Akai MPC Sample

[loachm]

...true, the Move seems to be very powerful under the hood, but in terms of workflow, when it comes to manipulating samples, the MPC Sample seems to offer a better user experience.

The Move is a lot of fun with its random patch loading, when starting a new project, the Drift synth is also very good, but if one, like me, bought it as some sort of loop recorder for quickly recording external synths & grooveboxes (and as a portable device), it might actually not be the best choice.

A year ago I was looking at the SP404mk2 (also shortly at that over-priced, under-powered swedish designer's wet dream thingie), but decided to go for the Move, because it seemed more immediate than the Roland sampler (which is also a really good device for the money, but too many options and too much menu diving, thus making simple things a bit complicated). An MPC One or Live was out of the question for me - too much like a DAW.

Move on the other hand is very quick & intuitive, but it's definitely begging for finishing the tracks in Live, which I have, but don't use. And the sample handling is definitely inferior to what is presented, what the MPC Sample can do.

So the Sample seems to be the thing I need for my niche requirements. I ordered one yesterday - my Move wasn't pleased. The Sample has 8 banks of 16 sounds, instead of four with the Move and as far as I understand it, you can sequence slices within one pad, without having to map the slices to single pads, which would be very powerful and perfect for my needs (I hope, I'm not wrong). The Sample also has Midi Thru and can do synced & fixed length recording, which is all still not featured or possible on the Move, if I haven't missed anything (please, someone tell me otherwise).

But I think, I will still keep the Move, because sampling back & forth between the two could be fun, it has audio clips for the upcoming update and it's ability to switch between projects seamlessly while playing is also a very powerful feature.

[audiojunkie]

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I'd wager the Ableton Move is a lot more powerful than people give it credit for. Check out the custom firmware stuff that is happening.

https://github.com/charlesvestal/schwung

Also cycling74 just enabled RNBO takeover..

https://cycling74.com/products/rnbo/move

Very cool! I see that there are abilities to use Soundfonts and SFZ. That would be an ideal. However, there is also something to say about the pure simplicity of the Akai MPC Sample.

If I wanted to, I could not worry about loop points at all. As I understand it, the sample length per pad is quite long. I could just let a sample run for a while or ring out to a natural decay, and not worry about loops.

The Akai also has a very nice but simple sequencer, which is much better than the one on the SP404 mk2.

I also did some reading last night and there are some very interesting ways that people are getting past the 4 channel limit. There is apparently a "Drum Rack" that can be used on a track, which allows a full rack of unique samples, which can store full tracks if wanted, and handle the full length. Each drum slot can have its own volume control. The only drawback is that effects act like a bus--all effects added to the channel affect all samples playing in the drum rack. Also, just like the SP404 mk2, you can resample to your hearts content. So the 4 channel sequencer isn't really a problem at all.

I'm interested in comparing effects capabilities. I have a feeling that that may be where the SP404 mk2 may win.




"I’m told I lie constantly when I say Linux is great — which is wild, because I’m apparently “misleading” you with things like: it boots, it runs my audio workflow, it stays stable, it gets updates, and it keeps existing despite being declared dead every year since forever. Also yes, it’s “too hard,” “too niche,” “no devs will ever care,” and “Linus complained once,” so clearly I must be fabricating my entire operating system out of pure delusion."
-----The Delusional Linux Advocate

[Uncle E]

But I think, I will still keep the Move, because sampling back & forth between the two could be fun, it has audio clips for the upcoming update and it's ability to switch between projects seamlessly while playing is also a very powerful feature.

That does sound cool! Plus, using Move with Schwung seems to let it load Osirus, Mini-JV, and Dexed, so it's a capable sound source in and of itself.

[Uncle E]

The Akai also has a very nice but simple sequencer, which is much better than the one on the SP404 mk2.

Agreed. Coming from an old school MPC background, I didn't like the SP404 sequencer at all. At the same time, MPC Sample seems to also be more similar to the old school MPC's than the MPC Live and One.

[loachm]

That does sound cool! Plus, using Move with Schwung seems to let it load Osirus, Mini-JV, and Dexed, so it's a capable sound source in and of itself.

...indeed, it's very capable, but it also worries me to see stuff running on it, that also runs on my computer, because there is no way, that the UX for these things is better on the Move than on the computer. So I wouldn't like to see official development resources wasted on things for the Move, that are superior on my computer.

And that is a bit of a problem for a mainly software company, because people request things from the software to be implemented into the hardware all the time, instead of maybe introducing features, that make it a unique hardware device. I find this a bit problematic with Move, as it is meant to be the hardware scratch pad for Live projects, and from Ableton's perspective it makes, of course, perfect sense. That concept was perfectly clear to me right from the start, but I wouldn't mind some bravery to deviate with the Move from their main product for some features. For instance, the 16 note pitches feature per drum pad is great on the Move, because this utilizes the additional 16 pads. But you probably can't do more than that, because you couldn't reflect this in the software. And thus, half of the pads for drum sampler tracks are unused most of the time, which is a bit of a waste for a unit with a sometimes too minimalistic UI.

