AKAI Professional Fire (Controller Only) – USB MIDI Controller for FL Studio with 64 pad RGB Clip/ Drum Pad Matrix
Introducing the Akai Professional Fire
The new Akai Professional Fire represents the first of its kind – a dedicated hardware controller developed in conjunction with Image-Line for the FL Studio DAW platform.
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Total Command of Your ProductionInstantly navigate the Channel Rack, Browser, Tool Bar and Playlist menus and quickly browse audio and project files without the click of a mouse – the graphical OLED display makes browsing and controlling the various files, menus and parameters within your FL Studio session a breeze; plus, the dedicated transport buttons give you full control of FL Studio’s standard playback, navigation and recording facilities. Need more control? Up to 4 Fire units can be linked for a truly immersive production experience. | Ignite Your Creative FlowFeaturing seamless plug-and-play integration, within seconds you’ll be creating patterns and building tracks using Fire’s 4×16 velocity-sensitive RGB pad matrix. Quickly input patterns on the step sequencer, switch up to performance mode playing / recording notes and launching your patterns, play in drums via a 16 pad format or take command of your VI collection in note mode, transforming Fire’s velocity-sensitive RGB pads into a 3 octave keyboard – everything you need to spark your creativity is here! | It’s All In The MixNothing beats hands-on, tactile control when it comes to mixing. Fire includes 4 banks of 4 touch-capacitive knobs for ultimate control over channel, mixer and user assignable parameters within FL Studio. From tweaking volume and pan within FL Studio’s Mixer to adjusting filter controls within the selected Channel, all the core hardware controls you demand are thoughtfully included. Plus, with dedicated transport controls and mute/solo functionality, all the core control your production demands is thoughtfully included. |
| Weight: | 760 g |
| Dimensions: | 16.56 x 31.6 x 2.31 cm; 760 Grams |
| Model: | Fire (Controller Only) |
I love everything about it, except the fact that the keys are not velocity sensitive.
Proper working condition and packaging. Bought for my adult Son who’s producing music; beginner stages. He’s really enjoying it. It’s easy to use for someone who already knows some basic’s, but I do believe there are some instructions online as well.
It’s a step editor with track controls, keys with chord lock ins, drum pad, slicex-er?, and a 4×16 performance pad that can shift around the playlist. The pads also light up in accordance with what’s in FLS, depending on which setting you’re on. More stuff in there, still learning. It seems to be the only controller that can change FLS tempo with a tap. Cool trick. Four banks for the four digital knobs including two user banks. There’s a cheat sheet that has tips and tricks that are very handy. “In The Mix” is a great Youtube channel with a ton of stuff in it you can learn about with this tool. The “Shift” and “Alt” keys do magical things. And, it just works… don’t forget to plug it in… ok now it works.
It is NOT the end-all be-all FLS controller. Depending on your personal style and taste, you may want to add a slider/knob surface, drum pads for more velocity control, mini-keys or maybe even full sized keys for more VST control, and maybe a simple performance pad controller. But… we just jumped from $120 to about $600… Starting to make sense? Better get a keyboard and mouse while we’re at it.
I have a lot of hardware in hand that has taken a lot of my time doing research, working with settings, midi junk, resetting things. It’s pro-gear to be sure, and does amazing things when I get everything in place. But, when I’m tired of wrestling with all of that and putting things where they should probably go, I grab this thing, “fire” up FLS, and just jam. It’s like having a notepad to write all my ideas down fast. I can always go back and fix up things in post if I need to, but holding that initial idea always feels crucial. This helps that.
Tried this with a couple other DAWs. Don’t. This is a VERY niche tool. It can work, but don’t use a screwdriver to hammer in nails. Also, don’t use an Akai Fire to hammer in nails.
Is this pro gear? Kinda… I wouldn’t use this in a performance setting. You can lose a lot of nuance that only comes from top-notch tools. However, with this controller and a laptop it’s a quick and easy way to get your fingers into FLS from anywhere and is a great addition to a home studio DAW. It’s cheaper than a touch screen, and it only took a decade to make, lol. Good enough… good stuff.
