MPC Sample Academy vs S
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
MPC Sample Academy
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Sample Academy is the fastest, most complete way to learn the Akai MPC Sample - the new entry-level standalone MPC sampler, beat maker, and groovebox. Whether you just unboxed your MPC Sample or you are upgrading from a phone beat-making app, this is the step-by-step path from your first pad tap to a finished, exported song. One purchase. No subscriptions. Everything unlocked. Built specifically for the MPC Sample. These are not generic MPC tutorials. Every lesson, every button press, and every screen reference matches the exact hardware in your hands - the 8 pad banks, Instant Sample Chop, KNOB FX, PAD FX, 16 Levels, Note Repeat, and USB-C audio export. ONE-TIME PURCHASE, FULL ACCESS - Pay once and unlock all 13 lessons forever - No monthly fees, no paywalls, no hidden upsells - Every beginner, advanced, and pro lesson included from day one WHY PRODUCERS CHOOSE SAMPLE ACADEMY - 13 structured, step-by-step lessons covering the full MPC Sample workflow - Every term explained in plain English: BPM, swing, quantize, velocity, dB, gain staging, aftertouch, timestretch, and more - An interactive hardware diagram that highlights the exact knob, pad, or button for each step - Per-step tips and pro shortcuts on every screen - No 200-page PDF, no endless YouTube rabbit holes - just clear, ordered lessons LESSON CHAPTERS Beginner: Meet the hardware, record your first sample, trim and assign sounds to pads, and program your first beat. Everything you need to make sound on day one. Advanced: Master Instant Sample Chop, practice chopping inside the app, dial in swing and groove, automate filters and effects with KNOB FX, and learn the difference between timestretch and repitch. Pro: Level up your finger drumming, sculpt sounds with PAD FX and Flex Beat, chain sequences into full song arrangements, and run a clean USB-C mixdown into your DAW. AI TUTOR ON EVERY LESSON Stuck on a step? Tap the Tutor. The built-in AI Tutor knows exactly which lesson and step you are on and answers in plain English, with advice specific to the MPC Sample. It can even read answers aloud so you can keep your hands on the hardware. No generic responses, no hunting through forums - just instant, relevant help. BUILT-IN SAMPLE PADS Practice anywhere with a full 16-pad kit right in the app. Tap to trigger punchy kicks, snares, hi-hats, claps, 808s, percussion, & FX. Record your pad performance, play it back, and save your beats. Four dedicated user pads let you record your own sounds with the microphone or upload your own audio files - sample your voice, your room, anything - and chop it across the pads to build muscle memory before you touch the hardware. BEAT TRAINER - RHYTHM GAME Sharpen your timing with a built-in finger-drumming game. Notes fall down four lanes - kick, snare, hi-hat, open hat - & you tap in time with your kit. Includes: - 11 patterns: Four-on-the-Floor, Boom Bap, Lofi, Trap, Drill, House, Reggaeton, Jersey Club, Funk, Drum & Bass, and more - Speed control from half-time practice up to full-speed challenge - Score, accuracy, and combo tracking - Personal bests saved per pattern and speed - Shareable score cards for Instagram and TikTok - Listen to any pattern before you play it STAY MOTIVATED - Daily streak tracking keeps you coming back - A Today screen shows your next lesson so you always know what is next - Progress tracking across every lesson and chapter WHO IT IS FOR - New MPC Sample owners who want results fast - Beat makers coming from FL Studio, Ableton, GarageBand, Maschine, or phone apps - Producers moving up from an SP-404 or other samplers - Anyone who has owned an MPC for months and never finished a beat GENRES YOU WILL MAKE Hip hop, lofi, boom bap, trap, drill, R&B, house, & more. The skills transfer to any style you want to produce. Sample Academy is an independent learning app & is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Akai Professional. MPC and MPC Sample are trademarks of inMusic Brands, Inc.
S
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The whole Roland S-1 panel on your iPhone or iPad, over USB-C. The S-1 hides half its brain behind the Shift key. This editor puts all of it in front of you: all 54 parameters, laid out like the SH-101 panel ā the synth the S-1 rebuilds ā so the signal chain reads at a glance. WHAT IT DOES ⢠All 54 control changes, with faders where the SH-101 had them and knobs where it did not. ⢠Follows the hardware: move a knob on the S-1 and the screen follows in real time. ⢠60 factory presets in six categories. Versions of the patch charts from the original SH-101 manual, the club sounds the 101 became known for, and a bank built by ear against the unit. ⢠Four sequencers: step piano roll, three-layer euclidean, scale-based generative and arpeggio. ⢠Motion recording: move any control while it plays and it gets automated step by step. ⢠A randomizer that blows up the whole engine and still leaves something audible. ⢠Your own sound library, with export and import. ⢠Light and dark. Spanish, English and Portuguese. WORTH KNOWING You need a Roland S-1 connected over USB-C. The editor makes no sound of its own: it sends MIDI to the unit, and the unit is what you hear. The S-1 does not answer SysEx. There is no way to read a sound out of it or store one over MIDI, so the library lives in the app and WRITE is pressed on the unit. The app selects the target pattern and dumps the sound so all you do is confirm. The whole parameter map comes from the official v1.02 manual. PRIVACY Nothing is collected. No accounts, no network, no analytics. Your sounds stay on your device. Made by fantasmogenesis.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is price: S at $2.99 against MPC Sample Academy's $3.99. On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS
MPC Sample Academy costs $3.99 and S $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | MPC Sample Academy | S |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | $2.99 ā better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod ā better |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.0 ā better |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 106 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kristen Granados | Cristopher Alejandro Yescas Arreola |
In-app purchases
MPC Sample Academy
No in-app purchases
S
No in-app purchases









