Official: MPC X 'Special Edition' Now Released

It really doesn't have much more value than a regular X.

kb420ps wrote:It really doesn't have much more value than a regular X.

same can be said of live retro and mpc one retro but people just like them old school colours

jpeg wrote:same can be said of live retro and mpc one retro but people just like them old school colours

Exactly. This is going to sell, even though it's not much of an improvement

MPC-Tutor wrote:

jpeg wrote:also people who have a live retro or one retro who want to upgrade and keep the same colour

Not sure that's a particularly large market.

u say that but how many live 2 retro editions did they sell? and how many MPC One retros did they sell?

apparently enuff to warrant doing the same with the MPC X

As long as they can repackage the same technology over and over again, and still sell units, they'll continue to do so.

jpeg wrote:

J.O.BEATS wrote:
This is probably the first big mistake Akai has made since the 5000. Really have no idea who would buy this.

And if this isn’t coming with all the plugins what the hell is the One “plus” going to be? Just increased ram? Weird business decision here

what makes u think it does not come wid the plugins? also those people who dont have the X may want to buy in now with this new colour

True. And also, Akai didn't promise anything. All the expectation has been fabricated by user wishes and speculation. So, it has been like this. Leak "Akai new mpc is coming (with a half assed picture attached)", Then a rando youtuber says "There's gonna be an MPC one mk2 a live mini , one akai mpc dildo etc...". After that, all people speculating and rendering their wishes in forums. Akai suposedly anounces this X with upgraded specs and new looks. People "You betrayed us akai, because you didn't bring what we invented (specially hdmi out, even though hdmi is an olmost obsolete connector) You are making the worst mistake you've ever made AKAI"
This has been an insane trip!

If I was out in the market for a large format MPC I would be glad that they upgraded the X. For existing X users is not much of a difference right now. But new customers and people that want to upgrade this is good news.

jpeg wrote:u say that but how many live 2 retro editions did they sell? and how many MPC One retros did they sell?apparently enuff to warrant doing the same with the MPC X

I just meant that the number of people who bought a $600, compact Retro One instead of a $2000, huge MPC X 'just because at the time the X didn't come in retro colours' is likely to be tiny. MPC One (and Live 2) buyers tend to have different requirements to the average X buyer (e.g. price sensitive, space sensitive, portability etc).

IMO this new X is just a 'because we can' rather than 'oo, this will make us a tonne of cash' release. It puts the X more clearly back at the top of the line as the 4GB ram of the MPC Key was making the original X look dated, and ultimately this required minimal effort or cost on Akai's part (new paint job, internal SOC swap out). Also fits in nicely with the 35 year anniversary thing. But unless there's something else we don't know about, this thing doesn't really warrant 60+ pages of topics on this forum

(I guess I have to update the cover image for the MPC Bible as well...)

MPC-Tutor wrote:So, who is the target customer for this? I think we can rule out live performers. due to lack of portability...Can bedroom producers afford or justify this (in terms of pricing and size)? Does it offer enough unique features compared to, say, a cheaper MPC paired with a USB audio interface? Do working producers actually use an MPC as the centrepiece of their studio these days? Will some people buy it just because it's the latest flagship MPC?

I'm not being obtuse here, I'm genuinely interested in this.

I'm the target customer as I'm a heavy modular user and it really comes down to the 16 q links that can be used as a hands on modulation sequencer with read outs on the voltage your sending per step. Not to mention the big screen, all the buttons, individual cv/gate out, etc.
I'm a bit disappointed there aren't some updates like the touch strip, dedicated sounds buttons, etc., but I've not dedicated to the MPC workflow in my set up and I might as well go all in.
I'm probably in the minority, but they'll get my money on this.

Who knows, maybe it could be a software update announcement too.

Did you ever consider the original/existing MPC X, as this has had everything you mention, but for much less money, even less s/h. What has swung it for you, the extra RAM, the skin?

brutzero wrote:I'm the target customer as I'm a heavy modular user and it really comes down to the 16 q links that can be used as a hands on modulation sequencer with read outs on the voltage your sending per step. Not to mention the big screen, all the buttons, individual cv/gate out, etc.
I'm a bit disappointed there aren't some updates like the touch strip, dedicated sounds buttons, etc., but I've not dedicated to the MPC workflow in my set up and I might as well go all in.
I'm probably in the minority, but they'll get my money on this.

I had one and sold it for the overpriced Force when it was first released. I regret that decision and I'm now working with an MPC live2 retro. I do like the retro skin as I had an MPC 2000xl back in 2002 when I was 21 years old. Now I'm 42, not rich by any means, but do have enough put aside where I think I can justify the purchase.

MPC-Tutor wrote:Did you ever consider the original/existing MPC X, as this has had everything you mention, but for much less money, even less s/h. What has swung it for you, the extra RAM, the skin?

brutzero wrote:I'm the target customer as I'm a heavy modular user and it really comes down to the 16 q links that can be used as a hands on modulation sequencer with read outs on the voltage your sending per step. Not to mention the big screen, all the buttons, individual cv/gate out, etc.
I'm a bit disappointed there aren't some updates like the touch strip, dedicated sounds buttons, etc., but I've not dedicated to the MPC workflow in my set up and I might as well go all in.
I'm probably in the minority, but they'll get my money on this.

Is it me? Or does it say 48GB of Internal Storage? The Specs say only "6" Q-links. Somethin Funky Goin On

Is it me? Or does it say 48GB of Internal Storage? The Specs say only "6" Q-links. Somethin Funky Goin On