Ren as a standalone sampler

Hey peeps, so im just wondering. Do you think they will do a standalone ren, like a 2000xl or a 1000 etc, its just that haveing it always hooked to mac, if my mac died, then im screwd. Sorry if this has been asked before, im a 2000xl cat and dont realy come to this part of the forum. What dou you guys think ? Never or maybe ? Its the only thing that puts me off about getting s ren..

I would bet against it but you never know.

i would also bet against it

if you wondering if the controller could be "updated" to work standalone.. i think thats impossible

masada2502 wrote:I would bet against it but you never know.

I agree. There would have to be a market for it. Numark/Akai aren't producing MPCs as a hobby. "If you build, they will come" mentality could result in a $3000 MPC that ends up being sold for under $1000 and discontinued with no further support. DejaVu? (This topic and the current state of the hardware MPC line).

Perfect mod: I would try if I had another Ren.

Buy a Raspberry PI: (doesn't run windows)


This one can run windows 7. Gizmo Explorer Kit


Get windows on it.

Install MPC software and all the goodies needed.

Hardwire to REN power supply.

Strap to the Ren

End product = Stand alone Ren.

Louie lou wrote:Buy a Raspberry PI:

Dont think the Pi's have enough grunt though...

I haven't tried it but i wonder if a mac mini will fit inside a 1u rack size...
I have a 1u rack size with the macbook pro and it fits in it...(With lid down .. You need a app called insomniaX)
So i'm going to modify it so that it's fixed to the ren case and that the laptop/mac mini can slide out on a slide tray to the side if i want to pull it out...

If you have a ipad you can setup a screen share , so you only use the iPad when you need to access things that the small ren screen can't... (Naming and Renaming)

A setup like this is much more flexible in terms of figuring out what's going wrong, and then you can easily fix it..(unless the controller bugs out)

That would be interesting to see...but in functionality, without a computer monitor connected, you will lose important functionality in the MPC Software. All software features are not available from the hardware so you must still reach for your mouse.

Fingaprints76 wrote:Hey peeps, so im just wondering. Do you think they will do a standalone ren, like a 2000xl or a 1000 etc, its just that haveing it always hooked to mac, if my mac died, then im screwd. Sorry if this has been asked before, im a 2000xl cat and dont realy come to this part of the forum. What dou you guys think ? Never or maybe ? Its the only thing that puts me off about getting s ren..

They probably will go back to stand-alone samplers now that the Ren and Studio aren't cutting it from a sales perspective. Either that, or abandon the Ren and Studio and get out of the game altogether.

it aint even a standalone paperweight......

Louie loo & fobedafied had the best ideas yet, kudos to you both.

Ive got a spectrum 48k some where in my house, thats what I'm going to hook it up to, i just think the raw zeus like power of my spectrum 128 (with built in tape deck) would just make the ren have some sort of sampler nervous break down. Screw it i will invent a lead to connect to my xbox 360.

JAH wrote:

masada2502 wrote:I would bet against it but you never know.

I agree. There would have to be a market for it. Numark/Akai aren't producing MPCs as a hobby. "If you build, they will come" mentality could result in a $3000 MPC that ends up being sold for under $1000 and discontinued with no further support. DejaVu? (This topic and the current state of the hardware MPC line).

FWIW there is still a market for hardware MPCs.. just have a look on ebay they are being sold there everyday and tens of thousands of them are still being used in studios across the globe. Not everyone works 100% ITB, a hybrid OTB/ITB approach is actually the way most pros are leaning towards. The added benefit of a standalone unit also means it isn't dependent on your computer system and the inevitable obsoleteness of it's OS.. it's basically a safer investment..

Furthermore the reason why previous MPCs were shelved was because Nukai were behind the curve and were delivering buggy unfinished products to the market. We all remember Just Blaze's rant that pretty much made the 5K DOA and Nukai never finished the job on that one giving it substantial negative image. A rude awakening Nukai should be careful not to repeat..

Software seems to be Nukai's achille heel.. they need to really sort that out before even considering another product. By the time we reach 2.0 that hopefully will be the case, in the mean time I'll be letting others do the beta testing..