MPC X SE – EA-ski SONICS controversy vs BLACK LION audio mod

20 + years ago it was the exact same trope. "OMG the MPC2000 sounds cold...", same bias on internet forums. The latest MPC is "always the worse sounding". Classic...

oviously Ski making music on a higher level then he average influencer; so he have higher requirements

But in general I think he making a mountain out of a molehill; cos nobody complained about the sound when the live 1&2 came out, nobody complained when the og X came out or the One.

It was only an issue when the SE came out; cos the supposed MPC XL hype had spread and peoeple was expecting something more advanced, when they did not get that, then people started nit picking.

On the other hand the s2400 is cheaper then the MPC X; and has old school converters, so why cant akai deliver those old circuits? it should be possible but inmusic is all about profits, fair enuff.

The sound on these new mpcs is very clean and good; even if u drive a hot signal into them when sampling it still sounds pretty good.

Despite all the bugs and missing features I feel these current mpcs are classics; and are the best overall mpcs eve.

Yes it would of been nice if akai in celebration of 35 years; added a pair of inputs and outputs from both the 60 and 3K to the X SE; along with an analog filter that would of been a true tribute machine.

But that would of cost at least $3000 but people would of paid for that; the same way peeps paid for the rossom.

A Mpcx workflow with mpc 60 and 3000 converters? That would be so op, but I've given up on Akai and them working on their converters to match a 60 or 3000 The new Mpc's are a Daw in the Box with a unique workflow which its fine for me since theirs other gear around to color the sound. I really didnt expect much from the new Mpc release. Like I thought maybe a touchstrip(which I dont care about), more ram, and maybe a slightly different build. Maybe a couple more in's or more midi slots, but nothing crazy. Oh well... Maybe next MpcX release... Whenever that will be.

https://sovltron.substack.com/p/no-the- ... medium=web

this was an article bolo posted about the hsitory between roger lin and akai; it also delves into the sound changes over the years

The MPC-X has been out for 6+ years, but now that the XL..I mean the X-SE has disappointed many, it suddenly sounds like ish. Personally, I like the way my X sounds. I mean, who doesn't have their MPC hooked up to some external gear that can (at the very least) boost the sound. Mixer/404/DAW
But in all honesty, all these MPC's have been the same since the Renaissance. Think about it:
The MPC-X SE is basically The Ren with a bigger screen (Body wise)
The MPC Live is basically the MPC Touch.
The Live II is basically a Live.
The MPC One is a scaled down version of all of them. (Akai, no battery in the smallest MPC??)
These newer MPC's are basically computers with a different case. A highly anticipated $2500 MPC should NOT sound like a used $200 MPC Studio, and Akai putting these in the hands of influences with no experience is wack. One guy said, "They added a pad perform button." HUH?? Another guy said, "The X-SE comes with 16 Q-Links, and works without a computer!!!" Amazing! I need to sell my X for these additions!
All these guys do is create hype. They made a fuss about the MPC Live II Beat Club edition...The Supreme edition..The Retro edition. Come on Akai, really, nothing has really changed but the colors, and some plug-ins.
At the end of the day, I hope Akai thinks, "maybe their tired of us serving them 2017 dinner on a new plate"

CREAM OF BEATS. DETROIT. MPC-X
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDHMe0-Oa-s

They basically social media scenesters...
I feel like they release plugins like bandaids on a wound.
I havent bought a single plugin and dont really intend to.
The only one that has tempted me is flavor but with other equipment around, it's more or less obsolete for me

Let's be real, other than CPU and RAM, what real need is there for any hardware changes right now?

It's all about software now.

Converters haven't advanced in the last 5 years, so what does he expect?

Ski being a professional who has mastered his craft has the time and credentials to care that much about sonics

I just think it’s funny all these bedroom producers who make generic beats are now going to spend money, time, and energy and trying to get that “analog sound” like it’s the thing missing in their production

Man if Akai decides to bring back that lofi sound back into the hardware of the MPC lines I'm out.. I would buy 1 or 2 extra MPC's of the current Gen to sit such a horrible mistake out.. I'd be good for a couple of years.

Nowadays everything can be emulated, maybe Akai can make them a pack of new plugins that will give them that sound but I'm pretty sure they will start complaining again. (sh!t doesn't sound right, not dirty enough, my drumkick sounds like a horse kicking against the shed).

Let those old heads use that old gear they love so much..

You can't expect music today to sound like it did 20 or 35 years ago..

Today's singers sound different than 35 years ago;
Today's boys bands sound different than 35 years ago;
Today's girls bands sound different than 35 years ago;
Today's rappers rap and flow different than they did 35 years ago;
I don't wear the same socks I did 35 years ago;
The MPC's of today are not the same MPC's of 35 years ago.

