MPC X, MPC Live, MPC One & MPC Key 61 Forum: Support and discussion for the MPC X, MPC Live, MPC Live II, MPC One & MPC Key 61; Akai's current generation of standalone MPCs.
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By Jean-Marc Liotier Mon Nov 21, 2022 5:23 pm
Req wrote:in addition to the standard arp play modes there could be a couple more called "Align - Fill" and "Align - Stretch" or something like that. I'll try to describe those in the next paragraph.


I would love such arpeggiator modes. Hopefully Akai realizes that they are a very cheap development in comparison to all the signal processing wizardry that goes into synths and effects.
By danjarahs Tue Nov 22, 2022 7:05 am
The + / - buttons on the Live and One is such a missed opportunity. And easily fixable.

You could really speed up workflow and remove the need for constantly touching the screen if some parts of the interface always was connected to the + / - buttons. Zooming, changing tracks, etc.
By Masi Tue Nov 22, 2022 5:28 pm
Is Akai to be known to read this forum?

I amused myself to write them feature requests via the "feedback button" of the MPC software.

I'm wondering if there is a slightly greater chance that someone at Akai at least reads what I wrote.
By Masi Tue Nov 22, 2022 5:36 pm
danjarahs wrote:The + / - buttons on the Live and One is such a missed opportunity. And easily fixable.

You could really speed up workflow and remove the need for constantly touching the screen if some parts of the interface always was connected to the + / - buttons. Zooming, changing tracks, etc.

The +/- are a dupe of the wheel. Which is indeed a missed opportunity.

I think the part which is not so easy is to create a consistent set of functions for the buttons. I'd hate it if the button functions would change wildly from screen to screen.
By danjarahs Tue Nov 22, 2022 8:47 pm
I believe some underlying UI prinicples to how these buttons should work, did at one point exist, but somehow got lost.

Defining a set of key priniciples to govern their function and redesigning some of the workflows is not that hard to do for modern UX teams, nor cleaning up the overall interface. More work spent on design (not making it more pretty - but consistent, fast and functional) would greatly enhance all of the machines as well.
By Masi Sun Nov 27, 2022 7:37 pm
danjarahs wrote:I believe some underlying UI prinicples to how these buttons should work, did at one point exist, but somehow got lost.

The overall UX isn't too bad. But the UI has some serious inconsistencies. I assume Akai's devs have been adding things here and there over time and no one cared too much about the big picture.

Masi
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By HanHuman Mon Nov 28, 2022 2:38 am
Masi wrote:The overall UX isn't too bad. But the UI has some serious inconsistencies. I assume Akai's devs have been adding things here and there over time and no one cared too much about the big picture.

100%, there's no real consistent vision for this UI. Just functionalities stacked on top of each other by probably different designers coming and going from the company along the years. Q-links are a real mess in their layout for instance, it seems they just threw stuff in there as if they were filling blanks at times. :Sigh:
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By Jean-Marc Liotier Tue Nov 29, 2022 4:42 pm
HanHuman wrote:functionalities stacked on top of each other by probably different designers coming and going from the company along the years


From my enterprise software experience, yes - functional growth is aggregative.

That said, there is another factor toward inconsistency: not pissing off existing users. Once they are used to their interface, changes inevitably raise discontent. The current MPC software is full of such fossils, so idiosyncratic that they can't be out of mere neglect.
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By HanHuman Tue Nov 29, 2022 8:08 pm
Jean-Marc Liotier wrote:That said, there is another factor toward inconsistency: not pissing off existing users. Once they are used to their interface, changes inevitably raise discontent. The current MPC software is full of such fossils, so idiosyncratic that they can't be out of mere neglect.

Yea clearly, it is a bit of a Frankenstein software with legacy core features like the sequence/track/program system, samples to pad etc with some added DAW like features that are sometimes at odds with the MPC workflow.

I don't know if you are familiar with it but I think JJOS (XL, 2XL or 3) did a MUCH better job at adding new features to the original MPC 1000/2500 OS while preserving a simple, powerful and very hardware driven workflow. In the new OS they just rely way too much on the touchscreen and sub menus imho. Plus I'm sure the Q links could have been WAY more intuitive to use, they feel a lot like another missed opportunity.

AKAI should try to hire guys from Elektron, they understand UI simplicity and effectiveness. Or even better, JJ the Japanese Jenious himself. :worthy:
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By mrmarbury Thu Dec 01, 2022 9:14 am
They should bring the following things:

1. The Envelope Follower from the Force
I was test-driving the Akai Force for a couple of weeks and while I sent it back because the Ableton WF is just not my cup of tea anymore man I loved the envelope follower. You can basically route in everything (even muted audio) to get an envelope out of and route the resulting envelope to everything. Every CC and every knob of a plugin as well. The only thing remotely similar we have is the Mother Ducker and this is for audio volume only.
Like the only video on the EnvFollower: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwyF0z-sRYE

2. The LFO from the Force
Like 1. but as an LFO. Route it EVERYWHERE. To every CC and Knob. Why don't we have that?

2. Roland TB 303 clone
Because why not? You don't need the sequencer of the og 303 because Midiwise it's the following:
Accent = Velocity > 100
Glide = Overlapping Notes
By Alfredo C Wed Dec 07, 2022 9:09 am
More Sound Design Possibilities like Free running Lfos or Step Lfos in the Drum Programm or Keygroups Programm Edit mode would make the MPC an awesome Machine. Actually the LFO is only triggered by each Note which is a huge restriction.
By jamos Thu Dec 08, 2022 7:50 pm
Please, please, please replace the New Project dialog with something useful. The Demos and Templates links are worthless after the first hour of ownership (if that). The dialog loads glacially slowly, probably because of all the worthless graphics it is loading. Pressing Menu - so I can get to the browser - brings up a condescending message rather than starting an empty project, which is clearly what is desired at that point, And if you're going to give us a choice of templates, it sure would be nice to have more than one user template.

In general the file management system in the MPC is perhaps its single most schizophrenic feature,
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By HanHuman Sat Dec 10, 2022 7:10 am
A spectrum analyzer, easily accessible at anytime with some short cut to check what the sound is made of. Or maybe in the form of of an effect such as Ableton's EQ8 or FL's Parametric EQ 2. I think it's a very useful tool even outside of the mixing stage in the creative stage. Often helps decide what to get rid of and what is missing to achieve a good sound.
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By HanHuman Sat Dec 17, 2022 6:36 pm
The option in PREFERENCES to replace 'MENU + Pad X' by 'SHIFT + Pad X' to access modes, plz! :worthy: