END OF THE MPC STANDALONE!!!

CharlesRandolph wrote:

hansjbs wrote:
When executed properly it works. Let’s take apple again as an example. Every year is a major apple event where some new hardware is released. In the meantime the OS is updated regularly. So this way they get you looking and tuning in for that event every year. What’s the difference between an iPhone 7, 8 ,9 or X. Not much but every year people buy into it. When you dropped them they got thousands more so they ain’t worried about you but somebody else got you tho.

You just brought up studio one 4.5 which got you really excited, They’ve been feeding you incremental updates for a while now. I know because I used to have studio one. It’s all the same game, they could have given you what’s in 4.5 in 3.0 but since you’re already a loyal customer you don’t see it that way.

As someone who went to to business school you should clearly see that. You left apple and Protools but Presonus scooped you up. Like I said it’s the same game but different tactics. We’re all victims of this.

Did I do good sir Charles?

People buy into it, because they are being psychologically manipulate. However, the difference is.. iPhones are consumer devices, not professional/industrial devices. When I buy a professional piece of equipment, I expect quality builds, no bugs, and professional support.

Example: SSL. They take care of their clients. They send people to setup the gear and walk you through it.
If any goes wrong, they handle it. If you have gear that is out of warranty, they do their best to fix it, send someone, or direct you to the best place. That's because they sell gear, that should last 15+ years. They don't release half done, beta gear.

As far as Software, bug fixes are fine. However, I don't buy the latest upgrade, because there isn't very much to improve. That's because the core idea of recording has not changed. Yeah, there are lots of new tricks, but the core values of recording have not changed.

As I stated above, most marketing is psychologically manipulative. It's also the down fall to most companies. Build Quality Products. Offer Quality Service, at price that is good for the buyer and a profit for the manufacturer. Market and Promote the product in a sincere way and you'll stay in business a long time.

P.S. Thanks for the spacing. Mr. Hansjbs

Very good speaking.
So akai should put the word pro away from its name.
I mean, i buyed Mpc Live on january 2018 and I can confirm it started to be reliable at least a year after.
Mpc was simply not ready and they started to sell it before it was ready.
Not very profedsional.
Same with Force which is at the very beginning of development.
But now I am happy with Mpc Live.
I think it is a bit crazy I defend Akai but I really like the sound of Mpc and the standalone workflow.
Msybe they sold it before it was ready to finance the development and I can confirm they made a great job.
But I am not sure it is like this.
Marketing has become a weird place and maybe its a jungle for a professional brand

If the MPCs were rush, yet Akai said it took them 3 years in the making. How come it was rushed?

CharlesRandolph wrote:Example: SSL. They take care of their clients. They send people to setup the gear and walk you through it.
If any goes wrong, they handle it. If you have gear that is out of warranty, they do their best to fix it, send someone, or direct you to the best place. That's because they sell gear, that should last 15+ years. They don't release half done, beta gear.

Yeah but the price of even a 16 channel SSL will cost you as much as a loaded Honda Civic, that better include some top notch service and a personal sales rep that would make even the Sweetwater guys cringe. The big difference is the price and volume.. Akai can tell you the masses of how many MPCs they've sold, but they dont know who is using them or where they are. Pretty sure SSL can rattle off the top of their head most of their client base (not counting the 'normal' folks buying the summing mixers and what not, Im talking the consoles). Not many people out there with $40k ready to drop on a mixer, you would like to think you would get a little extra service at that level.

Monotremata wrote:Yeah but the price of even a 16 channel SSL will cost you as much as a loaded Honda Civic, that better include some top notch service and a personal sales rep that would make even the Sweetwater guys cringe. The big difference is the price and volume.. Akai can tell you the masses of how many MPCs they've sold, but they dont know who is using them or where they are. Pretty sure SSL can rattle off the top of their head most of their client base (not counting the 'normal' folks buying the summing mixers and what not, Im talking the consoles). Not many people out there with $40k ready to drop on a mixer, you would like to think you would get a little extra service at that level.

The point is to give great service. Be it SSL, TASCAM, AKAI PRO or a garage start up. Happy end users = repeat buyers. Over-serve your clients, with tremendous service. Word of mouth is still the best adverts and the greatest sales tool. Turn your end users, into your greatest mouthpiece. Do that and they won't need Marketing tactics. Do that and MPC's would fly off the shelves.

Danoc wrote:If the MPCs were rush, yet Akai said it took them 3 years in the making. How come it was rushed?

I think their attention was split between the Live, X, Force, Fire, MPK Mini Play, MPK249, MPK Road 88, MPC Studio Black, VIP Software and the MPC Software. That's a lot of scu's to deal with.

Exactly. Remember we had a discussion about Akai's so called TEAMS l said they don't have many teams, look how they are handling things. Plus not well organized , they are all over the place. Can't even concentrate on getting the bugs out. While the MPCs are styck with bugs their over there making other products. You can't operate in this fashion.

