Official: 'Akai MPC Touch' - The New MPC

I'm sure the Studio outsold the Ren due to this simple fact. Listen up Akai, THE STUDIO WAS A BETTER VALUE!!

Because the MPC software was the equalizer. We can all agree that these controllers are just big dongles. The Ren, I can see the advantages but for 12 extra Q-links and soundcard for DOUBLE the price. I just couldn't justify the cost. And those other 2 expansions, just more price padding...

Even after the price drops, the value just wasn't there for me. I do know that Akai is trying to capture a part of the market that fits the environment of today. Entry-level producers aren't looking for quality products that last 20-30 years, they want something simple that can make a beat quickly. This MPC Touch, fits all the gimmicks. I even bet the MPC Touch and MPC Studio share some major components.

I'll put a small bet in that there is a Ren-like device with a bigger touch screen that MAY be able to go standalone in the future...the very far future. And it will be around $1500.

Mike Boogie wrote:I'm sure the Studio outsold the Ren due to this simple fact. Listen up Akai, THE STUDIO WAS A BETTER VALUE!!

I'll put a small bet in that there is a Ren-like device with a bigger touch screen that MAY be able to go standalone in the future...the very far future. And it will be around $1500.

does making a stand alone device automatically add value?

will the peeps slating the touch u-turn; and start praising akai if they release a bigger touch device with more qlinks, more ins/outs and that runs standalone?

Absolutely. Being able to do everything "In-The-Box" is rare nowadays. Just think about it, if you were able to make an entire track with effects, vsts, etc. And be able to toss it in a bag and take it to an outside studio and finish it without lugging a Studio Computer with everything preloaded with you.

That is why older MPCs commanded such high cost. But NuAkai is not interested AT ALL in the demographic that would be interested in that. They would rather sell 10 $500 devices with shortcomings vs 3 $2000 devices that can get the job done for the next 10-years. Looks better on paper.

akai is so good right so why does it say ((( Comments are disabled for this video. ))) and every video lmao .. ?

MONSTA_UNO wrote:akai is so good right so why does it say ((( Comments are disabled for this video. ))) and every video lmao .. ?

Yep, simply not the done thing these days. If you are going to embrace social media, you have to accept that the comments section is part of the entire experience - that's the 'social' bit. Disabled comments just looks like you don't want to hear what your customers are saying, or certainly aren't interested in engaging in any public discussion about it.

Anyone looking for a standalone unit could perhaps look at something like this...

Looks like the MPC Touch release date has either been pushed back till Dec 7th 2015 or Thomann (biggest musical equipment supplier in Europe) have sold out of their first batch of MPC Touch's.
http://www.thomann.de/ie/akai_mpc_touch.htm

oh & the Euro price seems to be 699 euros, if anyone's interested.

another vid with some points as to why the standalone crowd are just old skool heads that need to move with the times; that was his main point.

and I think we do get stuck in our ways and nostalgic but sometimes u gotta let it go.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

that's like saying we just need to let the piano go. No offense and to each their own but people who are making the point that we need to move along with the times are not looking at the issue like they are talking about an instrument, they are talking about tools and of course there is nothing wrong with that but we should make sure the distinction is clear. An instrument has nothing to do with moving along with the times. There are allot of young people who get it mixed up and maybe that is why there are more older people who play instruments. A stand alone unit would be of great value to those whom are not concerned with the values of toolmanship. Lastly people wouldn't say these things about other types of instruments or other types of musicians. imho.

http://www.noterepeat.com/products/akai-professional/mpc-series/669-akai-pro-mpc-touch-frequently-asked-questions

Some details I didn't see posted before. Is this wording correct, the touch will have it's own Mpc Software?

Will the included MPC Software work with my MPC Studio or MPC Renaissance?

The software included with MPC Touch is very similar to the MPC Software you may already be used to, but it will NOT recognize or function with the MPC Studio or MPC Renaissance. If you're an existing MPC user and are eager to update to v1.9 of the MPC Software, please stand by - more info will be released soon!

stale bread wrote:that's like saying we just need to let the piano go. No offense and to each their own but people who are making the point that we need to move along with the times are not looking at the issue like they are talking about an instrument, they are talking about tools and of course there is nothing wrong with that but we should make sure the distinction is clear. An instrument has nothing to do with moving along with the times. There are allot of young people who get it mixed up and maybe that is why there are more older people who play instruments. A stand alone unit would be of great value to those whom are not concerned with the values of toolmanship. Lastly people wouldn't say these things about other types of instruments or other types of musicians. imho.

no u mis-understood; the notion that its not a real mpc because it runs off a PC is an old school notion.

the peeps crying its just a controller and not a fully fledged mpc are stuck in the past.

because the ren has features and can do things that all the hardware mpcs cant do; so its just progress and shifting ur old skool perspective.

people get trapped in an elitist mindset where if and item is affordable than people write it off as a toy.

like when 9th came out and made an album on fruity loops and people dismissed him because he was not using the REAL gear.

ok now that's an altogether different issue, I didn't get the impression that that was the focus of the video but I agree about that.
in the video it sounded like he actually doesn't feel the difference between a stand alone machine and one connected to the computer. Connecting to the internet as he put it and all of that other stuff that comes with a computer create a very different and distinct feeling than using a stand alone unit, for some people this is not important and for some it is of great importance and has nothing to do with feeling nostalgic. I guess you could say elektrons who business model is built on it and nobody is accusing them of selling nostalgia. they sell instruments.

jpeg wrote:another vid with some points as to why the standalone crowd are just old skool heads that need to move with the times; that was his main point.

and I think we do get stuck in our ways and nostalgic but sometimes u gotta let it go.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

I get what he's saying. But the points he's trying to make don't make too much sense...

