MPC Key 61
Comments
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Lol...right. Until Apple decides your ipad is obsolete in 2-3 years. Korg oasys still works as do openlabs keyboards.
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Ipad 1 still works?
All exactly the same, they just doubled the RAM in the Keys to 4gb.
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My iPad mini 4 from 2015 can’t get the latest iPadOS only 7 years later and still can run any of these apps…
This topic seems “the let’s say all the ridicolous mantras we know so we can justify our taste”.
iPad maybe will be never what some users like me will want but year after year is getting closer and it’s from long ago useful by all means. Maybe not the taste of everyone but “a useless toy not upgradable each 3 years” neither by far.
Said that I will buy a macbook with M chip and run some of these amazing apps on it until Apple decides if wants to port/adapt desktop apps or just keep the opposite as nowadays.
For standalone Keyboards or grooveboxes my tastes are Yamaha (psr sx) and Pioneer Toraiz sp16.
I don’t need a downsized computer inside anything less upgradable than a computer itself or iPad (computer too from my POV) but also don’t need “DAW inside a box”. I prefer optimized and limited (but straight to the point) instruments and that’s how I see these or iPhone/iPads with one app (monolithic) so I don’t need neither “dawless AUM/AB3” approaches. I’m not the common Apple user neither.
My fault is trying to share my ideas at forums (once again) where people ask for opinion but can’t handle different than they expect (sadly).
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My fault is trying to share my ideas at forums (once again) where people ask for opinion but can’t handle different than they expect (sadly).
Well that is what a forum is my friend, a place where ideas can be discussed and not everyone agrees. Possibly if you can't hack your objective idea being shot down, forum isn't where you wanna be.
Some users will like the OT product for the fact it is NOT something like an ipad or a laptop that you have to setup, connect, configure, load software etc. While the price tag is far from my personal liking and the product does not suit my own workflow based around a high powered PC, Virtual Instruments and a DAW I do like the fact it is able to be switched on and you can start getting an idea down fast just as we have been able to do for decade with samplers and sequencers of the past.
As someone who has used iPads for many things over the years, I do not find them more convenient than actual dedicated devices. Take a TV remote for instance. When iPads first came out I was involved with home automation products that could turn your iPad into a macro based universal remote. After 10 years, most people I encountered including myself would always switch back to the TV remote because it was more effective and "simpler" to use. Just because something can do a task doesn't always make it the better solution.
There is a reason MPC and M+ are still things today, why Pioneer still make standalone digital DJ decks and mixers and why still, most professionals prefer these things over ipads or laptops. One because it is physical devices with buttons you can memorise and 2, because its just plain more fun than fiddling with your lap-pad.
Now, back to the OT. It looks pretty cool to me, I like a lot of the functionality and ease of use, expensive but cool and it also looks fun to use too. Certainly wouldn't mind seeing this same thing based around the M+ but not something I will be considering unless it drops by at least $1K aud
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Again repeating mantras and not reading my comments… why I should read yours? Well I do it and answer for other people reading us. You are the one entlitled to your own opinion and saying again and again the same about how hard is playing just on screen. Read all my comments again, you don’t need too.
About inmediacy of these new Akais (and another half truth mantra about the legacy from old Akai and jjOS) just take a look at forums and how these units fail to load “fast” sound switching. I’m not talkimg against iPad (which are far faster than these switching too) but against Roland, Korg, Yamaha… keyboards. Not my opinion but user experience (of Akai mpc/force line owners). Lie to yourself if you want but don’t try to make other people believing the same because fact check (reality) talks by itself.
Said that I bring two articles about the topic of iPad pro running, or not, desktop apps and no, it isn’t offtopic at all. You asked for opinions on these keyboards and you will get anyone comparing these to iPad (or macbook) setup. You can continue reading what you want and ignoring any other fact (I linked lot of resources for anyone reading) I just don’t care and time will put things in place. That’s all.
