MPC Touch Ram

Bug reports & end-user support for Akai's MPC Software 'controllers' including the new MPC Studio 2, the MPC Touch, MPC Renaissance & original MPC Studio and MPC StudioB lack.
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Re: MPC Touch Ram

By Lampdog Mon May 23, 2016 10:08 pm
DannyBmpc wrote:If you really love the workflow of a hardware ren just turn off your computer monitor and bam... hardware mpc!


The Ren is physically hardware yes, it's not standalone.
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Re: MPC Touch Ram

By Icepulse Tue May 24, 2016 12:04 am
As far as I'm concerned, if I can take the whole thing w/ me, it's a standalone. Because it amounts to a single cable connection, a MPC-dedicated MacBook that runs cool, quiet, gets 6+ hours of life during production, and has crashed a grand total of 4 times in me in the 6+ mo. that I've been using it. The whole combination totals about 7 lbs.

Would I prefer a true standalone? I'm wide open, if the right one drops. I don't know that I have any real confidence in the Pioneer to deliver a workflow that tops the MPC, and no matter what the flow is like, I can guarantee that folks will find some shortcoming to disappoint them. That's just the nature of any platform.

Cost is the other factor. If it's revealed by users to be the holy grail of standalone workstations, I'll find a way to finance it.

In the meantime, I **** love the Touch. It's a great controller.
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Re: MPC Touch Ram

By mr_debauch Tue May 24, 2016 4:23 am
the advantage of standalone is not about form factor... it is about mentality when developing the OS.

Re: MPC Touch Ram

By TreHolla Tue May 24, 2016 8:56 am
I would still have to get a new computer to combat latency issues. It's more like the separation of tasks. I can make a whole beat and everything on my mpc 2500 and I'm pretty sure you can do it like that on the 5000 and the 1000 as well. I would never have to use a computer to fully produce and mix the song.

Now I heard about the Mpc.4000 way after I had already had the 2500. And the functions and features of the 4000 are probably some of the most useful and effective in regards to workflow and creativity. However it lacks enough ram, now if I could do everything I am able to do on the 4000 and have the option or capacity to work with the mpc software if I chose to, that would be an "engineered" improvement.

Turning off the computer screen works. But why can't they make a simple switch. If I had 700 bucks to upgrade do I spend 500 on a faster computer and get a used mpc studio or do I get the MPC (check the selling point here) MPC "complete". The standalone unit with high computer integration if desired but still remains true to the mpc line by being a Standalone unit.

It's like the difference between an ssl and a d-command. The mpc should be an ssl that can act as a d-command not a d-command that is useless without a computer.

If they stuck to being what an mpc always was and ADDED the whole maschine part then this topic isn't even being made. The touch is basically a portable controller. That's a downgrade or a breakdown in engineering and designing.for me as a loyal mpc user.

To people who have only known maschine it makes no difference.

It can do all these amazing things. But it has to be connected to a computer.

What happens if you don't have a computer?

Well then you can't use it.

But I didn't need to use a computer before.

Well get a new computer!

Or you could add the button.

That's quality assurance. A simple function that solves that whole issue. See?
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Re: MPC Touch Ram

By MPC-Tutor Tue May 24, 2016 10:15 am
I believe there is a very good reason why no company is making this kind of unit - it's just not profitable in the current climate. A completely standalone/hybrid, all sing all dancing unit is going to be costly to purchase for the end user and require significant R&D from Akai to produce and support. People whinge and moan about the need for a standalone but I very much doubt enough people are willing to spend the money required to purchase it should it ever materialise. Sure, some people will, but Akai are probably not interested in investing serious time and money into a potential market of a few hundred producers.

99% of people have a computer now, so the MPC controller idea makes sense for most of them. Latency is not an issue in my experience, the drivers work very well. You don't need a particularly high spec computer to run the MPC Software. And as it is mostly software driven, the retail costs are kept low and hence the larger the market for Akai.

People currently wanting standalone machines should look at legacy MPCs and deal with the limitations.
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Re: MPC Touch Ram

By TheUnfuckwithable Tue May 24, 2016 10:47 am
MPC-Tutor wrote:People currently wanting standalone machines should look at legacy MVs & MPCs and deal with the limitations.


