MPC-Tutor wrote:Basically Akai cannot win. If they rush out a buggy firmware update to meet this suddenly expected 3-6 month release cycle, everyone accuses them of rushing out a poorly tested firmware. If they take their time to ensure the next release is stable, they get accused of dragging their heels.
I think it's important to remember that Akai don't owe anyone updates, they could have chosen the same model as the legacy MPCs (new features only come with a new hardware model, old hardware abandoned). The amount of updates you have received in the past 5 or 6 years if you purchased an MPC Live/X (or even Touch) has been pretty amazing, albeit rarely bug free. I really don't know of any other hardware box that is getting this kind of ongoing attention.
Also, 2.10.1 was released less than 6 months ago.
Agreed. To be fair though, the OS was pretty basic initially. Some would say limited, and that it was in the cards that it would develop substantially over time.
I got mine in 2017 and was pretty stoked about it, mostly because of its potential. I deliberately bought it early, in the hopes of some form of two-way communication between users and Akai, that I'd be able to participate in, about possible added features and which direction the OS should take in general. I personally think Akai could have been more eager to keep a more open attitude towards the user base in this, as, If nothing else, I believe Akai would have benefited from it.
It's off course hard to please everybody. Indeed the OS has come a long way for sure. As others have pointed out, I highly doubt there are many users who would prefer V1.0 today.
The lack of a proper basic mod matrix and the fiddly keygroups thing are the biggest head scratches for me. Especially this long into the process. That said, I'm happy to say I have no regrets whatsoever about purchasing the Live when I did. Same goes for my expectations about the OS developing over time, which I'd argue was a realistic expectation regardless of how things for various reasons used to be in the past. In addition to the fact that digital technology has in fact evolved, what many also seem to forget is that back then OSes used to be more developed and streamlined at the date of release.
About the MPC Key, I might not be very representative but I'll be keeping my Live and purchase the Keyboard as well, no matter which way Akai have decided to damage its true potential and its chances of competing successfully against other workstations. It's a shame off course, but the loss is mostly on them. I'll just be less happy about it than what I ideally would like to be. Less happy is still happy. There are certainly worse things to worry about going on right now. Hopefully Akai wont be losing too much because of their poor judgement and under confident decisions about this product.
