MPC Key 61: New FCC Filing From Akai

KaoticShock wrote:A lot of awesome points on this thread. (Not sure about it being the modern day ASR10, that board was legendary) What makes this product interesting and competitive is the ability to add an HD/SSD. The one major feature that the MODX/Kronos/Fantom Lines are missing is the ability to increase the storage by a vast amount. Depending on what they decide to price it at, it will directly compete with the Roland FA-06.

The two good things that will come out of this product launch are an increased userbase/community and more firmware updates!

Well, synths on Roland Fantom are at another level compared to Air ones. Really another level, no competition at the moment.
But maybe Akai will open up Mpc platform to other synth companies?
Let's see.

I completely agree with you about the AIR synths vs the Roland Fantom ones! Even my old Fantom X has a better arpeggiator/step sequencer and better synth controls than my MPC Live and the Fantom X is from 2003! Let's wait and see....

Looks like they at-least give it a raised area for the screen and control.

However, lets get 8-Qlinks please... cmon now

KaoticShock wrote:Depending on what they decide to price it at, it will directly compete with the Roland FA-06.

Yeah its the same compact size, and probably the MPC Key 61 will be roughly in the same price range too. In terms of both sampling and available effects however the FA is a complete joke compared to the MPC engine. Navigating its menus also is a pain in comparison. Even with four measly Qlink knobs the MPC Key 61 will blow the FA out of the water.

There may be things that say the Roland Fantom may have over the MPC engine, but I maintain that if Akai keep at it with OS updates and don't skimp on physical knobs and I/O on this keyboard there will be noticeably fewer buyers of both compact/budget and oversized/overpriced workstations from other companies in the not so distant future unless they up their game significantly. Whether Akai is capable of recognizing the potential of their own product or end up making things easier than necessary for their contenders is off course a different question.

HUBA wrote:

J.O.BEATS wrote:What’s the point of this? It’s a Live with a keyboard. Who doesn’t have a midi keyboard with their live?

Just like having a proper, easy to use onboard sequencer in your synth is usually a more practical solution, especially ergonomically, than a separate sequencer beside or behind the synth, there are real advantages with a keyboard workstation over a groovebox with a separate keyboard. Compared to an integrated one, a separate MIDI keyboard is a pretty clunky and non elegant solution. Not really the same at all. Sure there's an upside to being able to detach the MPC for traveling or for jamming in the sofa, but then you have to buy/rent/borrow a keyboard when you arrive or use the pads to play riffs, basslines and the likes.

J.O.BEATS wrote: I just believe the people who will buy this already have a live or X. Can’t really see a huge market who don’t already have a modern MPC.

I agree, many existing MPC owners are probably going to buy this. It doesn't mean however that many others wont buy it too. Thing is that while there are many grooveboxes available from many brands (and many, many buyers), practically none are offered with an integrated keyboard. So unless one believe the reason for grooveboxes being popular is more about them not having a keyboard than the highly addictive all in one approach then I say there's a very good reason for making keyboard versions available.

On top of all that, a humble MPC Live with a keyboard attached would also happen to classify as a pretty damn powerful workstation, especially given that a few long awaited software updates will eventually manifest. Now as it happens, workstations are somewhat popular too, and my point is that because practically all of the workstations available on the market are either huge and expensive or highly lacking in the sampling, sequencer or FX department, there's a great opportunity for Akai lying here, waiting to be exploited.
With a full set of 16 Qlink knobs and I/O of the MPC X, they would not only have the only current groovesynth on the market, and a really good one at that, but could at the same time completely rule the market for semi affordable workstations with one single product.

Yeah I don’t get it. It’s not complicated to plug in a midi keyboard and get to work. I see no advantage to having a workstation over a groove box + midi keyboard if they both have the same features

Does anybody really believe akai is doing more than just putting the current OS in a workstation? Now, if it has improved keygroups, sounds, etc then you might have something. But I doubt it

Maybe they'll finally hook up the HDMI out on the board and let us hook the thing up to a monitor!

Im willing to bet the keyboard will have features unique to it alone. We ve seen the large amounts of instrument plug ins they were working on years ago that have yet seen the light of day. I sure that this will have plugs-ins not available on the other hardware. It probably will have dedicated robust rompler type plug ins. Definitely going to have a more advanced perform mode to utilize the keys.

It makes sense for Akai to do this, but I personally wouldn't see the need to get one. I can't play keys good enough to justify getting it and I think half the time I make beats I don't even need keys. So, for me my Microkorg is a fine companion for my MPC One. I can't play worth a shit and I got small fingers so those minikeys don't really bother me. Most of the time I need to edit alot in the pianoview/stepedit afterwards anyway so I'm good with a regular MPC. However, if I would consider getting one a 49 key version be fine with me for my needs when compared to a 61 key version.

However, if I would start right now, or come from a computer setup and am already used to working with a midikeyboard this makes perfect sense. Also the all-in-one factor is nice, yeah you can hook up a separate midikeyboard, or synth for that purpose, but this just looks alot sleeker. So I can see Akai moving alot of these things. Curious about the reviews and user experiences when it drops.

