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 djst Wed Sep 22, 2021 7:58 pm
NearTao wrote:It looks to be far more integrated than just a midi controller, so I wouldn't write it off so easily. While I'm not in the target market for this device, given the ecosystem of One -> Live -> X, it totally make sense to make something that builds upon the software and is an opportunity to drive future customers upstream into their market. Plus, I suspect that there are some design choices made here to test out future up market products whether that will be a mk2/mk3 revision of the One/Live/X or if it is a whole new product line.


That's an intelligent analysis and I think you're absolutely right. This isn't for existing mpc users, clearly, it's a way to broaden the market and get more value out of their mpc software investments.
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By Ultros Wed Sep 22, 2021 8:40 pm
*flashesback to 2015*

Image

if you're gonna blow your money on a controller / combine interface why not use a familiar one? The studio 2 is a step backwards.
By MuttBeats Wed Sep 22, 2021 10:11 pm
ace_of_dub wrote::WTF:
MPC-Tutor wrote:Akai are not giving up on the MPC Software, they've clearly identified a market out there that they really want to tap into, but so far I believe it's eluding them. They've tried pushing it to third party controllers (I don't think there was much interest), they've tried using MPC Beats (seems pretty quiet on that front), so I think the new MPC Studio is another way of trying to appeal to a certain type of producer. For them there's no complex hardware screen UI to code for, and perhaps no need for a custom driver making updates easier, so it's probably quite a painless experiment.


What's eluding Akai is that MPC Software's interface on a computer screen is terrible. It's fine on touch display but it's an horror to without it. That MPC studio mk2 doesn't change that, on The contrary, it's even more reliant on the computer screen than the mk1. Akai needs to rework that interface. Don't get me started about it on a small laptop display...


Got to say, I tried to get on with the MPC software on my computer but gave up. Tried on a small screen (13” laptop) and a big screen (my iMac Pro) and it was flat out counterintuitive for me. Just couldn’t gel with it, at all. In fact I’d say that as a DAW (or DAW plugin) it was one of the worst I’ve used. Night and day contrast between that and my MPC Live 2 which I find super easy to navigate and use from the moment I turned it on. Which is weird because it’s essentially similar software under the skin and the UI concepts are identical.

The difference is the touchscreen… Akai really nailed this IME. Take away the touchscreen and lay out the same functionality in a DAW window and it just doesn’t click in the same way.

I noticed in the Andertons YouTube demo that Andy made a virtue of controlling the MPC software from the Studio Mk2 without ever looking at the laptop screen…. I can see why he said that!
By SakisX Thu Sep 23, 2021 1:26 pm
MuttBeats wrote:Got to say, I tried to get on with the MPC software on my computer but gave up. Tried on a small screen (13” laptop) and a big screen (my iMac Pro) and it was flat out counterintuitive for me. Just couldn’t gel with it, at all. In fact I’d say that as a DAW (or DAW plugin) it was one of the worst I’ve used. Night and day contrast between that and my MPC Live 2 which I find super easy to navigate and use from the moment I turned it on. Which is weird because it’s essentially similar software under the skin and the UI concepts are identical.

The difference is the touchscreen… Akai really nailed this IME. Take away the touchscreen and lay out the same functionality in a DAW window and it just doesn’t click in the same way.

I noticed in the Andertons YouTube demo that Andy made a virtue of controlling the MPC software from the Studio Mk2 without ever looking at the laptop screen…. I can see why he said that!


I bought the software first to get an idea how is the workflow and totally agree about the experience . But if you tried it with an older mpc studio (or Ren) , it's way better
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By MPC-Tutor Thu Sep 23, 2021 3:02 pm
So it arrived a few hours ago, have messed around with it very quickly, will spend more time over the weekend.

Build quality decent, pads are fine, touch strip is lots of fun. Existing MPC users are probably going to hate this though!

Controlling parameters from the hardware in quite limited or convoluted - for example in program edit you can assign samples and adjust tuning using the dedicated shortcut buttons, but AFAIKS to control other parameters you have to go into the mpc software. Okay, you can enter Q-link mode and assign one of the 16 current Q-link parameters to the touch strip, which is quite a ball ache and still doesn't give you access to the majority of parameters. Perhaps I'm missing something though, haven't RTFM yet.

Initial thought, as an existing MPC user, is they should have upped the price and stuck 16 Qlinks on the top row (ideally with the OLEDs like they have on the X).

