I like the mpc, but as they did not implement streaming from disk /SD card, i wont put any money there, for my purpose the mpc would need a full access to all parameters - this is currently only possible with kikgen mod - and i think it would be neccessary that akai implements /allows this control within their original OS. They do update frequently their product, so in general the outlook is good for the device - i think they should also put focus on the performance point of view, if they target electronic musicans.
If they put out a new device, it should support the old plugins - so if i stay in the Akai universe, they make compatible code updates. (Shouldnāt be so hard, ARM is the future right now.)
The Autosampler function alone is gold, and others had to copy their invention, so its good to have them as player in the music industry.
Yeah, I think the thing for me is the fatigue of it all. Like, yeah, other companies have a similar business model. And thatās my problem, Iām already invested elsewhere and now feeling like another tool is being used as a platform to sell me more shit is not something I want to get involved in. I already fell for that shit with Maschine which ultimately feels like a vessel to try and get you down a road of expansions and Komplete bundles.
At least with this Akai is having their plug-ins work on all their devices. Absolute miss for NI to drop the Maschine+ and it cant run most of their new shit. And if they can get Phasis and Raum on their why canāt I use Choral and Freak and Dirt and Bite? Why be stuck with the same effects theyāve been using for 10+ years now?
So yeah, Akai does feel committed but Native Instruments felt committed at one point too and now they donāt.
What I find personally ironic about this new update from Akai, is that I spent the better part of Sunday trying to get up an running on the M+ and Maschine2 desktop app on my new MacBook M1ā¦and the Maschine app kept choking while scanning plug-ins, so I was never able to pair the 2 together.
I was going to give it another go today, but after seeing the drop from Akai, I think the universe is telling me to put the M+ back on the shelf until NI gets their act together.
Loving the new Air Tech Flavor plug-in thoughā¦itās got the right viby feeling I loveā¦and on a per channel basis which the SP doesnāt quite deliver uponā¦
Akai is amazing at what their doing in this space. Good for themā¦and good for all of us who believed in them!
Our use cases might be different, i use it mostly as midi sequencer /sampler - that is an awesome function in it self. I think they did a lot of good moves with this product. I am just not ready to drop more money, if there is nothing in it what i consider essential for my purpose.
I have to admit, I love love love, my mpc retro live, it is basically the heart of my music making, I bought the bundle as soon as I couldā¦ but now I am feeling kinda overwhelmedā¦ like now I need to keep spending pretty significant money to just keep up with the newest features of this thingā¦ which I really want to doā¦ I donāt want to miss out on new stuff when I use it so muchā¦ but damnā¦ now another $150 after I just dropped half a grand has kinda got me feeling slimmey. Not sure I can do thisā¦
Iām sure I will have them by the end off three week thoughā¦lol.
What are your thoughts on the AIR Flavor Pro compared to the using the many other lo-fi effects on the MPC or the effects on the SP-404 MKII? Iām not someone who uses too many lo-fi effects in my music but Iām always temped by them. I have both the MPC Live and 404 MKII and if I use a lo-fi effect I slap something on really quick and move on. Is there any noticeable improvement in the Flavor Pro to these other effects?
From what I can tell, the most immediate benefit/advantage of the Flavor Pro is being able to throw as many customizable instances of it as you want on pads and plugins. However, are the actual tones you get from it all that different?
The Chase Bliss Generation Loss MKII was tempting for a while but then I realized I have no need to customize some specific lo-fi tape effect. I donāt have time, or much of a desire for that.
āI guess I could be BERY BERRY WONGā HERE! But!ā Akai is dropping some delicious plugins at a high pace right nowā¦ It could get very expensive soon (like 2Gs?!) if you want to catch āem all
It seems clear that Akai intends to charge for the more premium versions of their things, whether itās instruments or effects. Flavor Pro is the obvious example, where you also have the standard Air Flavor available for free. If these most recent announcement are indicative of the future, they will most likely release premium versions of their mediocre reverbs too at some point - and charge for them.
This is what I mean with subpar: if you āonlyā pay $1000+ to get an MPC Live 2, you arenāt getting the full MPC experience. For that, you need to shell out another grand or so. To me, thatās off-putting, even though I realize itās probably good for the longevity of the ecosystem as a whole.
I think Iāll just pick and mix as needed going forward. The Flavor pro seems nice but I have a Roland Sp-404 for my lofi needs and for as much as Iād like the simplicity of the having a mini D in my MPC , I can get an app for much much less and just resample.
Weāre a rare species! Itās my ITB substitute for hardware that led me to pick Reason. Sometimes I regret it though, because so much of the midi controller world is optimized for Ableton, with Reason being an afterthought.
User reviews have been mixedā¦ Peele I really respect their opinion have said it is almost spot on, others I feel the same way about say it is missing certain characteristics.
I would say that the Moog Model D app is leaps and bounds above it. I love using it on the iPad so if youāre comfortable with that setup and sampling it back into the MPC you will be more than happy with that pairing.
If you havenāt connected your iPad to the MPC you havenāt really lived
I just use the CME Bluetooth to MIDI adapter on the MPC to wirelessly connect to the iPad and run audio over USB-C dongle on the iPad to sample back into the MPC. Works great
Iām going to see if the au version of the Model D runs on the desktop with the MPC Desktop app today.
