Bug reports & end-user support for Akai's MPC Software 'controllers' including the new MPC Studio 2, the MPC Touch, MPC Renaissance & original MPC Studio and MPC StudioB lack.
By Jonespnice1 Sun Dec 13, 2015 4:46 am
Fess wrote:I'm curious to hear the reasoning behind your claim that the MPC Touch is the best MPC to date.

For me the thing that makes the Touch my favorite MPC is because of the control you have over the MPC software. The Ren is amazing but what I didn't like about it was using the cursor, if I needed to change how many bars on the sequence I had to cursor up and then over, if I wanted to change the tempo I had to cursor back down, if I wanted to name a track I have to grab the mouse. The point is that you can do more from the MPC Touch's controller than you can from the Ren. To be honest my workflow is quicker on the Touch than it is on the Ren, although I still have to familiarize myself more with sample chopping on the Touch. Another thing about the Touch is its potential to be so much more, since a lot of its controls are in the touchscreen controls can be modified, updated, added to, or whatever with a simple update. The Touch has the potential of being relevant and not obsolete over the years. It's a little hard to get it until you actually spend a week or two just messing around on it.
Last edited by Jonespnice1 on Sun Dec 13, 2015 2:45 pm, edited 2 times in total.
By BremenCole Sun Dec 13, 2015 1:35 pm
I have to agree. The more I use the Touch the more I like it.

I got mine a few weeks ago to try out. I fully intended to take it back. But now? No way.

After a while it feels so "natural" and "right". One of those thing hard to put into words.

BTW - Not one crash :nod:
By Fess Sun Dec 13, 2015 3:11 pm
Jonespnice1 wrote:
Fess wrote:I'm curious to hear the reasoning behind your claim that the MPC Touch is the best MPC to date.

For me the thing that makes the Touch my favorite MPC is because of the control you have over the MPC software. The Ren is amazing but what I didn't like about it was using the cursor, if I needed to change how many bars on the sequence I had to cursor up and then over, if I wanted to change the tempo I had to cursor back down, if I wanted to name a track I have to grab the mouse. The point is that you can do more from the MPC Touch's controller than you can from the Ren. To be honest my workflow is quicker on the Touch than it is on the Ren, although I still have to familiarize myself more with sample chopping on the Touch. Another thing about the Touch is its potential to be so much more, since a lot of its controls are in the touchscreen controls can be modified, updated, added to, or whatever with a simple update. The Touch has the potential of being relevant and not obsolete over the years. It's a little hard to get it until you actually spend a week or two just messing around on it.


Thanks for your reply. I'm not going to get one since I believe that there is a new MPC flagship on the horizon and the R does what I need it to do, but I'm glad it's working out for you guys.

In other news: Beat Kangs are out of business! Can I get a Hell Yeah! :lol:
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By zangetsu01 Mon Dec 14, 2015 11:10 am
The truth is:

Non of us really need a MPC (at least that's the way I think about it),
Today everything can be done inside a DAW. But the DAW doesn't give us
The same workflow and experience like a MPC does.

My previous MPC was the 2500. The reason I stopt using it is because it couldn't handle 24bit audio
and because of the memory limitations. Sometimes some notes wouldn't play because the 2500
already had too much to handle at that moment.

That said:
To me the Touch is the best MPC so far.. It can do everything the Ren can do + it has a touchscreen.
I think I'll release video soon to talk about why I purchased the MPC Touch.

I can understand why a Ren user wont easily trade their Ren in for a Touch. Because if you take away the Touchscreen it won't be much of a upgrade. What the Ren users need is a Ren with a touchscreen but Honestly I dont think that would be satisfying enough for them to justify the money they have to pay for a upgrade.
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By pspsounds Mon Dec 14, 2015 11:57 am
Also Ren users would lose phantom power, usb ports, 2 headphone inputs and phono inputs for turntables. I'm sure most Touch users can work around this but I like those extras in the Ren. I do think the Touch is a good replacement for the Studio. If all I had was the studio I would upgrade.
By Fess Mon Dec 14, 2015 12:52 pm
pspsounds wrote:Also Ren users would lose phantom power, usb ports, 2 headphone inputs and phono inputs for turntables. I'm sure most Touch users can work around this but I like those extras in the Ren. I do think the Touch is a good replacement for the Studio. If all I had was the studio I would upgrade.



Agreed, the Touch is missing things I use frequently such as 4 MIDI outs, assignable mix outs, SDIF, and USB hubs. Also, the 16 Q-links accessible instantly with one hand is efficiency that can't really be done with the Touch.

Hoping that the upcoming flagship will have a high res full color screen that isn't a touch screen, but instead of push-click buttons everything is flat and touch sensitive on the chassis. The pads, qlinks, job wheel, volume and gain controls should stay basically the same but all other buttons should be touch sensitive and completely flat on the panel. This in addition to HDMI/DP monitor outputs, USB 3, and thunderbolt connectivity. 2 XLR inputs, phono pre, 8 assignable balanced outs, 4 MIDI outs with MIDI clock on all ports.