Look how excited l was and putting out videos, now lm not excited and l will not do anymore vids. They have killed the thrill. My thrill now is dope azz software and Vsts/i's. Just give me all the Air instruments to put on my Daw without opening the MPC software and lm good.

CharlesRandolph wrote:I think their attention was split between the Live, X, Force, Fire, MPK Mini Play, MPK249, MPK Road 88, MPC Studio Black, VIP Software and the MPC Software. That's a lot of scu's to deal with.

Incremental updates to hardware isn't designed to be snatched up by every person. Honda increments the Accord every year, people don't sell their current one for a new one.

Why do phones release every year? Its not just the psychological "new product" thing, it is also because of the improvement in technology and increased demands of not just the users, but the software (just look at where Chrome started to where it is today).

Its also why "I" said in my example that its really a refresh of a MPC item every (3) years, with one of them being the spec bump. So you could say - using the current big 3, they would have launched with the MPC X two years ago, then followed up with the more affordable and scaled down MPC Live last year, and this year would be the release of the middle ground/experimental Force. Next year would see the release of a bumped up MPC X (larger internal storage, more efficient processor, more RAM, etc) that incorporates the lessons learned from the other two devices, maybe add in the battery of the Live, run the newest version from the Force, include an additional synth or killer feature. The year after next would see the refreshed Live with better battery management thanks to improvements in tech, which would boost its performance running the latest firmware, have more efficient memory, etc.

So if you bought the Live, it would be (3) healthy years before there was something new on the market. However Akai would be better situated to make constant improvements to the hardware and software, and it would improve the lack of integration of their products. If you have a solid roadmap for MPC development and deployment, and you turn it into one of your main revenue drivers, you are going to pivot other sales towards it, increasing integration. As a semi-casual observer, while the MPC isn't an "experiment" as they've been building up to the Live & X, it still feels like they didn't jump in the pool, and only have their foot in the water - kicking around.

I wonder what Akai is actually worth.
- Unreall

Exactly.

Now if Akai Makes this new MPCX, are they going to make two new machines or one? It would make sense to make one between the Live and X, but an upgrade.

Here is where I stand, I wouldn't buy into it because My Live works perfectly, no need to upgrade, the chance I will take is GLITCH city, and you know how Akai get down! I am glitch free plus I don't use it like what some are planning to use it.

Now, I'm wondering how many would take that chance to get a new machine. How many will be made, and if Akai is thinking on making a new one.

Unreallystic wrote:Incremental updates to hardware isn't designed to be snatched up by every person. Honda increments the Accord every year, people don't sell their current one for a new one.

Unreallystic wrote:Incremental updates to hardware isn't designed to be snatched up by every person. Honda increments the Accord every year, people don't sell their current one for a new one.

Why do phones release every year? Its not just the psychological "new product" thing, it is also because of the improvement in technology and increased demands of not just the users, but the software (just look at where Chrome started to where it is today).

Its also why "I" said in my example that its really a refresh of a MPC item every (3) years, with one of them being the spec bump. So you could say - using the current big 3, they would have launched with the MPC X two years ago, then followed up with the more affordable and scaled down MPC Live last year, and this year would be the release of the middle ground/experimental Force. Next year would see the release of a bumped up MPC X (larger internal storage, more efficient processor, more RAM, etc) that incorporates the lessons learned from the other two devices, maybe add in the battery of the Live, run the newest version from the Force, include an additional synth or killer feature. The year after next would see the refreshed Live with better battery management thanks to improvements in tech, which would boost its performance running the latest firmware, have more efficient memory, etc.

So if you bought the Live, it would be (3) healthy years before there was something new on the market. However Akai would be better situated to make constant improvements to the hardware and software, and it would improve the lack of integration of their products. If you have a solid roadmap for MPC development and deployment, and you turn it into one of your main revenue drivers, you are going to pivot other sales towards it, increasing integration. As a semi-casual observer, while the MPC isn't an "experiment" as they've been building up to the Live & X, it still feels like they didn't jump in the pool, and only have their foot in the water - kicking around.

I wonder what Akai is actually worth.
- Unreall

Money, is the main reason they release new phones every year. Most people use their phone to text, take photos, facebook, instagram, twitter, and last call. Security updates are the only important thing. Hardward has hit a wall. That's why companies like APPLE and others, have moved toward services. That's why Akai Pro implemented SPLICE. They have to find new ways to bring in revenue.

