Is MPC Live overpriced ?

You forgot took 3 years in the making, features, Features and FEATURES. LABOR!

If an aging board is all you got to say its over priced l can not agree with that. The machine and what it Comes with is estimated to about $3,000 grand. Plus it can be can be improved.

MPC-Tutor wrote:In terms of raw components, the Live is clearly overpriced. It's running an aging mobile motherboard and has the minimum memory/cpu they could get away with. The other components inside cost very little. The mark up on raw materials is going to make your eyes water.

However, the MPC is, and always has been, a niche product. And it's a niche product within an already niche 'parent' market of audio production. So, you will be paying high prices compared to the cost of a mass market product like a laptop.

What about r and d, software, marketing and promotion, manufacturing and assembling product design, package design and printing, taxes, shipping cost, profit and store markups, certificate testing, patent, trademark. I agree raw material are close to nothing, but that’s never the real cost.

Exactly!

CharlesRandolph wrote:

MPC-Tutor wrote:In terms of raw components, the Live is clearly overpriced. It's running an aging mobile motherboard and has the minimum memory/cpu they could get away with. The other components inside cost very little. The mark up on raw materials is going to make your eyes water.

However, the MPC is, and always has been, a niche product. And it's a niche product within an already niche 'parent' market of audio production. So, you will be paying high prices compared to the cost of a mass market product like a laptop.

What about r and d, software, marketing and promotion, manufacturing and assembling product design, package design and printing, taxes, shipping cost, profit and store markups, certificate testing, patent, trademark. I agree raw material are close to nothing, but that’s never the real cost.

Let me say this again. NOT EVERYONE INCLUDING MYSELF PAID $1.199 for the Live. There are 15 and 20% discounts.
So you're telling me $959 is over priced?

Danoc wrote:
That's a hellava question that l was going to ask. A Mac book pro 13? that's $1,299, lets not talk about the 15 inch. Then buy the Maschine?

Exactly...When I buy a laptop, it needs to have power. I do not play around in the 500 dollar market or used market. i7, 16 gigs of ram, SSD minimum.

Danoc wrote:Let me say this again. NOT EVERYONE INCLUDING MYSELF PAID $1.199 for the Live. There are 15 and 20% discounts.
So you're telling me $959 is over priced?

Even at 1200, that would only buy me three, 2 inch ATR master tapes and I still need the machine. Lol. I cannot begin to calculate how much money I’ve saved, by not going to tape.

Obviously I am aware of R&D, marketing etc. That wasn't my point. In terms of the tech they are using to make these machines, we are talking lower range stuff, and with all their MPCs since the 1000 they've always relied on cheap components, older tech (e.g. USB 1 when usb 2 was current, etc). These are not cutting edge in terms of what goes inside them.

My point is, the pricing of pro audio gear more reflects the niche market it resides in. So if you compare the tech, it is overpriced, but if you compare it to other pro audio gear, perhaps not so much.

However, I do still believe the new MPCs are clearly priced at a hefty premium. But if people are willing to pay, then well done Akai.

As for RnD costs, it would be interesting to look into that but I don't claim to have huge insight into this. However from my involvement in beta testing I am fairly well aware of the size of the dev team and how many actual paid staff are/were involved in beta testing...

Regardless, the bulk of initial RnD & marketing costs should have been recouped a long time ago, that's the main reason for the initial high pricing, and ongoing software development costs are justified by the amount of new hardware buyers it attracts with the new features.

MPC-Tutor wrote:Obviously I am aware of R&D, marketing etc. That wasn't my point. In terms of the tech they are using to make these machines, we are talking lower range stuff, and with all their MPCs since the 1000 they've always relied on cheap components, older tech (e.g. USB 1 when usb 2 was current, etc). These are not cutting edge in terms of what goes inside them.

My point is, the pricing of pro audio gear more reflects the niche market it resides in. So if you compare the tech, it is overpriced, but if you compare it to other pro audio gear, perhaps not so much.

However, I do still believe the new MPCs are clearly priced at a hefty premium. But if people are willing to pay, then well done Akai.

As for RnD costs, it would be interesting to look into that but I don't claim to have huge insight into this. However from my involvement in beta testing I am fairly well aware of the size of the dev team and how many actual paid staff are/were involved in beta testing...

Regardless, the bulk of initial RnD & marketing costs should have been recouped a long time ago, that's the main reason for the initial high pricing, and ongoing software development costs are justified by the amount of new hardware buyers it attracts with the new features.

I do wonder how many units were produced and sold? The profit margin on these machines can’t be that high. At $1200 US retail, I would say wholesale was about $600-700 dollars US a unit. Which would put the production cost per unit at about, $200 - 400 dollar US per unit.

If the entire run cost, $10,000,000 million to produce. They would have make and sale at least 34,000 units at $300 a piece which is $13,600,000 Dollar US. That's only 3.6 Million in profits, that's 36% earnings. That's if they sell every unit and have no returned units. This is only speculation.

