che non affatto cos!
    Lo dico per i meno esperti, bisogna prima saper utilizzare un minimo Ableton Live, dopo di che vi godrete in pieno le sue funzioni, magari aiutandovi con i vari tutorial che ci sono nel web.
    Ottimo controller ben fatto, con tantissime funzioni.
    Consigliatissimo per i pi esperti del settore.

  45. Ben says:

     Spai

    Es una buena inversin de dinero. Viene incluido con Ableton. Si sabes utilizarlo, se puede hacer lives sin falta de mquinas caras y pesadas. Lo recomiendo

  46. GregorioHbf says:

     India

    Golden Review Award: 15 From Our UsersAbsolutely fantastic product! I am using it with Resolume Arena and my work has become so much easier. Highly recommend for mixing visuals live and triggering effects faster.
    Perfect and a must have tool for any visual jockey!

    Absolutely fantastic product! I am using it with Resolume Arena ...

  47. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    Golden Review Award: 3 From Our UsersI am using it with Resolume Avenue on a mac. Quite Easy to Map, has midi out so i know what buttons are active, sensible layout. Enough knobs, faders and buttons for everything i need.

  48. "clothing discounts" - Google News says:

     Italy

    Non sono in grado ancora di dare un giudizio sul prodotto.
    Mi sembra essere un ottimo prodotto e di funzionare tutto a perfezione.
    Sono stati molto puntuali nei tempi di arrivo del prodotto
    Soddisfatto per adesso!

  49. RafaelaKaczmare says:

     Mexico

    Excelente. Es una herramienta util para producir y hacer presentaciones en vivo. Su uso permite crear nuevas melodias a traves de los pats y efectos.

  50. StefanClisby says:

     Mexico

    Excelente servicio, me lleg antes de lo esperado. El controlador es muy til y fcil de configurar en el ableton.

  51. Anonymous says:

     United States

    it’a a well made controller for it’s purpose.no complains about the functions and built quality.definetly recommend it.

  52. Anonymous says:

     United States

    It was a gift for my brother. he loves i

  53. Anonymous says:

     India

    Thank you so much for delivering it on time.!.!
    Playing on this is truly amazing.!.!

  54. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    Golden Review Award: 2 From Our Userschassis a bit cheap, but this is a quality bit if kit. Amazing for live performance. I wish akai had included record quantise in this device, but you can’t have everything.

  55. CecilaDrennen says:

     Italy

    Golden Review Award: 2 From Our UsersOttimo prodotto conforme con quello ordinato.
    Per quanto riguarda le specifiche tecniche sono quelle presenti sul sito perci non sto a descriverle, l’unica cosa che ho trovato un p strana che il serial number del prodotto il numero scritto sotto il codice a barre nella parte posteriore senza i numeri dentro la parentesi.
    (il codice a barre “classico” che identifica l’articolo lo trovate sulla confezione)
    Questo codice quello che dovete inserire sul sto di Akai per poter scaricare il software dedicato e le collezioni di suoni gi pronte.
    Ci sono diversi GB da scaricare perci utilizzate una connessione ADSL e/o portate tanta pazienza 🙂

  56. RomaBadilla says:

     Canada

    Came in two days! Great for playing live or producing!

  57. Anonymous says:

     United States

    Love it … well built and super easy to use. Recommended it if you want to DJ/play live with Ableto

  58. NVYSherlene says:

     United Kingdom

    Golden Review Award: 5 From Our UsersThis controller has amazing features and so seamless when plugged into Ableton Live 9.1.3 or higher. Be aware that if your Ableton live is not 9.1.3 or higher, the AKAI APC MKII will not work, I had to update my Ableton to get it working.