Icepulse wrote:MPC has a deep tradition in hip hop. Guys like Premier and Doom and JD and Pete Rock and Madlib and Lord Finesse and Ced Gee and Q-Tip... these guys handle an MPC with the skill and dexterity of a great musician. It IS their instrument.
Unreallystic wrote:Either Akai is in trouble, or we got something big coming like...Akai Fire is now on sale for $100. I'm almost tempted to get two more so I can do the 2x2 setup. And while without seeing the numbers I can't call it a failure, but as someone who scours youtube daily, owns a couple and is always looking for content, it looks like a failure, so the move itself isn't weird, but the timing screams "clean out inventory" as it has no direct competition, and $100 is half off. Hell that's the copy of FL Studio right there.
EDIT - I need to read better, doesn't include software.
As for the Fantom, no no no no no. I'm a Roland guy my guy - but I'm not coming out of pocket with that kind of bread for the Fantom and thinking its a come up. If I was a touring musician sure, but as a "mostly" stay at home guy, the last thing I want is for something that I would actually want, to have some insane price unnecessarily. If they want to have a $4k VERSION - fine. But I'm not ok going over $2k for any kind of sampler. At that point you are messing with a new laptop/controller.
Just take the current MPK249 form factor, swap out the screen section for the screen* of the Live, make the bottom row of Live buttons go vertical next to the screen, replace the 8-faders with Q-Links (total 16). Make sure there are no controls to the direct left of the drumpads to prevent any kind of unhappy accidents. On the far right of the keyboard, add logical button shortcuts to minimize the need for repetitive screen navigation. Make sure the keybed is the same quality of the Komplete S-series, maybe even lift the LED concept. I'd have no qualms with a $2k device like that. With enough horsepower improvements, I'd shell out more actually, but the Fantom's are just DUMB priced right now.
* - I actually want them to make a WIDE screen so that the piano roll is longer
Hell hijacking a little, I'm not even sure what Roland is doing. Feels like the Fantom series and Jupiter series are going to cannibalize themselves, especially at the high-end. I know they aren't the same, but the market will be. This is where Akai could shine, but undercutting them.
- Unreall
Unreallystic wrote:Either Akai is in trouble, or we got something big coming like...Akai Fire is now on sale for $100. I'm almost tempted to get two more so I can do the 2x2 setup. And while without seeing the numbers I can't call it a failure, but as someone who scours youtube daily, owns a couple and is always looking for content, it looks like a failure, so the move itself isn't weird, but the timing screams "clean out inventory" as it has no direct competition, and $100 is half off. Hell that's the copy of FL Studio right there.
EDIT - I need to read better, doesn't include software.
As for the Fantom, no no no no no. I'm a Roland guy my guy - but I'm not coming out of pocket with that kind of bread for the Fantom and thinking its a come up. If I was a touring musician sure, but as a "mostly" stay at home guy, the last thing I want is for something that I would actually want, to have some insane price unnecessarily. If they want to have a $4k VERSION - fine. But I'm not ok going over $2k for any kind of sampler. At that point you are messing with a new laptop/controller.
Just take the current MPK249 form factor, swap out the screen section for the screen* of the Live, make the bottom row of Live buttons go vertical next to the screen, replace the 8-faders with Q-Links (total 16). Make sure there are no controls to the direct left of the drumpads to prevent any kind of unhappy accidents. On the far right of the keyboard, add logical button shortcuts to minimize the need for repetitive screen navigation. Make sure the keybed is the same quality of the Komplete S-series, maybe even lift the LED concept. I'd have no qualms with a $2k device like that. With enough horsepower improvements, I'd shell out more actually, but the Fantom's are just DUMB priced right now.
* - I actually want them to make a WIDE screen so that the piano roll is longer
Hell hijacking a little, I'm not even sure what Roland is doing. Feels like the Fantom series and Jupiter series are going to cannibalize themselves, especially at the high-end. I know they aren't the same, but the market will be. This is where Akai could shine, but undercutting them.
- Unreall
kaydigi wrote:Where’d you see the price drop? It’s almost full price on sweet water. It does come with the lite/intro license.
Unreallystic wrote:Beat me to it. I didn't read enough of the e-mail when it first came across my phone, didn't realize who it was from (ImageLine).
I already have (2), I'm just trying to figure out if going to (4) will actually benefit me. I tried traveling with two to create a keyboard with a higher octave range, but in practicality it just doesn't land well - there is too much space between units for the fingering to work, and the notes mode unit specific, so setting one Note, then the next, then offsetting the octaves, creates this weird, "off by one" lower keyboard. Its GREAT for adding that bass note while playing, but "eh" about having (4).
At the same time, I'm wondering how well I could freak a set with (4) of them.
- Unreall
CharlesRandolph wrote:How you deal with the oddly placed USB port?
Eyalc wrote:Quick interjection...
Keyscape is the truth, but the sounds are just okay IMO, but I was hoping for a LOT more Rhodes sounds. You can do so much with a rhodes sound library, and with their creativity, I was expecting much more. But I don’t complain because the ability to create and mold sounds is awesome given the engine.
The MPC Live price drop, I think it’s just natural pricing. Holidays are coming up, they need to get in sales before people use their disposable income for a gang of other stuff. My opinion anyway.
And IMO Akai desperately needs to create a keyboard version of the MPC (think ASR). Keybed with the Live or X touchscreen interface.
This new Roland Fantom... Roland has a long history of reusing the SAME sound source library that Eric Persing created before he left and started Spectrasonics. Roland BEEN reusing the same sound sources for years. Bugs me to all heck. And their marketing reads “uses sounds based on research for decades”, or something to that effect. That to me means, this is STILL based on the same old sound sources. The hardware refresh is cool though. But I’m not necessarily into all the hardware bells and whistles like that. Though I could see why some people would want one. It looks compelling. Just hope it’s not JV 1080 sound library in shiny new hardware format. Being a bit sarcastic, but not really. Lol
Akai BEEN missing the boat on creating an ecosystem for their gear. Criminal that they haven’t. Such a missed opportunity.
Unreallystic wrote:I used L- and R- corner USB cables.
- Unreall
