MPC Fly 30 now $150 on the Akai site...

Coz wrote:

Lampdog wrote:The standard impulse is to get the newest ****, some people lack self confidence/worth and need the newest **** to make them feel better imo.

The problem with the iPad/Apple is that each successive iteration doesn't exactly 'supersede' the previous one, but try and run a moderately resource hungry app on an iPad 1 and the hardware will struggle. The iPad 1 only came out 3 years ago, so it's not as though it's had an amazing lifespan. It'll basically just wither away as an unsupported legacy product. That fate will be the same for any tablet computer IMO. They've got a similar lifecycle to phones.

That doesn't mean you can't keep your current gen for ever and ever, but a few years down the line you won't be able to update the OS, and you end up with a less functional device with a progressively failing battery.

With that in mind, that's why I say the 30 pin Fly is 'obsolete'. It's cheap enough to take a gamble with if you're still on the 30 pin dock connector and can put up with shaky software, but there's also plenty of other things that would be a better investment.

For me the Fly fills a need/want/desire for a portable, self-contained beatmaking option. I realize there are other options available and I have tried a bunch of them (Korg padkontrol, MPC 500, Quneo, Korg Nanopad, Beat Thang(don't laugh:) All had their pluses and minuses, but all had a level of clunkiness that detracted from their portability when used with the Ipad. The Fly isn't perfect, but most of the imperfections are software related and are being corrected (albeit at a relatively slow pace) by Retronyms. It may not be for everybody, but for me it is the only product currently on the market that fits my requirements. It also has the added bonus of kit/pattern export compatibility with my MPC Studio.

what can the MPC FLY offer that the very portable MPC500 can not?

i've yet to see any benefits at all to the FLY... unstable software and a clunky unstable plastic ipad casing to boot... both the software and hardware leave lots to be desired. i don't see it getting any better at this point if the casing itself is a mess.

coolderb wrote:It may not be for everybody, but for me it is the only product currently on the market that fits my requirements. It also has the added bonus of kit/pattern export compatibility with my MPC Studio.

In that case you're the exact target market and I suppose I'm not. I'm just speculating around my current needs and wants.

crossings wrote:what can the MPC FLY offer that the very portable MPC500 can not?

i've yet to see any benefits at all to the FLY... unstable software and a clunky unstable plastic ipad casing to boot... both the software and hardware leave lots to be desired. i don't see it getting any better at this point if the casing itself is a mess.

The 500 is a very nice standalone unit that can be used with the Ipad as a controller but it doesn't integrate as cleanly as the Fly (requires plugging in a USB cable, carrying an additional device,etc.) It also requires maintaining a separate sample library whereas with the Fly everything is in the Ipad and it can even sample from 'records' in my iTunes library. I also need 16 pads.

I would still use the 500, just in a different way, eg. as a compact,standalone machine connected directly to a turntable for sampling vinyl.

Coz wrote:

Lampdog wrote:The standard impulse is to get the newest shit, some people lack self confidence/worth and need the newest shit to make them feel better imo.

The problem with the iPad/Apple is that each successive iteration doesn't exactly 'supersede' the previous one, but try and run a moderately resource hungry app on an iPad 1 and the hardware will struggle. The iPad 1 only came out 3 years ago, so it's not as though it's had an amazing lifespan. It'll basically just wither away as an unsupported legacy product. That fate will be the same for any tablet computer IMO. They've got a similar lifecycle to phones.

This is the reason why I don't have a tablet, although I almost bought one a couple of times...
But I would also never invest in a music tool for the I-pad, unless Apple will stop releasing and updating I-pads every year.

Nanostudio blows Impc away too. I laughed and cried when I seen the new (MPCS). To me there are not TRUE MPCs. I don't care what anyone says a TRUE MPC DOES NOT REQUIRE A COMPUTER!!!!! Akai Stop putting MPC on pile of shit.

Lampdog wrote:Beatmaker 2 is a great great thing. Kills the fly (pun intended).
It is a self contained studio in an app, no bs. It's one of the best things I bought
for my ipad3.

Agreed. Also a great companion controller to this portable studio is Quneo with the new firmware with Ipad mode.Ipad mode allows it to be powered completely from the Ipad with just the USB cable.AC adapters,USB hubs,etc.are no longer needed.As a bonus it also has pressure sensitive sliders and buttons to control synths.The ultra slim Quneo along with BM2, Ipad synths such as Nave and Thor connected via Audiobus is a fun,powerful yet compact combination.

Why couldn't Akai just provide a cable that caters to all iPads like those universal AC adapters with the multi-plugs?

I actually had high hopes for the Fly, thinking Akai managed to put the whole MPC2000XL hardware into an app because nowadays its possible, and also a reason to buy an iPad. But, nah.

When it comes to sequencing IMO nano studio has more of the mpc feel over bm2. I love the iMPC sequencer out of all 3, but the lack of audio-bus and inter-app audio sucks moose balls.

Mf's always falling short and dropping the ball.

master-ceo wrote:When it comes to sequencing IMO nano studio has more of the mpc feel over bm2. I love the iMPC sequencer out of all 3, but the lack of audio-bus and inter-app audio sucks moose balls.

Mf's always falling short and dropping the ball.

There may be hope after all: http://blog.retronyms.com/2013/09/ios7-remoteio-inter-app-audiobus-and-you.html

But the Impc app doesnt export a native MPC file right ?
So the only way to continue working on your production is by using the computer MPC software ?

No way to load this into your MPC like the 2500, 1000, or 4000 ?

Bomber4000 wrote:But the Impc app doesnt export a native MPC file right ?
So the only way to continue working on your production is by using the computer MPC software ?

No way to load this into your MPC like the 2500, 1000, or 4000 ?

I believe that is correct. The iOS app is based on the final Akai MPC 1000 OS but with the strange arbitrary track limit imposed. (You can run multiples in Tabletop hosting iMPC though). But the exported file only loads in the desktop software.

iMPC is cool but could be so much more. (And $20 for Akai gladly paid by users as in Beatmaker 2's case)

It's the "broken record" answer on this forum, but...Beatmaker 2. It just got updated again yesterday with a bunch of new tweaks and positive adjustments or enhancements of features.

I was pleased to see the inter app audio stuff that coolderb posted though.

Metatron72 wrote:

Bomber4000 wrote:But the Impc app doesnt export a native MPC file right ?
So the only way to continue working on your production is by using the computer MPC software ?

No way to load this into your MPC like the 2500, 1000, or 4000 ?

I believe that is correct. The iOS app is based on the final Akai MPC 1000 OS but with the strange arbitrary track limit imposed. (You can run multiples in Tabletop hosting iMPC though). But the exported file only loads in the desktop software.

iMPC is cool but could be so much more. (And $20 for Akai gladly paid by users as in Beatmaker 2's case)

It's the "broken record" answer on this forum, but...Beatmaker 2. It just got updated again yesterday with a bunch of new tweaks and positive adjustments or enhancements of features.

I was pleased to see the inter app audio stuff that coolderb posted though.

You can't import IMPC files into the MPC 1000 to finish it?