When Will Akai Listen to What We Have to Say!?!?

BE WARNED! I do not hold my tongue in this thread, and I wrote it in hopes AKAI (or someone beta testing or affiliated) will LISTEN! This is coming from a LOYAL paying customer!

Before anyone chimes in their 2 cents, I will say, I am a avid mpc owner/user, and have been loyal for YEARS to the mpc series. People ask "what should I get", and my answer was clearly a "MPC xxxx" or "MPK XX".

BUT When Will Akai stop using their own Judgement, and listen to what their Users (customers), have to say?!?!? I mean we have all seen the Justblaze rant years ago about the mpc 5000, and it seems like Akai is half-way deaf on user request.

The renaissance, mpc studio, and new element SHOULD be considered FORWARD thinking products, not backwards, but for most of us, it's on the lines of a piece of shit and a mid-grade product. Export and fx issues, software crashes randomly, I mean c'mon, the mpc1000 has more features than the software (wth?), and you have to toggle the device with you, or else you get no sound.

When I spend $500 or $1200 on a product modeled off the hardware version, I expect it to work great in the software realm. This is how I expect it to work:

- It should be able to record midi data within daws and used a usb controller. Meaning Cubase, Reason, Fl Studio, ProTools, and Ableton (the top 5 most used daws), should be able to use these production centers flawlessly. Not a bs device where I cant use trillian properly, or have to limit my creative because it will cause the software to crash. This ISNT 1988! This is 2013!

You tell us we can only run 1 instance of this plugin, and we have to now add a extra step spending countless time routing and assigning channels.... ok.

- You sway us to use the standalone software (mpc software), and I'm like ok fine, but the software sucks! While it may be ok for some mpc users, this shit crashes (maybe not as often as the previous versions), but it does. Omnisphere and Kontakt are a hit or miss sometimes, and if you load a ton of plugins (I'm on a optimized i7 supercomputer by the way dedicated for music production), you can potentially crash your hard-worked session.

- THE EXPORT AND FX SUCKS! Yes, they suck, If I'm going to build a track stand alone, I dont want to get clips randomly after exporting tracks, or have issues where I have to assign fx on a particular mode, etc.

- Make Dance Tracks and use side-chaining? Forget it using standalone! You would have to find a side-chaining plugin or assign your outs in your vst version on your daw and route right.

While I know users like Jah in the mpcforums has a 1.5 priorities thread and suggest other features like multi-core, Virtual outputs increased, and a better mixer, I feel like these issues above should be fixed by now or from the start! Even though I own the new series, I do not depend on the updates for my survival, I have other gear and means to get my music done. Some features have been added, but its a far cry from satisfaction. Give us hope, let us know you are doing something, don't let our hopes down on promoting something else!

I understand the software realm has alot of compatibility obstacles and whatnots, but dont put a half quality product expecting a fully satisfied customer. Maschine got this right, novation sl got this right, but until this day, the mpc4000 still reigns over the renaissance. While I think the max,mpk, and other mpc's are at a state where they will suffice, the mpc software clearly isn't. We don't need a another product (the element) working like horse manure.

When I say "AKAI", what's the first thing that comes to your mind??? A drum machine, not a **** "speaker"! So why the hell are promoting speakers, instead of promoting updates for the near future, and satisfying the needs of your customers/users? Stop being a polygamist and cheating on your customers doweling on other products, and focus on the ones that need the most attention: the mpc series!!!

I did not make this thread to rant by any means, I made it in hopes someone who is a beta tester or affiliated with Akai will bring this to their attention, and they will listen.

They are a business. They will do what they have to do to survive, even if we don't like it.

So is Bank of America:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/busin ... .html?_r=0

So was Sharper Image, Polaroid, Pets.com. I know change brings complains, but make a damn good product first. Stop selling us a new coke formula when we like the old one and want just more convenience.

Let me ask you, who pays Akai's employee's mortgage? The features in the mpc software, or maybe its the Proximity Control feature in the rpm500 monitors, or could it very well be the guy that goes to Guitar Center and pulls out his wallet?

We're not Akai's target market. We don't pay their bills.

My friend you are clearly blinded by the light. To say a consumer who goes into a music store and purchases an Akai product does not pay their bills is absurd. That's business 101.

Who is Akai's target market for the mpc ren? Hmmm...... Let's see... their testimonials come from Pete Rock, Dj Premier, Drumma Boy, and others? Hmmm.... Hip Hop producers.

Those guys don't use Rens, and the regs on this forum are not the target market.

mpc ren is for the children!

Some good points brought up. Some stuff over exaggerated though.

As far as Kontakt, it's been practically 100% stable for me in MPC standalone mode in 1.4 on both Mac and PC, other than the volumes on the modules jumping on their own. 1.4 overall has been extremely stable for me. On the other hand, in the full year I used Maschine coming in at 1.7, it never crashed a single time on me.

One thing to keep in mind when saying things like "the Ren sucks" or you can't make music on it is that the Ren can do practically anything a praised hardware MPC can do and a bunch of shit that these same MPC's cannot do. So if you can make music on a hardware MPC you most certainly do the same on a Ren.

Where the Ren does come up short is in comparison to other software products. Yes, it does lack some features found in other software, but it's still completely capable of making beats. I think where people are getting disappointed is finding out that the Ren isn't as much of an "all in one" product as people may have expected. But what is?!!

Everyone wants a stable and successful product....This includes the ladies and gentleman that spend their days coding and debugging the software. Everyone's concerns, needs, and wants are not falling on deaf ears. But it takes time.

