APC40 mkII

The Akai APC40 mkII is an all-rounder for live laser shows. Its 8x5 RGB clip grid, 8 track faders, and rows of knobs map directly to Modulaser's clip selection, output group mixing, macros, and global controls. If you also use visual software like Resolume, you'll feel right at home.

Plug in via USB, enable the device in Settings > Devices, and the default mapping loads automatically. Every mapping below can be customized through MIDI learn.

Clip Grid (8x5 Pads)

The 40 pads map to the clip grid with RGB color feedback. Each pad shows the clip state: selected (green), has content (orange), or empty.

Row	Notes	Clip Cells
Top	32 to 39	Row 0, columns 0 to 7
2	24 to 31	Row 0, columns 8 to 15
3	16 to 23	Row 1, columns 0 to 7
4	8 to 15	Row 1, columns 8 to 15
Bottom	0 to 7	Row 2, columns 0 to 7

Use bank shifting to scroll the visible grid and access more clips than the 40 pads show at once.

Device Knobs (Macros)

The 8 device control knobs map to macros 1 through 6. Knobs 7 and 8 are unassigned by default.

Knob	CC	Target
K1 to K6	CC 16 to 21	Macros 1 to 6
K7, K8	CC 22, 23	Unassigned

Top Knobs (Global Controls)

The 8 assignable knobs along the top row control global output parameters.

Knob	CC	Target
T1	CC 48	Color override hue
T2	CC 49	Color override saturation
T3	CC 50	Color override lightness
T4	CC 51	Color override level
T5	CC 52	Global speed
T6	CC 53	Strobe rate
T7	CC 54	BPM
T8	CC 55	Unassigned

Track Faders (Output Group Opacity)

The 8 track faders control output group 1 to 8 opacity. Each fader sends CC 7 on its respective MIDI channel.

Track Buttons

Each track column has a stack of buttons for output group control.

Button Row	Function
Track Activator	Output group send
Solo	Output group select
Track Select	Select clip for editing within group
Clip Stop	Output group clear

Transport and Global

Control	Function
Tempo encoder	BPM (relative)
Tap Tempo	Tap tempo
Cue Level knob	Bank shift (horizontal, relative encoder)
Play	Timeline play/pause
Stop All Clips	Blackout