MPC Studio cheaper than MPC 500

ntalec wrote:Think about it, they had to get programmers, license algorithms from companies.
They purchased a plug in company, purchased a hardware company, paid for some ghetto marketing plus had to actually built the product.

Yeah, basically just run a business like all the other music companies are doing.

The best marketing in the world won't shift units if the product isn't right. The price also wouldn't be dropping like a stone if it was an in demand product.

All the gear I want seems to be going up in price, not down.

Akai has been struggled staying afloat since the late 90s. The ownership of the company changed hands at least twice.

And after 25+ years...you can still buy new MPCs. You can't say that about all the products that were produced to compete against the MPC line. All those companies folded or stopped producing competing products.

MPCs always sold at very high prices...and were eventually reduced in price. I would bet that most MPC users here picked them up when they were sold at reduced prices or on the second hand market. Nothing has changed....enjoy the lower prices. And don't be surprised to see a new flagship MPC in 1 1/2 yrs.

JAH wrote:enjoy the lower prices. And don't be surprised to see a new flagship MPC in 1 1/2 yrs.

guess that whole "They put a new product out every 3-5 years" is out the window

Guess I was right though, Akai def gonna need something new to come pump some blood back after November

I wonder what the Ren MK2 is gonna look like

In coming months and with the arrival of new competing products the Ren\Studio will drop even lower in value. Once the inventory is pushed out there's a good chance that Ren owners end up like MPC Fly users or 5000 users waiting another update. Numark has more controllers in the graveyard than anyone in the industry. If it doesn't sell it's dropped and buyers can fend for themselves.

This is not normal.This is a liquidation. Sadly, Ren buyers are going to have to make a decision on whether the Ren is a bag worth holding.

*It doesn't matter what any other company did in the past. On this day it's Ren/Studio/Fly units taking a nosedive in value. It's Akai prospects being asked to buy a product that is clearly being liquidated and without any clear statement about future support.

moyphee wrote:In coming months and with the arrival of new competing products the Ren\Studio will drop even lower in value. Once the inventory is pushed out there's a good chance that Ren owners end up like MPC Fly users or 5000 users waiting another update. Numark has more controllers in the graveyard than anyone in the industry. If it doesn't sell it's dropped and buyers can fend for themselves.

This is not normal.This is a liquidation. Sadly, Ren buyers are going to have to make a decision on whether the Ren is a bag worth holding.

*It doesn't matter what any other company did in the past. On this day it's Ren/Studio/Fly units taking a nosedive in value. It's Akai prospects being asked to buy a product that is clearly being liquidated and without any clear statement about future support.

Part of me believes your doomsday scenario is completely unrealistic. And then another part of me realizes you may actually be right. I completely understand if Akai updates hardware to keep the product line fresh and new revenues coming in. But they need to ensure compatibility with the last line of controllers in the market. This is especially true given that their current MPC software is really not ready for prime time. Unfortunately, I can see their product managers coming up with the brilliant plan to create completely new, incompatible software with each new hardware rev in order to get their existing customers to upgrade. These guys at Akai are NOT what I would consider to be customer-friendly. They are operating purely with their financials in mind even at the expense of their customers.

It makes sense to be cheaper since studio requires a decent system (one that costs from as much as, to 4 times or more the price of the studio) to function.

Just as the Ren entered lower than used 5Ks, even before the current price drop.

500 just need headphones and youre ready to go! (Tho I prefer my studio and laptop)

I just wish I had waited a few weeks and saved a couple hundred...

way i look at it is like this... the 500, how long has it been out? I think like 07' or 08' right? lets say2007' to 2014' thats 7 years.. it has been discontinued and the OS is no longer updated, well its really no big deal they dont update it cause the OS is self contained and its gonna continue to work, cause all it is for is making beats, no new features, no new anything.....

now the mpcstudio and ren: they rely on a computer to work, the OS is in the computer. say akai discontinue the ren/studio and 3 to 4 years go by. things in the computer will be updated the actual computer OS will go through changes, upgrades, system updates and all, the ren/studio software will need updates always to work with the new updates in the computer, or if the computer is too old you will need to buy a new computer, well we all know what happens when you get the newest computer and you have a 4 year old software, you run into problems, and these are problems you are not gonna run into with a mpc500. it will continue to work no matter how many years go by and how much things are updated, all it is used for is making beats, the fact that you have a new/different processor in ur computer aint gonna make a shit bit of difference. ive had my 500 from 08' till now, im on my 2nd computer since ive had my 500. ive went from reason4 to reason7 in that amount of time..yet my trusty mpc500 still does the same thing it did when i bought it off ebay back in 08'.........just my thoughts, and JAH can suck a big fat one!!

