What the...Akai discontinuing hardware MPCs???

Radical Edwards wrote:Thing is I use my 500 more often as a portable device than a desktop device, moores law has made it more viable for akai to build controllers that take advantage of freely available computing power that wasnt available when the mpc was originally conceived (amount of laptops in 2013, vs amount of laptops(and size) in 1989). Playing MPC on the L train on lap , easy, balancing laptop and controller on lap on L train, long to say the least especially if I start gettin on. If the 500 wasnt portable I wouldnt have bought it, portability was a deal sealer/breaker. controller/laptop combination is too cumbersome to be portable in the true sense, how would I hi jak the souns system in the lecture hall with all that fumblin?

Maybe the Fly is the beggining of something to suit me, but for now its a par.

On the L train?? For real? Damn, Brooklyn done really changed. You couldn't even bust out a stick of gum on the L train without getting robbed for it back in the days.

Ill green, even me as a tourist I can say that Brooklyn is taken over by hipsters, students and young creative people. Last summer when I was in NY I spent most of the time in BK. Didn't feel threatened at all going out at night in Brooklyn and riding the subway.

There are probably still a few rough parts, but from what I've heard Brooklyn is a nice place to live now.

Just hoarded another MPC500 from ebay after reading this thread. I spent $300 for it with 11 2gb cards. I'm done.

well i aint been back to brooklyn in a while but any way I tend not to be the easy choice to rob anyhow, but when im around you can find me on avenue L canarsie

Menco wrote:Ill green, even me as a tourist I can say that Brooklyn is taken over by hipsters, students and young creative people. Last summer when I was in NY I spent most of the time in BK. Didn't feel threatened at all going out at night in Brooklyn and riding the subway.

There are probably still a few rough parts, but from what I've heard Brooklyn is a nice place to live now.

Yeah, I was looking at my old neighborhood and its really cleaned up. They still got the bodegas and car service stations Used to take round trips to Franklyn and back for $7 to cop the finest herb. Used to cop skunk at Bergen and the chocalate at Stern. Franklyn was a little Amsterdam at one point. Its all gone now. I think thats why Hip Hop died in New York. They removed the potent shit and that removed the potent Hip Hop shit

I'm super amped to get started on my MPC 500 when it arrives.

I had one a few months ago but I never got past making my own FLASH ROM pgms for live drumming.

I really want to delve into making use of the 128mb memory and 24 pgms.

I think I might get a QY100 again or the 70 to make a nice portable pair.

Peace,

JD

The older hardware MPC's, even the 60's, will long outlive the Ren, Studio or Fly. I guarantee, in 15 years time you won't be able to find a new computer that any of them will work with. There might be USB 5 interfaces with backwards compatibility, but Akai providing software updates and drivers compatible with the latest Windows or OSX, or whatever's around then, I highly doubt!

The current Fly in particular I don't think will be around for anymore than another year or two. As soon as Apple change the design of the iPad, it's dead.

And seriously, I can't see why they don't continue making the MPC500 at least. It's what a lot of beatmakers who have only used software will turn to when they want to go the hardware route. I mean, Alesis are still selling SR16's brand new! And that thing's been around since 1989.

nothing beats working with a standalone machine like the MPC, to use the MPC Ren that obnly works with a frekkin PC or Mac is a total biatch

i even prefer workig with an MPC500 over a damn Ren

Working with software sucks abd also come to think of it..Software is worth nothing

I'm a software guy. I've been making music and beats with software since I was 14 with Fl Studio and Reason.

Someone was right when they said MPC's will outlive the software thing. I still use Reason 5 for making music and beats, but I'm thinking of going to MPC's for sampling. I want to be able to close my eyes and twist knobs while I sample..I love that kind of intuitive feel. There's a really strange and nostalgic "beauty" in simplicity.

I don't think something like MPC's will die. It's only a matter of time before the younger creators realize the power of intuition and true creativity.

KuhNada29 wrote:I'm a software guy. I've been making music and beats with software since I was 14 with Fl Studio and Reason.

Someone was right when they said MPC's will outlive the software thing. I still use Reason 5 for making music and beats, but I'm thinking of going to MPC's for sampling. I want to be able to close my eyes and twist knobs while I sample..I love that kind of intuitive feel. There's a really strange and nostalgic "beauty" in simplicity.

I don't think something like MPC's will die. It's only a matter of time before the younger creators realize the power of intuition and true creativity.

dude, u should sample on reason 7, im telling you, its a dream!!!!!!! upgrade!!! i started out on reason with version 1.0 back in the day, i got mpcs. the 500, the 1000jjos and a 2000xl.. my fav by far is the 500, i like chopping by ear and i dont even look at the screen,, its nothing like the 1000, but the 500 is what it is, more ear work then eye.. but for real man, reason7 is whats up, the chopping in the rack and rex creation in the rack is sooo nice, the time stretch is on **** point too..

Yea, Reason 7 looks nice for sure. I'm definitely getting it because I compose non-hip hop music also and it has a lot of creative stuff in it.

But I really wanted to get the MPC500 for the portability and the simplicity. Everything's in the box so i don't have to do a whole lot of mouse and computer work. I can take it with me everywhere and basically just play it as a stand-alone instrument which is what I want.

With propellerhead recycle, I have to convert shit to wav...then load it up in recycle, then chop/slice, then export, then import into reason. Shit is not intuitive at all. Then if you feel the sample isn't good or you want to edit the chops..you have to do the whole process over again switching between two different computer programs.


I mean it gets the job done but it's a beautiful thing to be able to listen to a sample already loaded into your hardware and just edit your chops on the fly. Everything is in one place so you can just close your eyes and zone for the most part. Even with Reason 7 i hear you still have to create a dedicated track for wav, slice, export, then import, then delete the dedicated wav track. .

It's just too much clicking and computer work just for something as simple as sampling.


I love Propellerhead Reason, but it is definitely NOT for sampling if you can't edit your slices on the fly.

Like I said, it's nice to have something you can play as a stand-alone instrument. Even with Maschine you STILL have to be connected to a computer/laptop.


I have a question though, since Reason 7 now has Midi-out. Can you create something in stand-alone MPC500 then export/dump straight into reason sequencer? If you can MPC500 is a deal-sealer for me. I'm definitely getting it then.

dude, with reason 7 you can edit ur samples on the fly. plus u aint even gotta use recycle anymore.. u should check it out... remember now the mpc500 has no wav view, instead there are numbers and u have to chop by ear, the 1000 has the wav view, but no batteries, i prefer my 500 over my 1000.. but yo, you should at least check out the demo of reason 7 its the full version execpt u cant open back up what you saved after you close it.. for real, **** with it, check out the audio tracks, check out the timestrech and look at how when u sample something into a pad on kong how easy it is to open the sample edit menu and edit the sample with it real time editing while you hit the pad on ur controller. it really is top notch man.. go try that demo and get back at me,... u can pick up a mpc500 off craigslist or ebay for 199-300...

In reason 7, to edit your chops you have to load the wav back into the sequencer, edit chops then export to Rex and Import back into octorex

That's not editing chops on the fly


I'm definitely getting the 500 though. Should have it tomorrow

KuhNada29 wrote:In reason 7, to edit your chops you have to load the wav back into the sequencer, edit chops then export to Rex and Import back into octorex

That's not editing chops on the fly


I'm definitely getting the 500 though. Should have it tomorrow

not sure about editing them once in octorex, but i always save what im chopping in the sequencer once i bounce it, just mute it till ur sure u wanna delete it,. in KONG you can edit ur chops on the fly homie,. and in redrum too...good luck with ur 500 man, i love mine..