MPC-Tutor wrote:The arranger has no real bearing on a project containing many individual sequences as the arranger is just an alternate way of managing a single sequence. What they need to work on is improving song mode, which is what the 'arranger' should have been IMO, i.e. a place to piece together and 'arrange' all the different sequences into a song, with multi-track view, 'blocks', ability to record audio tracks & automation across a song (without having to 'destructively' convert it to a single sequence), and so on.
The word "arrange" has been used by several DAWs out there. Cubase was one of them. In Cubase the term was used to arrange a song, which seems to be the adoption Akai went for, which to me is great. Technically every layer of song production could use an 'arranger' of sorts, e.g. we 'arrange' effects into a rack.
I am pretty sure I even saw a second effects screen in MPC 3 that popped up the old 'effects rack' now with arrows and just for reordering. Now that's some arranging.
Me personally, think that 'arranging' songs need a word of higher connection, like making-an-album (Vinyl/CD) or setting-up-a-concert, both of which can be assigned numerous words. But this is only because of my own personal experience with music and equipment.
Sure, it COULD have been 'arranging' a song collection, which in my eyes is nothing more than 'arranging' that effects collection.
In the end it's only a word that renders specific meaning, and this would likely have been influenced from some other musically related convention. We all have different opinions on such things and will unlikely agree, which is the reason why the maker either re-use or coin terms for things. Other makers use the same words Akai use, but some of them for entirely different meanings on their own equipment.
Sorry to butt-in on a trivial thing like this. However, on topic...
I must say that I have been very disappointed in Akai since I bought my MPC X some 6-7 years ago. There were lots of visions projected by Akai and many were no-shows.
My plans were to have a standalone "DAW". I used Cubase, loads of plugins and tons of hardware equipment (which I still have most of, not all). I got sick and tired of the upgrade/side-grade/update, version mismatch, bugs, etc. trend which was only increasing in magnitude. I felt I spent way too much time managing software on my equipment. Lots of it was not optional either, e.g. one update on something and bang "upgrade something else or it won't work on your system".
So far, my MPC X has served me good, but I had been projected something better (for my needs, of course).
With MPC (X) 3, I can now see that initial projection from Akai. If it wasn't free I would likely just dump the MPC X and get something more traditional. However, I think that Akai is now in the process of redeeming itself. I am as impressed with Akai's tenacity as I am with some of the persons in the forums out there.
Anyways, a big THANK YOU from me to Akai. I wish many sales to support the immense effort.