Unless they modernize the workflow and leave some of the archaic MPC ways behind, no way I'd want an MPC workstation.

At the same time, with a modern workflow & 2022 speed/power, it could be legendary. I'd grab one immediately.

SuperKonquer wrote: I sure that this will have plugs-ins not available on the other hardware.

If they do that then hopefully they will at least offer the option to purchase the extra plugins for other MPC hardware. Making stuff like that permanently exclusive to a particular model for anything other than legitimate technical reasons is generally going to lead to major backlash.

They dabbled with this by excluding Ableton Control from the MPC One, didn't seem to go down too well and in the next firmware it was put back. Similar thing happened with the 'Ren-exclusive' vintage mode/plugins, which were eventually made available to the MPC Studio after backlash.

HUBA wrote:

KaoticShock wrote:Depending on what they decide to price it at, it will directly compete with the Roland FA-06.

Yeah its the same compact size, and probably the MPC Key 61 will be roughly in the same price range too. In terms of both sampling and available effects however the FA is a complete joke compared to the MPC engine. Navigating its menus also is a pain in comparison. Even with four measly Qlink knobs the MPC Key 61 will blow the FA out of the water.

There may be things that say the Roland Fantom may have over the MPC engine, but I maintain that if Akai keep at it with OS updates and don't skimp on physical knobs and I/O on this keyboard there will be noticeably fewer buyers of both compact/budget and oversized/overpriced workstations from other companies in the not so distant future unless they up their game significantly. Whether Akai is capable of recognizing the potential of their own product or end up making things easier than necessary for their contenders is off course a different question.

Yep MPC is better in terms of workflow, sampling, features and also design in my opinion but no way it can compete with synths of Fantom or other workstations.
If they want to enter the arena of workstations, Akai and Air have a lot of work to do and I am not sure they can reach any good level of competition with that cpu.
Don't get me wrong, I like and use Hype a lot, I like it, and also the other synths can have a good use, that's a good level for a sampler but it's still a low level for a workstation.
Even the synths on MC707 are at another level compared to Mpc ones, and Fantom is the top of Roland quality.
That quality cannot be reached with the current hardware power of Mpc.

So, what kind of pricing do we expect with this? I guess it's hard at this point as we don't know the I/O, it could just literally be an MPC One with a keyboard, in which case I can see how they could price it near the FA-06, which in the UK is approx £900

But this would make it cheaper than an MPC Live 2, and in terms of 'stature' I perceive this as sitting between the Live 2 and the X, so maybe £1250 in the UK ($1500-$1600 USD?)

MPC-Tutor wrote:

SuperKonquer wrote: I sure that this will have plugs-ins not available on the other hardware.

If they do that then hopefully they will at least offer the option to purchase the extra plugins for other MPC hardware. Making stuff like that permanently exclusive to a particular model for anything other than legitimate technical reasons is generally going to lead to major backlash.

They dabbled with this by excluding Ableton Control from the MPC One, didn't seem to go down too well and in the next firmware it was put back. Similar thing happened with the 'Ren-exclusive' vintage mode/plugins, which were eventually made available to the MPC Studio after backlash.

Agreed. Just give it a decent keyboard with aftertouch and make any good performance oriented sound sets available on all models and things will sort themselves out naturally.

- Those who don't care can happily use their MPC the way they want.

- Most people who see this kind of thing as important will get the keyboard.

- Those others who have a favorite MIDI keyboard for this purpose can take full advantage.

Leaving the last group of potentially happy customers out makes little to no sense even in a strictly business oriented short term perspective as far as I can tell.

It could be possible that they dangle new features in front of users to quell brewing dissent. We all know it as the "Coming soon" stick and carrot. But out the box this thing will have new instruments and workflow enhancements. They'll need some kind of new and exclusive feature set to inspire GAS in users new and old. No different from the Force roll out really. MPCs still don't have half the cool new things the Force had/has.

MPC-Tutor wrote:So, what kind of pricing do we expect with this? I guess it's hard at this point as we don't know the I/O, it could just literally be an MPC One with a keyboard, in which case I can see how they could price it near the FA-06, which in the UK is approx £900

But this would make it cheaper than an MPC Live 2, and in terms of 'stature' I perceive this as sitting between the Live 2 and the X, so maybe £1250 in the UK ($1500-$1600 USD?)

It could be the same price of Live2.
Instead of a speaker, there is a keyboard, not a huge difference, I think more or less they have same cost.
So, if they put the same I/O of Live2, it would be a Live2 plus a midi keyboard but with no speaker.
The other chance is that they put one more chip just for the synths, so they can really upgrade polyphony and power of the synths, to compete with workstations, but I don't think they'll do it.
So in my opinion it's a Live2 + a midi keyboard.
And I am still on Live1+Lpk keyboard which is still fine.
Hopefully they put 3.0 on the key version and Live users can have a benefit with that.