This thing does a good bit more than just act as a replacement for the step sequencer, despite appearances. You can not only program drums on here, but also play notes and chords and browse your track. I could see this heavily speeding up workflow for someone who takes the time to learn it, or for a newbie who starts out using it.
Great step up for image line. I have used lot of Akai pro products from xr20, mpk keyboards, live, but this item gave me a disappointment when i register it says serial number invalid. Tried to get a hold of them via their support message on their website came back to me as undeliverable postmaster.
Flstudio is something i have been using from 1998. I support them, they are pioneers in pattern and step edits and production. Every other daw spawn out of fruity loops. I want flstudio to stand independent and make many midi controllers. There is massive people behind you imageline. There is no need for akai or korg or ni or anyone one to make your controllers. Fruity loops has come this far, should be able to make line of production of controllers with the beautiful logo.
Ich habe mir das Fire fr “frischen Wind” in meinem Workflow geholt. Diesen brachte es auch.
Es ist wirklich toll, “analoge” Drehregler zum mixen zu nutzen und seine Pattern mit “echten” Tasten zu bauen ist echt erfrischend.
Die Funktionen sind aber nicht den 125 entsprechend. Es gibt zwar eine Integration fr den Mixer in FL Studio, aber man htte ganz sicher mehr als Routing, Lautstrke- und Panningregler integrieren lassen knnen. Die Mglichkeit, im Pianomodus einen Key auszuwhlen, ist sehr gut! Nur htte auch da eine Verlinkung zur Piano Roll sein knnen, damit man nicht zustzlich dort den Scale auswhlen muss.
Aber gut, die eigentlich beworbenen Funktionen wie eben der Piano-, Drum- und vorallem der FPC-Modus sind gut bis sehr gut ausgefhrt! Lediglich die Sensibilitt der 64 Pads htte hher sein knnen, man muss machmal beim Spielen wirklich die Tasten pressen 😀 . Zudem ist das OLED-Display auch eine nette Sache, damit man nicht immer seinen Blick vom Fire auf den Bildschirm lenken muss.
Die Bauqualitt nebenbei ist komplett in Ordnung, stabiles Plastik, die Drehregler (auer der Browser-Regler aus irgendeinem Grund) sind nicht rausziehbar, die Gummife sorgen fr guten Halt, die Gummi-Pads wackeln nicht, die Tasten klicken gut, alles leuchtet gut und flackert nur minimal, das OLED-Display ist ebenso gut.
Das Fire ist insgesamt keine Revolution fr das Producen, es ist aber ein nettes Spielzeug!
Kaufempfehlung fr die Leute, die mal eben das Geld brig haben, aber gerade fr Beginner wre ein 45 Midi-Keyboard mglicherweise besser!
Funktioniert super. Gert ist ohne Software. Wird aber von FL Studio sofort erkannt und man kann sofort loslege
Numro de srie INVALIDE!!!!! Incroyable mais vrai….
Seule solution, dpens ENCORE D’AUTRES ARGENT, ENCORE ET TOUJOURS PLUS D’ARGENT…….
Yes! This is my baby right here. Got used to it now I don’t know how to act without it. Easy to learn, easy to use. Just pair it with your favorite MIDI Controller, and you’ll never touch your mouse and keyboard again. “TRUST ME”
Me gusta mucho este aparatito. Te permite crear ritmos de una forma fcil y sencilla. Eso si, no me gusta que solamente funcione en FL Studio. Yo que soy usuario de Ableton, he tenido que gastarme 20 euros a parte para compar un plugin que permie conectar el aparato al Ableton.
Tho it’s really tiny on the MacBook screen and honestly you gotta watch so many tutorials over and over to get going on it. Takes work to get into it. But still excited to take the next step as a dj.
Great beginner tool for those starting to learn music production like beat making for hip hop in FL Studio 20. Also good for making melodies when using your keyboard type instruments on FL. You can control a lot of things with this controller in FL.