Everything is turning into a service aka subscriptions. TV, Music, Movies, Video Games, Software, News, Magazines, Comic Books, Radio, Plug ins, Sample sites. It's not sustainable. It's like AMWAY gone wild. MPC's are competing against: Smartphones, Tablets, Laptop, Desktop, Other Drum Machines (New and Old) Gaming Consoles all of them can do what an MPC can do now. (In Software)

That's why they are rushing the product to market. The hardware is solid, the software is the part that's not complete. But just like video games, if it's broke, they'll just send an software patch. As far as the Value of the company, I have no idea. They don't even publish how many units they sold. My guess is, if they sold a record amount, they'll publish those numbers.

Danoc wrote:Now, I'm wondering how many would take that chance to get a new machine. How many will be made, and if Akai is thinking on making a new one.

Depends on how rock solid the software is. I've actually never had issues with Akai Pro's hardware. But I'm not going to pay money to BETA TEST and trouble shoot anyone's product.

CharlesRandolph wrote:

Unreallystic wrote:Incremental updates to hardware isn't designed to be snatched up by every person. Honda increments the Accord every year, people don't sell their current one for a new one.

Why do phones release every year? Its not just the psychological "new product" thing, it is also because of the improvement in technology and increased demands of not just the users, but the software (just look at where Chrome started to where it is today).

Its also why "I" said in my example that its really a refresh of a MPC item every (3) years, with one of them being the spec bump. So you could say - using the current big 3, they would have launched with the MPC X two years ago, then followed up with the more affordable and scaled down MPC Live last year, and this year would be the release of the middle ground/experimental Force. Next year would see the release of a bumped up MPC X (larger internal storage, more efficient processor, more RAM, etc) that incorporates the lessons learned from the other two devices, maybe add in the battery of the Live, run the newest version from the Force, include an additional synth or killer feature. The year after next would see the refreshed Live with better battery management thanks to improvements in tech, which would boost its performance running the latest firmware, have more efficient memory, etc.

So if you bought the Live, it would be (3) healthy years before there was something new on the market. However Akai would be better situated to make constant improvements to the hardware and software, and it would improve the lack of integration of their products. If you have a solid roadmap for MPC development and deployment, and you turn it into one of your main revenue drivers, you are going to pivot other sales towards it, increasing integration. As a semi-casual observer, while the MPC isn't an "experiment" as they've been building up to the Live & X, it still feels like they didn't jump in the pool, and only have their foot in the water - kicking around.

I wonder what Akai is actually worth.
- Unreall

Money, is the main reason they release new phones every year. Most people use their phone to text, take photos, facebook, instagram, twitter, and last call. Security updates are the only important thing. Hardward has hit a wall. That's why companies like APPLE and others, have moved toward services. That's why Akai Pro implemented SPLICE. They have to find new ways to bring in revenue.

Everything is turning into a service aka subscriptions. TV, Music, Movies, Video Games, Software, News, Magazines, Comic Books, Radio, Plug ins, Sample sites. It's not sustainable. It's like AMWAY gone wild. MPC's are competing against: Smartphones, Tablets, Laptop, Desktop, Other Drum Machines (New and Old) Gaming Consoles all of them can do what an MPC can do now. (In Software)

That's why they are rushing the product to market. The hardware is solid, the software is the part that's not complete. But just like video games, if it's broke, they'll just send an software patch. As far as the Value of the company, I have no idea. They don't even publish how many units they sold. My guess is, if they sold a record amount, they'll publish those numbers.

I think Mpc was a good seller, otherwise they did not make such effort on updates.
And I don't think they are competing with all the stuff you said.
I am quite sure they understood there is a place on market which will grow, and it is the demand of standalone units, the return of 90s devices but much more powerful.
I think Akai invested in the future, making a basic platform to develop in the next decade.
They put out a big one (x), a portable one (live) and a dj one (force) to understand which appeals more to those customers.
Then, in some years, when cpu will drop in prices, they will sum all in a good working reliable all-in-one gear.
It's still in development man and we are and have been the beta testers.
I guess Mpc X and Live will be produced for a couple of years at least, until they will be totally working and they will start with next level Mpc.
Or maybe they are already working on it but first they want to reach a good level on the current Mpc generation before moving on.

LOL That's why the days of the Standalone will come to an end LOL

See that's another reason how you going to have customers to pay as well be beta testers at the same time, That is bananas.

CharlesRandolph wrote:

Unreallystic wrote:Incremental updates to hardware isn't designed to be snatched up by every person. Honda increments the Accord every year, people don't sell their current one for a new one.

Why do phones release every year? Its not just the psychological "new product" thing, it is also because of the improvement in technology and increased demands of not just the users, but the software (just look at where Chrome started to where it is today).

Its also why "I" said in my example that its really a refresh of a MPC item every (3) years, with one of them being the spec bump. So you could say - using the current big 3, they would have launched with the MPC X two years ago, then followed up with the more affordable and scaled down MPC Live last year, and this year would be the release of the middle ground/experimental Force. Next year would see the release of a bumped up MPC X (larger internal storage, more efficient processor, more RAM, etc) that incorporates the lessons learned from the other two devices, maybe add in the battery of the Live, run the newest version from the Force, include an additional synth or killer feature. The year after next would see the refreshed Live with better battery management thanks to improvements in tech, which would boost its performance running the latest firmware, have more efficient memory, etc.

