New Plugins Available to Buy From Akai

waaah, i started the trial for OPx4 , huge FM fan here...
i must say its great!!! the fm matrix is totally free (feedback, circular fm, phase inversion for single fm routes...) the envelopes are good, the additional shaping of operators is great too! its a lovely synth, the onboard effects are wicked, especially the tape and multitap delay (c'mon akai, release them separately!). preset library is pretty cool too! i'm not gonna spend 150 for it, but as soon as a big discount will come up i think i'll grab it. damn akai, only 9 days trial tho

OPx-4 and Fabric XL are my favorites (Fabric XL has officially replaced Hype as my goto on my MPC). Sure, OPx-4 is just a 4-op FM, but its mod section is awesome. Just a lovely synth, IMHO.

I'll get them because the MPC is my main music making device along with my Dirtywave M8 (headless until my real one ships). They aren't cheap, that's for sure, and the plugins that come with Logic Pro are probably already better, but convenience is a huge thing for me as I mostly do music as a hobby and to relax from my day once the kids are in bed.

I could never get much done in Logic in the end because going back to my desk and opening the laptop again at the end of my workday was a big mental block for me. Especially so since I'm mostly working from home now since the beginning of COVID.

So, the MPC is far from perfect, and the plugins may not be the "best" out there, but they are what I end up using because they are right there when I sit on the couch and try to make some music before going to bed.

This was obviously the route they were gonna take. The price tag makes little sense to me. 500USD is about what I paid for used One. I’m not doubting the usefulness of these plugins but that’s a lot of chips for something with little resale value added. I could buy real hardware for that money!

The price isn’t even at the heart of my disappointment. They refuse to develop the sampler and, to a lesser extent, the sequencer further. I mean they might as well let AIR develop a sampler plugin. The sequencer still lacks tempo change. Song mode still fails to support different time signatures on song > seq. Why Akai? I still can’t replace my legacy MPC for these and other reasons.

JeriKo Jackson wrote:This was obviously the route they were gonna take. The price tag makes little sense to me. 500USD is about what I paid for used One. I’m not doubting the usefulness of these plugins but that’s a lot of chips for something with little resale value added. I could buy real hardware for that money!

The price isn’t even at the heart of my disappointment. They refuse to develop the sampler and, to a lesser extent, the sequencer further. I mean they might as well let AIR develop a sampler plugin. The sequencer still lacks tempo change. Song mode still fails to support different time signatures on song > seq. Why Akai? I still can’t replace my legacy MPC for these and other reasons.

can’t reasonably charge people for things that should have come right out of the box. Easier to not provide them and charge for new flashy stuff. They pretty clearly care literally 0 about legacy or longevity etc. it’s all about what someone in a boardroom could convince the suits would make them more money. I don’t think actual users have very much if any input into what actually ends up happening. Expect paid abandonware plugins, more expansions, more subscription services and probably in app purchases. Don’t expect expanded modulation matrixes, track rearranging, disk streaming, promised features, reliable communication beyond publicity stunts. Do expect hundreds of scripted YouTube adverts, paid for in half baked beta products to an endless que of people ready to give their glowing reviews for the opportunity

welcome to the future of music hardware

Everything can't be free.. don't like it don't buy can't always complain

JeriKo Jackson wrote: I could buy real hardware for that money!

Why Akai? I still can’t replace my legacy MPC for these and other reasons.

I already bought hardware for that money, it is called the Roland MC-101. And to re-emphasize your point about not replacing your legacy MPC, I still have my Fantom-X6 for this very reason. No other sequencer comes close, and the Fantom has a phrase generator with strummer that blows the MPC software away even though its almost 20 years old at this point. I feel the exact same way about Roland, why doesn't the Zen-Core engine have all the presets from the COSM, V-synth, and V-piano engines? Why does Zenology Pro not have Built-in Reverb when I pay $20/ month for it?

Unfortunately, I don't have time to waste on these existential questions when music making time is already limited. Manufacturers are going to do whatever they want to do, so all we can do is use the products to the best of our ability and make music within the limitations they make.

Regardless, even though I already have plenty of ROMplers and vst synths, I can't take them with me everywhere in a battery powered device because my studio computer is an iMac 27. So if $499 gets me the ability to actually have control over parameters of the sound instead of using static keygroups, I'm in. I could find fault with every musical instrument I own, but I look at everything the way I look at my Conn 88H. The value of the instrument comes from the one who plays it, not the one who made it.

Jawbrizza wrote:

JeriKo Jackson wrote:This was obviously the route they were gonna take. The price tag makes little sense to me. 500USD is about what I paid for used One. I’m not doubting the usefulness of these plugins but that’s a lot of chips for something with little resale value added. I could buy real hardware for that money!