Wish you could use it to select presets within a plug-in. Would make awesome if there were shortcuts for the Playlist, channels, mixer, piano roll. Works as advertised but still have to constantly use mouse and keyboard due to limitations. I’m choosing to keep it for the performance mode.
Une vraie tuerie. Je l’adore. J’en achterais bien 3 de plus pour le fun mais je ne les utiliserais pas trop en mode multiple en live. Mais petit matriel abordable et super pour Ableton Live.
So far so Good. I like it.Good Thing I Like Learning New Things, There’s Alot of Learning that goes into FL Studio, and there’s so much you can potentially Do with FL STUDIO& Akai FIRE- Figuring the controls hasn’t been bad. WORTH IT
I made few instrumentals already and everyone loves it and if you a beginner i highly recommend to get this.
I love this controller it’s so versatile and jut helps you create quickly and have fun doing it too!
Ottimo strumento compatibile al 100% con fruit loop, indispensabile per velocizzare molti procedimenti noiosi
1- Sirve como Midi
2- Sirve como Pad MPC
3- Excelente iluminacin (Premium dira)
4- Estimula demasiado tu creatividad
Lo bueno:
1- Realmente tiene muchas funciones que se deben aprender
2- Conectas y listo, nada de mapeos (a menos que uses fuera de los parmetros)
3- Vale cada centavo invertido
4- Materiales de calidad
5- Puedes usar los botones de MEDIA para seguir con el proyecto incluso en otra ventana (ahorras usar el teclado)
Lo malo:
1- No luce si te sales del FL Studio, debera tener modo de reposo o algo configurable
2- Siento que vendra mejor si fuera Wireless (tomando en cuenta que hay latencia de 6ms aun en cable y sea cual sea tu equipo)
3- Botones mas suaves, aclaro… NO PADS, me refiero a los botones
Feels well built. Works fine with FL studio. Loving it!
Es lo que esperaba y ms. Su te gusta el FL es algo casi necesario
Just got the AKAI Professional Fire (Controller Only), since i have FL Studio (Signature version). I think its the perfect controller for Fl Studio.
I tried to register the Fire with Akai, but supprised to find out that am unable to because my purchase is for the Controller only, i cannot register my Fire with them (or any where for that matter).
I reached out to akaipro to get a clear understanding on what support they provide for Controller Only purchase. I really didn’t get a clear response, i just got the same statement back: “….you will be unable to register the unit as there is no software to claim.”
My question to those purchase the Fire (Controller Only) ahead of me is: How do i get support on the device either; General, Technical Warranty?
It’s not a thing for beginners but once you get the hang of it, it’s cool to use:)
If you have FL Studio it is absolutely amazing. I tried to get it to work on BitWig and Abelton and it works after a fashion but I found it frustrating to set up. It is however Brilliant and well worth the effort in getting it to work on other DAWS! For the price you cannot go wrong!
At the price here on Amazon this thing was a steal. Having used FL Studio for some time now its time efficiency benefits to work flow are seemingly inconsequential. But still fun none the less.
Greatest thing to note: it is definitely a useful tool for anyone starting out with the program and producing in general. Interface is very user friendly with a fun aesthetic that can be personalized.
I bought this to use on ableton and it works great using a script I paid for. Also managed to get it to work with other DAW, again via scripts but nothing as good as using it on ableton or on what it’s designed for “fl studio”. Except I don’t use fl studio and I won’t make the switch just for this controller.
Akai just needs to release some software to help support reprogramming and this would be a great controller to use alongside other controllers on any DAW.
Attention, pas possible d’enregistrer le produit sur le site AKAI parce qu’il n’est pas vendu avec le logiciel FL Studio.
La verdad tuve un inconveniente con el primero que me enviaron, ya que a veces le funcionaba el knob para moverme el el browser y a veces no, pero me enviaron otro teclado, aunque ese tenia otro problema, no iluminaba de igual intensidad y era mucho ms duro de undir los pads, lo cual fue molesto, pero me regalaron 40 dolares y ps bueno termine entregando el nuevo y le quede con el que a veces n le funciona el browse
A little complicated, a little more instruction would be great but will get better over time.
einfach prefekt ! Schade das die Software nicht dabei ist, sonst ist alles super ! Auf Youtube findet man auch anfnger videos!
