UNOFFICIAL FIRMWARENOT FROM AKAI · COMMUNITY BUILDS
Community developers are writing their own custom firmware, also called alternative firmware, for the MPC Key 61. This is a selection, not every fork or experiment: we list the projects with a working build and a real following, and check them every day. FW Radar doesn’t host these files and doesn’t send alerts for their versions: each link opens the developer’s page.
2 PROJECTS · LAST CHECKED 25 OCT 2026
Get an email when new custom firmware for the MPC Key 61 is found
01STABLE
MPC-LiveXplore (TKGL)
by TheKikGen
Modified MPC update images that open SSH and start a bootstrap from an SD card or USB stick at boot: Linux modules such as rtpMIDI network MIDI, your own arp patterns, VNC screen streaming and IamForce2. Without the card the MPC starts as usual.
Not supported by Akai. Images stop at MPC OS 3.4.2: installing means going back from 3.9.x, and an official update removes it. Back up your projects first.
Runs the Force software on an MPC from an SD card, with drivers that map the Force functions to the MPC itself or to a Launchpad Mini MK3, Launchpad X, APC Key 25 or APC Mini. Take the card out and the MPC is back.
Needs the TKGL SSH image first (MPC OS 3.4.2). Beta, no update since November 2023. Not supported by Akai.
READ THIS FIRSTAt your own risk, and it may void your warranty. Read the developer’s install notes, back up your presets, and make sure you know how to go back: official 3.10.0 and how to install it →
Running one of these?Mark it in your rig: the MPC Key 61 won’t show as out of date, and you still hear about official updates.
What you get with a free account
An alert the day a new MPC Key 61 firmware ships, by email, Telegram or push
Your whole rig in one place, with the version each device is on
Used and new Reverb prices for your gear
A public rig page to share, if you want one
We check Akai's official download page for the Akai MPC Key 61 every day. One message per release. No spam, no newsletter.
It’s written by independent developers, not by Akai. Some projects are stable, others are early betas: read each developer’s notes before you flash.
Can I go back to the official firmware?
Yes: load the official 3.10.0 with inMusic Software Center, as described in the official update guide.
Why isn’t every MPC Key 61 project listed?
We pick the ones worth trying: a build you can install and a real following, from GitHub stars and downloads or from the community. Forks that only rename a project or add a few presets stay out, and brand-new projects get a second look after their first week.
Does FW Radar track custom firmware versions?
We note the latest version each developer has published when we check the list, every day, but we don’t send alerts for it: alerts are only for official Akai firmware.