Danoc wrote:You forgot took 3 years in the making, features, Features and FEATURES. LABOR!

If an aging board is all you got to say its over priced l can not agree with that. The machine and what it Comes with is estimated to about $3,000 grand. Plus it can be can be improved.

And it still doesnt do everything that is advertised!

Standalone you cant do everything like you can in control mode!

Danoc wrote:You're kidding me right? Bro if l got mine on the first boat last year $959, Eyalc and a few others last year brand new got it a lil cheaper than l did. You're telling me there are no discounts and coupons out there to get it for less? Do your home work and research cause lm not going to do it for ya. Yiu don't have to pay full price. And learn how to talk to those reps! Or do a four payment plan much easier.

Bezo wrote:Not new. They're $1,200 new now.

You paid what the list price was at the time. That price is now $1,200, what the majority of folks will pay. I'm sure there are coupons, discounts, sales, etc. There are for everything.

But I'll change my response. You can get it for whatever someone is willing to let it go for. But the list price is no longer $959, it's $1,200.

MPC-Tutor wrote:In terms of raw components, the Live is clearly overpriced. It's running an aging mobile motherboard and has the minimum memory/cpu they could get away with. The other components inside cost very little. The mark up on raw materials is going to make your eyes water.

However, the MPC is, and always has been, a niche product. And it's a niche product within an already niche 'parent' market of audio production. So, you will be paying high prices compared to the cost of a mass market product like a laptop.

How I see it. But even compared to cheaper audio gear... is the Live worth 2X the Touch or Maschine? How much does it cost for the additional I/O and limited stand alone capabilities?

MPC-Tutor wrote:...the bulk of initial RnD & marketing costs should have been recouped a long time ago, that's the main reason for the initial high pricing, and ongoing software development costs are justified by the amount of new hardware buyers it attracts with the new features.

How much did they really spend on R&D if the components are already outdated? The couldn't have spent much on the development half of things.

Bezo wrote:How much did they really spend on R&D if the components are already outdated? The couldn't have spent much on the development half of things.

If it was cheap and easy to do, everyone under the sun would do it. Ask any independent equipment manufacture and they will tell you the same. Just think about it this way. At home depot one bolt cost you just .03 cent. Now say, you building 10,000 machines and they require, 30 of that same bolts.

That means you need 300,000 bolts x .03 cent each = $9000 Dollars US
If they gave you a .01 cent break it would cost $6000 Dollars US.

Now imagine this is just one bolt style of 300,000 units. You're going to need extra, because some bolts will be lost, stolen, defective, and for customer who need others. Now you have to source all the other parts. So yes, if you're building just one prototype unit, the cost of the components appear to overpriced. However, building 1000's of that machine, the bulk components prices are crazy.

I have a laptop with i7 and 16 gigs ram. Its the one you see me do vidios on. Itsva Dell and l built it myself. Im not buy inti Macs anymore. Now that's over ptice but someone will say they have premium parts

I paid $275 for my Dell lappy and it runs sweet with windows 10! 15 inch screen. Ypu have to pay over $1,200 for a 13 inch Mac that's bananas.

CharlesRandolph wrote:
Exactly...When I buy a laptop, it needs to have power. I do not play around in the 500 dollar market or used market. i7, 16 gigs of ram, SSD minimum.

LOL YOU JUST WANTED TI USE THE FINER ICON DIDNT YA ? Lmao lll let you have that.

Question, give me a list of things that Akai said the machine had but its not here at this moment in 2018 please?

BBB wrote:

Danoc wrote:You forgot took 3 years in the making, features, Features and FEATURES. LABOR!

If an aging board is all you got to say its over priced l can not agree with that. The machine and what it Comes with is estimated to about $3,000 grand. Plus it can be can be improved.

And it still doesnt do everything that is advertised!

Standalone you cant do everything like you can in control mode!

Danoc wrote:I have a laptop with i7 and 16 gigs ram. Its the one you see me do vidios on. Itsva Dell and l built it myself. Im not buy inti Macs anymore. Now that's over ptice but someone will say they have premium parts

I paid $275 for my Dell lappy and it runs sweet with windows 10! 15 inch screen. Ypu have to pay over $1,200 for a 13 inch Mac that's bananas.

Where did you get a $275 dollar Dell with Intel Core i7 with 16 Gig Memory with a SSD from? The lowest cost I've gotten is 900 with industry discount. Are you related to the Dell Empire or are you buying from LEON's Discount off the truck computer corporation.

$959 was not the list price. Didn't you read where l said others got their machine cheaper than l did?
Akai sold the machine at whole sake. Its the stores that jack it up si they can make a profit.

Bezo wrote:
But I'll change my response. You can get it for whatever someone is willing to let it go for. But the list price is no longer $959, it's $1,200.