Guess this would be a good time to link my brand loyalty video ✌: th-cam.com/video/HqMMRh3VRT8/w-d-xo.html 00:00: Intro 04:00: Demoing the pianos 08:50: 1 patch, 55% CPU usage 10:39: Severe Bugs 13:00: Day 2. Factory Reset 15:00: System crash 16:37: Recording a double bass 19:22: List edit for glitchy beats 23:26: THE SONG I Finally Made 26:10: Takeaways & Thoughts
Renting a MPC61 here in Australia Having owned a Roland FA06 , and a Juno 61 , both 61 keyboard workstations of sorts , what blows me away with this unit is everything is central to the eyes and hands . If it’s about being creative and writing entire songs or instrumentals , if we can’t be happy with this unit , there is no hope of happiness. Imagine for $3200 AUD you can get something like this . I think some people are looking for a player piano end game . Painting by numbers . Personally I think this unit is unbelievable , by yourself in a room , with just your joy and gloom , wonder and blunder, all from an MPC sitting under.
The "brand loyalty" video is worth watching. Corporations might be people too, legally, but if so they're the psychopaths you'd smile and nod at, and get away from as fast as politely possible, if you met them at the beach. TH-cam ads are getting bad. There's one where an earrapey computerized Brit tells you that chewing rocks is good for your teeth. I don't even block ads. I like to see what they're up to, with awareness. EDIT: I'm someone who was critical of the "how animals hear" video, and I'm no Google apologist, for context. The brand loyalty video is worthwhile. Check it out with an open mind.
I know you hate making negative content but I'm honestly glad you do it. This stuff costs a lot. I want to know what I pay for. If all the reviewers and TH-camrs are ignoring bad parts then I'm not going to be happy when I get a buggy horrible mess of a product. I really appreciate you doing this!
I think people should get off the notion to see warranted criticism as "negative" content. I'm not meaning offense here - and we all love to see glaring reviews about products we love - but there is way too much sponsored "hoorah-content" for all sorts of gear on TH-cam already. Having someone knowledgeable to point out the flaws is a much-needed breath of fresh air in the review space - all the better if it's someone with an amount of viewers behind as weight to throw into the ring. I'm a casual MPC Live user and even on my newbie level I encountered some of the bugs that mainly enthusiasts encounter. Their great feature-additions aside, bad software and stiff pads or other usability issues are a real blocker for me when considering future products. I definitely check the "bad rated" reviews on any gear first these days and I guess a lot of other buyers do too, because trust has become a rare thing even for big brands. If AKAI has trouble debugging the complexity of their software, they should at least handsomely reward customers that point out critical bugs AND/OR have a BETA hardware program in place to iron these things out prior to shipment - no excuses here.
@@Feanarth I'm still waiting for AKAI to iron out the bugs on my Timbre Wolf, but seriously AKAI have for some time now, an ethos of selling gear that is half finished like the Timbre Wolf was, which is pretty shoddy imho.
@@Feanarth part of the problem is, I think, that content often isn't "sponsored" as such and so channels eg Loopop claim that their content is their own opinion and no one has any say and the channel is funded by viewers etc. And he justifies all the positivity by saying he only reviews stuff he likes. But that's quite misleading because if someone like Loopop kept saying new products from Akai were buggy and unfinished all the time, they'd stop sending him stuff to review. And then he'd lose the early access that allows him to do the day one reviews that he relies on for views. Without that, he'd lose income. So, while it might not be as direct as "here's a cheque for a positive review", that is really what's happening. That's how it is for almost all gear reviews channels. I don't think Benn Jordan is entirely exempt from that pressure either (eg his highly positive reviews for Polyend aren't surprising given his long standing relationship with them). But I do wonder if the fact that gear reviews aren't his main thing provides a bit more freedom for things like this. Which definitely are needed.
Looks like this comment section is about to some attention, for the next couple days...I was just saying how these companies need to stop bringing unfinished products to market, while spending the next few years, attempting to fix problems that should be worked out beforehand. I look forward to the video. As far as the comments; you're about to get all the smoke! Haha.
Hahaha Flashbulb, loan him the MPC! We need a bad gear episode for this thing! Do it for the community lol (btw thanks for the great content both of y'all)
@@INeedsMoneys Bro, this MPC Key 61 has been nothing but awesome for me. I keep seeing people comment, " way to be negative, Benn, we need honesty," without even trying it out for themselves. I guarantee most people would enjoy it. Or they weren’t going to buy it anyway.
I really appreciate the "negative" content Benn, because 99% of TH-cam channels are actively trying to sell me something or /at best/ are neutral enough to just tell me about the feature list. This is great and necessary content. My big problem with all the current Akai hardware (besides the bugs) is that even if they were perfect and bug free, the UI / UX feels like it was designed by space aliens who had an instrument described to them by some guy on Twitter, but had never actually seen or used one themselves. Why are we 5(?) years deep on this OS and the Q links still don't actually indicate what they're going to do before you touch them? Come on Akai.
Q Links is a quick muscle memory thing. The layout is true to Roger Linn’s original workflow so if he is an alien then I am on board that ship. I LOVE his beat making process. I have a Tempest and it is extremely familiar as well. I think it is just well thought out and I love how It just flows. That said, I understand it is not for everyone. It’s clearly been successful for decades so the alien might be you!
@@RobotSnake Not really sure what you mean about the "original workflow," the MPC60 and MPC3000 each have a single data slider. The Live, One, and Keys each have 4 Q-links, each of which has a different function, sometimes more than one, on practically every screen of the OS. You can learn anything with enough effort and time, but that's hardly "a quick muscle memory thing." When the One launched there was literally no way to know what a Q link was going to do before you started spinning the knob. Obviously I wasn't the only person who had a problem with that, because several months later, Akai released an update that included the current "pop up on touch" behavior so you at least knew what parameter you were about to change. That's better than nothing, but now once you /do/ know what they do, you have an annoying pop-up in your face every time you touch them. Again, yes, you can obviously learn this eventually, but it's just not very well thought out UI/UX. At one point I bought a Force, since it simply resolves this issue by giving each Q-link its own little screen that tells you its current function. I think X also does this, and they are both much better machines for it than the rest of the line.
@@vmppvm8763 there is a large bit of DNA derived from the 16 Levels feature that carried over from Roger Linn’s original machine. He even kept it for the Tempest as well. For that very reason Myself and others can step in front of a Linn Influenced machine and have a general foundation of the workflow. Of course it has evolved but many basics are still the same.
@@vmppvm8763 Just because it does not occur for you does not mean it does not for others. Obviously something about it is working as it’s still one of the most popular samplers in the world.
That sucks man, I'm sorry you're dealing with that. When I was younger and less financially stable I saved up for a while to get an mpc live, and when I couldn't get it to work right I just thought I sucked, and I felt bad going back to my computer because I spent so much on it. I ended up going through a pretty dry period creatively. I also saw the specs and thought it'd solve my problems. Thanks for using this as an opportunity to go into broader issues and saving the greener among us from having to learn the hard way.
Thank you for calling out Akai Pro for doing this. I have had a similar experience with their newer MPC One+. They really need to raise their game with software quality and testing. In-music need to hire more devs and get a grip on what goes out the door. Otherwise they just lose ground to Roland/Elektron/TE etc.
I am totally with you. I have a MPC One, I like it so far, but I also undestood when they advertised the Key61 I knew this is not what people think it is. And Akai says it is. Just stick with a MPC non key and add any keyboard/workstation/synthesizer and you have more fun and flexibility.
I agree! Then I can take the MPC One over to my guitar station and add stuff or play along with something I’ve done. I actually have very little problems with it except the Ram of course which should be 10 Gigs or more.
Your honesty and negativity is INSANELY appreciated. So sick of the shills/fanboys with the whole “this new gear is INSANE!!! A game-changer!!!” Utterly sick of the phony shill bulls-t out there. Maschine user since 2009. Bought MPC One in Sept 2020. Thankfully few bugs. Don’t trust new firmware at all. Nothing annoys me more than beta-testing expensive gear. Other than the shills out there with all the gear company butt-kissing. We need a LOT more content like this. Thank you, Benn.
The “Workstation Piano” is probably a KORG M1 - to recreate the sounds of old hits. Typically just one really hard sample with no layers and a filter applied for dynamics.
It is refreshing to watch an HONEST video about an unfinished product. Most YT content is paid by manufacturers and they hide the truth. Kudos for that!
this reminds me of the days when I was one of the first Austrians to receive an mpc 4000. some 20 years ago. it took all my savings and then some, but I absolutely wanted it. within the first few weeks it became obvious the thing was close to being unusable because it had so many bugs, including. the dealer didn't take it back and I eventually sold it with quite a loss. it took years for the machine to finally deliver and become desirable again. I will never forgive akai for that.
Yup they got me with the MPK ADVANCED61 when i bought it then they discontinued it and dumped the support for the VST PORTION software that was supposed to be the 2nd COMING but wasn’t - they won’t get anymore of my $$$ i just bought (2) ASM HYDRASYNTHS a Roland JUNO DS88 keyboard/synth and (3) Roland Boutiques the D50 clone/D-05 and the Jupiter 8 module -JP-08 and the JUNO 60/106 module JU-06A and i still have my revamped KORG M1 and rack Mount Akai S950 sampler so I’m good for plenty sounds and gonna do a hybrid studio and start learning STUDIO ONE (just got the Softube Console 1 and 2 Faders units) rant over fyi just saying
Brutally honest yet very even handed and fair review/assessment I thought. Perhaps I’m naive about these things but for the money you were talking I’d expect the product to be finished and close to flawless.
After my experience with the MPC Live, I'll never purchase an Akai product until it has been on the market for at least 2 years. When the Live launched, it promised to be capable of being the midi brain for a whole setup. Had 2 midi ins and two midi outs, but you could only use one each effectively. It took Akai 4 years to offer midi support that was promised on launch day. I'm still salty about it. Say what you will about Maschine+ (and there is plenty wrong with it) but it handled midi as promised on day one.
