Behringer KICK: The Open-Source MPC-Style Sampler Behringer Just Showed (What We Know So Far)
Short answer: the Behringer KICK is a prototype standalone sampler and groovebox that looks a lot like the Akai MPC One, and Behringer has published its firmware on GitHub so the community can modify it. The price is not official (a $150 target has been reported) and no release date has been given. Everything below comes from prototype-stage reports, so details can change.
What Behringer showed
In the last week of October 2026, Behringer's parent company Music Tribe showed the first prototype of the KICK. Gearnews (October 29, 2026) describes it as a "Professional Standalone Music Production Center": a sampler with sample editing, a step sequencer, a looper and more than 300 built-in effects. The same report notes that the design closely resembles Behringer's 2020 JAM concept and the Akai MPC One.
The Radio In Altum video, "Behringer KICK: The New MPC One Killer?", was the first video on the channel to cover it, and it became the most watched video on the channel within days.
Reported specs (still projected)
- Pads and screen: 16 RGB pads with eight banks, a 7-inch touchscreen, a touch strip, four assignable knobs and a jog wheel.
- Connections: 5-pin DIN MIDI in and out, four CV/Gate jacks, stereo in and out, a headphone output, USB-C and USB-A, and an SD card slot (capacity not given).
- Extras: an AI camera for gesture control. Gearnews says the unit is expected to run Music Tribe's JAM DAW software, which is little documented so far.
Gearnews labels these specs "projected", so treat them as a wish list from a prototype, not a final feature sheet.
The open-source part
The firmware code is public on GitHub in the repository MusicTribeOpenSource/0700-AAM. According to MusicRadar, Music Tribe published the KICK's code under the AGPL-3.0 license. How the open model will work in practice is still unclear: Gearnews calls the situation a "Wild Wild West".
In Part 2 of the series, "Behringer KICK Part 2: The $150 Open-Source MPC Killer, What Can We Build?", the channel reads Uli Behringer's post, goes through what was actually released and notes that Claude AI is listed as a co-author in the GitHub commits. It then looks at what the community could build, from effects (it mentions Chris Johnson's open-source Airwindows effects) to using the CV outputs.
Price and release date
Neither is official. A target of $150 has been reported, and MusicRadar compares it with $799 for the MPC One Gen 2. The video's own description says the $150 figure is an unconfirmed rumor and that the 299 euro figure it mentions is the channel's own guess. No release date has been announced.
Why modular players are paying attention
The video's angle is the CV/Gate side: four dual jacks that could carry up to eight signals, a USB host port and the idea of a live modular rig without a laptop. That is the video's reading of the spec list. Until a unit exists, nobody can say how well it clocks or sequences a rack, so the useful question is what you would want to do with it, not whether it is good yet.
For the same reason, the channel followed the KICK with Behringer IGNITE, an open-source sequencer, and the SP1200X, an SP-1200 tribute, in the same week. Akai then teased the MPC Sample Key with open firmware.
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What is the Behringer KICK?
A prototype standalone sampler and groovebox from Behringer (Music Tribe) with 16 RGB pads, a 7-inch touchscreen, a step sequencer, a looper and more than 300 effects, according to Gearnews. Its design resembles the Akai MPC One.
Is the Behringer KICK open source?
The firmware code has been published on GitHub (repository MusicTribeOpenSource/0700-AAM), and MusicRadar reports it is under the AGPL-3.0 license. How the open model will work in practice has not been explained yet.
How much will the Behringer KICK cost?
There is no official price. A $150 target has been reported, and the Radio In Altum video describes it as an unconfirmed rumor.
When will the Behringer KICK be released?
No release date has been announced. The unit shown is a prototype.
Does the KICK have CV and gate outputs for modular synths?
Reported specs list four CV/Gate jacks, plus 5-pin DIN MIDI and USB. These are projected specs from a prototype and may change.
Sources
- Gearnews, Behringer KICK report (October 29, 2026): description, projected specs, price target, GitHub repository
- MusicRadar, Akai Sample Key teaser report (October 28, 2026): KICK license (AGPL-3.0), MPC One Gen 2 price comparison
- GitHub: MusicTribeOpenSource/0700-AAM (KICK firmware)
- Video description, Behringer KICK (chapters and sources)
- Video description, Behringer KICK Part 2
Written on November 1, 2026. Gear news can change fast; specs, prices and dates here are as reported on that day. This page is updated when new details come out.
What would you want from an open-source box? Tell us in the video comments.