That´s what we are doing. And we don´t have to deal with limitations, we appreciate ´em!

Re: MPC Touch Ram

By TreHolla Tue May 24, 2016 12:54 pm
@mpctutor
You pretty much just said it doesn't make sense for mpc to be mpc anymore because everyone has a computer. And you defended them forgetting to or neglecting to be mpc because you are saying that the market is too small and not profitable.

So an mpc that works like a maschine that is still an mpc isn't profitable? That doesn't even make sense. You get to maintain "legacy" mpc owners while being able to get people who would normally purchase a maschine or are on the fence about purchasing an mpc or a maschine to lean toward getting the mpc that can work and function like a traditional mpc or like a maschine.

Mpc is making a pretty portable controller. I mean a touch screen is innovative but again it's a downgrade. Do you get to test Mpcs before they come out?
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Re: MPC Touch Ram

By MPC-Tutor Tue May 24, 2016 1:37 pm
My point is that the cost of a standalone/hybrid MPC is probably too prohibitive for anyone to justify making it. The market has changed since the last 'true' flagship (MPC4000) - that retailed at £2300 in the UK which is approx $3500 USD, I can only imagine a standalone hybrid with all the bells and whistles everyone would expect from a 21st century standalone is going to retail for a similar price or even more.

Most of the standalone talk is all pie in the sky nonsense. It's easy to talk about how great this fictitious hybrid beast would be, but it's just wishful thinking and has no grounding in basic economics. As the specs go up, as the tech required increases, the price goes up, the development resources increase and the target market gets smaller and smaller. In the end, the only people who will be able to afford the mythical hybrid standalone will be the very producers who'd expect Akai to give it them for free for promo purposes.

These days home/amateur music production is a significantly larger market compared to 15 years ago, there's a lot of sales to be had from the bedroom producers so that's who Akai are primarily targeting - these guys simply don't have $4k to drop on a standalone MPC. I certainly wouldn't buy a $4k MPC, I don't care what it did and I certainly don't have faith in Akai's commitment to continually develop and support such a machine, especially if they are struggling to shift units.

Hey, maybe I'm wrong, maybe Akai can work out a way to achieve all this at a low price. :popcorn:
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Re: MPC Touch Ram

By 83dude Tue May 24, 2016 1:48 pm
MPC-Tutor wrote:My point is that the cost of a standalone/hybrid MPC is probably too prohibitive for anyone to justify making it. The market has changed since the last 'true' flagship (MPC4000) - that retailed at £2300 in the UK which is approx $3500 USD, I can only imagine a standalone hybrid with all the bells and whistles everyone would expect from a 21st century standalone is going to retail for a similar price or even more.

Most of the standalone talk is all pie in the sky nonsense. It's easy to talk about how great this fictitious hybrid beast would be, but it's just wishful thinking and has no grounding in basic economics. As the specs go up, as the tech required increases, the price goes up, the development resources increase and the target market gets smaller and smaller. In the end, the only people who will be able to afford the mythical hybrid standalone will be the very producers who'd expect Akai to give it them for free for promo purposes.

These days home/amateur music production is a significantly larger market compared to 15 years ago, there's a lot of sales to be had from the bedroom producers so that's who Akai are primarily targeting - these guys simply don't have $4k to drop on a standalone MPC. I certainly wouldn't buy a $4k MPC, I don't care what it did and I certainly don't have faith in Akai's commitment to continually develop and support such a machine, especially if they are struggling to shift units.

Hey, maybe I'm wrong, maybe Akai can work out a way to achieve all this at a low price. :popcorn:


Finally someone said it in words that couldn't be more true. Thanks, tutor.

Re: MPC Touch Ram

By TreHolla Tue May 24, 2016 3:09 pm
I don't know if you're trolling me. You totally just used semantics to try to justify why MPC totally dropped the ball on making a "fictitious hybrid beast." You have a website called MPC tutor, and you have all of that knowledge on MPC's and then you skipped the MPC 2500 and MPC 1000 AND MPC 5000 to refute the idea of a newer hybrid MPC?

And then you go on about how much more expensive it would be. And again neglect the idea of a simple improvement (but isn't really an improvement considering the fact that it is a sampler first!)