And for God sakes, please don't even make a 'vintage' model again that looks as ugly as the Renaissance. Make it black and sleek-futuristic. **** old school design. Bring us something truly new, and recognize that not everyone likes or wants a touch-screen. The Touch covers that need.

MPC Evolution- The Future Is Now...


Make it happen bitches! :-D
By STG-23 Mon Dec 14, 2015 1:53 pm
"buttons should be touch sensitive and completely flat on the Panel"

:hmmm:


really? why?
By Fess Mon Dec 14, 2015 2:20 pm
STG-23 wrote:"buttons should be touch sensitive and completely flat on the Panel"

:hmmm:


really? why?




Why not? It would be an advanced user interface as far as the MPC goes, less noisy and would show Akai are ahead of the game when in comes to tactile design. What kind of stupid question was that? :WTF:

Maybe you are happy stuck in the present but some of us are looking into the future. You should try it sometime...
By Jonespnice1 Mon Dec 14, 2015 3:11 pm
Fess wrote:Agreed, the Touch is missing things I use frequently such as 4 MIDI outs, assignable mix outs, SDIF, and USB hubs. Also, the 16 Q-links accessible instantly with one hand is efficiency that can't really be done with the Touch.

Hoping that the upcoming flagship will have a high res full color screen that isn't a touch screen, but instead of push-click buttons everything is flat and touch sensitive on the chassis. The pads, qlinks, job wheel, volume and gain controls should stay basically the same but all other buttons should be touch sensitive and completely flat on the panel. This in addition to HDMI/DP monitor outputs, USB 3, and thunderbolt connectivity. 2 XLR inputs, phono pre, 8 assignable balanced outs, 4 MIDI outs with MIDI clock on all ports.

The software still has 4 midi out (I have 3 of the 4 assigned to hardware synths), and I think most people are using some other audio interface that has SPDIF and multiple outs (for me it's the Motu 828), the USB hub would be nice, and the Q- links would be nice but the 4 Q-links and touchscreen makes up for it. 
I think the Flagship has to be touchscreen just like the Touch, it wouldn't make any sense for the flagship MPC to be inferior in any way to the Touch. I like the Ren just like everyone else but I think what people don't understand is how quickly you can move around on the Touch's touchscreen. The more I use the Touch the quicker I become, I would say that I'm much faster on the Touch than I am on the Ren for everything except chopping, it's close but the more I become familiar with chopping on the Touch I believe it will become much faster than the Ren. When the new Flagship MPC comes out if there are those that don't like the touchscreen then you are not locked into using it you will undoubtedly have the Q-links and other hardware controls to use it without touching the touchscreen.
Just my 2 cents.
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By Icepulse Tue Dec 15, 2015 5:26 am
I can say that the pads on MPCt are sublime and a pleasure to use. Better than any I've tried previously, but I've never worked w/ 3rd party ones.

Also, when working w/ the MPCt, your instinct is to dive into the touchscreen for everything, primarily because you need to learn it inside & out. In a way, it's almost like learning a new OS, albeit on that has the same infrastructure as the desktop software. You find, pretty quickly, that a balance is required. Some things are just easier w/ the trackpad & keyboard; renaming stuff, and multiple event selection / editing. Whereas things like sampling, chopping, muting / soloing, and parameter twiddling are a lot of fun on the screen. The screen may be multitouch, but it's nowhere near on par w/ a current gen iPhone or iPad TBH.

You have to rethink your workflow a little from working w/ more "endowed" hardware like the Ren, but I like to shake things up. Also, in my experience, I'm most productive when I'm having fun... And I'm having a lot of fun w/ the MPCt. I love the sampling workflow on it.
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By zangetsu01 Tue Dec 15, 2015 9:42 am
Yes I love it too.. Did you know that if you click to rename things on the touch screen you can use your keyboard to type?
you can see every key you insert on the touch screen.

Also sometimes when I load a vst in the DAW the vst is loaded behind the gui of the MPC Touch. To resolve this press shift+erase on the MPC and the MPC gui will minimize
so you can drag the VST away from the MPC screen.

(Just a few handy tips)
By STG-23 Tue Dec 15, 2015 9:46 am
@Fess

For me, the reason for a dedicated controler like the MPC Ren or Studio, is the workflow. When i`m working on my studio, i know the most of the buttons i use, can find it without searching and when i press it, i dont have to look at it or the screen to know it is the right one and its pressed.
For me,flat touch sensitive buttons without any response would kill my workflow, because i would have to look where the finger goes when i want to press a button. For me, these buttons are like having the disadvantage of a touchscreen (feedback,feeling the buttons), without the advantage of it.
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By Icepulse Tue Dec 15, 2015 12:59 pm
zangetsu01 wrote:Yes I love it too.. Did you know that if you click to rename things on the touch screen you can use your keyboard to type?
you can see every key you insert on the touch screen.

Also sometimes when I load a vst in the DAW the vst is loaded behind the gui of the MPC Touch. To resolve this press shift+erase on the MPC and the MPC gui will minimize
so you can drag the VST away from the MPC screen.

(Just a few handy tips)


Am I missing something in my settings that has my MacBook screen devoid of all desktop items when I have 1.9 running w/ the MPC Touch? I thought I configured everything. Mirroring off, etc.