@@boutstaxx the original Live and Live 2 run the exact same software/OS. So do the X and One. I've not had any issues with the hardware. The issues have been with software and charging $1200 for a product that advertises a feature set, but the feature set is not what you get. Especially if it takes 4 years to actually get the features that were promised on day one. If you like your Live 2, that is great. I bet you'd like it less if you had to wait 4 years for it to actually work
@@noahsiekmann4275 no I bought it less than a year ago after it reached its true potential I can patiently wait for example I want a galaxy fold got the means to get one but ill probably wait until the 5 comes than after reading reviews I might get it so I totally understand you're frustration
I am not an MPC user. I play live in cover bands. Some years ago with Kronos or Montage, nowadays with a MacBookPro and a long list of VSTs. IMHO this is a very brave try to build a workstation able to use plugins, during my 10 minutes test in a shop I found a lot of wonderful sounds, much better than any workstation preset (power of nice plugins). But the GUI prevented me to think at a use in my rig, obvious: I don't need MPC at all. But still, the full design is a positively innovative step. Then the truth is that it cannot have memory and cpu of modern computers, it's an embedded solution. I hope it will evolve, with serious bug check and upated firmware. But the perfect tool (plugins live without a computer) is still to be designed.
I recognize how this sort of negative review can be awkward and challenging, but I found it to be extremely helpful and fair - you also showed what you did really enjoy about the gear, your complaints were legitimate: system crashes, panning bugs, etc. are things that need to be sorted before shipping out. Thank you for this video!
Glad to see someone calling Akai out for this. It's not just the new products. My MPC-X, which is marketed as the centerpiece of the studio and the flagship product at Akai is so screwed up with bugs from "updates" they provide, that it's unusable for a lot of functions. They do not respond to support tickets. Ever since InaMusic bought them, this has gotten even worse. They release completely unstable updates that make our multi-thousand dollar pieces of gear unusable. So unprofessional.
Very shameful of them to treat customers that way, but the corporations have learned that they can get away with it because people are sheep and will take anything in the ass and not complain, with very few individuals being exceptions.
The fact that you compared a keyboard to a THPS2 level explains perfectly why you have one of my favorite channels on TH-cam. (Also, just buy some air special tricks and go to town, they get you the most points ;))
Thank you for this video, Benn!! Happy owner of Akai Force here, and I've also been around the Force community for long enough to know that the bugs+feature gaps are a real issue. The technique you demonstrate at 22:36 "list edit mode" -> high hat ratchets unconstrained by the bpm is absolutely brilliant. Just finished attempting a deep dive into how you pulled this off, and haven't quite figured it out; if you can offer any clues, that'd be amazing. Happy touring!
I knew this was going to happen; that the Akai "flagship" was going to be sunk by their usual willful negligence. It's always "amateur hour" for them. I'm glad that, finally, someone of some note is actually calling them out instead of playing the fanboy like so many did when the Force was released. My Force was (and remains) a disaster. Had I not gotten the Force before the price hike and at a deep discount I would have been soliciting other unhappy users and looking for a hungry attorney who wanted to make a name for himself/herself. It spent a year on the shelf waiting for firmware with bugfixes that, after taking it off the shelf and updating the firmware to give it another go, have mostly not come. It's only good to me as a very large, rather expensive, "clip launcher". My 404SX can do that but is smaller, cheaper, and runs on batteries when I want to go outside and do some work on it. As for the beta testing thing... I've been saying the same thing for years. Unfortunately, the majority of people who buy musical equipment these days aren't professionals with high standards and don't know better but they now set the standards nonetheless. I'll never buy Akai again, no matter how great the marketing makes something sound. Perhaps they should take some of the marketing money and use it to hire experienced, talented, engineers. 17:50 You thought that because it's something that experienced designers and engineers have been doing for years and has become SOP.
I agree with everything you said but I just make sick beats with my MPC not Maschine Mk3. Something about it I don't know what it is but its hate/love relationship that is hard to break.
I don't know if there's ever been a time when MusicRadar and their magazines have actually provided any real testing or critique, it's all more like a glorified product catalogue
Thank you for showing me how to use this event edit screen in order to prepare my favorite type of drum beats style O_0 I believe MPC community needs more content creators exploring something else than just rap & hip hop related generes. The piece you created was perfect example.
It's kind of funny - I remember say, 15 - 20 years ago people would drag these Huge Keyboards around on tour because they needed the power and it needed to be reliable. No one wants a BSOD or the chimes of death in the middle of a show. Now, I have a Mac laptop running Reaper or Ableton Live with a Novation Impulse kbd controller and have NEVER had a single crash when using audio software. And now, here's a big heavy workstation keyboard, that is less reliable than my computer. Sort of abdicates ones of the strengths of using a workstation....
i had a glitch with ableton playing live an important gig this june. one-beat-long pause. to be true, quite an old windows computer. but never happened to me while rehearsing, else i would change my setup. (i also have a 2018 hp laptop that makes ableton glitch all the time, but it also fails miserably with other software. unusable.)
They are not even releasing patch notes (4 bug fixes in a few months) or simple manuals for their paid plugins at this point, I’m taking akai less seriously but I hope they turn it around somehow.
Akai do release hardware with what is effectively beta software. I remember buying my Live and being very frustrated for a month or two until they updated firmware. The thing I will say about Akai is that they are the best when it comes to supporting older gear and providing updates in response to feedback. I own hardware from most of the other big manufacturers and the only other company with the same dedication or close to it is Novation. Benn, I am sure Akai will take your critique onboard and actually address the issues you and many others have brought up. Personally, I would recommend the One and a good Midi keyboard over the Key61 or the Live/2 or X. I like the Live these days but the CV options on the One are attractive . The paid plugins are not a good option for 99.5% of us (including moi). All the best!
Whats weird is, some ppl have all sorts of problems and yet some ppl have few or no problems at all. Theres a quality control issue because everyone should have the same issues. I use it as a workstation and I've never had a crash or freeze up. But Akai needs to stop releasing products if they are not 100% ready. I think users would like to have usability over expediency.
I have had one of these for about a month now. It's my first Akai product and I'm definitely surprised by the way the launch has progressed so far and have pretty mixed feelings about the product. On one hand, I've made quite a bit of music with it so far. The actual recording functionality is good (for me at least) and I do think they're close to that DAW-in-a-box philosophy. I have been mostly fortunate in that I've only encountered one or two bugs up to now that have not been repeated and one hard crash without losing any progress. That said, you've echoed a lot of my own thoughts about the Key here and I appreciate the honesty. It's not a finished product and I can only hope Akai provide the level and frequency of support it needs going forward. There are some really good sounds in here for sure, plenty of filler, but some very usable things. The sampling functionality is good too, very easy to use. But the interface is maddening. Not being able to preview sounds without long pauses for loading. Actually navigating through the non-Key content (other MPC sounds, expansions, key groups, samples) is pretty awful. They can't be sorted by type nor can you designate some as favourites. And I tried gigging with it and the long loads meant I had to change my set and remove some musical interludes to actually make it work for me. I could go on. The worst offence however is that there is no user manual. You get a quick start guide of a few pages in the box, and there's a fairly detailed but generic MPC software guide, but there's so much about the specific Key or hardware functionality that I've had to learn myself just by messing around. Even Akai's own tutorial content only focuses on recording. I suppose this is the potential risk of being an early adopter and as I said, I have made some stuff with it that I'm happy. But it's hard for me to think of a recent instrument/product that was this rocky at launch and it's a shame that more people aren't vocalising their concerns to Akai (that I've heard at least)
The honesty is appreciated for sure , but for me i am truly enjoying this product . I’m going from FL Studio+Sp404sx to MPC Key 61 . It’s a learning curve but that’s what I like, the journey of learning a new way to make music . May be too early for me to notice any bugs within it but from what I have seen thus far it is a powerful piece of equipment
Akai is like your childhood's bipolar uncle. Sometimes he made the coolest shit (MPC Live's firmware updates), but you can't forget the day you found him inside your playhouse, covered in his own vomit and feces (MPX8).
Hi! I'm just stumbling upon your video and channel. Have there been any improvements since a year ago? I want to get the MPC Key 61 but after watching this video, I'd might have to pass.
All the akai fanboys in the comments seething while actually not watching the full video. He said he likes it, but it's BUGGY and UNUSABLE live. He doesn't say he hates it. His criticism is valid. Unlike your coping strategies.
I don't know what to think about the bugs... I'm blown away by the drums you did in that weird list view. The controls do look unique there and the parameters on the instruments are sounding amazing.
I’ve had an mpc one since the start of the year thinking it would be the centre of my live set up. While it’s good for what I’m using it for, the terrible external midi controller support means I’m not able to use a lot of what I want live. They should fix major issues like that rather than adding new features as far as I’m concerned.
"Akai" has not been Akai since 2005, it's an inMusic brand. They've been blending products from their other brands like Alesis, ION, and M-Audio since their acquisition. They lob random products on the market to see what sticks, then backtrack and finish making the product.
Watching this video makes me extremely glad that I didn't end up buying this thing, and instead decided to double down on Bitwig with a Novation SL MK3. Akai really aren't covering themselves in glory here.
@@shaboogen yeah they put a lot more effort into the InControl stuff than the midi controller parts. I adore the sequencer, ARP, Chord, swing features (many added way after release). But the Sysex is the final piece missing.
A refreshing opinion of something users have known since 2.11 was released. It’s amazing how most of the other akai using TH-camrs have been quiet on the subject, they don’t want to jeopardise their freebies. I believe the drumsynth bug has been fixed with 2.11.4 although it was easily fixable anyway.
21:56 man, I need to take notes. It's like magic, the way the rhythms come alive. You make hard work look so easy, even when you show how laborious it can be.
I’ve had a very similar “wait, am I beta testing a supposedly finished product?” experience with the Arturia KeyStep Pro. That device is supposedly designed to be the central brain of a performance setup, but it’s also loaded with dozens of unpredictable show-stopping bugs that still aren’t fixed even a year after the last firmware update. It’s infuriating that companies aren’t held more accountable for not delivering on the basic functionality that they promised upon the launch of their products.
Benn, this is the most positive negative feedback video I've ever watched. Thank you for the quality content. FWIW I would pay pretty decent money for tutorials of your workflow for this kind of music, particularly with FL Studio. Peace!
