The New Maschine Studio: NI just BODIED the Renaissance.....

InspectahEX wrote:

SimonInAustralia wrote::hmmm:

^Says it all smh

Mpc workflow is always the best but choosing to stick with the gameboy lcd screen from 1988 just isnt a good sign moving into the future, especially when it's presently 2013

Sums it up for me.

InspectahEX wrote:Wow, when does this thing drop? Def Selling my Ren most likely now.

Resale value has to be dropping fast, they are selling at $779, or best offer, new on eBay now.

I await a thread by Reggie Reg on how he copped a Ren for $400

Ill-Green wrote:I await a thread by Reggie Reg on how he copped a Ren for $400

Smh... This hurts me so bad lol, I cant believe I dropped $1299 for this POS
I cant sell it at all, even with me offering a free case for it =[

Ill-Green wrote:I await a thread by Reggie Reg on how he copped a Ren for $400

I tried to warn people in the Ren forum months ago about this. There were so many people that were "thinking about selling the Ren" but decided to "wait on a couple more updates". Now, those people are going to take a bath trying to sell the Ren. I honestly feel bad for them. I can see these things going for MAYBE $300-$400 used. So glad that I didn't fall into that "wait on a couple more updates" trap.

Straight up, without the controller, the MPC software can be sold at $149. Then the Ren could've been a standalone hardware with USB access to use the software and that alone could be sold for $799 but when standalone its a basic MPC with basic MPC functions like sample, program, and the famous sequencer but with 4 gb of RAM.

Akai should study the Roland SP-606. That has PC intergration and can be standalone at the sametime. You could sample youtube thru the USB or sample a track you made on Reason or just use it as a controller for the software.

Ill-Green wrote:Straight up, without the controller, the MPC software can be sold at $149. Then the Ren could've been a standalone hardware with USB access to use the software and that alone could be sold for $799 but when standalone its a basic MPC with basic MPC functions like sample, program, and the famous sequencer but with 4 gb of RAM.

Akai should study the Roland SP-606. That has PC intergration and can be standalone at the sametime. You could sample youtube thru the USB or sample a track you made on Reason or just use it as a controller for the software.

Great point....the SP-606 is a very underrated unit!

Brand new Studio's going for $375 rht now, so the ren should be at $700 - $750 real soon NIB.

master-ceo wrote:Brand new Studio's going for $375 rht now, so the ren should be at $700 - $750 real soon NIB.

The Ren has been going for that for a couple of months now. $799 OBO on eBay ≈ $750.

Real talk. I started out doing music in the days where there were no home studios. You learned to play an instrument and would jam with friends. There was no hip hop (I'm probably dating myself, lol). When 4-tracks came out, it was awesome to be able to make music without a full band. I've been through that to 8-track reel to reel to ADAT to ensoniq Paris to pro tools to you name it. Early drum machines had very little memory and keyboards needed to warm up before you could use them.

Fast forward to now and I can record a full album on my iPhone or iPad with no instruments. That's just sick! But, with all the technology, I see one thing that sis seriously missing, talent or rather mastering your craft. I can't count how much I've spent on gear. It's enough to have put my 401k right where I want it. I love gear, but I realized that at the end of the day, I am the master. I make the music. With that said, if it's not making me money or at least have the potential, I don't have to have the latest or the greatest. I just need it to work.

With that said, I like the ren, but no way was I going to spend 1300 just to see if I liked it. I got a make maschine and I love it. My wife gave me most of the money for it because she knew I wasn't going to buy it. Side note, we used to go back and forth about me buying gear until I started making big money with music. Don't take money out your families mouth chasing gear. She stood by me but if I had to do it again, I wouldn't of spent what I did. Bottom line is find something that works and do you. If it's from Akai or NI, make it sing. Akai may get it right, but they need to take a long look at who's driving the train. Leadership is what wins and loses most battles. Akai, your losing.

master-ceo wrote:Brand new Studio's going for $375 rht now, so the ren should be at $700 - $750 real soon NIB.

and they're only gonna get cheaper once AKAI announces the Renaissance MKII... which i'm sure they'll do just in time for christmas... and it will most likely have the same buggy software and just a black plastic makeover of the controller.

They have to do the LE and SE first, that will be the black and white makeovers, MKII will come later.

SimonInAustralia wrote:They have to do the LE and SE first, that will be the black and white makeovers, MKII will come later.

this is true... they need to milk that cow first before developing anything new.

it would be suicide if they announced a new ren already.

My belief is that akai just doesn't make enough $$$ to hire the programmers they need, or the designers they need. I think they are fighting a hard battle here. In their case, the only way to continually make revenue is by releasing something "new" that relies heavily on existing technology, and marginally advances it enough to call it "new".

Look at the cycle they have been in over the last few product releases. Mpc fly became the element, ren is relying heavily on screen technology that didn't require any additional investment... The list can go on. And that's not always a bad thing. You have to rely on existing assets to keep expenses low. But they are clearly limited in this way. They are even trying to turn it to a positive by calling it all "iconic". Problem is that if you dont do "iconic" right, you end up with antiquated. And there's a thin line between both. Just imagine if Microsoft released a new Windows with the "legendary windows 98 workflow"... Exactly.

Only when you make a ton of $$$ from a product can you continue to support it. If not, you have to drop it and move on. It takes time and $$$ to keep digging a well to find more water. But it's generally easier to just up and move to a new spot where the water isn't as deep and difficult to get to.

I hope they can turn it around. But pattern shows that their development cycle will end in about 12 months and they'll be onto something new. And new products like the new maschine aren't doing much for the perception that akai is on the wrong side of the iconic / antiquated line. I don't want a 3000 or 1200 sound. Stop focusing on that akai!!! There are 12 bit converters and tons of eq and dynamics options for achieving that sound!!! Do something innovative with your next product... Or else it's gonna be lights out I'm afraid. Can only pimp the iconic and legendary products for so long... Let them rest in peace.

And I'm done now... Lol.