kneebone77 wrote:NearTao, I peeped the Spectralis in the corner...
How you like it?
I almost parted ways with it a year ago... promises are high and updates are slow for it. The device is what, nearly three years out from release now and still no 1.0 release? It's decent, the filters sound nice and all, but it's really a boutique instrument and not a work horse. I know people swear by it, but if I had to choose between the 1k with jjos v2 and the spekkie... I'll stick to the 1k. Occasionally I flirt with selling it, but I know I'll take a huge loss and probably a couple years down the road kick myself for it. Probably I should just sit down and get some good samples on it, but you cannot just load .wav files onto it and have to use custom software to set all that junk up.
I've gone through quite a bit of other gear over the years. Korg ESX/EMX were fun but not serious, Roland MC909 was powerful but buggy and finicky from what I remember and the Yamaha RS9000 while still a great piece of gear is definitely showing its age and can sound a bit dated in my mind. Never had an MPC for some reason, had the 1k a year now and I just fell in love with it. It's just very simple and expressive beyond what I had thought. I have a feeling that I might get a lot more milage out of the 1k, especially if JJ can keep going with the updates.
I've been using Ableton Live from the ground floor and can run circles around the MPC with it in many areas, but I just don't have the same fun and hands on feel. I am sure that an MPD32 would go a long way towards bridging the gap, but I already have a Kontrol Pad and while the pads do 'MPC like' things, the total interface integration isn't there. Until somebody comes up with a way to create an interface that you can operate software but forget your connected to a computer I think hardware will still have that one edge at least.
Been even keeping an eye on the 5k, but I'm getting the sinking feeling that if it weren't for JJ I might have passed on the 1k by now. The 5k looks serious, but I'm not sure that Numark/Akai will be able to put the love and magic in there like JJ has with the 1k. By even allowing JJOS to exist they've really allowed the MPC market to be splintered into a strange and wonderful way. Without JJOS it would've been clear to move from the 1k to the 5k... but v2 is just so... compelling.
Anyway... take it easy... and if you want more info about the Spekkie I can provide it, with less ranting and raving next time