Dirty secret, controllers are the same. Knobs, rotaries, pads, and faders send out MIDI information. All of them.
I use Reaper, not FL. I was going to set it up myself. Turns out a guy wrote free software to use this in Reaper and Bitwig. This unit now functions as a mixer, a keyboard, drum pads, an arpeggiater, a step sequencer, a step drum machine, and more. He even programmed the display. He’s got a YouTube video for it. His name is Jurgen. Can’t recommend enough. A controller like this for $80 is a no brainier.
Reu dans les dlais prvu, la qualit est au rendez-vous. L’utilisation dite “Plug & Play” est bien respecte.
Vraiment trs pratique pour l’utilisation en live et un vrai gain de temps pour le workflow, les touches rpondent parfaiteme
Lots easier and faster to create a beat / tune, all automatically mapped to FL Studio. Just make sure you use it with Version 20 FL Studio or above. It doesn’t work with any version below that.
This is very handy for FL users! It’s nice to get the hands off of the keyboard and mouse at times and with practice it becomes very useful. I hope that more FL studio dedicated items will be developed.
Tbh, you don’t need this, but it’s so cool lol. You can do most of the things you see here on screen with your normal keyboard but it’s great if you want to be a little more hands on and like the cool display. There are YouTube videos that show other things you can do with it and seeing everything you created get lit up makes you feel like you’re engineering and performing even if you’re in a tiny bedroom like I am. Make sure you have FL Studio 20 and a little space, great buy
Definitely worth buying. So many features that I haven’t even tried yet, search YouTube for tutorials
The actual controller is great, it’s plastic but heavier than I thought it would be. All the buttons are good quality and the pads are responsive. Amazon did send me the “controller only” bundle and I paid for the software included one, after a call to customer support I was told I could send it back for a full refund, as I can buy the software anyway I asked if I could be just refunded the difference which they agreed to. Bit of a hassle but it’s all sorted and I’m happy with it.
Great for beginners like me. It helps if you use the channel rack and step sequencer. Great for learning how to use FL Studio
I bought this for my son this past Christmas. He says it’s given him just the type of interaction he needs with his FL Studios, and that when he’s too lazy to take it out of the case we also bought for him and opens the software, it feels like there’s a big piece missing in the puzzle.
It’s everything I needed. I found it beginner friendly. Just remember you need the Fl studio software to use this!
The hardware itself is good up to a point, but you can tell why it costs under 100.
In fact, I wouldn’t pay more than 100 for this to be honest.
The pads are a kind of velocity sensitive, but nowhere near the sensitivity of a Launchpad X’s pads.
Probably why there’s a big price gap between the two.
If you expect to do nuanced finger drumming on these you will be disappointed.
Light to medium taps end up around 30-50 percent velocity, and hard / firm taps around 100 percent.
I’d suggest setting the velocity to a fixed value & just tweak it manually afterwards.
Transport buttons are nice to have but are super-clicky, and feel cheap.
As do all the other buttons.
The knobs do their job fine though.
All in all, if Akai did a v2 with better quality buttons & more responsive pads then I’d gladly pay over 100 for it,
as its enjoyable to use as long as you know the limitations.
Arriv rapidement, petite rayure sur l’cran. Quand ont s’en ser.
Hyper pratique si vous faites du son avec d’autre matriel hardware. Afin de composer en live sans utiliser trop le pc !
Beau produit !
Despite the pads have SOME velocity, the range is limited to two steps; 100% and 80%. Those are the only volumes the pads can register at least to my knowledge.
ALSO, if you are to use this, ALWAYS USE FL STUDIO ASIO in order for everything to run smoothly.
My final verdict is 8/10
Stupendo! Si collega facilmente con fl20. Io ho mc. Molto semplice ed intuitivo. In poche parole si pu toccare con mano la classica interfaccia fl.