Mode & pad shortcuts are completely different to the full hardware, so that's the muscle memory up the spout :)

The little screen is very, er, little. Some of the text is simply too small to read comfortably.

ATM I'm not impressed, it doesn't seem to offer enough integration compared to a generic MIDI controller. Seems like a rushed product and a big step backwards from the original MPC Studio. Obviously if you are using the MPC Software it's clearly better to have this than have nothing at all, it's got good pads, the touch strip will be nice for performing and you have access to shortcuts for various features, e.g. 16 levels, note repeat, transport etc. But for editing parameters and general 'donkey work' it's of limited use.

Standalone MPC users or those who use touchscreen MPCs in controller mode will definitely not be impressed, it really doesn't offer anything other than the touchstrip and portability if you need 'pads on the go'. It's also a downgrade in almost all aspects for 'legacy' MPC Studio users.

IMO this is definitely only for pure MPC Software users, i.e. people who are working directly in the MPC Software itself, happy using the computer screen and a mouse for most things (all five of you).

BTW, this still needs a custom driver to function so you'll still be reliant on Akai keeping the driver compatible with future Mac/PC OS versions.
By DokBrown Thu Sep 23, 2021 8:35 pm
Ultros wrote:*flashesback to 2015*

Image

if you're gonna blow your money on a controller / combine interface why not use a familiar one? The studio 2 is a step backwards.



IS AKAI still fully supporting the old USB interfaces ???
I know the workflow has come a long so I assume the new MPC STUDIO2 is better integrated with a smoother workflow.

I’m a hardware buff so no qlinks is a deal killer for me
https://www.akaipro.com/mpc-studio

?????
mpc studio
mpc touch
MPC REN
By DokBrown Thu Sep 23, 2021 9:06 pm
MPC-Tutor wrote:Looks like I'm the only person on the planet who didn't get sent one of these for free. Akai really don't like me very much :)




AKAI knew we was gonna pull up to rhode island if they disrespected u . . . .
MPC FORUMS – it’s more than a forum, it’s a cULT ;-)


cULTURE
By bilposey Thu Sep 23, 2021 9:15 pm
is it me, or the software Gui is blurry
I've tried switching monitors
and computer since
I bought my mpc studio mk2
downloaded the software and started to play and I noticed it's blurry words
Is this
how the software looks?
By SakisX Thu Sep 23, 2021 10:08 pm
bilposey wrote:is it me, or the software Gui is blurry
I've tried switching monitors
and computer since
I bought my mpc studio mk2
downloaded the software and started to play and I noticed it's blurry words
Is this
how the software looks?


Assuming you are on windows , right click the shortcut , properties , compatibility , dpi settings , override
choose system or app , can't remember exactly
By kaydigi Fri Sep 24, 2021 1:02 am
MPC-Tutor wrote:So it arrived a few hours ago, have messed around with it very quickly, will spend more time over the weekend.

Build quality decent, pads are fine, touch strip is lots of fun. Existing MPC users are probably going to hate this though!

Controlling parameters from the hardware in quite limited or convoluted - for example in program edit you can assign samples and adjust tuning using the dedicated shortcut buttons, but AFAIKS to control other parameters you have to go into the mpc software. Okay, you can enter Q-link mode and assign one of the 16 current Q-link parameters to the touch strip, which is quite a ball ache and still doesn't give you access to the majority of parameters. Perhaps I'm missing something though, haven't RTFM yet.

Initial thought, as an existing MPC user, is they should have upped the price and stuck 16 Qlinks on the top row (ideally with the OLEDs like they have on the X).

Mode & pad shortcuts are completely different to the full hardware, so that's the muscle memory up the spout :)

The little screen is very, er, little. Some of the text is simply too small to read comfortably.

ATM I'm not impressed, it doesn't seem to offer enough integration compared to a generic MIDI controller. Seems like a rushed product and a big step backwards from the original MPC Studio. Obviously if you are using the MPC Software it's clearly better to have this than have nothing at all, it's got good pads, the touch strip will be nice for performing and you have access to shortcuts for various features, e.g. 16 levels, note repeat, transport etc. But for editing parameters and general 'donkey work' it's of limited use.

Standalone MPC users or those who use touchscreen MPCs in controller mode will definitely not be impressed, it really doesn't offer anything other than the touchstrip and portability if you need 'pads on the go'. It's also a downgrade in almost all aspects for 'legacy' MPC Studio users.