Interesting take on it all, i did wonder what it was really like in the real world. I've owned a Force since late 2020, i found issues within 10 mins of first use with the firmware version as it was then. Put it down to pilot error at the time but turns out later down the road its firmware issues. I don't know what's going on at Akai but there are basic functionality features that are just plain missing on these units. They're very much half baked in some areas. I have a love / hate relationship with the Force, its all down to workflow pretty much. Lets hope the audio hardware isn't susceptible to the failures Force users have found.
Concerns over Akai's track record of basically bug testing with the public for the first year or so on the market with a new product is part of what has made me iffy on the MPC Key. I've been shopping around looking at more budget friendly workstations as a way to get away from my computer more and as a way to help side step the fact I'm seemingly doomed to be more prone to technical issues with just about any DAW I try than most. My biggest reason to not want to be so tied to a PC when making music comes do to the fact that I'm going back to school for a degree that's going to entail most of my time is going to be spent dealing with computers in some form or fashion. MPC Key does show promise but the mix of bugginess I don't want to deal with personally and just some of the quirks has caused me to settle on the Korg Nautilus (which comes with it's own set of problems and quirks as is standard for the workstation market it seems) as for my wants and needs it's about the best fit for me on the market right now. MPC Key would be a much stronger contender for me if it had a few less bugs going on at the moment, but I'm just not willing to wait around with a buggy piece of gear to wait for the bugs to be addressed.
All software and hardware have bugs look at the competition maschine same problem the only difference is akai has stayed true to its 30 year architecture
similar boat, finna learn to code full time for the next year or so... got into production couple months ago, and after trying out most DAWs I fell in love with ableton live. but I'm hesitant to buy it, because of the 'sitting in front of the laptop all day already' issue. I'm making fairly simple beats mostly. I might just get a Maschine, at least it's a bit more hands on & different that way. idk. probably should rather learn an acoustic instrument or sth, to rly get away from the screen...
Thanks for your honesty, it's actually refreshing to see a TH-cam music tech video that isn't basically an advert disguised as a review. I'm a long time Akai user (as far back as the S950) but I don't think I've ever been a particularly early adopter (I've always had to save before buying, because I was young and they were expensive back in the late 80's - mid 90's) So perhaps the bugs had been ironed out by the time I'd bought one of their samplers (S950, 1100, 3200). So I'm wondering if this early users being practically beta testers situation has beplagued Akai for some time, or it's only started happening relatively recently?
So many gear reviews are simply ads paid for by products given to the reviewers. I appreciate the honest review. I bought an MPK 49 years ago and that too was an unfinished disappointment.
I received my Key37 three days ago. No problems at all...and I am thrilled with the thing! This is a huge dream come true for me...what an amazing instrument!
The MPC can be really polarizing in general. I think the step sequencing is why so many are drawn to elektron. I think it really depends on what you want from it. I have used the 2000xl, 1000, and 500 (and now the one) for many years, mainly as a drum machine and midi sequencer, with rack units for the heavy duty sampling (I no longer need them with the one). And there's no doubt about it, with the right samples it's the best drum machine on the planet, and one of the best hardware midi sequencers ever made. It's never had a priority on step sequencing, it wants you to beat the hell out of the pads and that's why it's so popular in hip hop. It's never going to be a VST machine or fx monster. But I think they've really tried hard to push it forward with the new models mainly being able to tweak out your patterns in grid mode, and the big thing is being able to multi-sample very easily and create your own instruments. Want deep MS20 pads, hook up a midi cable and auto sample. I think that's where the new units shine. Would be cool to see you investigate more. Shame the keys is so buggy. My one is rock solid, but took a few updates to get there, so I feel the frustration hard...
Wish I knew someone that lived close to me that knows this stuff really well, I use solely a realtime play and record methods, I learn so much better when I can ask questions. Anyway, I will get there eventually.
I just did a video on the MPC one on pretty much this exact topic. I find that internally the functions work great- as soon as you start incorporating with other gear it’s 100% not reliable. Made me lose all confidence in Akai for live sets and this video just confirms that.
I don't know anything about music. I have no idea what you're doing or talking about. Yet, it's so fascinating to see an artist doing creative work!!! Thanks.
I always love truly honest reviews about gear -- positive or negative! Outstanding! FWIW, some of the lockups you encountered I've also seen people gripe about happening with the MPC One after the 2.10 update. So, these issues may not be limited to just the MPC Key 61.
Impressive but unusable but was actually using it. I didn’t experience any bugs at all. When you select an empty project, it actually isn’t empty. There are 4 Fabric XL instances that are loaded in an empty project. That may explain the CPU and RAM usage. I used Stage EP and Stage Piano simultaneously with no problems. I haven’t experienced the poly stealing either. You can always bounce to samples or audio track. I never had issues using the step sequencer or piano roll editor. The piano roll editor does this weird thing where the view defaults to the very bottom of the range. So if you weren’t recording super low notes, you won’t see what you recorded on that track. You always have to scroll up to see what you’ve recorded. I’ve had the MPC Key 61 for about a week and it’s been dope for me. Can’t understand why you’ve had so many issues.
I think this should be higher up, one of the reviewers noted this. I demoed the plugins on my OG Live and was honestly surprised that I could layer a few of the new ones with a simple beat without making it cry. The rest of the criticisms may be fair, but he should check that preload thing. Now if they'd bring that price down for us existing owners...
@@daveother I don’t know, man. Some of his other complaints even if they were kinda fair. Like the load time for some of the patches are slow. But he was being disingenuous by comparing it to workstations like the Montage. Those kinds of workstations preload all their samples at startup, not when you select the patch, so they really don’t load instantly like he implied. Then he complains about all the effects on the patches, turns off the effects, then eventually turns them back on even louder and talks about how beautiful it sounds! What???? He you can’t load a Stage Piano, Stage EP, drums and effects without overloading the CPU, but never actually loaded those elements and stressing out the CPU. He said it isn’t designed to produce a certain style of music then does it fairly easily with tools inside the keyboard meant to create that style of music. He had user interface issues because he’s not familiar with it. And when you think about all the other TH-camrs who’ve done videos on the Key 61, he’s literally the only one having these issues. Can’t be Akai. The funniest thing to me tho was the script that scans Amazon and alerts him when the product is available. If he’s too lazy to just open the app and type MPC Key 61 in the search window, I doubt that he’s going to take the time to actually learn how to use the Key 61. 🤷🏻♂️
There is STILL no ‘select all’ function in the MPC firmware. Insane. They bring out new features every year in firmware updates, but refuse to bother adding in a basic feature for almost any workflow. I’ve duly sent messages for a year or so, and have now given up hope. No clue how their internal process works but this is madness
One might appreciate the straight up honesty and the fact that despite working with a challenging piece of gear, however frustratingly, you still managed to create a track with it. I am one of those people. It's just a shame that it couldn't go smoother. Something like this isn't in my budget for now anyway, maybe if/when I'm in the market for this kind of thing, it'll have all the bugs fixed
it's safe to assume that Benn would IMMEDIATELY make sure to be on the latest firmware, and at the same time isn't afraid to downgrade for stability. Man's a pro, after all.
What a nightmare lol. I couldn't get too frustrated with gear what just ends up ruining good ideas with flaws like these. Still was super impressed with how good the piano sounds sounded. Also mad jealous on your piano playing skills, as usual.
there are two approaches a company can take to a somewhat incomplete instrument. they can optimize the feature set they have worked out the best and release it and then make firmware updates which increase functionality dramatically with each update so you feel joy with each update. the other option is to release a hot mess, hope someone makes a video on "optimizing workflow" and patch it up later on. this approach makes you feel like you paid $2,000 for the privilege of beta testing their product. the arturia microfreak is a classic example of the first approach and, apparently, the mpc key 61 is a good example of the second approach. you have my sympathies. at least you didn't pay $9,000 to participate in the moog one beta.
All too familiar, from the MPC One. I didn't buy my MPC One, when it released, I waited until better reports of later firmware came in. All in all, I'm pretty happy with it as it stands now, especially with the CV/Gate outputs too, the multisampling/automation and the probability and granular. I don't need it to be my everything, but as a stereo sampler, beat chopper, sampling drum machine sketchpad, it really does the job. I will say, it was confusing to the point of being a turn off, for the first few weeks/months. In all likelihood, they'll improve this. And usually, in software, if it's a Beta or Alpha type release, there's usually a relatively achievable 2x performance increase to be had through profiling and optimisation. That, and the bugs, they should have done before release, and even beta tested those fixes and optimisations, and iterated again until clean. Especially given this is kind of a flagship / pitched at pro/performers device. For 2k, have at them. Though, I wonder if this isn't the first time you've planned a major live rig change around a new piece of equipment that you didn't have extensive first hand experience with? Could be worth being more sceptical in future especially with this kind of heavily software driven type of technology. Simpler / more orthogonal kit with redundancy, is a safer bet, even if it means multiple items (e.g. modules, pedals).
This strongly reminds me about my experience with the Advance series. It took Akai 2 years to get the VIP software running on a new Mac. A lot of issues using VIP in multitrack situations. I was very sad, because the core of the software (and the hardware) were first class. Probably there is an underlying issue: the complexity of mixed hard- and sorftware products is hard to handle, even by the "big names" in the industry. Take NI: Since nearly two years they are not able to make their Kontrol-Environment running on a new Mac. So it is not Akai alone. What are the famous 2ct? I am only buying soft- and hardware from companies which proved in the past, that they are able to support their products - and deliver a "real" (finished) product in the beginning. All the other shiney toys had to go. This was hard, but now I can make music...
Yah you know, when the akai force came out it wasn’t that great… but now that we’re up to patch 3.something, it’s a completely different beast. Wouldn’t trade it for the world. Sucks to have to bank on updates, but I’d wager given how they’ve followed up on other products that akai will make good on it.
Benn I know you say you don’t like making videos like this but it’s vital viewing. The shared experience of musicians “struggling” with their tools and having you vent helps us continue with our ventures. Especially coming from someone who is infinitely more talented than myself. It makes me feel like my struggles are legitimate and to keep going and it’s topped off with a dose of catharticism. It’s one of the reasons I started following you from the very first Benn and gear episodes! Bravo and lovely music as always.