Today people want DAW functionality in a box. It has to be fast and have enough storing space and memory to host all of the next 5 years worth of updates.

When the new MPC's came out we made noise about real stuff..

Automation lanes on the hardware in stand alone mode;
Automation of the master and sub busses;
Side chain compressors;
Better pluggins;
More memory;
3rd party audio interfaces.

And Akai listened and gave us those things because those were necessary..

Things like that shape the future. Not by having us go back in time..

New times new hardware..

zangetsu01 wrote:
You can't expect music today to sound like it did 20 or 35 years ago..

Today's singers sound different than 35 years ago;
Today's boys bands sound different than 35 years ago;
Today's girls bands sound different than 35 years ago;
Today's rappers rap and flow different than they did 35 years ago;
I don't wear the same socks I did 35 years ago;
The MPC's of today are not the same MPC's of 35 years ago.

Today people want DAW functionality in a box. It has to be fast and have enough storing space and memory

Things like that shape the future. Not by having us go back in time..

New times new hardware..

Most people agree that current music has gotten worse then 20, 30, 40 years ago; all areas/generes and in all aspects, hence why the old songs re classics and are still popular today, while current music has a short lifespan of interest.

This is why I love beat makers like Stu bangas. Dudes consistently dropping heat just chopping breaks and samples on the one. Probably not even using but a couple basic effects and not worrying about shit besides sound selection, composition, and groove.

Again, people can do whatever they like but if you’re trying to get better at beat making stop chasing that magic analog sound

jpeg wrote:Most people agree that current music has gotten worse then 20, 30, 40 years ago; all areas/generes and in all aspects, hence why the old songs re classics and are still popular today, while current music has a short lifespan of interest.

I guess you mean most people that was alive and concious 20, 30, 40 years ago, but maybe you remember (I do), that 30 and 40 years ago people said that music 20, 30 or 40 years before was better. I think it is nostalgia. I hate nostalgia, is a way to not keep moving forward, also a tool to to sell shit to unaware people. Memory is progressive, nostalgia is traditionalist.
This has a very notorious psicological logic. The time of your life when you discover and have new sensation and you start to live the freedom of your adulthood, you start to be aware of your surroundings, you enjoy new stuff , it gets recorded in you as the best times of your life etc...hence the art, music, culture and people you meet and enjoy in that age, I guess sometime between 14 to 30 or so, gets the "best ever" label

This whole discussion is kind of mute because the MPC XSE is selling like freaking hotcakes. I don't even think the original X moved as fast as the SE. The people that are unhappy about it not being drastically different from the original and lacking the real or perceived sonic punch of vintage models are clearly not the market for it. I see people who for years said they wouldn't buy the X because they prefer the live or One now buying the SE in droves. Plus all the new users buying the XSE as their first MPC.

I don't think I've ever seen this kind of feeding frenzy for any of Akai's recent products. I really think that all the plugins have a huge part of that because now you aren't just buying a sampler/grove box but also pseudo hardware synths. Like it or not, Akai seems to have the pulse of it current and potential user base, at least as far as what makes them part with their money.

SuperKonquer wrote:This whole discussion is kind of mute because the MPC XSE is selling like freaking hotcakes. I don't even think the original X moved as fast as the SE. The people that are unhappy about it not being drastically different from the original and lacking the real or perceived sonic punch of vintage models are clearly not the market for it. I see people who for years said they wouldn't buy the X because they prefer the live or One now buying the SE in droves. Plus all the new users buying the XSE as their first MPC.

I don't think I've ever seen this kind of feeding frenzy for any of Akai's recent products. I really think that all the plugins have a huge part of that because now you aren't just buying a sampler/grove box but also pseudo hardware synths. Like it or not, Akai seems to have the pulse of it current and potential user base, at least as far as what makes them part with their money.

How are your tracking Akai product sells in order to factually say what selling like hotcakes?

B-Wise wrote:How are your tracking Akai product sells in order to factually say what selling like hotcakes?

Of course I don't have hard numbers, but I've never seen any one of the others devices ever sold out at so many retailers within a week or 2 of release. Social media is full of proud braggadocious new owners and even in my own circles I know quite a few who jumped on the SE even while saying the original X doesn't fit or not needed for their workflow. I can only assume that these devices were purchased and not given away by Akai.

My observations are mostly anecdotal but I don't recall this much "take my money" buzz (positive +negative)for any of the standalones, even when the live was first announced. I have had the X since release and this SE version doesn't excite me much, but clearly it fits the bill for a lot of people with money to spend. At this point even the new users have a good understanding of what they are buying, likely due to the long and public, somewhat bumpy road the MPC OS has taken since 1.0.