MPC Key 61

JesterMgee · 2022-06-24T00:39:52+00:00

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https://www.akaipro.com/mpc-key-61

Thoughts?

I'm pretty impressed with what this thing can do without a PC attached. Having used many of the on-board instruments already being able to switch this thing on and do what the Maschine+ can kind of do, but with ability to easily do splits and layers (what KK still cannot do). Possibly not for the DAW user but certainly a great option for the performer or someone who wants to sequence things on the go.

$3100 AUD tho is a pretty costly device

I've learned to be cautious of anything new from AKAI before tho since this is based off the very popular and reliable MPC platform I suspect things such as performance would be pretty stable and some of the issues I have heard of the M+ having stuttering etc may not be as much of an issue. Really like the workflow of it, looks like fun especially without the headache of an attached computer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7JdVD2Gdyw

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Simchris

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/21967#Comment_21967

Funnily enough my iPad 1 still works. Horribly slow decade later. My iPad 2, iPad Air mk 1, and one later iPad all still work. Right now my 2020 iPad Pro is being used for Apple high-res jukebox into a DAC via USB in living room. Still, kind of annoying all the 32-bit apps for iPad many of us bought as early adopters, which no longer work on modern iPads, and once old one dies, it's end of life. By contrast I can still load up Alchemy and Emulator X sampler on my Windows 10 machines. Meanwhile ton of dead branches from Apple changing stuff regardless of 32 bit vs 64 bit just stopped working with Big Sur. So, ton of end of life apps. Apple is not a great 'long term' platform for investment in anything except Logic and Final Cut Pro (etc). Anything else will be dead in a few years, while the Korg Oasys and Openlabs NEKO, and RECEPTOR boxes still humming along decade later.

Anyway --- I personally would love a Komplete Kontrol keyboard with audio I/O, headphone jack, internal pc to load/run kontakt libraries DAWLESS (really Ryzen cheap PC, 16GB RAM). I'd much prefer that to the Akai. I already have custom MPC3000, and Renaissance. Sold my 4000. Don't really need another MPC box at this point.

Mystic38

I think if the heart of your workflow is sampling, and you can play keys, then the MPC61 is a decent product (for what is an MPC One plus MPK61)

I also think however that compared to synth workstations from Yamaha, Korg & Roland, some of which also sample, sonically the MPC61 is really limited.. just as the standalone Maschine + is sonically limited.

What the MPC61 finally does offer tho, is a PLAYABLE unit for keyboard patches.. which neither MPC nor Maschine are..

maschine could be significantly playable with cough sustain and user chords cough cough

mezzurias

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/22032#Comment_22032

This doesn't make sense to me. The MPC's have been surpassed by iPads, PC etc for years, yet they are still being made/sold and still have a lot of people buying them. It's not about how powerful an iPad can be, its about people not wanting the hassle of having to buy an expensive iPad, a keyboard, a hard drive and a sound card. Now you are walking around with 4 devices just to get a similar experience to an MPCKey. It doesn't matter if an iPad can run Kontakt, people still buy workstations. The simplicity and ease if use is what people are looking for.

Even if the iPad for becomes amazing the MPCKey doesn't stop you from using it and it has keys a sound card and pads built in. So if NI releases Kontakt on an iPad nothing is stopping me from connecting it to my MPC and going to town. People act like its an either or situation. For example I use my iPad with the Korg iM1 app to get access to those wonderful M1 workstation sounds and sample that right into my MPC.

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