I had a similar experience with the Fantom, to where I was under the impression the sampler would work within the sequencer, but the trigger pads cannot be recorded into a project/scene. I just sold my unused MPC Live 2 because I would prefer to have both within one unit, and because Roland's flagship came without time-stretching, sampling to the keys is also a problem. If fixed, the Fantom pads are outdated, and not meant for finger drumming. You could sample from the keys to the pads, but what is the point, if they cannot be used in a project? Having these features combined is one of the reasons I was considering the MPC Key 61, but it is looking like I would just stack it on top on the Fantom, to use the sequencer, which was what the MPC Live 2 was for...also taking live performance into consideration, and already tired of lugging this hunk of metal around. However, the Fantom 0 series has the same issues as the flagship, only cheaper build, and less memory... meaning it does not power the flagship's wave table (n/zyme) expansion, which I have used in just about every project, since being released. You could clearly see why I am looking elsewhere, but it doesn't seem that the MPC Key 61 would be the solution here. I really wish it were, but like Roland, Akai brought another unfinished product to market...and we are literally paying the price for it, in more ways than one.
I really liked this video. I also went thru the force thing, so with this all in one handy dandy everything came out, my skepticism won, couldn't pull the trigger. Probably won't pull the trigger on akai for a long time. "If you train hard enough, these shoes will get you to the moon, if they don't, it's on you bruh..." (Mike swoosh) ya know, kinda like that...
One good thing about this release is it hopefully means they will keep evolving their OS. I think I'm still waiting for disk streaming on the MPC Live.. was added to the Force not so long ago
@Benn Jordan , you raised some very good points in this video. Myself I own an MPC live, an MPC one and the Force. The intermittent bugs you have discovered are real. That’s all I’m going to say. However the issues are far more reaching in the 2.11.X operating system. When you take away all of the emotions and all of the fan boy connectivity from the actual company and the instrument, there is a completely different picture. In the industry there is a cyclical pattern of companies releasing gear with a complete bullet point list of specifications. However when you add up the total number of the specifications and features listed on the packaging and advertising, only a small percentage of those features actually work. Every piece of gear is like this unfortunately. Very few companies release gear that works 100%. And these companies are releasing a ‘mono functional’ device. Something like the MPC with multi functions ability is in a different category. I, just like to maker of this video, I’m tired of being the paid beta tester. And when I say paid meaning I paid them to be a beta tester of their commercially released product. Unfortunately that wasn’t my intention as I was purchasing what I thought was a solution. iNBrand Music aka AKAI, has to be the worst of any of these companies releasing unfinished gear to the public. *** In fact they are ruining the legacy of the AKAI brand by doing this. *** We have a list of all of the other bugs and neglected basic and necessary improvements and functionality that are missing.
So the death of the keyboard workstation was greatly exaggerated and there people who still want them. When the MPC Key was announced, I was hoping it would have a Roland type rompler built in. Yamaha has the MX-88 - maybe it would be a better pairing with the MPC Live, etc.
That sucks to hear that the Key came out this broken. I still love my MPC One but man Akai doesn't do themselves any favors when it comes to jank. This *is* weirdly validating because people gave me a hard time for complaining about how resource hungry the new plugins are, it's nice to see someone with way more knowledge and experience thinks the same. Although I was lucky enough to not encounter the panning bug on the One.
It might be negative content, but it's constructive. Imagine if Gibson sold a $2000 guitar where the knobs sometimes don't work, each string played needs to load for 5 seconds and the pickups while wired in stereo only output to the left channel. Videos like this help break the illusion of the hype.
I went in store and had a play with the MPC Key. The keybed is as stiff as a board. Especially the black keys. The stiffest keys I have ever encountered for a keybed. It felt so vague to play. The price is unjustified. If anyone is wanting expressive keys don't waste you're money. Get the Live/One or X and connect a good quality midi keybed. It would still work out cheaper.
OMG! I just bought the mpc 61 keys! From sweater. Already have issues with the first one. I had to send it back, and they sent me another one. The second one finally the buttons led up. Still no sound. Is this a bad sign?
Got my Key 61 a few days ago as my first MPC and greatly enjoy it so far. Of course being a newbie might be a blessing since most of the bugs you’ve shown are for features I don’t know very well yet anyway. FWIW, I work in the software field, and the “MVP” mindset and release pressure makes for great progress, but not necessarily bulletproof quality. Let’s hope Akai listens to you and others for better QC. If you keep the Key 61, would love to hear more about which on boards sounds you prefer. I was surprised how much I enjoy the Odyssey analog synth. Fabric and Stage aren’t the only instruments to focus on. Thanks!
"Why is Jon Hamm playing piano on your TV" - a guest at my birthday party just now And yes I'm watching you make IDM on a broken piano at my birthday party ♥♥♥
I have owned synth workstations in the past and I must say I love my MPC keys. Does it have limitations? Doesn't all hardware? Amazing piece of hardware.
As an early Akai Force adopter, I totally feel your frustration/ gripe. Gratefully, they have been on it with the Force (took a while). It is telling that they didn’t learn the lesson from the Cyberpunk 2077-like release of the Force and apply it to the Keys.
The X and the keys have both had multiple updates now and I have zero problems. Manage your files and add a ton of memory like 2tb or something and you should be good for life! Both are excellent.
I own a Akai Force and MPC One you think it’s worth getting the MPC 61 honestly??? I have a Arturia Keylab 61 MK2 keyboard 🎹 my force and MPC one works great. Just wondering if it’s worth the investment for MPC Key 61 ??
Companies do this all the time so they can be first to market. The Korg Electribe 2 was released with quite a few issues. Microsoft famously released Internet Explorer and basically let users find the bugs. It's all about being first to get the product out there
Unfortunately for me I am in love with the abilities of the Akai gear. I had an MPC Live on day one that wasn’t really usable for the first six months then took a couple years to truly be complete and a Force that wasn’t really usable for about a year and a half that is now finally usable. I waited a minute but I’m picking up a Keys today. I know they will fix it. I have shows on the books but the reality is I’ll use my Elektron boxes and the Live 2 in the mean time. It sucks but it is what it is!
I still seriously appreciate you making this video, as I was heavily considering buying one of these myself, because yeah, on paper it seems like it will tick so many boxes. Even tho it sucks making videos on gear where you highlight all of its issues, it's still SO valuable to the average buyer out there, who otherwise wouldn't know about these problems without videos like yours existing. It's nice that Akai does keep development up on their products, years after launch, but when they have something that's supposed to be their new, best MPC version yet, having it launch with this many bugs and problems just doesn't feel professional. It feels lazy and like they're trying to recoup on development costs before the product actually reaches the visions they set these products up to be. It's still not okay, and this video is a perfect 'buyer beware' example. Also I hope upgrading the processing power of this won't be a bitch and a half, otherwise having these limitations in place will severely impact the lifespan of this product.
Guess this would be a good time to link my brand loyalty video ✌: th-cam.com/video/HqMMRh3VRT8/w-d-xo.html
00:00: Intro
04:00: Demoing the pianos
08:50: 1 patch, 55% CPU usage
10:39: Severe Bugs
13:00: Day 2. Factory Reset
15:00: System crash
16:37: Recording a double bass
19:22: List edit for glitchy beats
23:26: THE SONG I Finally Made
26:10: Takeaways & Thoughts
Renting a MPC61 here in Australia
Having owned a Roland FA06 , and a Juno 61 , both 61 keyboard workstations of sorts , what blows me away with this unit is everything is central to the eyes and hands .
If it’s about being creative and writing entire songs or instrumentals , if we can’t be happy with this unit , there is no hope of happiness.
Imagine for $3200 AUD you can get something like this .
I think some people are looking for a player piano end game .
Painting by numbers .
Personally I think this unit is unbelievable , by yourself in a room , with just your joy and gloom , wonder and blunder, all from an MPC sitting under.
The "brand loyalty" video is worth watching. Corporations might be people too, legally, but if so they're the psychopaths you'd smile and nod at, and get away from as fast as politely possible, if you met them at the beach.
TH-cam ads are getting bad. There's one where an earrapey computerized Brit tells you that chewing rocks is good for your teeth. I don't even block ads. I like to see what they're up to, with awareness. EDIT: I'm someone who was critical of the "how animals hear" video, and I'm no Google apologist, for context. The brand loyalty video is worthwhile. Check it out with an open mind.
as for 08:50, the cpu is still the exact same one they used in the 2013 'DAW' mpcs.
@J. C. It's a tracker so you generally need to be Gen X Amiga user or a big smartypants 😉
It's a great little machine.
Instead of making this video maybe you should get to know the people who know exactly the right people who could help? 🤪
I know you hate making negative content but I'm honestly glad you do it. This stuff costs a lot. I want to know what I pay for. If all the reviewers and TH-camrs are ignoring bad parts then I'm not going to be happy when I get a buggy horrible mess of a product.
I really appreciate you doing this!
I think people should get off the notion to see warranted criticism as "negative" content. I'm not meaning offense here - and we all love to see glaring reviews about products we love - but there is way too much sponsored "hoorah-content" for all sorts of gear on TH-cam already. Having someone knowledgeable to point out the flaws is a much-needed breath of fresh air in the review space - all the better if it's someone with an amount of viewers behind as weight to throw into the ring.
I'm a casual MPC Live user and even on my newbie level I encountered some of the bugs that mainly enthusiasts encounter. Their great feature-additions aside, bad software and stiff pads or other usability issues are a real blocker for me when considering future products. I definitely check the "bad rated" reviews on any gear first these days and I guess a lot of other buyers do too, because trust has become a rare thing even for big brands.
If AKAI has trouble debugging the complexity of their software, they should at least handsomely reward customers that point out critical bugs AND/OR have a BETA hardware program in place to iron these things out prior to shipment - no excuses here.
@@Feanarth They have a beta program actually. They're just... not very good at making the best use of it.
