Behringer has put the code for its KICK sampler on GitHub, and Akai says it will bring open firmware to its next sampler. A third Behringer machine is aimed at DJs. Here is what is confirmed, what is only a target, and what is still unknown.
By Craig Mars · 28 October 2026. Starting point: a video by PhilipsKnobs, checked against the sources listed at the end.
An Akai MPC Live from 2017, the kind of sampler the KICK is compared with. Not the KICK or the Sample Key. Photo: Joan Recordà, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized.
Where does each one stand?
28 October 2026
- Behringer KICKPrototype. Code on GitHub.Target about $150 · not confirmed
- Behringer IGNITESequencer. Code not uploaded yet.No price · no date
- Behringer open DJ unitPrototype photos only. No repository.Target $300 to $400 · was $400 to $500
- Akai Sample KeyTeaser videos. Firmware to be opened.No price · no date
What has Behringer actually published?
Only the KICK has code you can read today. Music Tribe, Behringer’s parent company, runs an open-source account on GitHub. The KICK repository holds the app, the audio engine, the protocol the hardware uses and a Linux image to run it on. Music Tribe’s own code is under the AGPL, a licence that makes anyone who shares a modified version share its source too. The page shows 14 commits and no ready-to-download firmware. No schematics or circuit board files are listed.
The machine itself is still a prototype: a seven-inch touchscreen, 16 RGB pads, a sampler, step sequencer and looper, a jog wheel, and CV and gate sockets. Synth Anatomy says the layout follows the Akai MPC One closely. About $150 is Behringer’s target, and Synthtopia notes that no retail price or ship date has been confirmed.
IGNITE is a 64-channel sequencer with a touchscreen, 16 step encoders, eight CV and gate outputs and five MIDI ports. Its repository exists, but says the source code is still being prepared. There is nothing to build or flash yet.
What do we know about the DJ unit?
This is the one that matters most to DJs, and it is the least finished. Behringer posted prototype photos on Facebook. DJ TechTools describes four channels, eight pads per deck and a folding touchscreen in the middle, with the name ANIMA on the unit and a Klark Teknik badge on the back. The jog wheels and pads were not fitted to the prototypes.
The price target was first posted as $400 to $500, then cut to $300 to $400 within about an hour, according to DJ TechTools. Some coverage, including the video behind this post, still uses the first range. There is no spec sheet or release date. DJ TechTools adds that Behringer has shown DJ hardware early before, and a 2020 mock-up never shipped.
What has Akai said?
Akai has posted two teaser videos on Instagram for the Sample Key, a two-octave keyboard sibling of the MPC Sample, which came out earlier this year. Staff say the firmware will be opened to the community, and the videos show custom synth engines and a chord tool made with an AI assistant.
That is all that is confirmed. Synth Anatomy and Gearnews both note there is no licence, repository or developer kit so far, and no price or date. MusicRadar links the timing to the KICK, which appeared a day earlier, but Akai has not mentioned Behringer.
Why could open firmware matter to DJs?
Mostly control and lifespan. Someone else could add a missing feature, fix a bug without waiting for the manufacturer, or keep a unit useful after support stops. On a DJ unit, Behringer’s pitch of no proprietary lock-in suggests you could choose the software it runs. For now that is a claim, not a feature.
Price is the other half. Resident Advisor calls $300 to $400 far below most standalone DJ gear. It is still only a target for a prototype.
What should DJs watch for?
Watch for
- A DJ repositoryThere is none on GitHub yet.
- CompatibilityDecoded Magazine notes it is unclear whether an open unit could work with Pro DJ Link or Serato.
- StabilityA deck that freezes mid-set is worse than a sampler that crashes at home. Decoded argues for stable factory software and a recovery mode first.
- Warranty and supportWho fixes a unit after community firmware crashes it? I found no answer in the coverage.
- What open means at AkaiLicence, developer tools, and whether the source is published.
- Who finishes the productMusicRadar warns brands could ship thin products and leave the rest to users.
What is still unknown?
Final prices, release dates and specs for all four machines, and whether the DJ unit ships open from day one. This covers what was public on 28 October 2026.
Where did this information come from?
Sources
- Music Tribe Open SourceGitHub account
- KICK repositoryCode and licences
- IGNITE repositorySource not yet uploaded
- DJ TechToolsOpen DJ unit
- Resident AdvisorOpen DJ unit
- MusicRadarAkai Sample Key teaser
- MusicRadarOpinion on AI-written firmware
- Synth AnatomyKICK
- Synth AnatomySample Key
- SynthtopiaKICK open-source details
- GearnewsSample Key
- Decoded MagazineConcerns and open questions
Video credit: Behringer Is Changing Music Hardware… Now Akai Wants In?! by PhilipsKnobs, YouTube, 28 October 2026. This post is written from the sources above and has no affiliate links. Prices are targets and can change.
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