The competition - Akai

The same can be said about a standalone unit too. A company can't bank on those either. Akai isn't making any money on second hand MPC's that are still being sold. Instead Akai learned a lesson NI (and Apple) learned a long time ago. The margins on controllers are higher. Maschine costs $999 to buy but the cost to manufacture it is probably a fraction of that, that's all profit, cost of manufacturing goes down over time, that's even more profit.NI makes money even on second hand maschine install because licenses have to be transferred and that means potential future komplete/soundpack buyers. Profit.

Let's say an MPC 5000 new costs about $2800. That's a one time payout by the customer, any second hand unit profits will not go to Akai. The user uses the unit for 5-10 years never buys another piece of hardware from Akai. That's profit left on the table. Especially if that user sells their unit and goes elsewhere. Meanwhile a controller is relatively cheap to manufacture, has built in obsolescence and can't be sold second without Akai knowing about it. Seems like a win to me. Akai can effectively charge their customers for an upgrade every 4 to 5 years and if their markettign is right customers will want to upgrade. Just like NI is doing with their Traktor controllers, the S4 MK1 is not that old, but it's already obsolete (doesn't even work in the new OSX). Coincedentally NI is here to embrace you with open arms with their S5.

My perfectly functional gen 1 Duet is no longer supported in the new OSX, but hey Apogee has a special on the new Duet just for this occasion.

Gone are the days where you could use hardware until it literally stopped working (even then you could always find someone somewhere who could fix it, like them old Juno 106's that get can still repaired). Now a piece of hardware will work perfectly fine for years but the software would have long stopped supporting it before the hardware is ready to give up the ghost. Do people need a new smartphone every year, or even every two years? No, but people want to upgrade. That is the future of music NI has brought us.

 

Well, if that's so important for you just do not upgrade your OS, keep an old machine with old software and bam, problem solved.

 

No **** sherlock but that wasn't my point.

 

then what's this

 

Vaporware as far as I can tell.

 

There are new drivers being tested for the S4 MK1 and OSX 10.11

 

The diagonal shadow under the screen does not match the shadows near the buttons. It could be fancy lighting but I cry BS.

 

Looks like I stumbled across the idea for the MPC Touch.



http://cargocollective.com/isaacblankensmith/Akai-Professional-MPC

Everything except the actual iPad. They just included the screen and their own software.

 

MPC Touch will be discontinued in five years.

 

Source??

 

so will the maschine studio and mk2; the mk1 has already been discontinued.

Also not sure why peeps were so certain that proto-type with the big screen was standalone? the casing is the same as the ren so may of also been running off a pc.

 

vaporware,.... shadows?......

are you guys serious..... tsk tsk tsk..... I expect this from skins and skizbot but not you guys. Listen closely to what Nick says.

 

the guy in the glasses even plays something on it that is audible.... I'd say it's a little more than vaporware.

 

again that looks like ren with a big a screen how do u know it was standalone? also a prototype does not indicate that an actual viable product will be released

 

Because that's what the Microsoft presentation and that part of the SonicState talk was about... Windows Embedded i.e., an embedded version of Windows 8.1 inside that MPC prototype (running an i5 CPU, according to that talk).

Still, prototype is the word and "vaporware" another. It remains to be seen whether this was just a proof-of-concept for the time being or whether AKAI (or others) are going to go this route. Seems like it would be very expensive if they do. Though they could make it so it's like the Orange OPC (https://orangeamps.com/products/opc-series/orange-opc/), so it could be used for other computer purposes too (to soften the blow).

 

Maschine will still be going, and you will then switch back when the MK 3 comes out. I'm pretty confident since kontakt, reaktor, and traktor is still going strong it will still be around. Plus NI have a large hip hop user base with maschine, and it is a cash cow for them. It's 1. Traktor. 2. Maschine 3. Komplete. You drop maschine from the portfolio you have Traktor and Komplete. Does that make any sense to you? If their was no future for maschine or a long term plan they would have continued with Kore. I had it, and it seemed like a difficult project. Business decisions
have to get made, and we might not like it. NI have the knowledge and engineering/coding skills that will outlast AKAI. This is german engineering we are talking about it. If you were to give akai the assignment to code traktor or kontakt they couldn't do it. Jack bought M-Audio, but what happened to Torq? Perfect opportunity to compete with Traktor. Oh yeah Chad who was the main guy behind torq and the trigger finger works for the traktor team now lol.