Nobody is expecting updates for the hardware models of the past. Those who do were expecting bug fixes for the 4000, 5000, and 500, and they got every right to complain. Why would anyone want to buy a new MPC when Akai have a bad track record for abandonware?

The Ren software is still being updated, despite what he was saying. So far they haven't abandon it, and the only reason they haven't is because the Touch uses the same software.

He keeps mentioning floppy disks. But thruthfully, all classic models can be upgraded with CF drives. The one's that already have CF drives are not obsolete. You can still buy CF cards on the web.

His opinion on the 500 don't have any merit here either. It's more of an MPC than the current crop of controllers can ever be since it don't require a computer to run.
An MPC is an MPC and a controller is a controller, no matter what label they put on it.

Comparing older models and newer models as far as making new music is another pointless arguement because you can still make the most modern music on any MPC. It's not the machine. It's the man behind the machine that proves this argument invalid.

As far as weight and size is comcerned, that's another invalid point and more of a user preference. Just because everything is getting small enough to fit in a backpack, it doesn't mean it's better or that everyone's gonna have the same preference. Many of us like a bigger, sturdier unit that won't slide off the table when you're bangin on them pads, and it don't matter if your 40 years old or if you're 20.

The arguement of having to plug an MPC into an outlet to power it up doesn't make any sense either. They run without computers. Not everyone wants to deal with a laptop or a desktop computer, no matter how lightweight and inexpensive they are these days. The last thing I'd want is to be distracted by having the internet. I can see that being useful for downloading sample packs or uploading your beats on to soundcloud. But the internet is entirely useless while working on making a beat.

Akai have been making products like the Tom Cat and the Timbre Wolf. They're analog machines that are old technology. So the arguement that Akai don't use old technology doesn't hold up here at all.

It's okay that Akai want to keep up with NI Maschine in order to stay competitive. But as I mentioned about the analog synths, they're also appealing to the opposite end of the spectrum. So there's no reason why they can't design a new standalone MPC along with their controller/software packages they've had on the market. If they don't, then they lose that market to their competitors. So that's the same as if they don't keep up with NI. They lose money when they ignore a specific demographic, and I'm sure they lost more than they realize, regardless of age, the current market hype, and all that. Believe me, I'm sure a lot of people bought other hardware machines like the Beat Thang, Elektron Analog Rytm, DSI Tempest, and many other standalone machines that are currently on the market.

distortedtekno wrote:

jpeg wrote:another vid with some points as to why the standalone crowd are just old skool heads that need to move with the times; that was his main point.

and I think we do get stuck in our ways and nostalgic but sometimes u gotta let it go.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

I get what he's saying. But the points he's trying to make don't make too much sense...

Nobody is expecting updates for the hardware models of the past. Those who do were expecting bug fixes for the 4000, 5000, and 500, and they got every right to complain. Why would anyone want to buy a new MPC when Akai have a bad track record for abandonware?

The Ren software is still being updated, despite what he was saying. So far they haven't abandon it, and the only reason they haven't is because the Touch uses the same software.

He keeps mentioning floppy disks. But thruthfully, all classic models can be upgraded with CF drives. The one's that already have CF drives are not obsolete. You can still buy CF cards on the web.

His opinion on the 500 don't have any merit here either. It's more of an MPC than the current crop of controllers can ever be since it don't require a computer to run.
An MPC is an MPC and a controller is a controller, no matter what label they put on it.

Comparing older models and newer models as far as making new music is another pointless arguement because you can still make the most modern music on any MPC. It's not the machine. It's the man behind the machine that proves this argument invalid.

As far as weight and size is comcerned, that's another invalid point and more of a user preference. Just because everything is getting small enough to fit in a backpack, it doesn't mean it's better or that everyone's gonna have the same preference. Many of us like a bigger, sturdier unit that won't slide off the table when you're bangin on them pads, and it don't matter if your 40 years old or if you're 20.

The arguement of having to plug an MPC into an outlet to power it up doesn't make any sense either. They run without computers. Not everyone wants to deal with a laptop or a desktop computer, no matter how lightweight and inexpensive they are these days. The last thing I'd want is to be distracted by having the internet. I can see that being useful for downloading sample packs or uploading your beats on to soundcloud. But the internet is entirely useless while working on making a beat.

Akai have been making products like the Tom Cat and the Timbre Wolf. They're analog machines that are old technology. So the arguement that Akai don't use old technology doesn't hold up here at all.

It's okay that Akai want to keep up with NI Maschine in order to stay competitive. But as I mentioned about the analog synths, they're also appealing to the opposite end of the spectrum. So there's no reason why they can't design a new standalone MPC along with their controller/software packages they've had on the market. If they don't, then they lose that market to their competitors. So that's the same as if they don't keep up with NI. They lose money when they ignore a specific demographic, and I'm sure they lost more than they realize, regardless of age, the current market hype, and all that. Believe me, I'm sure a lot of people bought other hardware machines like the Beat Thang, Elektron Analog Rytm, DSI Tempest, and many other standalone machines that are currently on the market.

+1...

I just don't understand why folks are talking about standalone isn't necessary, or it's antiquated, or people need to get modern. It's a preference people. Arguing against standalone is annoying. If they release a standalone, there are going to be way more people invest in this thing, which is going to generate more revenue, which is going to have a positive effect on the continuity of this thing. Just take a look at their facebook page... people are ready to pay for a standalone. Because of that, I can't understand why people wouldn't want a standalone version to be released, even if they themselves want to stick with the controller. It's arguing for the sake of arguing, and senseless posturing that because they want a controller they are more modern than someone else , because in the end, the economics of a standalone is going to benefit them as well.

Best case scenario is that they release a Ren 2 with Touch, and a standalone MPC as well.