https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-pzQuI3FO8

http://www.okayplayer.com/news/heres-a-first-look-at-akais-two-new-standalone-mpcs.html

Yea or Nay and why?

If I could run synths off an MPC I'd never have to touch my computer while creating. Not a big deal since I have MIDI, but a bunch of rack synths just isn't in the budget right now, so I'm stuck using the ones on my DAW.

I'd actually cop a 3000, or a 2k/2kxl for dirt-cheap before any of the new MPCs.

so..yes, it can load VSTs

For what it is it looks great, I'm just after a specific (no computer) workflow. I want to be able to use the DAW for recording only. I prefer knobs, sliders and buttons and hate having to touch a mouse or keyboard.

I guess a few rack modules for sounds would probably work better for me.

Both hold up really well IMO.

Korg M3 is generally available for about $700 on up though the Yamaha MOXF can be had between $8-900.

Of course that's if you're looking for Romplers

The price of the X is definitely prohibitive and I was hoping the Live would come in at $999 but that's not a huge deal. All things considered the Live will make a sole conanion for my Kronos.

The X doesn much that I want or need beyond the Live aside from that 10 inch touch screen and an imposing form factor. I don't care about the cv gates or sd storage with thumb drives available and don't care about the additional outs since I'll probably render all my drums directly into the Kronos and/Cubase for post production anyways.

I think the hybrid nature of these is revolutionary but we'll have to see how well these serve two masters.

There's already a ton of disappointment for not hosting offline vet's but that seems like a technical pain in the ass so I saw it as an outside shot in the dark to begin with.

Honestly though I think this is the beginning of a new generation of production tools. I know Roland is supposedly dropping their own acb sampler though with their recent botiqie output I won't be surprised to see some miniature monophonic bullshit aimed at hipsters.

All in all this is a big deal.

I use my MPC1000 to sequence everything digital (currently and ASR-X and a DAW) and it works great.

My ASR-X has 8 outs and the MPC up to 8 and I pretty-much only use 1 output on each (I run things mono). Having all those outputs seems like it's only beneficial if you're cutting to tape or you have a bunch of outboard effects to insert(or if you have a fancy digital mixer like the Onyx).

There's no piano roll or even a primitive grid. That's fine for regular instruments but it's a pain in the ass for drums.

The step sequencer works in sixes/twelves and so forth, so a beat tick in a measure would be 12, 24, 36, 48, but it ends at 48. It's just an odd way of doing things to me.

On the MPC it was simple: a measure went from 0-100, in value of 1's, i.e, a snare would be 25, 75, kick on 1 and 50. or 51, 52, 53, whatever.

Even without that it's easy to edit since each pad is one sound on one channel on one track. Editing a drum sequence where everything is on one track with those odd as 'beat tick' times is a pain. Some beats I want a stiff 32 note hat or whatever and even that's a chore, where as on an MPC you hit that note repeat and go to town.

Plus the drum sampling itself isn't really friendly to hip hop. Battery, Maschine, Geist, MPC, etc, all those are well suited in the way you browse and create a drum program. It's kind of a headache in Kronos.

The Live looks like a perfect storm of all those elements. the Kronos is beastly on the synth, sound design, and, for the most part, even rompler functions. IFX routing is dope. It's feature intensive but oddly enough the sequencer is downright anemic on that front. It's startling blemish for such a high end flagship product.

have the same issues. But for what they are, I've always preferred Korg sequencers to Roland or Yamaha. And that Kronos has some KILLER sounds...

I figured since Krome derived from Kronos and the M3 was the predecessor of the Kronos (though Kronos has much more in common with the Oasys, which they are all derived from) the piano roll in Kronos was a given.

Nearly six years in as one of their most widely requested features and they still won’t add one. It’s mystifying. But yeah, keyboard sequencers are oddly primitive to this day.

And yes the Kronos soundset is eye popping, though as with the rest of the board Korg did 80% of it exceptionally well and oddly screwed the pooch on the rest. Getting a decent guitar sound out of this thing is a pain in the ass. Thankfully I still have some VST’s lol.

Have you heard the “famous synths” added in the 2? That’s a standing ovation job right there. Some of them are very accurate and most are just close enough.

uses those synth patches on the 2 - spot on. First time hearing some of those on a gig was mind blowing - specifically the Prince, MJ, etc. sounds.

The only disappointment I found was they didn’t extend that concept to other instruments. Even a reasonable approximation of the Al Green horn sound or the “What’s Goin’ On” sax would have been jaw dropping.

While dope..

I probably will just get an MPC 60II again when I can...

I have been "in the box" for so long now that I kinda want to start copping some hardware just to break shit up and get different textures from lofi sample rates

I'm not dealing with updates/ROM/RAM etc...

it's cool for streamlining your creative process...but when your computer starts computering it can be frustrating.


I'll just keep payin this 'lectric bill. LOL

>I'm not dealing with updates/ROM/RAM etc...
>
>it's cool for streamlining your creative process...but when
>your computer starts computering it can be frustrating.
>
>I'll just keep payin this 'lectric bill. LOL

The two new units are hybrids. They function 100% as standalone hardware MPC’s that run a full, embedded version of the MPC software and double as a controller for the MC 2.0 software & audio/midi interface.

The only standalone limitation is that it doesn’t host vst’s in standalone and the audio track count drops to 8. Otherwise you have a portable DAW in a standalone box. Particularly with hip hop and other loop based genres where you’re relying heavily on midi triggering samples that audio track count limit isn’t a big deal.