@@Feanarth I'm still waiting for AKAI to iron out the bugs on my Timbre Wolf, but seriously AKAI have for some time now, an ethos of selling gear that is half finished like the Timbre Wolf was, which is pretty shoddy imho.
@@Feanarth part of the problem is, I think, that content often isn't "sponsored" as such and so channels eg Loopop claim that their content is their own opinion and no one has any say and the channel is funded by viewers etc. And he justifies all the positivity by saying he only reviews stuff he likes.
But that's quite misleading because if someone like Loopop kept saying new products from Akai were buggy and unfinished all the time, they'd stop sending him stuff to review. And then he'd lose the early access that allows him to do the day one reviews that he relies on for views. Without that, he'd lose income.
So, while it might not be as direct as "here's a cheque for a positive review", that is really what's happening.
That's how it is for almost all gear reviews channels. I don't think Benn Jordan is entirely exempt from that pressure either (eg his highly positive reviews for Polyend aren't surprising given his long standing relationship with them). But I do wonder if the fact that gear reviews aren't his main thing provides a bit more freedom for things like this. Which definitely are needed.
If anything there's too little negativity.
Looks like this comment section is about to some attention, for the next couple days...I was just saying how these companies need to stop bringing unfinished products to market, while spending the next few years, attempting to fix problems that should be worked out beforehand. I look forward to the video. As far as the comments; you're about to get all the smoke! Haha.
Identicaly mirrors the video game industry
@@humanperson8363 for real. I worked for EA 10yrs ago and releasing products 60% done was the norm
i'd kill for 60% of a game on release these days. we lucky to get 50% at this point.
I need it!!!
Hahaha Flashbulb, loan him the MPC! We need a bad gear episode for this thing! Do it for the community lol (btw thanks for the great content both of y'all)
Yes. Bad Gear MPC Key 61 edition
TheMPC line is the most unreliable gear available today. It is also the most fully featured sampler/drum machine/synth and I can’t live with out it.
Yoooo love to see the homie here
Don't you DARE bring this to Bad Gear 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I wish we had far more honest reviews like this. Manufacturers can't improve if people are just blowing sunshine up their asses all the time.
And it just means people don't trust the review.
I still haven't encountered any bugs. Had it since launch. 💁
"blowing sunshine up their asses"
🤣🤣🤣
new expression I'll be using now
@@INeedsMoneys Bro, this MPC Key 61 has been nothing but awesome for me. I keep seeing people comment, " way to be negative, Benn, we need honesty," without even trying it out for themselves. I guarantee most people would enjoy it. Or they weren’t going to buy it anyway.
@@flossondatrack8861 for sure. People just love to hate.
I really appreciate the "negative" content Benn, because 99% of TH-cam channels are actively trying to sell me something or /at best/ are neutral enough to just tell me about the feature list. This is great and necessary content.
My big problem with all the current Akai hardware (besides the bugs) is that even if they were perfect and bug free, the UI / UX feels like it was designed by space aliens who had an instrument described to them by some guy on Twitter, but had never actually seen or used one themselves.
Why are we 5(?) years deep on this OS and the Q links still don't actually indicate what they're going to do before you touch them? Come on Akai.
So freaking accurate about the q links.
Q Links is a quick muscle memory thing. The layout is true to Roger Linn’s original workflow so if he is an alien then I am on board that ship. I LOVE his beat making process. I have a Tempest and it is extremely familiar as well. I think it is just well thought out and I love how It just flows. That said, I understand it is not for everyone. It’s clearly been successful for decades so the alien might be you!
@@RobotSnake Not really sure what you mean about the "original workflow," the MPC60 and MPC3000 each have a single data slider.
The Live, One, and Keys each have 4 Q-links, each of which has a different function, sometimes more than one, on practically every screen of the OS. You can learn anything with enough effort and time, but that's hardly "a quick muscle memory thing."
When the One launched there was literally no way to know what a Q link was going to do before you started spinning the knob. Obviously I wasn't the only person who had a problem with that, because several months later, Akai released an update that included the current "pop up on touch" behavior so you at least knew what parameter you were about to change. That's better than nothing, but now once you /do/ know what they do, you have an annoying pop-up in your face every time you touch them. Again, yes, you can obviously learn this eventually, but it's just not very well thought out UI/UX.
At one point I bought a Force, since it simply resolves this issue by giving each Q-link its own little screen that tells you its current function. I think X also does this, and they are both much better machines for it than the rest of the line.
@@vmppvm8763 there is a large bit of DNA derived from the 16 Levels feature that carried over from Roger Linn’s original machine. He even kept it for the Tempest as well. For that very reason Myself and others can step in front of a Linn Influenced machine and have a general foundation of the workflow. Of course it has evolved but many basics are still the same.
@@vmppvm8763 Just because it does not occur for you does not mean it does not for others. Obviously something about it is working as it’s still one of the most popular samplers in the world.
That sucks man, I'm sorry you're dealing with that.
When I was younger and less financially stable I saved up for a while to get an mpc live, and when I couldn't get it to work right I just thought I sucked, and I felt bad going back to my computer because I spent so much on it. I ended up going through a pretty dry period creatively.
I also saw the specs and thought it'd solve my problems. Thanks for using this as an opportunity to go into broader issues and saving the greener among us from having to learn the hard way.
Thank you for calling out Akai Pro for doing this. I have had a similar experience with their newer MPC One+. They really need to raise their game with software quality and testing. In-music need to hire more devs and get a grip on what goes out the door. Otherwise they just lose ground to Roland/Elektron/TE etc.
I am totally with you. I have a MPC One, I like it so far, but I also undestood when they advertised the Key61 I knew this is not what people think it is. And Akai says it is. Just stick with a MPC non key and add any keyboard/workstation/synthesizer and you have more fun and flexibility.
I agree! Then I can take the MPC One over to my guitar station and add stuff or play along with something I’ve done. I actually have very little problems with it except the Ram of course which should be 10 Gigs or more.
Your honesty and negativity is INSANELY appreciated. So sick of the shills/fanboys with the whole “this new gear is INSANE!!! A game-changer!!!” Utterly sick of the phony shill bulls-t out there.
Maschine user since 2009. Bought MPC One in Sept 2020. Thankfully few bugs. Don’t trust new firmware at all.
Nothing annoys me more than beta-testing expensive gear. Other than the shills out there with all the gear company butt-kissing.
We need a LOT more content like this. Thank you, Benn.
what version of the firmware are you using? i had to revert off 2.11.4 and not sure what seems the most stable
@@juantran4261 2.10.1 still
@@DopamineOverload Cool, that is what i reverted to. thank you
The “Workstation Piano” is probably a KORG M1 - to recreate the sounds of old hits. Typically just one really hard sample with no layers and a filter applied for dynamics.
when I was scrolling the pianos and I got to the Workstation I thought that's a Korg all day long!
yuck
@@Jason75913 Yum
id have labeled it "BEST piano"
It is refreshing to watch an HONEST video about an unfinished product. Most YT content is paid by manufacturers and they hide the truth. Kudos for that!
this reminds me of the days when I was one of the first Austrians to receive an mpc 4000. some 20 years ago. it took all my savings and then some, but I absolutely wanted it. within the first few weeks it became obvious the thing was close to being unusable because it had so many bugs, including. the dealer didn't take it back and I eventually sold it with quite a loss. it took years for the machine to finally deliver and become desirable again. I will never forgive akai for that.
so that's 2002! 20 years of half-baked OS - congrats akai
"will never forgive akai" lol its been 20 years youre might be a schitzo
Pay no attention to the rude ones. It’s easy for them to make those comments, it wasn’t their hard earned money
Yup they got me with the MPK ADVANCED61 when i bought it then they discontinued it and dumped the support for the VST PORTION software that was supposed to be the 2nd COMING but wasn’t - they won’t get anymore of my $$$ i just bought (2) ASM HYDRASYNTHS a Roland JUNO DS88 keyboard/synth and (3) Roland Boutiques the D50 clone/D-05 and the Jupiter 8 module -JP-08 and the JUNO 60/106 module JU-06A and i still have my revamped KORG M1 and rack Mount Akai S950 sampler so I’m good for plenty sounds and gonna do a hybrid studio and start learning STUDIO ONE (just got the Softube Console 1 and 2 Faders units) rant over fyi just saying
@Nazi Samuri ASM HYDRASYNTH
Using a Python script to check stock availability is the most Benn Jordan shit Benn Jordan has ever Benn Jordan'd.
It makes me happy
Brutally honest yet very even handed and fair review/assessment I thought. Perhaps I’m naive about these things but for the money you were talking I’d expect the product to be finished and close to flawless.
After my experience with the MPC Live, I'll never purchase an Akai product until it has been on the market for at least 2 years. When the Live launched, it promised to be capable of being the midi brain for a whole setup. Had 2 midi ins and two midi outs, but you could only use one each effectively. It took Akai 4 years to offer midi support that was promised on launch day. I'm still salty about it. Say what you will about Maschine+ (and there is plenty wrong with it) but it handled midi as promised on day one.
absolutely agree Mashine+ has bugs still but the midi implementation is right on
The live 2 is the truth though
@@boutstaxx the original Live and Live 2 run the exact same software/OS. So do the X and One. I've not had any issues with the hardware. The issues have been with software and charging $1200 for a product that advertises a feature set, but the feature set is not what you get. Especially if it takes 4 years to actually get the features that were promised on day one. If you like your Live 2, that is great. I bet you'd like it less if you had to wait 4 years for it to actually work
@@noahsiekmann4275 no I bought it less than a year ago after it reached its true potential I can patiently wait for example I want a galaxy fold got the means to get one but ill probably wait until the 5 comes than after reading reviews I might get it so I totally understand you're frustration
@@defcreator187 100% agree, when it comes to pads, there's only one king on that hill !!
Good on you! We need more critical reviews of gear. Too many reviewers who are shills for the manufacturers…
Your musical ability is what shines here the most. Beautiful song.
I am not an MPC user. I play live in cover bands. Some years ago with Kronos or Montage, nowadays with a MacBookPro and a long list of VSTs.
IMHO this is a very brave try to build a workstation able to use plugins, during my 10 minutes test in a shop I found a lot of wonderful sounds, much better than any workstation preset (power of nice plugins).