Coz wrote:

ntalec wrote:Think about it, they had to get programmers, license algorithms from companies.
They purchased a plug in company, purchased a hardware company, paid for some ghetto marketing plus had to actually built the product.

Yeah, basically just run a business like all the other music companies are doing.

The best marketing in the world won't shift units if the product isn't right. The price also wouldn't be dropping like a stone if it was an in demand product.

All the gear I want seems to be going up in price, not down.

Unlike other companies, who develop products over time while trying to build resources to design plus support them.
Akai decided to jump into a totally new arena with the mentality of buying their way in.
That's never a smart move it makes a company start out with a wall of deficit that they have to overcome before they could stand any chance of survival.

Instead of doing like Ableton, Propellerheads, Cockos etc and starting out with a product then building on it, they looked at what NI had and tried to purchase things to compete.

Then Akai Grand Holdings pretty much operates like that in general.

There's plenty of demand for the Ren/Studio but it's hard to sell something when you go into a store to check it out and no one is competent enough to show them how to use it.
Or you come on here which is the best place to get info on MPC related stuff and all you see is a lot of childish back and forth stuff that's unrelated to the actual product or usage.

Things like that really affect potential buyers.

The whole software depreciation and rate it becomes obsolete is why I still own hardware that allows me to do what I need to do without a computer if I so desire.

Oh well after FedEx delivers I will stop reading or responding all Post related to the Renaissance or Studio.

I think the Ren, Studio etc. are a very consistent continuation of the series. All they really changed is using a computer instead of built in processing and made it cheaper. Yes, there is a new software interface, but I like the "onboard FX" a lot - almost nothing I can do with them. Plus the Ren's interface is dope, just what I hoped it sounded like.

I got the Studio when the price dropped, and although the firmware update WAS a bit tricky, everything went fine in the end, and now I've got a mobile MPC "studio". I like.

ntalec wrote:

Or you come on here which is the best place to get info on MPC related stuff and all you see is a lot of childish back and forth stuff that's unrelated to the actual product or usage.

Things like that really affect potential buyers.

Oh please, people who make decisions on gear purchases based on that don't need gear. I hope the stick to what they have and stay away.

Prices dropping is what affects a buyer's decision.

If anyone based buying products on a forum's behavior is truly a **** moron.

Ill-Green wrote:Prices dropping is what affects a buyer's decision.

Among other things.

Welcome to music production on computers.

Just because a new computer drops or there is an OS upgrade on your computer doesn't mean you have to immediately update it...if ever. Professionals spend tens of thousands on Pro Tools systems. They do not immediately upgrade a perfectly good working system because Microsoft and Apple decide to market some new toys. The new Mac Pro doesn't even have PCI slots for Pro Tools HD cards.

If you have a good computer running the MPC Software today...with plugins and all....chances are 10-15 years down the line, this very same computer will be running.

ntalec wrote:Akai decided to jump into a totally new arena with the mentality of buying their way in.

I don't think historically they've ever put a lot of value in software, which is why over the years they've contracted out the bulk of the work and inadvertently given JJ a platform to build from.

ntalec wrote:Or you come on here which is the best place to get info on MPC related stuff and all you see is a lot of childish back and forth stuff that's unrelated to the actual product or usage.

That's forums for you! The difference here is that the product lineage goes back over 25 years and the user base is fragmented and we all have different expectations of what an MPC should be. Some are happy with a faux MPC experience on a computer, others want something more forward thinking, and others want a standalone unit with computer control like the 4K. You can't please everyone.

ntalec wrote:Oh well after FedEx delivers I will stop reading or responding all Post related to the Renaissance or Studio.

If that means you've bought the Ren, stop kidding yourself!

You'll be here...

JAH wrote:Professionals spend tens of thousands on Pro Tools systems. They do not immediately upgrade a perfectly good working system because Microsoft and Apple decide to market some new toys.

They are professionals, making money from their equipment, they wait until the software is stable, and all the plugins they need are available, before upgrading, so that their work is not interrupted.

JAH wrote:The new Mac Pro doesn't even have PCI slots for Pro Tools HD cards.

Thunderbolt-PCIe expansion chassis.

JAH wrote:If you have a good computer running the MPC Software today...with plugins and all....chances are 10-15 years down the line, this very same computer will be running.

And chances are that it will no longer be the main studio computer, if in use at all.