Akai MPC60 | MPC60II
The Akai MPC60 is a digital sampling workstation introduced in 1987. It has 16 voices of polyphony and operates at 12-bit/40 kHz resolution. The MPC60II (1991) adds a headphone jack and has an alternate exterior design with the screen fixed in place.
The MPC was designed by Roger Linn as the successor to the Linn 9000, a groundbreaking drum machine that was unfortunately plagued by software instability. The MPC60 addresses many of the issues of the Linn 9000 and greatly expands on its capabilities, turning it into a full-fledged studio workstation. Audio samples are converted at 16 bits and stored in a 12-bit linear data format, with 13.1 seconds of sampling time available (expandable to 26.2 seconds). Samples are slightly compressed and saturated when the inputs are overdriven, lending a punchy sound to drums and hits. The MPC60 also contains an advanced onboard sequencer famous for its quantization timing and "swing." With up to 99 tracks per song and 4 hardware MIDI outputs, it can easily serve as the centerpiece of a MIDI-based recording studio.
Upon its release it was quickly adopted by hip-hop and dance producers, who used it for both sampling and sequencing. The MPC60 has been used by Aphex Twin, Babyface, Digable Planets, Gang Starr, A Guy Called Gerald, J Dilla, Jean Michel Jarre, DJ Premiere, DJ Shadow, Stock Aitken and Waterman, and Warren G among others.
This page contains sample libraries for the MPC60 in IMG format for floppy drives, and HFE format for HxC floppy emulators. All archives are complete collections, checked and labeled for accuracy. Please note that these sounds require the original hardware to play.
Factory Samples
Aftermarket Samples
Drum Samples
Missing Sounds
We're looking for the following sample libraries for the Akai MPC60:
Akai SL603, SL611, and SL621 through SL630.
If you have any of these samples (or any sounds not listed here), please send an email to:
All sounds that are available for purchase have been linked to their official websites. If we've mistakenly hosted any sounds that are still for sale, send us an email and we'll redirect our link.
Software Tools
MPC Editor can create program files for the MPC60:
OmniFlop is able to extract IMG files from MPC floppies:
Upgrades & Modifications
The Vimana 3.15 OS is an essential upgrade to the MPC60, as it ports over several features from the MPC3000 and greatly expands the MPC60's capabilities. Among the included features are stereo sampling, increased pad banks, sample compression, MPC3000 sample conversion, and removal of the 5-second sampling limit.
SCSI2SD is a drive emulator which can be installed internally, externally, or in place of the floppy drive on the MPC60. It increases sample save and load times, and greatly increases sample storage. Note that your MPC must have a SCSI board installed in order to use SCSI2SD.
The HxC floppy emulator is compatible with the MPC60, and is an essential upgrade to its floppy disk drive:
Service & Repair
The following technicians specialize in servicing vintage Akai samplers:
Both technicians also offer several upgrades and modifications, such as internal SCSI, 10db output gain boost, headphone jack, low-pass filter, and custom paint jobs. MPCStuff, Syntaur and Vintage Synth Parts carry replacement parts for the Akai MPC60.