Unreallystic wrote:CharlesRandolph wrote:The job of Akai Pro is to continue to offer support and updates on these devices. While having a how to tutorial is nice, that is what the User Quick Guide and Instructions Manuals are for. If that does not do, it's up to the user to find a tutor or someone who knows how to use the machine, like this location. Maybe someone will help and maybe they will tell you to R.T.M (Read The Manuel.)
I'm not saying its their job.
I'm saying they SHOULD do it anyways.
I'm also not saying "Just them" either, this is something that ALL music equipment developers should do in the modern era. Its not as shallow a point as to teach people either. As I mentioned, the benefits are larger than that. You build a STRONGER COMMUNITY. You build LESS IGNORANT USERS. You establish BETTER TRAINED CONTENT CREATORS WHO WILL PUSH YOUR PRODUCT. Its essentially transforms into advertisement. People get excited when they see other people create music quickly or that sounds good and realize how they can do it as well. And heck, if more people are purchasing, then the demand for soundpacks increases, which creates additional profit centers. This will invariably increase hardware demands possibly to the tune of releasing a new model (see Push to Push 2).
It doesn't hurt anyone for them to release videos on Youtube for all their functions, it will take them time and money in house, money that can be pulled from the advertisement budget(s). However it helps the long game substantially. Us being here is proof positive of this.
-Unreall
I understand but it's the job of the MUSICIAN to push the boundaries and educate themselves. The profit margin is very slim on these machines and they are not selling millions of them to warrant or afford that much support. In fact I would be surprised if they made and sold more than 20K units world wide, before they move on.
There are to many different ways that people work on these machines. Some people want to sample a record and loop it. That's it. They don't care about a midi matrix or programing cc messages or disk streaming.
The best way for Akai Pro to inspire musicians, is to make a real flag ship instrument packed with hardware and software features. They need a machine that blows the socks off every MPC ever made. Basically they need a machine that is the Sony Oxford/Harrison/NEVE/SSL of all drum machines.
I'm talking 8K to 10K for a machine, something that makes a statement. That they are here for the long haul. NO more cheap products, no more bad customer service. It should say, we are Professional Company who makes devices for Professional Musicians. That is what they use to have. That was the culture of the company.
Don't take this the wrong way, but right now they are making machines for people in their bedroom, who don't have lots of money to spend on their machine. It's for people who make music, on Saturday or Sunday when the kids are sleeping.
What confuses me is that with all the companies In Music owns, the best flagship they put out was the MPC X? Think about it: They have Air, Denon Professional, Marantz, Rane, Soni Vox, and M Audio. The MPC should destroy any drum machine out there. I'm not talking about beating them, I mean make a company say, there's no way we can compete.