Support and discussion for all of Akai’s modern standalone MPCs including the MPC X / X SE, MPC Live 1, 2 & 3, MPC One / One+, MPC Key 37/61.
By LivePsy Thu Aug 15, 2024 10:28 pm
TT_Lab wrote:
The thing is that what you call 2.0 workflow, is in fact, with some changes and modernization, the same workflow since the first MPC (or at least since the 2000classic that is the oldest one I own). And now, as benway is correctly stating it's becoming a DAW workflow, and not a very good one to be honest.


The thing is the MPC2 never beat the old firmware OSes. It started off with several major things missing. It added this and that, sprinkling those in odd places because there never was the full plan sketched out from the start. But 2.x never had the flow. So I'm happy for 3 to be itself because 2 doesn't sit right with me. I have no nostalgia for MPC2.
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By HanHuman Thu Aug 15, 2024 11:20 pm
Is the step sequencer being revamped as well? Can't find anything on it.
Always seemed goofy to me as it is.
By Certified Beatz Thu Aug 15, 2024 11:49 pm
eLuSiVeMiTe wrote:
Certified Beatz wrote:
If you have your one of the lucky ones... remember you don't have to upgrade just don't complain when ship has sale..

Do me a favor install 2.03 firmware and tells us if you adapted and like the updates..

Some youtubers did a great job others not so much that is because they are learning the new OS. I'm sure when released no one will jump ship :-D


What ships going to sail? It's a free upgrade. Il take the upgrade on my account and roll back. What an odd suggestion.

Lol. I started on 1. Something. :) That change to 2.? Was a colour change and a little rearranging from a pc /renaissance point of view.
No huge changes really just a gradual progression. Standalone I think I was at 2.6

Correct I don't have to upgrade. I would say that means no more bug fixes but Akai can't seem to fix the bugs they've had in the firmware for years so probably make bugger all difference long term.

Definitely given up all hope of Basic file management. Magic 3.4 hasn't delivered on that.

My decision on not upgrading was made within a few days. Until midi clips and track mutes are in il just dabble for he sake of testing. I live in hope but in it's current form it's a no.

Arranger view. Pretty but pretty useless.
Disk Streaming. Nope. No use for it.
Mixer. Nope. Il be honest. I preferred the original. It suited how I utilised programs. Not worth losing the flexibility of programs for.

That's my opinion. As I've said before. If I'm going to be forced into working in a linear fashion I might as well use my PC.


You seem pretty miserable.. need to correct you the MPC has always been standalone.. don't upgrade just don't you won't be happy I'm projecting now.. you will find something.. you can keep the original OS nobody is forcing you ..

What I meant by ship sailed is let it pass you buy just stay unhappy.. akai is staying busy with bug fixes and improvements..
By Elijah Fri Aug 16, 2024 12:17 am
HanHuman wrote:Is the step sequencer being revamped as well? Can't find anything on it.
Always seemed goofy to me as it is.

It seems that the Follow feature has been added to the step sequencer in 3.0. It’s a subtle addition, but much appreciated.
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By HanHuman Fri Aug 16, 2024 12:25 am
Elijah wrote:
HanHuman wrote:Is the step sequencer being revamped as well? Can't find anything on it.
Always seemed goofy to me as it is.

It seems that the Follow feature has been added to the step sequencer in 3.0. It’s a subtle addition, but much appreciated.

Follow as in for instance pressing a hi hat 4 times in a row will lay them one after the other according to the timing setting?
By Elijah Fri Aug 16, 2024 2:57 am
HanHuman wrote:Follow as in for instance pressing a hi hat 4 times in a row will lay them one after the other according to the timing setting?


"Follow" means that the pages automatically move to match the current playback position.
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By HanHuman Fri Aug 16, 2024 3:33 am
Ah, ok. I wish they implemented an auto step by step option such as in the JJOS grid screen. But that may be available in other screens, I'd have to check.
By emdog Fri Aug 16, 2024 5:11 am
I hope they dont change the step edit to where you can’t do program midi changes etc.
By kaydigi Fri Aug 16, 2024 10:45 am
HanHuman wrote:Is the step sequencer being revamped as well? Can't find anything on it.
Always seemed goofy to me as it is.