But the GUI prevented me to think at a use in my rig, obvious: I don't need MPC at all. But still, the full design is a positively innovative step.
Then the truth is that it cannot have memory and cpu of modern computers, it's an embedded solution.
I hope it will evolve, with serious bug check and upated firmware.
But the perfect tool (plugins live without a computer) is still to be designed.
I recognize how this sort of negative review can be awkward and challenging, but I found it to be extremely helpful and fair - you also showed what you did really enjoy about the gear, your complaints were legitimate: system crashes, panning bugs, etc. are things that need to be sorted before shipping out. Thank you for this video!
Glad to see someone calling Akai out for this. It's not just the new products. My MPC-X, which is marketed as the centerpiece of the studio and the flagship product at Akai is so screwed up with bugs from "updates" they provide, that it's unusable for a lot of functions. They do not respond to support tickets. Ever since InaMusic bought them, this has gotten even worse. They release completely unstable updates that make our multi-thousand dollar pieces of gear unusable. So unprofessional.
I'm still using the RENAISSANCE for that same reason.
Customers are not just beta testers, they're quality control too!
Very shameful of them to treat customers that way, but the corporations have learned that they can get away with it because people are sheep and will take anything in the ass and not complain, with very few individuals being exceptions.
The fact that you compared a keyboard to a THPS2 level explains perfectly why you have one of my favorite channels on TH-cam.
(Also, just buy some air special tricks and go to town, they get you the most points ;))
Yeah, that was awesome lol. Totally unexpected
Thank you for this video, Benn!! Happy owner of Akai Force here, and I've also been around the Force community for long enough to know that the bugs+feature gaps are a real issue.
The technique you demonstrate at 22:36 "list edit mode" -> high hat ratchets unconstrained by the bpm is absolutely brilliant. Just finished attempting a deep dive into how you pulled this off, and haven't quite figured it out; if you can offer any clues, that'd be amazing.
Happy touring!
I knew this was going to happen; that the Akai "flagship" was going to be sunk by their usual willful negligence. It's always "amateur hour" for them.
I'm glad that, finally, someone of some note is actually calling them out instead of playing the fanboy like so many did when the Force was released.
My Force was (and remains) a disaster. Had I not gotten the Force before the price hike and at a deep discount I would have been soliciting other unhappy users and looking for a hungry attorney who wanted to make a name for himself/herself. It spent a year on the shelf waiting for firmware with bugfixes that, after taking it off the shelf and updating the firmware to give it another go, have mostly not come. It's only good to me as a very large, rather expensive, "clip launcher". My 404SX can do that but is smaller, cheaper, and runs on batteries when I want to go outside and do some work on it.
As for the beta testing thing... I've been saying the same thing for years. Unfortunately, the majority of people who buy musical equipment these days aren't professionals with high standards and don't know better but they now set the standards nonetheless.
I'll never buy Akai again, no matter how great the marketing makes something sound. Perhaps they should take some of the marketing money and use it to hire experienced, talented, engineers.
17:50 You thought that because it's something that experienced designers and engineers have been doing for years and has become SOP.
I agree with everything you said but I just make sick beats with my MPC not Maschine Mk3. Something about it I don't know what it is but its hate/love relationship that is hard to break.
I don't know if there's ever been a time when MusicRadar and their magazines have actually provided any real testing or critique, it's all more like a glorified product catalogue
Thank you for showing me how to use this event edit screen in order to prepare my favorite type of drum beats style O_0
I believe MPC community needs more content creators exploring something else than just rap & hip hop related generes.
The piece you created was perfect example.
It's kind of funny - I remember say, 15 - 20 years ago people would drag these Huge Keyboards around on tour because they needed the power and it needed to be reliable. No one wants a BSOD or the chimes of death in the middle of a show. Now, I have a Mac laptop running Reaper or Ableton Live with a Novation Impulse kbd controller and have NEVER had a single crash when using audio software. And now, here's a big heavy workstation keyboard, that is less reliable than my computer. Sort of abdicates ones of the strengths of using a workstation....
That’s an excellent point, and I love standalone gear.
i had a glitch with ableton playing live an important gig this june. one-beat-long pause. to be true, quite an old windows computer. but never happened to me while rehearsing, else i would change my setup. (i also have a 2018 hp laptop that makes ableton glitch all the time, but it also fails miserably with other software. unusable.)
@@anatolbaskak - bummer. I perform with a Mac laptop - Ableton's been solid as stone.
They are not even releasing patch notes (4 bug fixes in a few months) or simple manuals for their paid plugins at this point, I’m taking akai less seriously but I hope they turn it around somehow.
Akai do release hardware with what is effectively beta software. I remember buying my Live and being very frustrated for a month or two until they updated firmware. The thing I will say about Akai is that they are the best when it comes to supporting older gear and providing updates in response to feedback. I own hardware from most of the other big manufacturers and the only other company with the same dedication or close to it is Novation. Benn, I am sure Akai will take your critique onboard and actually address the issues you and many others have brought up. Personally, I would recommend the One and a good Midi keyboard over the Key61 or the Live/2 or X. I like the Live these days but the CV options on the One are attractive . The paid plugins are not a good option for 99.5% of us (including moi). All the best!
Whats weird is, some ppl have all sorts of problems and yet some ppl have few or no problems at all. Theres a quality control issue because everyone should have the same issues. I use it as a workstation and I've never had a crash or freeze up.
But Akai needs to stop releasing products if they are not 100% ready. I think users would like to have usability over expediency.
You are being very fair in your video. This is why when you post "negative" content it is very valuable information. Appreciate it!
I have had one of these for about a month now. It's my first Akai product and I'm definitely surprised by the way the launch has progressed so far and have pretty mixed feelings about the product. On one hand, I've made quite a bit of music with it so far. The actual recording functionality is good (for me at least) and I do think they're close to that DAW-in-a-box philosophy. I have been mostly fortunate in that I've only encountered one or two bugs up to now that have not been repeated and one hard crash without losing any progress.
That said, you've echoed a lot of my own thoughts about the Key here and I appreciate the honesty. It's not a finished product and I can only hope Akai provide the level and frequency of support it needs going forward.
There are some really good sounds in here for sure, plenty of filler, but some very usable things. The sampling functionality is good too, very easy to use.
But the interface is maddening. Not being able to preview sounds without long pauses for loading. Actually navigating through the non-Key content (other MPC sounds, expansions, key groups, samples) is pretty awful. They can't be sorted by type nor can you designate some as favourites. And I tried gigging with it and the long loads meant I had to change my set and remove some musical interludes to actually make it work for me. I could go on.
The worst offence however is that there is no user manual. You get a quick start guide of a few pages in the box, and there's a fairly detailed but generic MPC software guide, but there's so much about the specific Key or hardware functionality that I've had to learn myself just by messing around. Even Akai's own tutorial content only focuses on recording.
I suppose this is the potential risk of being an early adopter and as I said, I have made some stuff with it that I'm happy. But it's hard for me to think of a recent instrument/product that was this rocky at launch and it's a shame that more people aren't vocalising their concerns to Akai (that I've heard at least)
It comes with a stand up bass neck that emerges magically from the unit, what's not to love?
The honesty is appreciated for sure , but for me i am truly enjoying this product . I’m going from FL Studio+Sp404sx to MPC Key 61 . It’s a learning curve but that’s what I like, the journey of learning a new way to make music . May be too early for me to notice any bugs within it but from what I have seen thus far it is a powerful piece of equipment
Akai is like your childhood's bipolar uncle. Sometimes he made the coolest shit (MPC Live's firmware updates), but you can't forget the day you found him inside your playhouse, covered in his own vomit and feces (MPX8).
Your childhood must have been pretty dark.
🤣🤣👍
This is oddly specific...
Hi! I'm just stumbling upon your video and channel. Have there been any improvements since a year ago? I want to get the MPC Key 61 but after watching this video, I'd might have to pass.
The golden rule for me is to never buy new kit especially electronics for about a year or two after its released.
Agreed. That means you can also buy it secondhand from impulse buyers and youtube reviewers :)
All the akai fanboys in the comments seething while actually not watching the full video.
He said he likes it, but it's BUGGY and UNUSABLE live.
He doesn't say he hates it.
His criticism is valid. Unlike your coping strategies.
worked as a QA software engineer for over 30 years for adobe apple it is an unappreciated resource:)
I don't know what to think about the bugs... I'm blown away by the drums you did in that weird list view. The controls do look unique there and the parameters on the instruments are sounding amazing.
I’ve had an mpc one since the start of the year thinking it would be the centre of my live set up.
While it’s good for what I’m using it for, the terrible external midi controller support means I’m not able to use a lot of what I want live.
They should fix major issues like that rather than adding new features as far as I’m concerned.
"Akai" has not been Akai since 2005, it's an inMusic brand. They've been blending products from their other brands like Alesis, ION, and M-Audio since their acquisition. They lob random products on the market to see what sticks, then backtrack and finish making the product.
this explains alot.
If only the Z4 didn't fail
They also screwed over Roger Linn. One of the few times I've ever seen him openly pissed off about anything th-cam.com/video/jdMRxUC77RQ/w-d-xo.html
Watching this video makes me extremely glad that I didn't end up buying this thing, and instead decided to double down on Bitwig with a Novation SL MK3.
Akai really aren't covering themselves in glory here.
The SL MK3 is solid... but being a controller keyboard without sysex is absolutely bonkers. I can't control around 70% of my gear...
That's fair. I don't use it for its hardware sequencing capabilities, I use it because the Bitwig script is incredible.
@@shaboogen yeah they put a lot more effort into the InControl stuff than the midi controller parts. I adore the sequencer, ARP, Chord, swing features (many added way after release). But the Sysex is the final piece missing.
A refreshing opinion of something users have known since 2.11 was released. It’s amazing how most of the other akai using TH-camrs have been quiet on the subject, they don’t want to jeopardise their freebies.
I believe the drumsynth bug has been fixed with 2.11.4 although it was easily fixable anyway.
Yup. Shills 100%. My splice samples still won’t load, so many others have the same problem. Akai still hasn’t fixed it.