Similar to most user requests for the Move are the complaints about the Sample in some reviews - a comparison with the MPC software. That the Sample would not do enough and isn't as capable as an MPC One. And according to that, it would be too expensive or poorly build, which is a fair point, considering the used market prices for the One or recent prices for the One+ at Thomann (under 700€). But I wouldn't take the One with me outside, nor is it the one-trick-pony I'm currently looking for...

[loachm]

dbl

[db3]

Looks like a lot of fun. Bought!

[bmanic]

I quickly tested one in a shop today.. like 30 seconds of testing the pads and buttons. This thing is TINY!!!! Like seriously tiny. The pads are maybe even a little smaller than on the mini AKAI keyboards.

Didn't have time nor the patience to really sit down with it.

[audiojunkie]

I quickly tested one in a shop today.. like 30 seconds of testing the pads and buttons. This thing is TINY!!!! Like seriously tiny. The pads are maybe even a little smaller than on the mini AKAI keyboards.

Didn't have time nor the patience to really sit down with it.

How does it compare in size against the portable SP-404 Mk2 or the Ableton Move?




"I’m told I lie constantly when I say Linux is great — which is wild, because I’m apparently “misleading” you with things like: it boots, it runs my audio workflow, it stays stable, it gets updates, and it keeps existing despite being declared dead every year since forever. Also yes, it’s “too hard,” “too niche,” “no devs will ever care,” and “Linus complained once,” so clearly I must be fabricating my entire operating system out of pure delusion."
-----The Delusional Linux Advocate

[loachm]

...the pads are small, but feel good and have a good response. Hardly any double triggers, but tapping a pad with two fingers for short rolls - forget it at this size.

The build quality is better than expected, in fact, good. It is plastic, but this is like solid 80s PC plastic - not too light, almost a bit heavy considering its size. It even has this yellow-ish grey, not a neutral one, like it seemed in the videos. So, it looks really 80s.

The buttons have a click and feel solid, as do the knobs. The screen is small, but everything's sharp & crisp and I can read everything even without my reading glasses.

Never used an MPC and also the MPC software always seemed a bit convoluted to me, but the workflow here is really fast and intuitive.

For a small DAWless setup the Sample is very useful, even though the lack of fx busses could be a real deal-breaker for some. And for more sophisticated productions an MPC One would probably a better choice.

Looking at the Move or an SP404 it's priced very well, so overall, I think, this is a winner.

[bmanic]

I quickly tested one in a shop today.. like 30 seconds of testing the pads and buttons. This thing is TINY!!!! Like seriously tiny. The pads are maybe even a little smaller than on the mini AKAI keyboards.

Didn't have time nor the patience to really sit down with it.

How does it compare in size against the portable SP-404 Mk2 or the Ableton Move?
-----The Delusional Linux Advocate

No idea about the Ableton Move as I've never seen one or used one in person.. but the MPC Sample is indeed "smaller" than the SP-404 mk2 (it's way thinner at the pads and less deep.. though it is a tiny bit wider, I think).

[Uncle E]

Never used an MPC and also the MPC software always seemed a bit convoluted to me, but the workflow here is really fast and intuitive.

Nice! Agreed on the MPC software, it’s a bit convoluted and less intuitive than the old MPC’s I’m used to. This sounds like it might be right up my alley.

[audiojunkie]

I quickly tested one in a shop today.. like 30 seconds of testing the pads and buttons. This thing is TINY!!!! Like seriously tiny. The pads are maybe even a little smaller than on the mini AKAI keyboards.

Didn't have time nor the patience to really sit down with it.

How does it compare in size against the portable SP-404 Mk2 or the Ableton Move?
-----The Delusional Linux Advocate

No idea about the Ableton Move as I've never seen one or used one in person.. but the MPC Sample is indeed "smaller" than the SP-404 mk2 (it's way thinner at the pads and less deep.. though it is a tiny bit wider, I think).

There are some really interesting devices coming out these days. We're almost into April. Roland will be most likely publishing another update. It would be so nice if they improved the sequencer in the SP404 mk2. I love the effects and the resampling capabilities of the device. The only thing I really despise about it is the sequencer--it's WAY too limited. The Ableton Move has all of the features I would want (especially with the unofficial work being done on it), but it's all kind of put together in a sloppy way. The Akai MPC Sample is nearly an ideal, but the sampler feels really too rudimentary for me--I'd love to have it gain some of the sampling capabilities of the SP404 mk2. It's got a sufficient sequencer, and the absolute simplicity (except for the sampling capability) has an appeal too. They all seem to have their strengths and weaknesses. Hopefully firmware/OS updates will improve things on them.

[db3]

I've had MPC Sample for a day. It's certainly tiny and looks a little toyish, but it feels solid and is quite weighty. The pads, while small, feel really great. The included kits are excellent, but there's far too many hiphop/boombap vs. other genres. I found the interface really intuitive once I'd got my head around the simplified MPC workflow.

I did have a few issues when connected to my mac though: the pads started lighting up erratically when set as a controller, starting the MPC from Live (sync) caused some weird audio distortion, and exports to microSD didn't show up on my mac.

All-in-all a fun little groove machine. Not sure if I'll keep it while bugs are ironed out or whether to give Ableton Move a try given how much I've enjoyed a DAWless day.

[fladd]

I made a comparison with the SP404: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... sp=sharing

Curious to see how this is going to change with updates over time!