Ren HARDWARE improvements smooth requests : REN II.

Software first for sure, it's far too soon (may be two years) , but i wanted to be the first

1° - Instead of click buttons, mechanical push buttons like the Nord Modular G2 or the Eventide Evenet (same push-buttons - the best ever made - on these two gears, but take more space) (+200$ per unit ?)
2° - Real heavy weighted metal Jog wheel without clicks - usable with one finger - with a hole on the surface like the Eventide Evenet (again) (+200$?)
3° - Fine clicked steps & clicked push Qlinks knobs like the Mackie C4 pro or Universal Pro with leds included, not thru the cover. Easier to replace. (+200$?)!

4° - Maybe an add-on with 8 P&G automated faders, fader banks, labelling screens, etc. Something like the Mackie Extender Pro with the Ren design. (600 $ ?)
5° - Humm... Ok...Dsp, motherboard, SSD...to use the Ren standalone ? (+1000$?)
Well, the Eventide Evenet is about 1600 $, the Mackie Xtender about 700$. Pure dream. But....

Haha actually its my biggest fear, I'm absolutely confident that I'm going to want to replace the one I have now... Haha, but they are nice suggestions...but I'm kinda scared they keep bringing newer hardware, and great features only available for that specific hardware (for example : with the renaissance u get 2 more vst plugins than with the mpc studio) they call the ren their flagship, hopefully it will be...

Just Blaze just designed it, now you wanna crumble his work like a failed lottery ticket.

It's sunday night here in Paris, it's time to dream !
Of course, the hardware upgrade, if it happens one day, will not depend only if the Ren is a commercial success story. It will depend on the Akai commercial strategies. And it's quite a big company now. Relatively speaking.
If i was an Akai CEO - even if i don't know anything about the market, that's why i'm not a CEO - i would consider the MPC not far as a flagship product for the whole company.
And i would work thinking about a quite impossible hypothesis : And if the Linn Drum II came with a software ? Big company have to think like craftsmen. To release dream products. Time will reverse that way, i'm sure.

Ill-Green wrote:Just Blaze just designed it, now you wanna crumble his work like a failed lottery ticket.

Crumble what ? In France Crumble is a kind of english cake. Ok, yes i would like the ice on the cake, for the future, but the cake is very nice. Nothing is "failed" in that hardware, and i didn't write anything that way. I don't know who is Blaze. Nice guy ?

rougenavarre wrote:

Ill-Green wrote:Just Blaze just designed it, now you wanna crumble his work like a failed lottery ticket.

I don't know who is Blaze. Nice guy ?

Nah, just a producer who had some little complaints about the mpc 5000.

peace

Danny wrote::WTF:

Humm, well Danny. Argued, but.. Do you think, deeply, that is a useless thread ?

rougenavarre wrote:

Nah, just a producer who had some little complaints about the mpc 5000.
peace

Ah, thanks for the info mcroepster

The previous hardware thread went to hell. Hopefully this one will fare better. Here is a recap with comments from Dan @ Akai.

JAH wrote:

xparis001 wrote:my completely unofficial thoughts, just because I happened to run across this:

1. do people really want a color screen? it would cost a whole lot of money for not much return. i mean blue sky, sure, but meh.

2. if thunderbolt can get stable enough, this would be a cool addition.

3. does anyone use wordclock anymore? or rather would they, if the controller is already integrated into the computer in question and therefore is sample-accurate?

4. so lose the RCA? and turntable pre?

5. interesting...

JAH wrote:Being the gearslutz that I am...and feature requests/suggestions is what I do...here is my idea for MPC Ren MKII controller:

1. Larger, Color LCD screen
2. Thunderbolt and Firewire options
3. Word clock I/O
4. Two Mic Inputs + 2 TRS 1/4" analog inputs
5. Two 1/4" headphone outputs

Other than that....I can't think of any improvements to make to the hardware.

Yes...I am bored.

Just me and some of my grand (and not so grand) ideas....for a future MPC Ren interface to accompany the possibilities of a future fullblown MPC DAW.

1. Larger, color LCDs just look nice but not needed. The Fantom G is just gorgeous.

2. The claims of how Thunderbolt surpasses Firewire and USB has my mouth watering

3. I added workclock In/Out as the MPC Ren has an audio interface. Several manufacturers of audio interfaces (RME, UA, Focusrite, Motu, Avid/M Audio, Apogee, Mackie, etc) still include work clock on their products for those that require it.

4. We can't have it all? If I had to choose, I would stick with the turntable pre amp. I honestly like the I/O capabilities of the MPC 4000/5000.

5. I would take two 1/4" phone outputs over one 1/4" and one 1/8". This is just preference noting that several popular studio headphones have 1/8" plugs with 1/4" adapters.

I'd like to see hardware add-ons. Like maybe slide off one end cheek or another and attach optional hw interfaces like sliders, or MIDI keyboard. But it would all be able to be connected so that it would look like one unit, could be cool.

IMHO the Ren is perfect as it is.

I just hope the hardware won't fall apart like my 2500 and 1000 but will resist like my friends 3000...

Maybe in the future they can upgrade the hw with USB 3.0 and better A/D D/A.

Anyways USB 2.0 is more then enough for a sound card with few ins and outs.

JAH wrote:The previous hardware thread went to hell. Hopefully this one will fare better.

WHOT ? I was not the fiiiiirst ? Damned f**K S**T!!!!


1° - Yes, world clock.
2° - Yes, thunderbolt and/or firewire.
3° - 6 or 8 Outs, but need a upgrade sound card. Metric Halo or Prismsound partnership ?
4° - No color screen. It distracts from the main : readability and functionality.
5° - I insist about the mechanical push-buttons like Nord G2. These awesome buttons need just to be pushed very rapidly, without waiting for this weak little toy-like undersized "bitton" sounding "pleek" or "clack", pushing deeply to hear "cluck". Heavy wheel without clicks, and integrated leds clicks QLinks like Evenet or Mackie C4.
6° - Of course, 8 ADAT. Clouck.

rougenavarre wrote:

JAH wrote:The previous hardware thread went to hell. Hopefully this one will fare better.

WHOT ? I was not the fiiiiirst ? Damned f**K S**T!!!!


1° - Yes, world clock.
2° - Yes, thunderbolt and/or firewire.
3° - 6 or 8 Outs, but need a upgrade sound card. Metric Halo or Prismsound partnership ?
4° - No color screen. It distracts from the main : readability and functionality.
5° - I insist about the mechanical push-buttons like Nord G2. These awesome buttons need just to be pushed very rapidly, without waiting for this weak little toy-like undersized "bitton" sounding "pleek" or "clack", pushing deeply to hear "cluck". Heavy wheel without clicks, and integrated leds clicks QLinks like Evenet or Mackie C4.
6° - Of course, 8 ADAT. Clouck.

You can use any sound card now with the Ren. I use my UA Apollo as the Ren's sound card.

A heater in the back like my SP1200. Now thats vintage mode...