Making MPCs available at every price point is similar to what Roland has done with their products for over a decade. Before 1997-1999, MPCs were priced way outside of the average consumer/hobbyist budgets. The old Akai released a more affordable MPC with the release of the 2000 and later the XL. Today, we have MPCs that everyone can afford. I don't believe this has eroded Akai as a pro only brand anymore than cheap products made by Korg, Yamaha, or Roland has cheapened their images. Today, 'Pro' doesn't necessarily mean booking time in a multi-million dollar studio. The home studio revolution has afforded anyone with a modest budget to get their music in the hands of masses.
Used music gear has always been a lucrative market and will continue to be such I suspect. I don't believe that availability of used MPCs impact sales of newer models especially if we are talking about the higher end models. It simply gets MPCs in the hands of people who would normally not be able to afford a new model....like buying a used car. As far as profits..I would defer expertise to that topic for the CEOs of the multi-million dollar companies and not some guys in an internet forum with too much time on their hands.
What is an MPC 4000 level user? From my perspective and opinion (and I have plenty of opinions), the MPC 5000 is Akai going back to what people loved in an MPC. For 5 years, I have posted the pro's and con's of different MPCs around these different forums to include the MPC 4000. The MPC 5000 is exactly what I wanted in an MPC when the MPC 4000 dropped. The MPC 5000 is exactly what I wanted when the MPC 2500 dropped. The problem that Akai is facing is the same problem all companies of music production gear has faced for over a decade. Akai is not the only company impacted by software. As I wrote before Yamaha, Korg, and Roland has been impacted. And with that said, Akai MPCs (past and present) are still the premiere sampling drum machines. Their current position as a brand has not been impacted outside of the forums. The MPC 5000 is available in small quantities because it is new. The same is true for any new workstation that hits the market and has nothing to do with companies not being 'fully committed'. Looking around the internet today, they are now in stock in several places.
It is a fact that the MPC 5000 has a new 'coding' team. The previous Japanese team members are no longer employed whether you believe that or not. The MPC 5000 is still unavailable in Japan and is not even advertised. Cheap and less than genuine? I've seen the MPC 2500 in production studios owned by the likes of Alicia Keys to the Neptunes. The MPC 2500 is a remarkable improvement on the MPC 2000XL which is part of the legacy you are talking about. Have you ever used one? The MPC 4000 never achieved the same status as the MPC 3000 and 2000XL for reasons I wrote earlier. I based this on the fact that even after the release of the MPC 4000, the MPC 3000 and 2000XLs were the MPCs most likely to be seen in studios.
Company reps have been in these forums for years. They have interacted with forum members that behaved like adults. The Beta-testers were here in the forums to provide you info on the new product which I have done for several years. They are still around but I assume they don't have time to address silly issues that have been written in hundreds of threads. But unlike them, I will take the time to address certain things no matter how many times they are posted. I am strange like that.
The naming of the MPC 5000 only impacts the twenty-something MPC 4000 users in this forum. Is the MPC 5000 a repackaged MPC 2500? I would say yes in the same context as the Motif XS is a repackaged Motif or Motif ES. The same is true for the Fantom G which is a repackaged Fantom or Fantom X within the same context. Instead of being a person who simply speculates...I actually own/owned these products we are now talking about. The MPC 5000 is a significant improvement on the MPC 2500 design. There is already a thread on this. Any MPC 2500 user that has used an MPC 5000 will tell you this. I am just waiting for the OS update to fix bugs I reported as well as waiting for the first major feature improvement which I suspect will come when the MPC 5000 will start shipping to the Japanese markets. (just my best guess) If the Alesis Fusion technology is in the MPC 5000, then I am really excited as long as they incorporate it in way that doesn't hinder the workflow which should be lesson learned from the MPC 4000..which by the way is still used in numerous studios. to include Alicia Keys' production studio. You would think the MPC 4000 is useless based upon comments written about it around here
So based upon all of this and your apparent limited few of things, I can understand why you may think the Akai MPC brand has been bled. I see the cheaper MPCs models (which I will never buy for myself) as just a way to let anyone own an MPC...just like anyone can own a Mac Computer for about $500.
But I do agree that anyone looking to buy this MPC 5000 should wait until Akai releases a new OS update..which is the same thing I would say to any new product on the market. With that said, Yamaha just released an OS update for the Motif XS which has over 40 bug fixes and its been out for awhile now
Nobody outside of these forums care whether this is the new or old Akai. The only thing they care about is whether the new MPC is a significant improvement to the MPC that are currently using. My opinion is that if you are an MPC 1000, 2000, 2000XL, or 2500 user...that answer is YES. If you are an MPC 3000 user and satisfied with doing things outside of the box..then NO. MPC 4000 users? If you want the classic MPC feel....YES. IF you still believe the sample/bit rates and a its sampler specs are important..simply get the MPC 5000 and a used Z8 sampler (since the new, cheaper MPC devalued them at a price anyone can afford
).
Also, if you have actual knowledge of how Akai/Numark is doing as a business/profits..please share. But none of this is relevant to actually creating music with Akai/Numark products in the end. I wonder what you guys will be talking about when Akai folds and no more MPCs are produced. Because there is certainly nothing new being written or talked about with the legacy MPC around these parts.
Some people say that any MPC after the MPC 3000 is a knock-off but doesn't stop hits from being created with them. As with any product....if you buy it and it doesn't work as advertised....send it back. The original MPC 4000 is not some 'most sought after' piece of gear. You guys are talking as if the original MPC 4000 didn't have any issues. (piss...it did). The Alicia Keys production studio I wrote about above has the blue model. Based upon what she and her production team does with that (as well as the MPC 2500)..having a knock-off should impact you guys very little.
