By
Jamon
Fri Jan 13, 2012 1:38 am
Reputation is based on something real to begin with. That can either be from the instrument, or the player, or a combination of the two.
Like if we pretend record scratching was discovered by a talented artist using an X turntable, because that's just what his father had in the garage. It wasn't a particularly good turntable, and wasn't specifically built for scratching, but it lucked into the situation where that's what this talented artist used. People saw, and were impressed by this amazing new style, and his power got transferred into the symbols associated with him, so the X turntable became an icon for aspiring turntablists. People mimicked him, and many wanted to use the X turntable too, because that's what their idol used, and it's just natural to assume it might be a necessary part of the equation. If you want to be successful too, you don't want to risk it with a Y turntable, because what if you had the talent, but the tool held you back? The X one is proven, so most people prefer to go with that.
I don't know the history of the MPC to know what it is in this case. Was it that much different than anything else out there at the time? Was it clearly superior and a quality product? There was probably some of that. When did it first become popular? Who are the first successful artists to use it? It might've had a lot to do with them too. It might've mostly just been what someone happened to use, because it was what was at the local store, or a price they could afford, or something. Then it lucked into the spotlight riding on the talent and other power of the person using it, which then made it seem like a symbol of that power others wanted to emulate.
Whatever it was, it clearly happened early on, with an early model, because although I see plenty of people using recent versions of the MPC, there doesn't seem to be much aspiration to strive for that great MPC-5000 sound. The new controllers have a prominent switch to emulate classic models, and use elements from the vintage style.
But that doesn't mean there's no value in the MPC method, and it's all empty hype. It's just that, things usually have the most value in the beginning, when it was most relevant to the time and place where it first became associated with power.
Today, turntable X isn't going to have anything valuable about it other than the legacy of how it was used by the first pioneer that led to so many people trying to copy and improve what he found. But things developed beyond that, and turntable Z is far better functionally for what he did at the time with something not great for that purpose.
But the new MPC Renaissance is like trying to issue a turntable Z, that maintains a lot of the turntable X characteristics, so functionally it's up-to-date with how people do things today, but still carries the power associated it from its historical past, when it was used by top people in the competitions.
That doesn't mean it's purely a scam. Maschine for example is like a new turntable built inspired by the past popular turntable X, but in a Z way. It's mostly about function, and has to start near the bottom, and earn a reputation with actual feats. It could luck out, like if a top artist pioneers a new genre with it, then it would become a symbol of power too. That's partly to do with its actual use as a tool, and partly that a talented person happened to use it.
But let's face it, someone like Michael Jordan is not going to lose the game just because he's wearing Converse instead of Nike. Someone with actual skill could play barefoot and still come out on top. But it's just how we work, that if he happens to be wearing shoe X while he's winning, we can't help but assume the shoe has something to do with it.
Likewise, someone talented can use the new MPC controllers and software, even the iPad model, to produce something impressive. But they could probably use Maschine too.
It doesn't mean the MPC reputation is invalid, or that the new models can't be useful tools beyond the fetishism. There's some value in keeping backwards operability, in reusing the same basic design. Some people have been using the MPC for a long time, and have grown to be very accustomed to its ways. There is a legitimate value in giving them a new-tech version, that recycles the interface they're used to.
But it's probably critical that they make it possible to use it absolutely without ever needing to touch a mouse or look at the PC display. They can help introduce PC paradigms to old users who have never explored software before. But maintaining the workflow some are used to means they can't have to suddenly break away from focussing on the MPC to turn on the PC display and reach over to fiddle with a mouse.
So those are probably the main advantages to the Akai MPC controller + software over other alternatives like the Maschine, or MPD-type controller. It's not just the reputation of the name, but the legitimate values in the MPC method that helped build that reputation. That's what a reputation is, a summary judgment based on past success. There's the familiarity of the system, the training from past use, the files saved on past models, and the collective associations of power.
Things like timing and sound are part of that too. Anything can be associated with feelings, even bit depth and compression artifacts. For people who grew up associating positive feelings with music played on vinyl records, the digital recordings today sound harsh and cold. But for people growing up listening to compressed MP3 records on their pocket digital player, they actually prefer the brittle sparkly sound of digital, and even enjoy robotic artifacts. There's even whole sub-genres of music now that highlight the glitchy blocky sounds of digital audio. A lot of what people seem to refer to when they talk about early digital stuff like the MPC sound is a more blocky bitrate, so you hear more crunch.
But you know, turntable scratching isn't that neat anymore, and sampling is no longer a revolution. So there's a big question of how relevant the MPC approach is today. What exactly does it bring to this transition that will keep it relevant to the top idols of tomorrow? It might be able to emulate the past, and bring a lot of that image into the software world for some people, but what next? Who are the artists who made the MPC popular to begin with, and who is keeping it on top?
In their video they have some people, I know nothing about. One I saw is like a guitar soloist shredder, who spazzes out doing fast finger hammering. I could see him with a guitar wah-wah pedal hooked up to the MPC, making those exaggerated facial expressions the guitar guys do. That's kind of neat for a few, but PC audio has laggier timing than real drums or even the MPC 2500 he seems to normally use. So it seems unlikely he would choose to replace a hardware MPC with a software one, simply because he relies on tight timing to do his tricks.
What then reestablishes the MPC reputation in the new software realm? If samplers were new, the MPC would be amazing, because it's not just a sampler, it's a MIDI production studio, combining sampled audio, with MIDI sequencing, using multiple tracks and sequences. But every DAW app today does all that and more. Then there's twists on the paradigm like Ableton Live. What does the MPC software bring other than what MPC already had? Is that enough to make it better than alternatives?
It's kind of like NES. A lot of people grew up with the Nintendo, and it was the winner in the original competitions. Does anyone today even know the TurboGrafx-16 existed? Doesn't seem like it, but everyone knows Mario. Nintendo kept Mario alive, bringing the name into each new step.
Today you can load up a Nintendo emulator, and play Super Mario Bros on your PC. Is that really a superior game? There's some validity to why it was a good game. But a lot of it now is just all the inflated feelings of value around that brand. Making Mario 3D was a big change, but they tried to keep the value going, even though each new Mario game was its own game, and it just having a familiar face and name doesn't necessarily mean it's a better game than something without that familiarity.
For the new MPC software to maintain some of that old reputation, it has to be a somewhat good game, on its own. It should be relevant today, in some way, that makes it actually a top choice. Then whatever bonus you get from nostalgia or idolization is extra. Otherwise without winners using the new MPC software to continue winning, all that's left is the past, which fades out increasingly with each passing moment.
Even worse, with Akai's recent history of failing so hard with MPC firmware, they have to go above and beyond to regain that reputation for software quality. If the MPC software is buggy, or not updated frequently, or poorly designed, and especially if the experience is not seamless, where the workflow is smooth, and you never have to touch a mouse if you choose not to, then it seems like they risk just trashing the old reputation.