IMO this is definitely only for pure MPC Software users, i.e. people who are working directly in the MPC Software itself, happy using the computer screen and a mouse for most things (all five of you).

BTW, this still needs a custom driver to function so you'll still be reliant on Akai keeping the driver compatible with future Mac/PC OS versions.


Damn, those are some harsh takes. Really sucks that they changed the pad shortcuts.

Hopefully the sample edit workflow is smooth. It’s the main thing I work on when I’m traveling. How did you like the sample start and sample end buttons?
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By MPC-Tutor Fri Sep 24, 2021 10:28 am
kaydigi wrote:Hopefully the sample edit workflow is smooth. It’s the main thing I work on when I’m traveling. How did you like the sample start and sample end buttons?


Okay, here's the problem. On all previous MPCs, there was a clear structure. You enter a mode, you select one of the secondary screens and at that point many aspects of your controller are configured specifically for that secondary screen. The obvious one being the 16 Qlinks would be auto-mapped to the 16 params in the current screen. But you can also adjust the parameters via the screen itself, e.g. select a parameter (tap on it or in blue screens use the cursor keys) and use the data wheel to adjust , or directly manipulate it via the touch screen. It's completely immersive, to the point where even just one parameter not being available via the hardware seemed like complete sacrilege.

With the new studio that flow doesn't exist. You can select program edit mode, but you can't then, for example, select the amp envelope page and then adjust the AD envelope for the current pad, not in the hardware at least. You might be able to cobble together a touch strip assignment for one particular parameter, but that's very convoluted and involves lots of back and forth between computer UI and controller.

So yes, in prog edit you can assign samples to layers (this is where the text gets really tiny), you can edit the start/end points numerically and adjust the tuning using the dedicated button shortcuts, but that appears to be it. In all honesty if I'm using the MPC Software anyway I actually prefer drag and dropping samples directly to layers and using the big waveform for editing, these are actually positives for the software (for me at least).

This is not an 'editing' focused controller, it's really just about offering some hands-on control for the MPC Software, i.e. a data wheel, pads, transport keys, shortcut buttons and access to performance buttons note repeat (and the touch strip of course), so in that respect it's definitely better than not having a controller at all, I mean realistically if you are using the MPC Software or MPC Beats, it's essential that you at least have some physical pads to play.

But of course there are plenty of other cheaper options that can provide almost all of that, for example an MPD will give you full size pads, note repeat, 16 levels, transport etc and of course a bunch of Qlinks and sliders. Get an MPK and you have all that plus keys, pitch bend, mod wheel etc, and you can use it with all your other DAWs. In their own marketing video Akai even push the idea of getting an MPK for the Q-Links. Or you could of course use one of the many supported third party controllers that Akai provide pre-mapped integrations for.

I wanted to like this, but I don't think the product concept is good enough. For those customers looking for decent MPC integration in the £200 region perhaps they could just build more MPC-style integration into the MPD/MPK line. Then bring out a proper 'immersive' pure MPC controller for £350, i.e. a refresh of the MPC Studio Black. Or just keep the MPC Studio Black and just make sure the drivers actually work with the latest Macs.
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By NearTao Fri Sep 24, 2021 11:42 am
Well that's disheartening to hear...

Makes me think that they've got different teams working on different parts of the line, because you'd think that Akai would want the user experience to be coherent. Without a coherent user experience, I don't see anybody on the current MPC line interested in stepping down to the Studio because even though "software"... if you cannot use muscle memory to get around (at all)... and you're going to reach for the mouse... then you're not likely to be interested in this product...

And on the flip side... I can imagine new users starting off on the Studio... you're teaching them that they need to reach for the mouse for everything, learn all these menu's and navigation systems... to only throw that out the window and force them to learn all new techniques and behaviors if they want to move to the MPC line.

Forgetting everything else... it just sounds like Akai isn't interested in teaching their users how to use Akai products in their own ecosystem, which is a real shame. Ah well... this product wasn't for me anyways... but just really sounds like a missed opportunity.
By MidiMobster Sun Oct 03, 2021 1:50 am
Ultros wrote:*flashesback to 2015*

Image

if you're gonna blow your money on a controller / combine interface why not use a familiar one? The studio 2 is a step backwards.

Honestly, if I didn't know any better, and you took away the obvious markings that distinguish this and the studio 2, I would really think this was the "upgraded" version.

"oh wow they really expanded the screen and made it much more useful"
"ahh they got rid of the touch pad but added the q links instead, interesting"

imo that's the biggest flaw to it right now