Colori e tasti ipnotici, piacevoli da guardare e da premere. Io ho imparato ad usarlo in una sera. Non offre nulla di diverso da quello che si pu fare con il mouse, ma semplicemente divertente!
The controller feels very well built, pads feel great and responsive. If you create hip hop, the chromatic note mode is great for sampling, and sampling usually doesn’t require dynamic playing so velocity sensitivity isn’t needed. This is mainly what I used this controller for but eventually it got used less and less and now I’m back to just using my midi keyboard exclusively.
I love the different modes, drum mode is great and the piano mode is cool but these are both ruined by the velocity thing. I wanted to give this 3 stars since I stopped using it altogether, but I’m giving 4 because I love the creativity and ideas the designers came up with for this and that company’s are thinking in this direction. Plus they still have time to add velocity.
It is for my oldest son who is taking film at western university and is interested in using this machine for school
Hella worth the money . Very satisfied. Very strong. I will definitely order again. I love it alot. I recommend to everyone.
Muy bueno, me gust mucho mas de lo que cre, muy til, funcional y fcil de usar, me llego en muy buenas condiciones y no me a fallado en nada, 100% recomendado a los que usan FL Studio
Ich habe das Produkt mit dem Software Paket gekauft. Der Controller war schnell angeschlossen und ber plug and play installiert. Fr die Software muss man sich bei image line registrieren und die Software downloaden. Das Installieren ging intuitiv und problemlos. Auch das Registrieren ging mit ein paar Klicks fast automatisch. Die Farben auf dem Controller sind gut sichtbar und wirken angenehm cremig. Einen Stern Abzug gibt es fr fehlende templates fr Anfnger und dafr, dass man den Controller alle 30 Tage in Verbindung mit fl fire nutzen muss, da die Software sonst nicht mehr funktioniert. Ergo braucht man mindestens 1x im Monat eine Internet Verbindung, obwohl man die Software schon registriert hat.
his is for my son and he’s happy with the way he’s able to used it and its pretty good piece of equipment for what he needs are, to create music and add it to programs , very satisfied thank u
I love using the Fire and cannot fault it. The only part of it that Ivdon’t use much is the built in piano keyboard, but I have a 7 octave keyboard for that.
HOWEVER: I am a loooong time FL user — ever since it was called Fruity Loops. I am not sure if this makes a difference, but it might. Also, I started out in music on late ’80s / early ’90s equipment, so I got used to little displays and button-combos early on. Just be patient, though – it’s WAY more intuitive and fun than that stuff.
Excelente producto, me ha ayudado a agilizar varios procesos en mi flujo de trabajo. Les recomiendo leer los folletos incluidos ya que tiene muchsimas funciones que quiz a simple vista no se puedan ver.
At first glance, this just looks like and extension of the sequencer in FL Studio, and while it does handle that function amazingly, there are so many more things it does. Notably, you can turn it into a 3+ octave keyboard that can be customized to any scale you want. The different key arrangement takes some time to get used to, but actually end up becoming intuitive and you can progress within chords effortlessly. I do wish the buttons were a little more tactile, but for this price they do they job very well.
I do still find myself switching between mouse, keyboard, and the fire, but the fire has taken over quite a few main commands, especially velocity, panning, and tuning of any note. That’s probably the strong suit of the Fire, the seamless link with the sequencer commands, and the weighted feel of the knobs as you change settings. Even though there’s only 4 knobs, they can do 16 different things with only a couple clicks, 8 of those fully customizable.
If you don’t already have a MIDI controller/keyboard for your FL Studio setup, don’t hesitate to get this – it will open up your production immensely. If you do already have MIDI controllers and synths, this is still something to consider if you are well-versed in FL Studio. The way it integrates the program into a tactile controller will augment everything you do and can significantly speed up your workflow – letting you get farther in your work faster.
Das Gesamtbild ist sehr gut. Super geliefert worden und in gutem Zustand allerdings nicht so gut fr Anfnger meiner meinung nach. Aber sonst TOP
bought this for my 13yr old son who loves his music and with fl studios added in the price its a bargain..he’s been using it a few weeks now and he’s already knocking up some nice dnb tracks…. the pads will made and has a nice feel and look to it when it’s all lit up
I got this for my partner and he loves it!