Yes if you buy Korg SQ 64 or BeatStep pro…. :lol:

I don’t know why they won’t overhaul the step sequencer. I do like how the Force and Push 2 have the step sequencer setup on the pads .
By benway Fri Aug 16, 2024 11:42 pm
EnochLight wrote:How is an optional workflow that you don't have to even touch, if you so choose to stay with the "classic" workflow, a bad thing? Sequences and Song Mode is still there.

To be clear, my problem at base level is with locking programs to tracks. The rest is window dressing, both good and bad. I appreciate that it might seem to be jumping the gun a bit to have takes at this stage but like from the second they announced this change I knew it’d be a deal breaker, and everything I’ve seen and read since just confirms that it’s exactly what I understood it to be from the get go.

Don’t need to have tried it to know that it’s the end of loading a bunch of programs and seeing what sticks. Or of creating live sets based on sequences that change up sounds while retaining the same basic structure for easy navigation. And that it logically follows that other basic techniques will be impacted to a greater or lesser extent as a knock on, e.g. track mutes and exploding tracks.

I get that there are workarounds usually involving a bunch of different tracks and/or more complex programs aka “drum tracks”. Which range between absolute dogshit and merely much worse than what we have right now. I’m also pretty confident that some of the worst knock-on problems will be fixed, e.g. track mutes, but the core and most destructive change is baked into the foundations.

On the “DAWless’” thing, I’ve always thought it was pretty much a racket - if you make people believe that the laptop is the problem rather than the fact that making good music is hard, then it’s easy to present buying more gear as a solution. But there’s never going to be a single piece that will miraculously make producing a track a breeze from start to finish and cut out all the hard work studying records, music theory, engineering, just learning the tools. As well as the willpower to push through the blocks that come between jamming out an idea and finishing a track. Doesn’t matter what tools you use, this is really what it’s about.

Don’t get me wrong, I use and appreciate a bunch of hardware and DAWs for their different strengths and processes. I mean, really my point is that the program/track/sequence core is unique and turns out to be a pretty elegant solution to a lot of things other gear/DAWs struggle with. So blowing that up just to work like a DAW at base level seems insane to me, it removes the main reason to pick the MPC over a bunch of other established tools that work the same way only better or more powerful. It’s like Elektron ditching parameter locks because it’s confusing beginners.

Although someone mentioned Maschine and fwiw that’s the only gear I’ve ever owned that I just couldn’t get on with even to the point of being able to get a basic jam going. Just the absolute worst imho. Make of that what you will.

Anyway, also should be clear that like I said just venting. This is obviously where it’s going and there are reasons for this choice, even if I personally wish they’d gone a different way. It’s pretty easy to try it out and then revert to an actual MPC if/when the obvious problems play out as expected.
Certified Beatz wrote:They will complain why the MPC isn't making the beats for them :-D :-D

Well, this has been the pattern for every single one of the previous latest and greatest DAWless Daw, Ableton in a Box type holy grails, so I don’t see why 3.0 would be different. Hype turns very quickly into nitpicking and complaining. But here it’ll have the added sauce of watching people bumping their heads up against a bunch of problems and limitations that the MPC way is great at solving.
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By Neodymium Sat Aug 17, 2024 2:48 am
benway wrote:On the “DAWless’” thing, I’ve always thought it was pretty much a racket - if you make people believe that the laptop is the problem rather than the fact that making good music is hard, then it’s easy to present buying more gear as a solution. But there’s never going to be a single piece that will miraculously make producing a track a breeze from start to finish and cut out all the hard work studying records, music theory, engineering, just learning the tools. As well as the willpower to push through the blocks that come between jamming out an idea and finishing a track. Doesn’t matter what tools you use, this is really what it’s about.



So why do you use an MPC and not just a Laptop?
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By Jean-Marc Liotier Sat Aug 17, 2024 12:05 pm
benway wrote:Hype turns very quickly into nitpicking and complaining
Don't you diss Hype - we got it for free and it is a nice sounding versatile synth !
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By Lampdog Sat Aug 17, 2024 5:31 pm
Jean-Marc Liotier wrote:
benway wrote:Hype turns very quickly into nitpicking and complaining
Don't you diss Hype - we got it for free and it is a nice sounding versatile synth !



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