MPC Renaissance and the future OS

Putting aside any ideas for a new updated model of the MPC line of samplers I thought I'd post up what it is I'm looking forward to with the software and operational side of the MPC Renaissance.

1) Multi core support. There's nothing more fustrating than getting stuck into a project and then seeing that green meter shoot up and instability ensue. Multi core support will be much welcome for those who like to work super quick like myself and finds stopping to remove plug ins and reduce cpu load a hindrance to true flow

2) A better implemented mixer preferably with groups/and or busses. This will give me something more familiar to a DAW mixer set up (or the choice to set it up this way) and this will help with immediately better sounding mixdowns straight from the MPC without having to rely on my DAW of choice for a decent sounding and balanced mix.Which brings me to point 3..

3) Full automation. This is a blessing in the DAW world that every single function, from the smallest to the biggest, is fully automatable. This helps in unlimited ways with song creation, mixdowns and processing. An absolute necessity with modern music, electronic music in particular.

4) Real time q link control on keygroups. At the moment it's note on only which means everytime a note hits the qlink level resets and this makes non real sense to me. Once real time option is implemented here that eliminates this issue and allows far smoother modulation of sound. Once again, super important for electronic music.

5) Improved software stability. I still have issues when loading large banks of sounds and 7 times out of 10 it will crash when loading. Random crashes are still common place and when doing the most mundane, non CPU intensive functions like pressing the 'prog mix' button or something just as simple. Odd, very random and a definite hindrance to flow. Auto save shouldn't need to be set to 'every 5 mins' in this day and age from fear of losing everything.

6) Other bugs and fixes...like when I copy a sequence into a song some parts of the mixer and program settings are lost. For example which outputs are set (these default back to outs 1/2) or which midi outs were set on midi channels (this defaults back to midi out 1) Another unecessary hindrance to flow.

7) On a more positive note: I'm looking forward to where this thing is going. More vst outs? More filter types? More included effects? More instruments? (although I've yet to use these) More emulations? Better swing/groove? Increased sampler functions? Well you get the picture...

I have a feeling, based on that preview video from January, that some of this will be implemented on the next update so the sooner that drops the better

Anyways, here's to the future

can someone lock this, I can't find my keys!

Akai, take heed…the person who wrote that list is a veteran producer who's been releasing music for some 20 years now.

hey nubian, i think what you want is a maschine. it has everything from your list already implemented and loads more...

I won't be ditching the Ren anytime soon. Although I do appreciate Maschine and its many merits I just vibe with the MPC Sequencer/groove and, to a lesser extent, sound.

I'd probably look at an MPC 2000XL or 1000 before I'd look at Maschine.

Just my personal vibe really.

Akai MPC Renaissance Feature Request

1.7 - 1.8 Suggestions and Request

FIXES
1. Firmware Installation for Mac 10.8.5 and up is not simple enough, it would be great for it to
work without the many steps it takes to see if it worked. I have tried almost 20 Times before I learned from the forums to install it on a windows machine.

2. Connection from hardware to the software is too fragile. Sometimes it loses connection mid session. Please improve the connection stability.

3. More Plug In Compatibility, many of the plug-ins I have do not work with the MPC REN so it forces me to change my workflow to ableton live while creating a beat. I would rather stay entirely inside the MPC REN.

4. Accurate AUTO SAVE FUNCTION - it should remember every step back to the time the session was last opened. Back and forth should only erase or add the next step. Sometimes this wipes out everything on that track.

5. Copy Bars can sometimes be really buggy - (Number of bars when deleting is inaccurate at times.)


Requested Features
1. LAST UNSAVED SESSION - THE REN SHOULD HAVE AN AUTO SAVE BACKUP SYSTEM THAT SAVES UP TO THE LAST MOVE THAT THE USER MADE IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH. AFTER A CRASH A SOFTWARE PROMPT SHOULD APPEAR ON SCREEN ALLOWING THE OPTION TO OPEN THE LAST UNSAVED SESSION. (ABLETON LIVE DOES THIS WELL).

2.Track Explode Function - Takes multiple sounds programmed and assigns each to its own new track.

3. Sample Audition Volume control.

4. Real Time Pitch Shift & Time Stretch - (keygroup) with very little artifacting.

5. Freeze To Pad - Freeze a sound or phrase to a pad. Freeze with or without effects options.

6. One touch Automation (ala Maschine).

7. Vintage Mode to individual tracks.

8. SYNCH ON - OFF Function - The ability to disengage the synch in plug-in mode to allow quick workflow offline mode. then flow quickly back to the plug in mode by hitting a sync button.

9. Effect Gesture Plug IN - (applied globally & individually) like on the Akai’s INPC FLUX PRO reminds me of Stutter Edit. (Tape Stop, Beat Repeat, Filters Turntable, Effects and Gestures).

10. Song Mode Scroll Position - Scroll to song position with jog shuttle and double click on location to play from that position.