So that plus a fully integrated controller and audio/midi interface if/when you choose to connect to a computer in one box is a groundbreaking product… but that computer integration definitely isn’t necessary.

If you’re working on the computer with VST’s you can simply render your loops to wavs, save them to a flash drive and work offline if you need to

Ram on Mpc or computer? I have only had 2 computers in like 10 yrs and for the most part ive been good... when I used to make beats on mpc it was annoying with the floppys but I think now I would sample into it and go straight to computer so i never needed to save anything on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDoHh3nRQyg

Live Tracks??

Works waay better than the looper mode on the Touch

..if its as solid as advertised, sold.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

I'm seriously thinking of getting some hardware this year, but still a bit unsure on which direction to go in.

It's completely stand alone.

You get 8 audio tracks in standalone mode and 128 when you’re using the software. Audio tracks are coming to the Maschine, but the MPC is offering them now (well, at launch, which is Feb 6 I believe)

2. Real-time time stretch and pitch shifting, which is huge all by itself.

3. Integrated audio/midi interface with multiple ins and outs, including turntable inputs.

4. Standalone mode! The unit has a full version of the software minus VST’s and a lower audio track count. Standalone mode also has the benefit of a rechargeable battery. No computer necessary, but you do get significantly expanded functionality when connected to a computer, and you retain full control over the 2.0 software.

5. The addition of clip launching as a native function (pun unintended, lol). Maschine requires the addition of Jam for this though I believe they announced that they’ll be adding this in the next os update. Again, it’s coming in Maschine, but the MPC has it now.

6. Customizable GUI, which is a refreshing innovation.

7. The touch screen itself, which may turn off a lot of traditional MPC users. Personally I enjoy the workflow the touchscreen on my Kronos. Despite what some say it’s not “just an ipad” and is in fact very tactile, particularly given the other hardware controls. The Live also has a thicker, chunkier build than the Touch. Both come with Fat Pads, which are IMO much better than Maschine’s.

You won’t get, to my understanding, the fully integrated experience browsing VST’s from the hardware the way you do with Maschine, though that experience in Maschine is limited to Komplete and VST’s that adopted the .NKS protocol.

I know it’s not an exhaustive breakdown but hopefully it helped.

I come from an MPC 2K and racks/older workstations like the XP80, then Cubase, then Maschine, and now Kronos, so I do have plenty of experience working with different formats and in/around their limitations. Personally this is the most exciting new product since Maschine changed the way companies built hardware to integrate with software. I think this is truly the next major leap in production technology.

the workflow looks amazingly simple and powerful.

I love using Maschine and I look forward to it having DAW-like capabilities. I sold my Maschine Studio last year and I'll probably just get a Jam when I decide to get back into making music (it's just been an on and off again thing for me the last few years, kind of like to work on a few tracks to see if I still got it, then I put it back down) but these units actually look really dope.

*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

.

...small sidetone though...
Ableton really changed the game and a lot of these other companies are playing catch up...
A lot of these features (clip launching etc) was around in Ableton 10+ years ago...
It's crazy how far they've come when you think about it..

Very intuitive, fast-to-use and rock-solid. They also have a nice "feel" to them. I sequence Logic with an MPC now because the DAW sequencer just felt too stiff for me. The sampler is nice too, tho all of the newer models sound very clean like DAWs do (everything MPC2k and later). I prefer samplers that color the sound a bit.

Not sure if the workflow would even be comparable to Ableton tho. I've never used it, but seen videos of folks in "live" mode (or whatever it'c called) doing some amazing things with looping on the fly that just isn't possible with an MPC (at least the older ones).

Yeah...I just missed the boat on with the mpc I think...most I could afford when I started was a trigger finger. I'd use fl studio then went to Ableton.

The Ableton comparison I was making was with the clip launching feature on the new ones. I was assuming the clip launch function they demonstrate is new to the mpc workflow.
To my knowledge Ableton was the first to come with the concept of launching clips/loops.


>Very intuitive, fast-to-use and rock-solid. They also have a
>nice "feel" to them. I sequence Logic with an MPC now because
>the DAW sequencer just felt too stiff for me. The sampler is
>nice too, tho all of the newer models sound very clean like
>DAWs do (everything MPC2k and later). I prefer samplers that
>color the sound a bit.
>
>Not sure if the workflow would even be comparable to Ableton
>tho. I've never used it, but seen videos of folks in "live"
>mode (or whatever it'c called) doing some amazing things with
>looping on the fly that just isn't possible with an MPC (at
>least the older ones).

Really Ableton + Push 2 might be end all be all.. its such a tightly integrated package..

I've kinda bought all-in on Maschine. I sold my 2500 to get Maschine. My biggest issue with Akai now, is that they won't update the drivers for the EIE Pro interface.

basically kept afloat EXCLUSIVELY by hiphop djs for 30 yrs

then they kill the factory off

then bring it back for "high end audiophiles" with a "exclusionary pricepoint"

lol smh

which id boycott all their products if they actually made anything else worth a dam

>
>then bring it back for "high end audiophiles" with a
>"exclusionary pricepoint"

*aka Rich young post-hipster hipsters who want to listen to vinyl like their grand and great grand parents did.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IhSmq4WDMU

I do like the USB hub. Because they haven't updated the EIE Pro interface, I'm down 3 USB ports.

been a while since i ante'd up that much cash for music production gear but it does offer some interesting options.

im an old fart music production wise so i'm hardpressed to learn new soft/hardware, but maybe it'd be a worthwhile investment.