If you already have FL Studio (not the mobile version) this should be plug and play, if you are getting the version that includes FL Studio Fire Edition then you may have to do a bit a messing around to get everything registered and up and running (20 mins tops). Once plugged in it is a dream, ties in really well with FL Studio and so many things can be done from the Fire without breaking your flow to reach for mouse/keyboard. Initially disappointed that it doesn’t work with FL Studio mobile (which was what I was used to) but the Desktop app is probably a lot more powerful and hasn’t taken long to get used to. Sexy piece of kit, I love it.
Before you can download the software you have to register your product these days, it does not like the serial number I have, which is starting to sound like someone else already has this device registered on their account. That would explain the 2 broken seals on the box.
Support ticket response with Akai is between 24 and 72 hours before I get a reply regarding the serial number issue, fingers crossed.
(UPDATE)
After updating to the latest FL studio version, it worked perfectly. Still miffed about the factory Seal being broken on the Product Box, and still no response from Akai regarding not being able to register the product. I still think I have a returned item that is registered to someone else. However it seems to be working fully.
Plugged it in and started working right away with the latest version of Image Line FL Studio.
The Fire is causing me to go back and focus on the core FL Studio channel programming after many years of tweaking FL Studio to do whatever I want.
The physical channel sequencing, channel and mixer knob twisting, pattern selector, transport control panel, and other features bring me back to the heart of how Image Line originally designed FL Studio.
Just what i needed makes fl flow better when using. Mimics controls well. No velocity is s bummer but spart from that if you have the extra money get it. Delivered quick and perfectly. 4 stars no velocity.
Me a gustado el producto lo que necesito es una factura de el producto
Seamless integration with FL studio. Works fine on Mac version of FL. Happy with the product, although overall it didn’t speed up my workflow that much:- I use more for navigation.
Un controller veramente molto ben fatto da parte di Akai a patto per di apprezzarne le caratteristiche…
Io non usavo FL Studio da molti anni (ho una licenza Producer) ed ero molto attratto dalla novit di Akai.
Purtroppo ho dovuto effettuare il reso non tanto per la qualit del prodotto in s quanto perch con la nuova versione di FL Studio (la 20) non mi trovo assolutamente bene: preferisco di gran lunga usare Ableton Live (e relativi controller…). Comunque per chi di voi utilizza FL Studio un acquisto sicuramente da consigliare in modo particolare per chi lo utilizza in modalit step sequencer che, con questo controller, risulta davvero molto intuitivo e divertente.
Meno efficiente per suonare parti di batteria o singole note, i pad sono davvero troppo piccoli e un p duri al tocco.
Awesome workflow with this controller brings out the creative side with hands on with the music – quality of build is very good and just works within fl studio like a dream just plug and create your sounds
skills req. ease of use related to existing nav. I bought by research and my way of learning. I like a physical connection with my music. prod as well as screen.price very inexspensive for the quality of build. build strong.recommend older benniner/ iniates would suit well.image-line good developer plenty of shelf life.
Honestly the most awesome piece of tech I’ve got on my desk. I got to see this as it was being released, watching as they talked about it. I’ve been playing with this for a while and it’s good fun. No problems with it at all.
My son loves this item. He is making he’s own music. There’s alot of different settings & sounds. For beginners to advanced. If you are interested in music, which he is & doing @ college, a great item to have.
I have used FL studio for years and I am having a lot of fun using this.
Fast and easy hookup. Amazing controller for such a low cost, and comes with FL20 fruity edition with lifetime updates.
This is the best thing that has happened to FL Studio. You can use this controller without touching the keyboard ever.
Tralasciando la pecca vi dico:
Integrazione con FL oltre le aspettative, prezzo molto contenuto considerando le funzionalit e poi lo step sequencer di FL fra le mani credo che sia il sogno realizzato per tutti gli utilizzatori di Fl studio; modalit note e drum per registrazioni o live e performance mode per il lancio di loop, samples e automation in real time