Article against
Article saying similar to my proposal
So I said my opinion about personal taste preferences aside iPad approach and it’s nothing more to add. Everyone could get the point and learn from experience (cck3 usb into novation audiohub with 3 usb ports… wow how clunky! Or iPad pro with usb-c directly… wow the top of the clunkyness! lol) or just keep repeating mantras themselves and carry on with purism and brands (akai needed 3 years to get proper midi clock into these units meanwhile jjOS had most of the features long ago but workflow is PITA for most users “if you get into the mpc workflow… boum! It’s the real ******… blablah” purism mantra, zero facts, personal opinions and nothing else. Are these useless or toys? Obviously not. Are the best option? Just look at forum with M+ issues (it’s plenty) but it doesn’t means “******” or “useless” but “worth it” hardly for everyone neither.
As a final note and one more time pointing for possible future (for those enough brave to look at it)
You don’t need to touch the screen for anything and at the moment there isn’t any standalone player (even from Pioneer) doing realtime spleeting stems and probably they couldn’t allow it even on firmware update or if so they will reach a celing in updates due to chip being internal. With iDevices setup you just need to upgrade it let’s say in 5 or 7 years.
This is happening, this is a fact and can point a possible future for anything (grooveboxes, keyboards…) but only time will tell what market brings. For djs it’s a reality and isn’t the “clunky” “obsolensence” “buggy” or whatever mantra you want to believe and make others believe.
It’s perfect? Nop.
It’ more powerful than Traktor laptop based setup? For sure.
It’s more powerful than Serato laptop based setup? Just check Serato forum how people is askng for stem to name ONE thing.
Now imagine that same experience with any brand doing that kind of partnership (or using their own combination like Korg) for similar experience on keyboards. That’s the point, even without that partnershipping, you can do it nowadays and there are lots of amazing apps like I posted in my inital posts.
It’s perfect? Again… NO but it only requires Apple keeping openning the gates such DriverKit to make it closest to laptop experience or even better, if they figure how to solve usual desktop issues as the first article points, to make real what second article wishful thinkig want (and some users expect). I will go probably for Yamaha keyboard but that’s more related to Chord Tracker app and second hand prices than myself feeling using an iPad based setup live gigging a “clunky experience”. In fact is easy to carry and setup than the PSR s/sx I probably will end buying or this Akai just from the form factor/size. I can’t detach any part of these and use any keyboard if I fly over other continent etc. Pros and Cons, obviously.
Matter of taste anyways but let’s be “real” and argue with truth not mantra (not expecting it or asking for, just setting my point).
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You said Mantra too many times :)
Also, i'm not reading all you write, some of it is lost in translation to me or TLDR. I'm not here to argue about stuff I don't care about. Just thought this was a cool product designed for the people that have been asking for it. Seems it strikes at the heart of some's opinions tho...
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Guys, honestly and respectfully.... :
Turning everything into an iPad/Apple conversation is very annoying, it's not the topic here at all and trying to convince people with no interest in that platform that it is amazing, the future, and whatever else is like trying to convince a Windows/Mac user that Linux is amazing then proceed to go on and on about it... even for me as someone with iPad interest, this back-and-forth gets old real fast.
I came to this thread to read people's opinions on a standalone keyboard and all I see is "Ipad this", "apple that", pls cut it out.
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Welp, the point of mentioning iPad that dramatically different options will emerge next year as "Pro level" applications become available. This upcoming reality will make devices like this Akai very stunted in comparison. It will be a huge change and this Akai will quickly lose value.
Don't buy it unless you're OK with it soon becoming a boat anchor.
But I'm sure it's a lot of fun.
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Yes, because when something else comes to market, everything else is obsolete. Spoken like a true Apple believer.
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So my friend already got the new MPC Key 61 and showed me some features over FaceTime. I think loyal MPC users are going to love it. Some things I noted:
- He put a 2TB SSD in the drive slot!
- He sent 12 audio outs to his Tascam Model 12 mixer over USB! No other audio cables used.
- Old project loading from classic hardware was seamless.
- DAW control was as expected.
- Export to Ableton Project is functional
- Changing hardware synth patches (Yamaha Motif) via program change was seamless.
I'm really happy with my setup, but definitely feeling a little FOMO. NI, PLEASE RESPOND, but add MPE and Poly Aftertouch, then take my money 🤑
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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.
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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
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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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