The price isn’t even at the heart of my disappointment. They refuse to develop the sampler and, to a lesser extent, the sequencer further. I mean they might as well let AIR develop a sampler plugin. The sequencer still lacks tempo change. Song mode still fails to support different time signatures on song > seq. Why Akai? I still can’t replace my legacy MPC for these and other reasons.

can’t reasonably charge people for things that should have come right out of the box. Easier to not provide them and charge for new flashy stuff. They pretty clearly care literally 0 about legacy or longevity etc. it’s all about what someone in a boardroom could convince the suits would make them more money. I don’t think actual users have very much if any input into what actually ends up happening. Expect paid abandonware plugins, more expansions, more subscription services and probably in app purchases. Don’t expect expanded modulation matrixes, track rearranging, disk streaming, promised features, reliable communication beyond publicity stunts. Do expect hundreds of scripted YouTube adverts, paid for in half baked beta products to an endless que of people ready to give their glowing reviews for the opportunity

welcome to the future of music hardware

I don’t expect my love/hate affair with this iteration of the MPC to ever end.

Certified Beatz wrote:Everything can't be free.. don't like it don't buy can't always complain

No complaints about them making money off of fools who think they need these particular sets of tools. But the things missing that exist on legacy boxes is almost disrespectful at this point in the development of this line. We are approaching 6 years of development and glaring omissions / clunkiness to the GUI remain. I’d rather pay for that silliness to be fixed than a couple plugins I don’t NEED.

JeriKo Jackson wrote:No complaints about them making money off of fools who think they need these particular sets of tools.

*sigh* FFS, is that really necessary? So everyone who finds value in these new tools is a fool? I get that you’re salty but goddamn man.

Seriously, even comparing this to a mc101?? Lol..
This is modeled pianos and strings, like down to the models.. I wish they were free too.. but this is some serious stuff.. thru worked hard on it and deserve to be compensated.. this is competing with like fantom more then omnisphere or whatever..

Why get so mad?? I get it sucks.. but did you really expect this stuff for free??

I don't liked the price either... But I already caved..lol

kja wrote:Seriously, even comparing this to a mc101?? Lol..
This is modeled pianos and strings, like down to the models.. I wish they were free too.. but this is some serious stuff.. thru worked hard on it and deserve to be compensated.. this is competing with like fantom more then omnisphere or whatever..

Why get so mad?? I get it sucks.. but did you really expect this stuff for free??

I don't liked the price either... But I already caved..lol

Lol I havent even tried the new plugins but I already know the sound quality won't be anywhere close to the MC-101. I just used that as an example because he said, " I could spend $500 on hardware" and I already did, now time to spend $499 on firmware plugins lol I already caved too. Again, I'm definitely not expecting the same quality as Zenology, Nexus or Structure, (I don't even expect Fabric XL to be as good as Xpand!2) but my sound is 2000's Hip-hop, so cheezy Rompler sounds like the Triton, Motif and Fantom-X series sounds are right up my alley. I just want more options to edit and automate sounds in standalone mode, especially with built-in FX on plugins (Using keygroups is so annoying, running out of FX slots, having to use submixes, having to map Vibrato to the Mod wheel, etc.), so yes, Akai, take my money.

Also, yes you're right about the modeling. I definitely appreciate Tutors work on Mutli-sampling Pianos, but nothing compares to a Steinway..... I miss playing on those in Music School every day.

The fabric bundle is intriguing (that price is brutal tho)

I use mostly standalone so having a rompler style plugin is ideal for me

I’m on the road and can’t do the demo version until I get back in a week or so

Question for people who have it or have tested it: Does it have wind instruments, electric basses, ethnic sounds etc? I see pianos, EPS, and guitars. I’m assuming no strings because of the session string plug-in. I can’t find an instrument list anywhere on line. Thx

I've been testing. It has all types of sounds, brass, synth and guitar basses, not a lot of ethnic thou, some percs, but I cant see sitars, or chinese japanese instruments etc.. It also has strings, and eps, strange and ok, because of what you're mentioning

MPC-Tutor wrote:

BoxBeater wrote:I simply don't like doing business with companies that head in this direction. I thought akai was different and this is my own fault. Bummer.

What direction though? On a day when they release yet another free firmware/software update with a whole bunch of new features?

What exactly is so bad about them offering some 'optional' extra plugins, just like they offer optional extra expansions. You can just ignore them, don't buy them, and continue to use the free synths and the continually evolving and updated firmware they gave you already!

So many other things you could find fault with Akai, being upset because they decided to offer people some optional extras is baffling.

Since there is no way to simply“like“ a post i need to do it the old fashioned way with a quote+post involved

edit: just to find out there is no“thumps up“ emo?The forum soft needs an overhaul…

JeriKo Jackson wrote:No complaints about them making money off of fools who think they need these particular sets of tools. But the things missing that exist on legacy boxes is almost disrespectful at this point in the development of this line. We are approaching 6 years of development and glaring omissions / clunkiness to the GUI remain. I’d rather pay for that silliness to be fixed than a couple plugins I don’t NEED.

Still cant even assign the modwheel to frequency cutoff. Synthesis 101 right there..