11. Save Used Function - Save only sounds used in the sequence or song.

12. Browser Assignment Improvements - Custom Options on how the browser behaves, example:

Last Folder Positions - all folder locations stay on the last sessions positions.
Project Folder Positions - all folder locations are saved within the project.
Favorite Folder Positions - all folder locations can be set to be pulled up on start-up as a default.

13. Pad Swap Function - Swapping sounds from one pad to another.

14. REX FILES - Reading of rex files and apple loops.

15. Patch Phrase Folder Function - Samples can be dropped into a folder and the system will automatically begin to analyze in succession each sample only prompting the user to set the bar length.

16. A-Z Sample Listing within a program.

17. Mixer Channel Size Options - Thin, Med & Large. Selectable Channel Width Sizes the track width should be adjustable to fit more tracks in view (a minimum of 24 - 32 viewable tracks).

18. Mixer Channel Order Option- Drag a Mixer Channel to any location to reorder the channels as desired.

19. Buss Channels - to save on processing power summing mixing using busses would be a great addition to the MPC software.

20. Sample Edit Double Click Function - Double clicking on a sample in the loaded project takes us to the sample edit screen.

21. Select Mode or Draw Mode Default Option- Allows the user to choose select mode as a default.

22. UNLIMITED UNDO - The user should be able to undo every previous move from the last time the session was opened.

23. 16 TUNINGS Default Option: Option to set the 16 Tunings to be the first option instead of velocity.

24. AUDIO TRACKS

25. VISUAL TIME STRETCH (Drag the sample end to to time stretch or time compress) - IMO Nuendo has the simplest way of time stretching with an on screen view of the sample that the user can click on select time stretch and drag the sample end to a longer or shorter position on a grid. This should be visible while playing the sequence versus typing in numbers speed and tempo.

26. Drag and Drop Midi Files Into The Ren

27. SAMPLE FILE ORDER - Ability to sort samples alpha-numerically

28. NON-DESTRUCTIVE SAMPLE CHOPPING

29. LOCK SLICES ( see RECYCLE)

30. DRAG & Drop A SAMPLE CHOP- In sample edit mode develop a method of showing the target program on the same screen and allowing the user to drag to the preferred pad.

31. SAMPLE BPM INDICATOR - Shows the BPM of each sample

32. MIDI CHANNEL INSERTS - for midi fx such as stutter edit etc..

33. 32- 48 Virtual Outputs to a DAW.

34. PLUG-IN COPY FUNCTION - the ability to copy plugins from one track insert to the next.


Thanks for all the hard work Dan and all others involved in the development of this product. Keep the updates coming please!!

stop blowing up threads with your list of features.. i'm pretty sure you've posted this stuff on the akai community site too, no? you thank Dan and the akai team but this is a forum of 99% mpc users, posting this list on the community site is enough.

if you actually want to start discussion about some of your feature requests, i suggest you post them one at a time or at least in small groups of related features. if you post like this people might reply and get interested and excited, and start tweeting at pete annoying him and posting in the community site and get more feature requests on this stuff... and then the stuff that's important to you might get implemented sooner, but you also have to remember that there are a lot of people posting lists just as long as yours as well, there are an infinite number of features and finite time and staff to add them, so focus on the ones that are most important to you, and try to convince other people that it's important.

we all like to talk about improvements to the software but a big list like yours isn't really appropriate for a forum... that's a nice way of saying too long, didn't read.

fdodds wrote:stop blowing up threads with your list of features.. i'm pretty sure you've posted this stuff on the akai community site too, no? you thank Dan and the akai team but this is a forum of 99% mpc users, posting this list on the community site is enough.

if you actually want to start discussion about some of your feature requests, i suggest you post them one at a time or at least in small groups of related features. if you post like this people might reply and get interested and excited, and start tweeting at pete annoying him and posting in the community site and get more feature requests on this stuff... and then the stuff that's important to you might get implemented sooner, but you also have to remember that there are a lot of people posting lists just as long as yours as well, there are an infinite number of features and finite time and staff to add them, so focus on the ones that are most important to you, and try to convince other people that it's important.

we all like to talk about improvements to the software but a big list like yours isn't really appropriate for a forum... that's a nice way of saying too long, didn't read.

First of all, this list is a compilation of things that have been mentioned several times by other members with a few of my own suggestions. My point is to summarize these common needs that are already implemented in most software. Second I believe the forum is here to express thoughts, feelings, suggestions and I have never heard of a thread being locked for too many suggestions. The developers and testers frequent this forum so I try to have this list in many places to plant seeds. Third you are free to not read and free to your opinion, as am I. I have spent money on the Ren, the 4000, the 2500, the 3000 and the 60ii and have seen a few of them abandoned. So excuse me if my excitement about this products growth potential offends you but I will continue to express compiled suggestions -I respect your opinion and will take your advice about talking about one item at a time as well- I believe we all should be writing in and participating in any positive way to help shape a better MPC Ren experience. No disrespect to you in any way- much success to you.

#1 Global Mixer - has been implemented in 1.7 as seen in the Dan NAMM Jan 2014 video so I did no mention it.