Akai and Moog embrace community-led hardware modifications

InMusic, the parent firm behind brands such as Akai, Moog, and Native Instruments, has announced plans to support the modding community. CEO Jack O’Donnell told interviewers, “We’re going to provide a toolbox to the community, we’re going to provide the inner workings of, say, an MPC or Sample so that people can do what they want.” This initiative involves releasing open-source code for hardware like the newly teased MPC Sample Key, alongside an SDK to simplify modifications and reduce the risk of damaging equipment.

While Akai is keen to see what users create and has begun distributing devices to developers before the official launch of the Sample Key, the firm remains focused on reliability. O’Donnell stated that the company wants to “make sure that our official software is completely stable and good for an artist on stage.” He noted that he cannot have someone like Fred Again performing live only to find their MPC is full of bugs. To encourage experimentation, he added, “We’ll try to give them a reset button,” so users can “experiment with it, and then not lose what they have.”

The company intends to make a significant impact at the NAMM convention in Anaheim with its Creator Lab. This space will allow technically minded musicians to test modifications on 22 new products across its various brands. This includes Moog hardware, which may seem unconventional for such coding due to its analog nature. O’Donnell believes this is possible “if we open it up correctly,” which will require building a platform for developers to interact with the analog circuit components.

The industry is seeing a rapid shift as other companies also welcome modding. Erica Synths has published the source code for its LXR-02 drum machine, while Polyend has made its Tracker grooveboxes open source. Behringer has also unveiled several open-source items, including a $150 MPC One clone called Kick, an E-mu SP-1200 clone, the Anima DJ controller, the Ignite sequencer, and the Polykeys 61 MIDI controller.

This industry transition has been both sudden and substantial. Regarding the necessity of providing hacking tools for inMusic products, O’Donnell remarked, “I can tell you it wasn’t on our task list five weeks ago. It just all of a sudden has to be on a task list now.”

Not every manufacturer is enthusiastic about this trend. Elektron has shared reservations regarding vibe-coded mods, prohibiting links to modified firmware or hacks on its official forums. A statement on its site warned: “We would always warn against modifications to our firmware and/or machines that could brick them (potentially rendering them unusable), prevent future updates, affect warranty coverage.”

Although Elektron discourages sharing links to hacked Digitone firmware, it is not actively attempting to stop the movement. There is a general consensus that the music gear sector has been permanently changed by vibe coding. Reflecting on this shift, O’Donnell concluded, “you can try to wall them off, which is just a losing battle one … and so we want to embrace them.”