21:56 man, I need to take notes. It's like magic, the way the rhythms come alive. You make hard work look so easy, even when you show how laborious it can be.
I’ve had a very similar “wait, am I beta testing a supposedly finished product?” experience with the Arturia KeyStep Pro. That device is supposedly designed to be the central brain of a performance setup, but it’s also loaded with dozens of unpredictable show-stopping bugs that still aren’t fixed even a year after the last firmware update. It’s infuriating that companies aren’t held more accountable for not delivering on the basic functionality that they promised upon the launch of their products.
Until people don't start to simply return their products or sue them for enough money to make them worth to fix their products, they won't care
Let the flood of Teenage Engineering returns begin!
Benn, this is the most positive negative feedback video I've ever watched. Thank you for the quality content. FWIW I would pay pretty decent money for tutorials of your workflow for this kind of music, particularly with FL Studio. Peace!
Interesting take on it all, i did wonder what it was really like in the real world. I've owned a Force since late 2020, i found issues within 10 mins of first use with the firmware version as it was then. Put it down to pilot error at the time but turns out later down the road its firmware issues.
I don't know what's going on at Akai but there are basic functionality features that are just plain missing on these units.
They're very much half baked in some areas. I have a love / hate relationship with the Force, its all down to workflow pretty much.
Lets hope the audio hardware isn't susceptible to the failures Force users have found.
Concerns over Akai's track record of basically bug testing with the public for the first year or so on the market with a new product is part of what has made me iffy on the MPC Key. I've been shopping around looking at more budget friendly workstations as a way to get away from my computer more and as a way to help side step the fact I'm seemingly doomed to be more prone to technical issues with just about any DAW I try than most.
My biggest reason to not want to be so tied to a PC when making music comes do to the fact that I'm going back to school for a degree that's going to entail most of my time is going to be spent dealing with computers in some form or fashion. MPC Key does show promise but the mix of bugginess I don't want to deal with personally and just some of the quirks has caused me to settle on the Korg Nautilus (which comes with it's own set of problems and quirks as is standard for the workstation market it seems) as for my wants and needs it's about the best fit for me on the market right now. MPC Key would be a much stronger contender for me if it had a few less bugs going on at the moment, but I'm just not willing to wait around with a buggy piece of gear to wait for the bugs to be addressed.
All software and hardware have bugs look at the competition maschine same problem the only difference is akai has stayed true to its 30 year architecture
similar boat, finna learn to code full time for the next year or so... got into production couple months ago, and after trying out most DAWs I fell in love with ableton live. but I'm hesitant to buy it, because of the 'sitting in front of the laptop all day already' issue.
I'm making fairly simple beats mostly. I might just get a Maschine, at least it's a bit more hands on & different that way. idk. probably should rather learn an acoustic instrument or sth, to rly get away from the screen...
Woah! The list edit feature is such a discovery, worth the whole video. 💖
Thanks for your honesty, it's actually refreshing to see a TH-cam music tech video that isn't basically an advert disguised as a review. I'm a long time Akai user (as far back as the S950) but I don't think I've ever been a particularly early adopter (I've always had to save before buying, because I was young and they were expensive back in the late 80's - mid 90's) So perhaps the bugs had been ironed out by the time I'd bought one of their samplers (S950, 1100, 3200). So I'm wondering if this early users being practically beta testers situation has beplagued Akai for some time, or it's only started happening relatively recently?
you can't compare things from 80s-90s with things after 2000 ....even humanity degenerated alot since back then ...also akai was sold in 2005
So many gear reviews are simply ads paid for by products given to the reviewers. I appreciate the honest review.
I bought an MPK 49 years ago and that too was an unfinished disappointment.
I wish people would do more honest reviews like this
Have never seen anyone create sequences using the event list editor before. Crazy glitch beats!
Crazy right!? This dude is different man, it’s genius…
I received my Key37 three days ago. No problems at all...and I am thrilled with the thing!
This is a huge dream come true for me...what an amazing instrument!
The MPC can be really polarizing in general. I think the step sequencing is why so many are drawn to elektron. I think it really depends on what you want from it. I have used the 2000xl, 1000, and 500 (and now the one) for many years, mainly as a drum machine and midi sequencer, with rack units for the heavy duty sampling (I no longer need them with the one). And there's no doubt about it, with the right samples it's the best drum machine on the planet, and one of the best hardware midi sequencers ever made. It's never had a priority on step sequencing, it wants you to beat the hell out of the pads and that's why it's so popular in hip hop. It's never going to be a VST machine or fx monster. But I think they've really tried hard to push it forward with the new models mainly being able to tweak out your patterns in grid mode, and the big thing is being able to multi-sample very easily and create your own instruments. Want deep MS20 pads, hook up a midi cable and auto sample. I think that's where the new units shine. Would be cool to see you investigate more. Shame the keys is so buggy. My one is rock solid, but took a few updates to get there, so I feel the frustration hard...
Wish I knew someone that lived close to me that knows this stuff really well, I use solely a realtime play and record methods, I learn so much better when I can ask questions.
Anyway, I will get there eventually.
I just did a video on the MPC one on pretty much this exact topic. I find that internally the functions work great- as soon as you start incorporating with other gear it’s 100% not reliable.
Made me lose all confidence in Akai for live sets and this video just confirms that.
I don't know anything about music. I have no idea what you're doing or talking about. Yet, it's so fascinating to see an artist doing creative work!!! Thanks.
This really makes me appreciate my motif es6! holy moly
I always love truly honest reviews about gear -- positive or negative! Outstanding!
FWIW, some of the lockups you encountered I've also seen people gripe about happening with the MPC One after the 2.10 update. So, these issues may not be limited to just the MPC Key 61.
glad i saw this. Order cancelled
Impressive but unusable but was actually using it. I didn’t experience any bugs at all. When you select an empty project, it actually isn’t empty. There are 4 Fabric XL instances that are loaded in an empty project. That may explain the CPU and RAM usage. I used Stage EP and Stage Piano simultaneously with no problems. I haven’t experienced the poly stealing either. You can always bounce to samples or audio track. I never had issues using the step sequencer or piano roll editor. The piano roll editor does this weird thing where the view defaults to the very bottom of the range. So if you weren’t recording super low notes, you won’t see what you recorded on that track. You always have to scroll up to see what you’ve recorded. I’ve had the MPC Key 61 for about a week and it’s been dope for me. Can’t understand why you’ve had so many issues.
I think this should be higher up, one of the reviewers noted this.
I demoed the plugins on my OG Live and was honestly surprised that I could layer a few of the new ones with a simple beat without making it cry.
The rest of the criticisms may be fair, but he should check that preload thing.
Now if they'd bring that price down for us existing owners...
@@daveother I don’t know, man. Some of his other complaints even if they were kinda fair. Like the load time for some of the patches are slow. But he was being disingenuous by comparing it to workstations like the Montage. Those kinds of workstations preload all their samples at startup, not when you select the patch, so they really don’t load instantly like he implied. Then he complains about all the effects on the patches, turns off the effects, then eventually turns them back on even louder and talks about how beautiful it sounds! What???? He you can’t load a Stage Piano, Stage EP, drums and effects without overloading the CPU, but never actually loaded those elements and stressing out the CPU.
He said it isn’t designed to produce a certain style of music then does it fairly easily with tools inside the keyboard meant to create that style of music. He had user interface issues because he’s not familiar with it. And when you think about all the other TH-camrs who’ve done videos on the Key 61, he’s literally the only one having these issues. Can’t be Akai. The funniest thing to me tho was the script that scans Amazon and alerts him when the product is available. If he’s too lazy to just open the app and type MPC Key 61 in the search window, I doubt that he’s going to take the time to actually learn how to use the Key 61. 🤷🏻♂️
There is STILL no ‘select all’ function in the MPC firmware. Insane. They bring out new features every year in firmware updates, but refuse to bother adding in a basic feature for almost any workflow. I’ve duly sent messages for a year or so, and have now given up hope. No clue how their internal process works but this is madness
One might appreciate the straight up honesty and the fact that despite working with a challenging piece of gear, however frustratingly, you still managed to create a track with it. I am one of those people. It's just a shame that it couldn't go smoother. Something like this isn't in my budget for now anyway, maybe if/when I'm in the market for this kind of thing, it'll have all the bugs fixed
Benn “this is awful” also Benn *makes world class sick beat* love you man ❤️
Which firmware are you on? I haven't gotten into serious programming yet with the Key 61 but initial doodling has been mighty impressive for me.
it's safe to assume that Benn would IMMEDIATELY make sure to be on the latest firmware, and at the same time isn't afraid to downgrade for stability. Man's a pro, after all.
What a nightmare lol. I couldn't get too frustrated with gear what just ends up ruining good ideas with flaws like these. Still was super impressed with how good the piano sounds sounded.
Also mad jealous on your piano playing skills, as usual.
there are two approaches a company can take to a somewhat incomplete instrument. they can optimize the feature set they have worked out the best and release it and then make firmware updates which increase functionality dramatically with each update so you feel joy with each update. the other option is to release a hot mess, hope someone makes a video on "optimizing workflow" and patch it up later on. this approach makes you feel like you paid $2,000 for the privilege of beta testing their product.
the arturia microfreak is a classic example of the first approach and, apparently, the mpc key 61 is a good example of the second approach. you have my sympathies. at least you didn't pay $9,000 to participate in the moog one beta.
All too familiar, from the MPC One. I didn't buy my MPC One, when it released, I waited until better reports of later firmware came in. All in all, I'm pretty happy with it as it stands now, especially with the CV/Gate outputs too, the multisampling/automation and the probability and granular. I don't need it to be my everything, but as a stereo sampler, beat chopper, sampling drum machine sketchpad, it really does the job. I will say, it was confusing to the point of being a turn off, for the first few weeks/months. In all likelihood, they'll improve this. And usually, in software, if it's a Beta or Alpha type release, there's usually a relatively achievable 2x performance increase to be had through profiling and optimisation. That, and the bugs, they should have done before release, and even beta tested those fixes and optimisations, and iterated again until clean. Especially given this is kind of a flagship / pitched at pro/performers device. For 2k, have at them. Though, I wonder if this isn't the first time you've planned a major live rig change around a new piece of equipment that you didn't have extensive first hand experience with? Could be worth being more sceptical in future especially with this kind of heavily software driven type of technology. Simpler / more orthogonal kit with redundancy, is a safer bet, even if it means multiple items (e.g. modules, pedals).
