New AKAI MPC Sample

jpttaylor

Unsure how many 90s hip hop fans or J Dilla enthusiasts we have on the forum, but I think this might peak the interest for a lot of people. 

Looks like a really intuitive and easy work flow with what feels like a really accessible price point, this could be a big seller for Akai after a rough few years with the likes of the Timbre Wolf and Rhythm Wolf. 

Artsutanov

I plan to buy one of these.

I’ve bought and sold loads of samplers over the years, including some of the new generation MPCs. Also the Roland SP404mk2 / T.E. KO ll, which this MPC Sample is in direct competition with. But I’ve been without a sampler for a couple of years and now I’d like to get something simple to fill a few little sonic gaps in my studio, which now primarily consists of hand percussion instruments and an incoming Lap Steel.

monquixote

It's a very smart move from Akai. 

Essentially since DAWs became standard you can take one of two approaches for groove boxes. Either
1 . treat them as toys / song starter / idea boxes / live tools
2. make a case for them being a more focussed replacement for a DAW.

Almost everyone has gone for 1 (Roland, Elektron, Korg, Yamaha, Polyend, M8, Novation, TE) except Native Machine, Ableton Push and Akai MPC being the people in the 2 camp.
 
Ableton have recently backed both horses with the Move and it seems Akai have decided to do the same. 

It's very clearly targeted at SP404 and TE KO users being a little bit cheaper than the former and considerably more powerful than the latter. 

It's also got a clear nod to the biggest threat which is the popularity of Koala (Roland took the approach of integrating with it)

I have a Polyend Tracker Mini which sits very much in the same bracket. Less jamable, but better for writing whole tracks and has a powerful synth section. 

Still very tempting though.

d8m

Do I need it? No. Do I want it? Yes!

I have Koala on my iPad but the problem being thats as its on my Ipad I get distracted by other things and never get round to making anything!

monquixote

Well it's completely sold out everywhere so I think they have a hit on their hands.

It's 404 day in 2 weeks so lets see if Roland are going to fire back with a new SP or at least a new firmware.

jpttaylor

I imagine it won't be released anytime soon, but Casio also have the SX-C1 in development. The prototype looked interesting at NAMM in January from the few videos that I saw.

It's interesting to see the mix of opinions on this. It's true that the sampling capabilities aren't anything revolutionary and could probably be achieved with something like Koala, but there's definitely demand for musicians that prefer physical devices and engaging with the instrument (at least compared to a MIDI controller).

monquixote

jpttaylor said:

I imagine it won't be released anytime soon, but Casio also have the SX-C1 in development. The prototype looked interesting at NAMM in January from the few videos that I saw.

It's interesting to see the mix of opinions on this. It's true that the sampling capabilities aren't anything revolutionary and could probably be achieved with something like Koala, but there's definitely demand for musicians that prefer physical devices and engaging with the instrument (at least compared to a MIDI controller).

It's extremely close to an SP404 in capabilities and that's one of the most popular portable music making boxes for years so it will absolutely have a market. 

It's a bit of a jamming toy rather than something for making professional tracks, but what percentage of music sales are to people making full tracks rather than just dicking around making noises.

GoFish

I've been within a mouseclick of getting an mpc one and then a one+ since their release. Also looked hard at the sp404 and a live mk 2. This could be what seals the deal. I'd love an intuative sampler + sequencer for luxury lofi dicking around. I'll certainly be watching videos etc to find out about practicalities.

monquixote

GoFish said:

I've been within a mouseclick of getting an mpc one and then a one+ since their release. Also looked hard at the sp404 and a live mk 2. This could be what seals the deal. I'd love an intuative sampler + sequencer for luxury lofi dicking around. I'll certainly be watching videos etc to find out about practicalities.

Quite a few people on Elektronauts have bought one and generally reaction seems to be positive. 

I'd def get one over a TE KO as it's only slightly more and much more powerful. An SP404 is a trickier proposition as that is the king of the form factor.

horse

On the Andertons demo I wasn't totally convinced how responsive the pads seemed

GoFish

monquixote said:

GoFish said:

I've been within a mouseclick of getting an mpc one and then a one+ since their release. Also looked hard at the sp404 and a live mk 2. This could be what seals the deal. I'd love an intuative sampler + sequencer for luxury lofi dicking around. I'll certainly be watching videos etc to find out about practicalities.

Quite a few people on Elektronauts have bought one and generally reaction seems to be positive. 

I'd def get one over a TE KO as it's only slightly more and much more powerful. An SP404 is a trickier proposition as that is the king of the form factor.

If it can match the functionality, th ergonomics could swing towards the Akai. Big If.

d8m

Dont know whether its just perception of images but it also looks sturdier then the KO2.

colourofsound

I also very interested in one of these.

Completely separately and not at all related, my TE KO II is up in classifieds