By MeSoHordey
Wed Apr 04, 2012 10:57 am
There are some dope things about each product to be sure...but nothing has really convinced me to buy. Here's why;
1. Not convinced Akai can code a decent VST - latency and CPU load are my biggest concerns here (Ren / Studio)
2. Not convinced Retronyms can code a decent MPC app.
3. Not convinced Akai will be able to provide decent support for any of the new products. For the Fly, outsourced apps are notoriously hard to support anyways, and especially so for companies with a poor track record like Akai. For integrated controller setups like maschine, a close relationship with your customers is especially important. Akai has no support forum which is critical to users for comparing notes, submitting bugs and helping each other with solutions. In addition, Akai has never been good about developing updates. Each new hardware release becomes the most important and older models are quickly forgotten. This won't work for a complex PC-based environment that is constantly changing.
4. Controllers, by nature, become obsolete over time as operating systems evolve - they rarely hold their value over time and often have very little aftermarket parts support (Ren / Studio / Fly)
5. In the case of the Fly, I don't believe Akai will be able to keep the hardware compatible with new versions of the iPad. You're buying this thing to last a couple of years.
6. Cost for all three is too high. I can buy any traditional MPC for the price of the Ren and have money left over to buy a bunch of additional hardware.
7. Existing VSTs and integrated controller solutions have already gotten a headstart on the new Akai lineup. The first group of people working with these solutions will essentially be beta testers with no real offical way to learn from each other. Workflows may eventually get better over time, but not before the kinks are worked out.
I'm still interested in these products, but I'll be more interested if Akai can prove they are not all about the latest release and solve some of these concerns through their actions - rather than just a couple of reps assuring us through you tube video clips.
1. Not convinced Akai can code a decent VST - latency and CPU load are my biggest concerns here (Ren / Studio)
2. Not convinced Retronyms can code a decent MPC app.
3. Not convinced Akai will be able to provide decent support for any of the new products. For the Fly, outsourced apps are notoriously hard to support anyways, and especially so for companies with a poor track record like Akai. For integrated controller setups like maschine, a close relationship with your customers is especially important. Akai has no support forum which is critical to users for comparing notes, submitting bugs and helping each other with solutions. In addition, Akai has never been good about developing updates. Each new hardware release becomes the most important and older models are quickly forgotten. This won't work for a complex PC-based environment that is constantly changing.
4. Controllers, by nature, become obsolete over time as operating systems evolve - they rarely hold their value over time and often have very little aftermarket parts support (Ren / Studio / Fly)
5. In the case of the Fly, I don't believe Akai will be able to keep the hardware compatible with new versions of the iPad. You're buying this thing to last a couple of years.
6. Cost for all three is too high. I can buy any traditional MPC for the price of the Ren and have money left over to buy a bunch of additional hardware.
7. Existing VSTs and integrated controller solutions have already gotten a headstart on the new Akai lineup. The first group of people working with these solutions will essentially be beta testers with no real offical way to learn from each other. Workflows may eventually get better over time, but not before the kinks are worked out.
I'm still interested in these products, but I'll be more interested if Akai can prove they are not all about the latest release and solve some of these concerns through their actions - rather than just a couple of reps assuring us through you tube video clips.
Sometimes I still laugh out loud about the beat kangz and that time some English dude hacked the Akai marketing website and stole a bunch of pictures of the Ren before it was released.
Well I hope the testers get it right.