Akai MPD in the Browser
The MPD218, MPD226 and MPD232 were built for finger drumming. Padwolf is a free 16-pad sampler that runs in any Chrome or Firefox tab. Plug in, allow MIDI, play.
BPM
50%
Why MPD + Padwolf is the no-DAW combo
• 16 pads, native mapping. The MPD's thick pads map 1:1 onto Padwolf's 16-pad grid. The pad you hit is the sound you hear. • Velocity all the way through. MPD pads are known for their feel — Padwolf reads the full 1–127 range and converts to per-hit volume. Ghost notes and accents come through clean. • Bank switching across 128 pads. The MPD's bank buttons send program-change or note-shift; Padwolf has 8 banks × 16 pads. Match them and you've got 128 sounds at your fingertips. • Mute groups and per-pad pitch. Open/closed hat mute groups, semitone-pitch a kick, loop a one-shot — none of which the MPD itself does natively. • Step sequencer behind the pads. Found the loop? Switch to the 16-step grid with A/B patterns and MPC-style swing on 1/16 and 1/8. Bake in pitch, export WAV/FLAC/OGG. • No software stack to fight. MPC Beats, Maschine, Ableton — install, account, key. Padwolf needs none of that.
From box to beat in minutes
1. Connect over USB. MPD controllers are class-compliant — no Akai driver needed. Plug in, the unit powers on. 2. Open Padwolf, grant MIDI. padwolf.app → Connect MIDI → Allow. Your MPD shows up in the device dropdown. 3. Drop a kit, hit a pad. Drag a kit folder onto the pad grid. Tap a pad on the MPD — the pad lights up in the browser, the sound fires. You're playing.
Test your MPD firstWhere the sequencer earns its keep
BPM
60%
›
The MPD is built for live performance. Padwolf is built for both — live and step-programmed. Anything that takes precision (ghost notes, dragged backbeats, hat rolls) is faster on the grid than in your fingers. The pattern below is what you'd reach for after laying down a live take with the MPD and wanting tighter timing.
Who this is for
Producers without a DAW open. When inspiration hits and launching Ableton is too much friction, MPD + Padwolf gets a loop down in under a minute. Export the WAV, drop it in your DAW later. Live finger-drumming practice. Padwolf doesn't add latency on top of Web Audio's already-low overhead. Daily practice without project bookkeeping. Chromebook and Linux users. MPD is plug-and-play on every OS; Padwolf is plug-and-play in any browser. That's the only fully working beat-making rig on a Chromebook today.
Frequently Asked Questions
All current and recent MPD models — MPD218, MPD226, MPD232 — are class-compliant USB MIDI and work with Padwolf out of the box. Older MPDs that ran via the AkaiPro driver also work in the browser when the OS sees them as MIDI devices.
No. Padwolf is independent of any Akai software. It speaks Web MIDI directly to the MPD over USB.
Most MPDs send program-change or note-shift on bank-switch buttons. Padwolf maps the active 16 pads via a base note — slide it ±16 to follow the MPD's bank switches, or just hit Padwolf's bank A–H buttons in the UI.
Yes. The MPD's banks send different MIDI ranges; Padwolf has 8 banks × 16 pads. Match the ranges and each MPD bank can drive a different Padwolf bank with different sounds.
Padwolf supports Bluetooth MIDI where the OS does — Mac with Chrome is the most reliable. USB is faster to set up and more reliable; we recommend it.
Yes — Padwolf has a project save/load with a .padwolf file format. Pads, samples, patterns and per-pad settings save together. Drag the file back in to reload.