

Holding a step pad down while moving a rotary encoder lets you change its parameters including velocity and panning.

The pads are responsive and it’s easy to see when you’ve entered a “step” because it lights up – the brighter it is, the higher the velocity of that step, and the dimmer it is, the lower the velocity. In the past you had to use a mouse or trackpad in order to do that, and that process is the main thing that the Fire seeks to replace. This step sequencer interface is what you use to input drum hits, one shots and synth notes. The Akai Pro Fire has 4×16 backlit RGB pads arranged to look like FL Studio’s step sequencer.