1.4 (and soon 1.5) is drastically different than 1.0. Updates have been flowing as fast or faster than any commercial product (see NI Forum, Roland Forum, etc and you will see similar rants). Forums members say feature XYZ should have been implemented in 1.0. Well....internet forums tend to be the most critical...…and the same type comments being made about the Ren/Studio/Element are being made about 1.0 in just about any new music production product, from the plugins you use inside the MPC Software to the operating systems running your computers.

As Hellfire pointed out..."some stuff over exaggerated". This goes for many posts and threads across these forums. Because I am an avid MPC user, I spend a lot of my time going through threads to assist other Ren/Studio users. When I see a bug report, I make it my top priority to go home and troubleshoot the problem. The annoying thing....it is lik pulling teeth to get information from the individuals reporting problems.


TXDelta1010, I am currently looking at any specific issues you have posted in this forum. If you haven't reported your issues, chances are they will never be fixed. **Edit- The only issue I see you reported in the forum was about you using Cubase 5. I would try using Cubase 6 at a minimum...but opt for Cubase 7.**

Note - about the plugin volume issue, Akai implemented a fix in 1.4 that the Ren/Studio won't send volume changes to plugins until you move the fader on a mixer channel. This issue is specific to certain plugins and no one has been able to consistently produce the problem.

I can see where the frustration comes from.. especially if you are a paying customer spending your hard earned money, you would expect the product to work..
but that is not always the case, nothing is perfect.. but on the bright side, any update that Akai releases to the software will be a free upgrade, and keep in mind they are only on version 1.4. While people are huffing and puffing I am pretty sure the developers are busting their tales trying to get things rite. but it is still early in Renaissance world

the key is to be patient, I know pretty easy for me to say.. the only Akai product I have owned are the mpd24 and mpd32, but I am hoping they get everything rite.. because I am considering purchasing a Ren, and even Elements with Studio One doesn't seem like a bad idea.. lol, but time will tell what the future holds for Akai and their Mpc Line

JAH wrote:Note - about the plugin volume issue, Akai implemented a fix in 1.4 that the Ren/Studio won't send volume changes to plugins until you move the fader on a mixer channel. This issue is specific to certain plugins and no one has been able to consistently produce the problem.

Hmmmm, that may explain why it only happens on some modules and not all. Maybe for tracks plugin tracks that you adjust the volume on in the track mixer are the modules that get affected. I have to test this more. We may be onto something.

M-Chop wrote:I can see where the frustration comes from.. especially if you are a paying customer spending your hard earned money, you would expect the product to work..
but that is not always the case, nothing is perfect.. but on the bright side, any update that Akai releases to the software will be a free upgrade, and keep in mind they are only on version 1.4. While people are huffing and puffing I am pretty sure the developers are busting their tales trying to get things rite. but it is still early in Renaissance world

the key is to be patient, I know pretty easy for me to say.. the only Akai product I have owned are the mpd24 and mpd32, but I am hoping they get everything rite.. because I am considering purchasing a Ren, and even Elements with Studio One doesn't seem like a bad idea.. lol, but time will tell what the future holds for Akai and their Mpc Line

After being on several different forums for several different software products over the years, I'm convinced that no one is happy with what they buy! Every forum you go to, there's people complaining about how shitty the software is and how prices are too high for what you're getting and how beta testers suck and how shit is just so unfair!

DJ Hellfire wrote:

JAH wrote:Note - about the plugin volume issue, Akai implemented a fix in 1.4 that the Ren/Studio won't send volume changes to plugins until you move the fader on a mixer channel. This issue is specific to certain plugins and no one has been able to consistently produce the problem.

Hmmmm, that may explain why it only happens on some modules and not all. Maybe for tracks plugin tracks that you adjust the volume on in the track mixer are the modules that get affected. I have to test this more. We may be onto something.

When you create a Plugin track, there is "?" on the fader and pan. The Ren/Studio does not send MIDI volume and pan as long as the mixer remains untouched on those channels. As soon as you adjust the fader and pan the "?" disappears and the MPC Software send MIDI volume/pan messages to your plugin....which could cause an audio spike depending on what position you move it to.

JAH wrote:

DJ Hellfire wrote:

JAH wrote:Note - about the plugin volume issue, Akai implemented a fix in 1.4 that the Ren/Studio won't send volume changes to plugins until you move the fader on a mixer channel. This issue is specific to certain plugins and no one has been able to consistently produce the problem.

Hmmmm, that may explain why it only happens on some modules and not all. Maybe for tracks plugin tracks that you adjust the volume on in the track mixer are the modules that get affected. I have to test this more. We may be onto something.

When you create a Plugin track, there is "?" on the fader and pan. The Ren/Studio does not send MIDI volume and pan as long as the mixer remains untouched on those channels. As soon as you adjust the fader and pan the "?" disappears and the MPC Software send MIDI volume/pan messages to your plugin....which could cause an audio spike depending on what position you move it to.

Yeah, I'm aware of that part. But for example, I was using Kontakt last week (for over 5 hours straight, no crashing BTW), and I didn't start having the Kontakt volume issues until several hours into the session. I believe it started happening once I moved one of the faders that was going to the module that was giving me this issue. But it doesn't happen when I move the fader. It happens when stopping the transport or pressing playstart. So I'm wondering if we never touch the faders at all for plugin tracks, if this issue would stop happening.

Anyway, Masada hit me with a fix that said worked for him. I have to try it for myself!

If it is the transport then that would mean it is generating MIDI commands for volume and pan when it shouldn't. I can't produce this. Maybe I should spend time playing with this while keeping a MIDI monitor app open to monitor what commands are being transmitted....