MPC-V: A Virtual Akai MPC

jahrome

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Click below for the article:
Akai Virtual MPC | Audio State of Mind

Comments?
 
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Been dreaming about an Akai MPC without its traditional limitations for a long time. Just like Maschine, I would like to see standalone version as well as a plugin version.
 
People would buy just for the name, but price wise it would have to be competitive with Native Instruments.

Also, Akai has never been that great at software design. Rather see them make a software perfect for the MPK61.
 
Yeah, this is so rough a concept at this point that it's hard to say anything very productive - especially when his argument "against" the Maschine is that "NI makes some of the most complex softsynths" - what? For now it just kind of sounds like...well, an idea with very little substance.
 
Yeah, this is so rough a concept at this point that it's hard to say anything very productive - especially when his argument "against" the Maschine is that "NI makes some of the most complex softsynths" - what? For now it just kind of sounds like...well, an idea with very little substance.

So I thought I might jump in here. I would have to disagree with the above since I'm the one who wrote the article/created the models. Yes, it's an idea, but I don't think it's lacking in substance. The article has a lot of pretty specific aspects in there.

And I believe the argument against NI making complex software is completely valid as a reason to why they wouldn't make a good MPC. One of the main things that made the MPC a classic was how easy it was to use. It takes a certain mindset to create a simple and effective UI like this. German engineering does not have this type of mindset. American engineering does. Compare the Tempest to a Blofeld or Monomachine (Swedish?) to see what I'm saying with this. Maschine had this vibe to it that was just too complex to ever feel like a real MPC. NI make some great soft synths, but when it comes to simplicity and elegance in UI design, they are really not good (but getting better).

Agreed though that the current Akai is not good at software design though and probably wouldn't make a good update to the MPC. They have nothing to do with the old Japanese Akai and/or Roger Linn. Roland could be a good candidate for something like this though. Their MV boxes have some pretty advanced software that they work with.
 
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Isn't that just one minor tradeoff outweighed by a ton of advantages. And in a hybrid device, it could be designed so the samples are managed in the computer but transferred to the hardware. This would give the best of both worlds.
 
Being that their SynthStation line has done so well, I bet the farm Akai will be rolling out some kind of hardware iPad holder that has MPC pads built-in.
 
So I thought I might jump in here. I would have to disagree with the above since I'm the one who wrote the article/created the models. Yes, it's an idea, but I don't think it's lacking in substance. The article has a lot of pretty specific aspects in there.

And I believe the argument against NI making complex software is completely valid as a reason to why they wouldn't make a good MPC. One of the main things that made the MPC a classic was how easy it was to use. It takes a certain mindset to create a simple and effective UI like this. German engineering does not have this type of mindset. American engineering does. Compare the Tempest to a Blofeld or Monomachine (Swedish?) to see what I'm saying with this. Maschine had this vibe to it that was just too complex to ever feel like a real MPC. NI make some great soft synths, but when it comes to simplicity and elegance in UI design, they are really not good (but getting better).

Agreed though that the current Akai is not good at software design though and probably wouldn't make a good update to the MPC. They have nothing to do with the old Japanese Akai and/or Roger Linn. Roland could be a good candidate for something like this though. Their MV boxes have some pretty advanced software that they work with.

Sorry for coming off a bit rough - but my point still stands. The idea is there, but I'm not seeing the "killer app" that'd put this above and beyond what's already been accomplished - and regarding the NI thing, I think the Maschine *is* simple enough on a fundamental level to compete. There's a genuine layer of usability & great interface design that sits on the shoulder of that German engineering foundation; it can go deep if you want it to, but it doesn't take a scientist to load a kit (or roll your own) and start banging out beats. Maybe it's not completely "MPC-like", but I'm not sure it has to be. Even though Linn's design is a time-proven classic, it doesn't mean it's the only way to do things.
 
Sorry for coming off a bit rough - but my point still stands. The idea is there, but I'm not seeing the "killer app" that'd put this above and beyond what's already been accomplished - and regarding the NI thing, I think the Maschine *is* simple enough on a fundamental level to compete. There's a genuine layer of usability & great interface design that sits on the shoulder of that German engineering foundation; it can go deep if you want it to, but it doesn't take a scientist to load a kit (or roll your own) and start banging out beats. Maybe it's not completely "MPC-like", but I'm not sure it has to be. Even though Linn's design is a time-proven classic, it doesn't mean it's the only way to do things.

I pretty much agree with everything you're saying. I did the 3-D model/concept back in 2005 (before Maschine was out), but wrote the article a few months ago. So I see it through two perspectives. Nowadays there's probably a lot more productive avenues to pursue than to revive the MPC. (Although on the mpc forum, there's a bunch of people who want a virtual mpc). It's probably had it's day and maybe it's time for Maschine to replace it. Or maybe Maschine has already replaced it. A more complicated device for a more complicated world etc. etc.

At the same time though, a fully integrated hardware/software modular system with an excellent and adaptable workflow has yet to be made. This was the driving force of my original concept model, using the MPC as a starting point due to it's successful history. I wasn't shooting for a killer app or some revolution in MI design. My aim was more along the lines of improving/advancing something that's historically great (the MPC) but that nowadays seems a bit outdated.
 
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Maschine (in its current state) will never replace an MPC....any more than the MV-8800 did. These are just more options to choose from.

I personally didn't find Maschine complicated. In fact, its sampler is pretty basic..and it's MIDI sequencing is no better than any MPC. In fact, I feel the MPC 2000XL is a better sequencer.
 
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