General
Made in collaboration with Image-Line, the Akai fire is a powerful tool for anyone who works with FL Studio, not to mention the first controller of its kind. What's more, it's fully plug-and-play and cut out for getting your creative juices flowing. Here, it comes complete with FL Studio Fruity Edition.
On Fire
The core of the Akai Fire looks just like the step sequencer in FL Studio itself. This performance section is designed to import patterns quickly or for controlling the mixing section, while in the command section, there is a variety of controls that help you navigate FL Studio menus without the need for a computer mouse. Smoothly scroll through your channel rack, browser, tool bar or playlist in an entirely new way, use the transport buttons to control standard functions such as play and stop, and spend less time faffing with your mouse and more time creating music!
The Matrix Explained
The real magic happens within the 4 x 16 lay-out of velocity-sensitive RGB pads. While this matrix is similar to the patterns in FL Studio, it does a whole lot more. In fact, the pads can be used as a drum machine, or set up like a MIDI keyboard for playing and pulling notes out of a VST. Just in case you're planning to go all out, it's even possible to hook up four separate Akai Professional Fire controllers to FL Studio and create a massive, 8 x 32 grid for ultimate beat weaving.