So if you bought the Live, it would be (3) healthy years before there was something new on the market. However Akai would be better situated to make constant improvements to the hardware and software, and it would improve the lack of integration of their products. If you have a solid roadmap for MPC development and deployment, and you turn it into one of your main revenue drivers, you are going to pivot other sales towards it, increasing integration. As a semi-casual observer, while the MPC isn't an "experiment" as they've been building up to the Live & X, it still feels like they didn't jump in the pool, and only have their foot in the water - kicking around.

I wonder what Akai is actually worth.
- Unreall

Money, is the main reason they release new phones every year. Most people use their phone to text, take photos, facebook, instagram, twitter, and last call. Security updates are the only important thing. Hardward has hit a wall. That's why companies like APPLE and others, have moved toward services. That's why Akai Pro implemented SPLICE. They have to find new ways to bring in revenue.

Everything is turning into a service aka subscriptions. TV, Music, Movies, Video Games, Software, News, Magazines, Comic Books, Radio, Plug ins, Sample sites. It's not sustainable. It's like AMWAY gone wild. MPC's are competing against: Smartphones, Tablets, Laptop, Desktop, Other Drum Machines (New and Old) Gaming Consoles all of them can do what an MPC can do now. (In Software)

That's why they are rushing the product to market. The hardware is solid, the software is the part that's not complete. But just like video games, if it's broke, they'll just send an software patch. As far as the Value of the company, I have no idea. They don't even publish how many units they sold. My guess is, if they sold a record amount, they'll publish those numbers.

See how Elektron are doing and tell me days of standalone are coming to an end.

CharlesRandolph wrote:Money, is the main reason they release new phones every year. Most people use their phone to text, take photos, facebook, instagram, twitter, and last call. Security updates are the only important thing. Hardward has hit a wall. That's why companies like APPLE and others, have moved toward services. That's why Akai Pro implemented SPLICE. They have to find new ways to bring in revenue.

Everything is turning into a service aka subscriptions. TV, Music, Movies, Video Games, Software, News, Magazines, Comic Books, Radio, Plug ins, Sample sites. It's not sustainable. It's like AMWAY gone wild. MPC's are competing against: Smartphones, Tablets, Laptop, Desktop, Other Drum Machines (New and Old) Gaming Consoles all of them can do what an MPC can do now. (In Software)

That's why they are rushing the product to market. The hardware is solid, the software is the part that's not complete. But just like video games, if it's broke, they'll just send an software patch. As far as the Value of the company, I have no idea. They don't even publish how many units they sold. My guess is, if they sold a record amount, they'll publish those numbers.

Come on, be real, everything is ultimately run by money, no one is dancing around that. Speaking *strictly* on phones, there is mildly truth in the yearly cycle being driven by money AT THIS POINT, but the extreme level of competition is what's driven the speed. Being first to market with real 5G is a thing right now for instance. Its what Samsung is trying to get to the flip phone so hard. There are constantly major things worth "updating the line up" with, but with that said - most folks don't update their phone every year - despite the release schedule. Most folks stick with the same phone for 3-4 years *bar an accident*.

Unfortunately, services have become a thing, I don't currently have office on my computers at home because my only discounted options involved a subscription. Even Roland is putting their ACB technology on the backburner as they push Roland Cloud. I don't doubt that Akai is looking for ways to implement services, and the most obvious one is a merging/meeting between the ideas of Splice & Roland Cloud, but more in-house a la AIR. If they had the capital and the hardware was up to it, they should target LANDR for integration as well.

Establish a stand-alone that doesn't require a computer, build in an easy way to get Samples & Synths (Service), provide a means to finish/polish the tracks (LANDR) (Service), and you then have created a livable ecosystem. I can't say how much I would believe in it holding up, but that's because I'm praying for subscription services and the US College System to both collapse (I got two kids, I'm worried about that haha).

However, I disagree with something you said at the end - the hardware is NOT solid. That is why they do need a spec bump at some point, it can't keep up with the needs of someone who would be willing to get services attached to the device. For "me" who samples his own instruments, does vocal chops, plays out some stuff on the integrated synths, and puts it together pretty straight up, the services aren't needed and the hardware is fine. For a large portion of people here and on FB (the unhappy minority is usually louder than the majority so I can't say most), they've pushed the hardware to the end already and wouldn't invest in a service.
- Unreall

Fanu wrote:See how Elektron are doing and tell me days of standalone are coming to an end.

I most DAWless vids I come across, there's an Elektron in the picture.