MPC Ren preview at Musikmesse 2012 (Mar 21-24)?

find interesting in the video the fact that the swing of the 60 and the 3000 comes also by the chopping by ear ( let space at the start and the end of the samples )

or maybe the unfinshed product was better then the other, finished, ones?

Luigi wrote:or maybe the unfinshed product was better then the other, finished, ones?

Or has any other controllers even been announced? I Haven't heard of any other midi controllers in headlines other than Akai's new Max 49 or whatever it is! Even if some other controllers were announced, I'm sure they don't offer much more than what was currently already available prior to NAMM!

You' ve seen this.! ??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZnK1HCeAaI

Seems like a wannabee AraabMUZIK...

I'm fine with what i have but.......i can't wait till this thing is released to see how it REALLY works, this dude & AraabMUZIK are using it in a live like setting.

Maybe after a year or two i would take the plunge, give it time to develop & mature, workout all the bugs & such

mcroepster wrote:You' ve seen this.! ??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZnK1HCeAaI

Seems like a wannabee AraabMUZIK...

The MPC seems to be really responsive but dude **** sucks!

finesse6136 wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gEGMc7qINk

I hear Andy taking a slight jap at Native Instruments when he briefly talked about products that lack timestretching.

I like the bit in the first video, where he says everything can be done from the controller, then he reaches for the mouse to put it into chop mode.

Have to say though, in the second video the chop via threshold, BPM and region will appeal to a lot of people who aren't too keen on overly detailed manual chopping. Recycle-esque.

Somethings are just faster using the mouse. For example..loading. Its typical of MPCs for users to head a load button, use data wheel to scroll through samples, and then hit another button to load. Versus products like Maschine and Ren where you can just take your mouse and double click or drag-n-drop a sample to a pad.

The chopping in the video is nearly identical to what I have in Maschine with a slight difference. When Andy was chopping via regions (equal parts), you can see him dialing in the exact number of slices he wants. Maschine is initially limited to a fixed number (2, 4, 8, 16, and 32). You then have to use Maschine's add or remove slice to get the desired number of slices you want.

The button sequences are part of the MPC workflow really, albeit governed by the limitations of the specific hardware. While I agree some things are quicker with a mouse, at what point do you draw the line?

In the first video, Andy makes a point of turning the monitor away from the Ren but then has to use the mouse to access what I would consider is a very basic function.

I think what I'd like to see in later updates is a dedicated button/sequence to enter chop mode if there isn't one already, even if it means an extra press of the shift key.

Andy already showed how to get into chop. Its a 2 button press like the other MPCs. Sample Edit Mode has a dedicated button. Once you are in that mode, you press the Chop button. That's all there is to it.

I'm not sure what you mean by drawing the line. I am a hardware dude too. But that doesn't mean I want the software limited in any way. While its typical MPC-style to Enter Program Edit and then use the F Keys to address each set of params. The MPC Ren still does this. But it also shows all the Program Edit parameters on your computer monitor. So if you choose to, you can simply use your mouse to adjust the parameters without clicking through menus.

NI made a mistake, IMHO, by having you click through program/sound edit menus using drop down boxes and cursor keys in the software. That is so silly when their other software like Battery, displays numerous params on-screen.

I've not followed the videos in quite as much detail as you so thanks for clearing that up. It did seem like an obvious omission.

When I say draw the line, I mean the mouse and it's use within the software. In terms of computer workflow the mouse is more or less always the fastest route for anything (IMO, it is for me at least). It's so direct that even with dedicated buttons you'd struggle to get that versatility with any other peripheral. Within reason of course, and more in terms of construction over performance. And if you end up deciding that the workflow is improved by using the mouse then you've lost a big part of what the Ren is supposed to be about IMO.

I suppose my point is that I've never felt that what I perceive as the MPC workflow has ever fit in with the computer environment. It's too open ended, whereas the original format of these units has always been limited, and that's personally something that appeals to me. The creation process can be so overwhelming, that at times I like to run out of memory so I have to commit to decisions, or experiment to get more from a sound. That to me is the workflow I love, and it's the reason I got an MPC to go alongside a DAW.

Obviously none of us know yet, and it's such an individual thing anyway. But having seen what the Ren and software can do I simply can't see any real advantage over this, against using my current DAW and it's countless options. In fact all I see is Ableton and an MPD in a slightly different format with more lights.

IMO IMO IMO

I'd like to see a proper close up of the LCD... From what I've seen the waveform looks way too small compared to other MPCs.

The software seems to coming along nicely though.