I'm still using older stuff and looking around so i appreciate you telling us it's not working for you and why..
This strongly reminds me about my experience with the Advance series. It took Akai 2 years to get the VIP software running on a new Mac.
A lot of issues using VIP in multitrack situations. I was very sad, because the core of the software (and the hardware) were first class.
Probably there is an underlying issue: the complexity of mixed hard- and sorftware products is hard to handle, even by the "big names" in the industry. Take NI: Since nearly two years they are not able to make their Kontrol-Environment running on a new Mac. So it is not Akai alone.
What are the famous 2ct? I am only buying soft- and hardware from companies which proved in the past, that they are able to support their products - and deliver a "real" (finished) product in the beginning. All the other shiney toys had to go. This was hard, but now I can make music...
My MPC Renaissance is not working on M1 mac. I'm very disappointed, just make the drivers Akai cmon! So many Ren & Studio users are left behind.
Same issue I had.
Yah you know, when the akai force came out it wasn’t that great… but now that we’re up to patch 3.something, it’s a completely different beast. Wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Sucks to have to bank on updates, but I’d wager given how they’ve followed up on other products that akai will make good on it.
Benn I know you say you don’t like making videos like this but it’s vital viewing. The shared experience of musicians “struggling” with their tools and having you vent helps us continue with our ventures. Especially coming from someone who is infinitely more talented than myself. It makes me feel like my struggles are legitimate and to keep going and it’s topped off with a dose of catharticism. It’s one of the reasons I started following you from the very first Benn and gear episodes! Bravo and lovely music as always.
The MPC key has been awesome for me, I love it. I'm sorry that you had a bad experience with it.
I had a similar experience with the Fantom, to where I was under the impression the sampler would work within the sequencer, but the trigger pads cannot be recorded into a project/scene. I just sold my unused MPC Live 2 because I would prefer to have both within one unit, and because Roland's flagship came without time-stretching, sampling to the keys is also a problem. If fixed, the Fantom pads are outdated, and not meant for finger drumming. You could sample from the keys to the pads, but what is the point, if they cannot be used in a project?
Having these features combined is one of the reasons I was considering the MPC Key 61, but it is looking like I would just stack it on top on the Fantom, to use the sequencer, which was what the MPC Live 2 was for...also taking live performance into consideration, and already tired of lugging this hunk of metal around. However, the Fantom 0 series has the same issues as the flagship, only cheaper build, and less memory... meaning it does not power the flagship's wave table (n/zyme) expansion, which I have used in just about every project, since being released.
You could clearly see why I am looking elsewhere, but it doesn't seem that the MPC Key 61 would be the solution here. I really wish it were, but like Roland, Akai brought another unfinished product to market...and we are literally paying the price for it, in more ways than one.
I paired my Live with an Impact 49. It kinda looks like the same machine the way I have 'em set up 🤣
I really liked this video. I also went thru the force thing, so with this all in one handy dandy everything came out, my skepticism won, couldn't pull the trigger. Probably won't pull the trigger on akai for a long time.
"If you train hard enough, these shoes will get you to the moon, if they don't, it's on you bruh..." (Mike swoosh)
ya know, kinda like that...
One good thing about this release is it hopefully means they will keep evolving their OS. I think I'm still waiting for disk streaming on the MPC Live.. was added to the Force not so long ago
@Benn Jordan , you raised some very good points in this video.
Myself I own an MPC live, an MPC one and the Force.
The intermittent bugs you have discovered are real. That’s all I’m going to say. However the issues are far more reaching in the 2.11.X operating system.
When you take away all of the emotions and all of the fan boy connectivity from the actual company and the instrument, there is a completely different picture.
In the industry there is a cyclical pattern of companies releasing gear with a complete bullet point list of specifications. However when you add up the total number of the specifications and features listed on the packaging and advertising, only a small percentage of those features actually work.
Every piece of gear is like this unfortunately. Very few companies release gear that works 100%. And these companies are releasing a ‘mono functional’ device. Something like the MPC with multi functions ability is in a different category.
I, just like to maker of this video, I’m tired of being the paid beta tester. And when I say paid meaning I paid them to be a beta tester of their commercially released product. Unfortunately that wasn’t my intention as I was purchasing what I thought was a solution.
iNBrand Music aka AKAI, has to be the worst of any of these companies releasing unfinished gear to the public.
*** In fact they are ruining the legacy of the AKAI brand by doing this. ***
We have a list of all of the other bugs and neglected basic and necessary improvements and functionality that are missing.
Fantastic keyboard!
So the death of the keyboard workstation was greatly exaggerated and there people who still want them. When the MPC Key was announced, I was hoping it would have a Roland type rompler built in. Yamaha has the MX-88 - maybe it would be a better pairing with the MPC Live, etc.
That sucks to hear that the Key came out this broken. I still love my MPC One but man Akai doesn't do themselves any favors when it comes to jank. This *is* weirdly validating because people gave me a hard time for complaining about how resource hungry the new plugins are, it's nice to see someone with way more knowledge and experience thinks the same. Although I was lucky enough to not encounter the panning bug on the One.
im still confused about what he means about the 1st channel only coming out of the left headphone.
It might be negative content, but it's constructive. Imagine if Gibson sold a $2000 guitar where the knobs sometimes don't work, each string played needs to load for 5 seconds and the pickups while wired in stereo only output to the left channel. Videos like this help break the illusion of the hype.
I went in store and had a play with the MPC Key. The keybed is as stiff as a board. Especially the black keys. The stiffest keys I have ever encountered for a keybed. It felt so vague to play. The price is unjustified. If anyone is wanting expressive keys don't waste you're money. Get the Live/One or X and connect a good quality midi keybed. It would still work out cheaper.
OMG! I just bought the mpc 61 keys! From sweater. Already have issues with the first one. I had to send it back, and they sent me another one. The second one finally the buttons led up. Still no sound. Is this a bad sign?
Got my Key 61 a few days ago as my first MPC and greatly enjoy it so far. Of course being a newbie might be a blessing since most of the bugs you’ve shown are for features I don’t know very well yet anyway. FWIW, I work in the software field, and the “MVP” mindset and release pressure makes for great progress, but not necessarily bulletproof quality. Let’s hope Akai listens to you and others for better QC.
If you keep the Key 61, would love to hear more about which on boards sounds you prefer. I was surprised how much I enjoy the Odyssey analog synth. Fabric and Stage aren’t the only instruments to focus on.
Thanks!
I work in software as well and I absolutely hate the "MVP" mindset. Too many times the development stops at MVP and never progresses.
Do you like the sounds of Keyscape?
"Why is Jon Hamm playing piano on your TV" - a guest at my birthday party just now
And yes I'm watching you make IDM on a broken piano at my birthday party ♥♥♥
I have owned synth workstations in the past and I must say I love my MPC keys. Does it have limitations? Doesn't all hardware? Amazing piece of hardware.
Sometime we won’t admit buyers remorse because we spent our cash and now own it and defend it til the END
@@klownaround5464 Na I like minde.I’m a pretty honest person and if I didn’t like it I would spend 2 grand on something else
@@MIDAZSITH Is it basically just an MPC ONE with a piano attached?
@@IGD-974 No No No
Greg,you have to explain NOTHING to some random folks..If YOU love it,you use it..PERIOD..You can tell them all to STFU and use what they want to..
As an early Akai Force adopter, I totally feel your frustration/ gripe.
Gratefully, they have been on it with the Force (took a while).
It is telling that they didn’t learn the lesson from the Cyberpunk 2077-like release of the Force and apply it to the Keys.
The X and the keys have both had multiple updates now and I have zero problems. Manage your files and add a ton of memory like 2tb or something and you should be good for life! Both are excellent.
I own a Akai Force and MPC One you think it’s worth getting the MPC 61 honestly??? I have a Arturia Keylab 61 MK2 keyboard 🎹 my force and MPC one works great. Just wondering if it’s worth the investment for MPC Key 61 ??
Did you receive another unit?? Was it a defective unit? How you feel about it now? Thank you!!
Thanks for the honest opinion. I always see praise for all these products until I buy and learn for myself. Thanks again.
when was the mpc4000 released? like 20 years ago now? it feels like they're still on the same software. that was also a clunky, buggy mess.
Companies do this all the time so they can be first to market. The Korg Electribe 2 was released with quite a few issues. Microsoft famously released Internet Explorer and basically let users find the bugs. It's all about being first to get the product out there
Unfortunately for me I am in love with the abilities of the Akai gear. I had an MPC Live on day one that wasn’t really usable for the first six months then took a couple years to truly be complete and a Force that wasn’t really usable for about a year and a half that is now finally usable. I waited a minute but I’m picking up a Keys today. I know they will fix it. I have shows on the books but the reality is I’ll use my Elektron boxes and the Live 2 in the mean time. It sucks but it is what it is!
Would be great to see how you compare the workflow of making the same music to some other workstation keyboards.
I still seriously appreciate you making this video, as I was heavily considering buying one of these myself, because yeah, on paper it seems like it will tick so many boxes. Even tho it sucks making videos on gear where you highlight all of its issues, it's still SO valuable to the average buyer out there, who otherwise wouldn't know about these problems without videos like yours existing.
It's nice that Akai does keep development up on their products, years after launch, but when they have something that's supposed to be their new, best MPC version yet, having it launch with this many bugs and problems just doesn't feel professional. It feels lazy and like they're trying to recoup on development costs before the product actually reaches the visions they set these products up to be. It's still not okay, and this video is a perfect 'buyer beware' example.
Also I hope upgrading the processing power of this won't be a bitch and a half, otherwise having these limitations in place will severely impact the lifespan of this product.
An decent Stage Piano review, an honest MPC Keys rant, and then even a tiny addition of music theory?
Nice.