Maybe the gas powered to electric comparison wasn't a very good analogy. Here's a better one.

An analogy that might make this easier to understand since we're talking about markets, profitability, economics, and moving units. Is again a car.

If I make a car and it has all sorts of features, and I put a touch screen in the dash, with bluetooth capabilities, auxiliary in for your mp3 player, or even go so far as make everything wireless. That's awesome right? Those are improvements. I hop in the car you're telling me all about this stuff, and I'm excited and I wanna purchase it, because I've bought your products in the past, and you turn on the a/c. Awesome.

We're riding on a country road, or scenic view, and I wanna roll the windows down.

You can't roll the windows down.

Why not?

I don't know you just can't. We didn't add that feature.

But you had that feature in the past? I should always be able to roll the windows down. All your other cars have been made, with the function/feature to roll the windows down. Why can't I roll the windows down?

You don't need to roll the windows down. We've got ice cold air conditioning.

But I as a customer like to ride with the windows down. A/C is fine, but why the hell make the car and forget to add the ability to roll the windows down.

Who forgot to allow me to roll the windows down?

Whatever man, just buy an old one!

Re: MPC Touch Ram

By kaydigi Tue May 24, 2016 3:18 pm
Akai never said the weren't making one. If you watch the saint joe video where he bombarded Dan with questions; he asked about new models and they couldn't comment.

No point in wasting energy about a standalone until Akai Numark shows something. Nobody knew or expected a Touch until they finally revealed it sick back enjoy the ride, and upgrade your OS to jjos
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Re: MPC Touch Ram

By MPC-Tutor Tue May 24, 2016 3:36 pm
The MPC has evolved into something different. It used to be standalone, it used to need it's own OS and built in 'computer' hardware which had limited power (limited mainly by costs) and was on the whole not upgradeable.

Then someone (NI?) realised you could just make the MPC into a software app and install it into a computer. They realised this was cheaper for the end user and more flexible when it came to new features and adding more power and third party upgrades.

This isn't an incremental upgrade of one car generation to the next. This is the evolution of the horse drawn carriage into the car. The entire concept has changed and the money men don't seem particularly interested in appeasing the horse owners.

Im not trolling you, you just seem to be unable to understand why Akai et all are more interested in producing lower cost, mass market controllers that cost pennies to produce which rely on people's existing computer hardware to run, with ongoing development costs now simply limited to paying a few software developers. It's a low risk, high profit business model. Remember these people don't give a toss about the MPC legacy, they certainly don't care about whiny hardware MPC heads when there's a whole generation of wanabee hip hop & EDM producers sat in their bedrooms with $500 burning a hole in their pockets, who spend most of their days freely downloading cracked VSTs and DAWs - these guys don't want some expensive, soon-to-be-abandoned standalone 'beast' cluttering up their studio. Times have changed.

And I didn't ignore the 1000/2500/5000 - I referred to the last TRUE flagship MPC, the 4000 (IMO of course). The 1000 and 2500 are not flagships and the 5000, albeit marketed as such, was a piece of junk that still used cheap, nasty components and ran a poxy, bug ridden horror show of an OS that IMO was actually a step backwards in terms of workflow. If Akai were to release a standalone with the 5000 as the point of reference then they are truly doomed.
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Re: MPC Touch Ram

By MPC-Tutor Tue May 24, 2016 3:43 pm
kaydigi wrote:Akai never said the weren't making one. If you watch the saint joe video where he bombarded Dan with questions; he asked about new models and they couldn't comment.


I think it's clear that Akai will continue to produce more 'MPCs' as long as they keep on selling, so I'd hope that Akai would allude to further production down the line.

I also believe that Dan made it fairly clear in the same interview that the standalone 'Windows Embedded' MPC concept was currently serving as a useful paper weight on his desk. :lol:
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Re: MPC Touch Ram

By Ill-Green Tue May 24, 2016 4:08 pm
Computers will be obsolete no joke. The future is standalone. Computers will merely play the mother-ship of data, where you dock your devices to but they can be removed and untethered to explore the world. Controllers will be paperweights in the future as well if the support is discontinued unless you kept your old laptop with the last update for that controller.
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