Of course they discontinued the MK 1. But guess what Jpeg I bet I will be able to use Maschine Studio with a future version of Maschine software. NI's engineers will figure out! In five years their will be a MK 3 and 4 etc. But guess what I got a used mikro for $100 bucks with a 2 year warranty, and it works perfect with windows 10. So I have that and maschine studio. I decided to learn both inside and out and not make any excuses that I can't tracks with either one. Oh yeah in that five years, Komplete Kontrol and Maschine might be standalone units. Both will have gigantic screens with a linear workflow with old school akai producers sitting on the sidelines mad.

 

Whats to say that

even if u study maschine for years and stick with it to master it; ur beats can still be trash; it dont matter how much u think that being committed to NI will endow u with beat mastery; dats a myth.

Akai has been here since 88 with mpc's, NI came with maschine in 2009 so do the math dummy; it dont matter how confident u are about what u think NI is gonna do, that has nothing to do with reality.

If Maschine is no longer profitable they will pull dat **** ala KORE.

Maschine mk1 has been discontinued; maybe if they go touch screen in the next hardware itteration, than mk2 will be phased out also, who knows.

But if other manufacturers jump back into this market like Roland and Korg; and NI takes a sustained ass whoppin from Akai and from themselves by not developing their own products in the way the users want; they may at some point walk away from machine.

but for now it is their main cash cow so I expect them to fight for it to be maintained.

 

Why is everybody so f###ing obsesed with touch screens since Akai released that vaporware video not showing how that toy is supposed to have better workflow than dedicated knobs and buttons?

 

I think our focus is different. What's more important to you is which is the hottest piece of gear out. I actually like to make songs and use maschine for what I paid $1800 plus for (maschine studio, and Komplete Kontrol). For whatever reason you keep posting more on here with your anti Ni campaign than mpc forums, and I am confused to why you waste time on here if you don't own maschine anymore? Of course you've been avoiding this question lol. You like AKAI we get it. Maschine needs to catch up with akai blah. We get that to. But you keep coming around. At one point I bought cubase 7 $500, Steinberg Ur 44 interface $300, CMC Controller, and Steinberg vst bundle. Cubase and the steinberg interface didn't work for me. I then sold it, and moved on. I did not hang on the steinberg forums wasting time complaining at all. At this time I was trying to find a set-up that worked for me in combination with maschine.

Of course you sold two maschines because you keep bouncing around from gear to gear and did nothing with it. You didn't learn it to it's fullest. Yes maschine's sequencer needs work we effin get that, but I still can use it to make a damn beat. If I put maschine studio in front of you, you wouldn't know what to do with it. Since all you do is sample, which is fine, I'm not sure what your whining about is with maschine? I personally have move passed that phase and don't want to sound like a knock off of DJ Premier or Pete Rock in 2015. Gotta keep up with the times, if your serious with music. Their is a 24 year old producer signed to Atlantic who has the number one song in the country, and he just uses FL Studio. Your set-up and your two maschines are worth more than his pre-production set-up. So reflect on what less he has, and give me a good reason why you can't come up with anything. NI is not to blame because you couldn't come up with anything good. That's on you. You don't like maschine, move on. You don't learn anything forum hopping defending AKAI everyday. Want to make use of your time? Use what you have, and sign up for music school online and make a damn beat. In the words of Daniel Haver "We provide you with the tools to create music. What you do with it is up to you. Some say you don't have to have talent. No, you do have to have some talent."

As for Roland, and Yamaha they can't code software. If so, give me the names of software that they have out that can compete with NI. They are hardware companies. You need the perfect marriage of both.

 

But trolling in forums is fun.