If you check the “day in the life of a betatester” video on this thread, you will see audio tracks being recorded by the standalone (recording vox and guitar)
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Dont thank me just yet. If the software side of things is a duck upon launch, pitchforks will be pointed at my direction lol
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Yeah 2 hours arrived and the FIRST, WHAT ? will coming … followed by : “i can believed that i’ve just spend 1000$ and they didn’t put that stupid option” hahaha
We never satisfied… awful customers 
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ffwiw my relationship with the MPCs has always been a love/hate affair. I totally love the general workflow but dislike certain other aspects, All the previous models have had some things great and were lacking in others. After getting shafted in a ebay deal for my 4k (bought a broken unit), I lovingly restored it with spare parts, only to find some omissions from the MIDI seq side that I relied upon in JJOS etc. Maybe I’m too demanding.
It’s ironic in a way that MPC is known for sample-based music making, whereas I’ve always been more interested in their MIDI sequencers. Haven’t came across any other seq with a similar workflow.
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Exactly, like (at the risk of banging on about it) 8 tracks - well yeah I could have a pattern just for drums using all tracks and resample all variations and then put them all into a sample chain and use plocks to trigger, or resample combined sample hits and use sample locks (ha I’m on the wrong forum saying this!) but it’s just so much easier if you have enough tracks so that you don’t have to work with limitations. Welcome MPC Live. Boom.
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Because my fiancé might actually want to see me once in a while!
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Where is this info from?
That’s exactly what I’m hoping for. The OT, for all its goodness, is still bound to wires and power in ways the Live won’t be.
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In this respect, the A4 is a strong candidate. With four tracks and a synthesis that can generate anything from bass to leads, to pads to arps, to kicks and snares and all there is, it’s an extremely versatile solution in a neat package. This for source material, and the Live for recording. That rig will take you far.
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Two octaves won’t work, but three is fine. It won’t allow me to practice my Mozart sonatas, but it will offer me all the room I need to write properly fleshed out songs.
Here’s my dream workstation, which is still within reason - that is to say, it could probably be done if someone thought there was a market for it:
The Yamaha Reface format - cause of its superior format and quality of mini keys
Eight parts of multitimbrality, with a polyphony of 24 voices
One drum track with its own eight parts of polyphony
A damn good sequencer
A proper fx section
With its own mastering section
JD-Xi touches on this, and I’d say it’s actually exactly this in concept, but not in execution. If it had proper keys, though, and didn’t look like something made up by Funk Master Zeltron, I think I could’ve been quite pleased with that for a long time.
Of all the small keyboards I’ve played, the Reface CS is by far the best. It sounds spectacular when you tweak it right, it has a great keyboard bed, it looks the part and has the right size. With that as a boiler plate, and just build on that a workstation for the portable battery-powered generation (who in my case live in a small apartment with lots of kids and no real space for music making), then I’d be first in line.
Apparently, according to my local dealer, the JD-Xi is quite popular, so there seems to be some kind of market for it. And the MiniAks sell almost instantly when they’re out on the second hand market here.
A version of this would be to build the new Electribes or the Novation Circuit into a keyboard instrument, or something along those lines. Potentially, the Korg Kross in a smaller format, though I’d say it doesn’t quite sound the part. But in general, the tech’s there. But perhaps not the market. My assumption is that if you’re shopping for a workstation, you’re usually in a different position than I am. Which is why the Kronos and Kromes and Motifs and FAs all come in big sizes, cause they’re usually aimed at keyboard players and they don’t much like small keys and small sizes.
Well, this keyboard player does, cause that’s my only way to get such an instrument through the door here. I can’t be the only one.
Or I guess I can 
So to conclude this - my constant tweaking and trading and selling and buying of gear, is really to compensate for a need that’s clearly defined - a singular, keyboard-based song writing environment with close to master output quality and a great keybed feel, that fits into a living situation where I just don’t have room for big gear, or lots of gear. I’m trying to find the minimum amount of hassle and combination of stuff, to find a compromise to this need.
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For the Keygroup Instrument functionality of these mpcs does anyone have any recommended companies etc I can check out that put libraries/instruments out in the Akai Keygroup format? I’d be most in to vintage synth/obscure instruments/weird stuff/field & found/music concrete/mellotron and high quality orchestral. Not looking for loops or clean/modern sounds etc.
I’m going to check out that port software that Mr Wild recommemded for porting some Kontakt instruments/libraries. And mostly I’m interested in the Keygroup function just to make portable DIY instruments out of my hardware/guitar through pedals etc. But curious to see what kind of ready-made stuff is out there…
I feel like there could be a market for a reimagined workstation keyboard. And judging by the growing popularity of touch screen interfaces, I believe something like this will emerge sooner or later.
Back when keyboard workstations were kings, large size was a necessity. Not so anymore.
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I believe this was mentioned in the Q and A video. Something along the lines of “the X has improved converters but both units sound really good, its subjective” IIRC
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Yeah an A4 likely would work (or sticking with AK rather). Deepmind is interesting but, like you, I’d like multimbrality. Maybe it is time to revisit the FS1R. I wonder how good a midi controller the Live could be…
I used to really like the Elektrons sequencers when I had all but a MD but now that I’m back mostly ITB I just don’t need it. It’s handy on the AR for quick clip creation mind you.
Plenty of food for thought and, like always, just need to work out what the hell I’m trying/wanting to do!
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Akai could just make a model of the Live with the old micron engine thrown in and add 36 mini keys and a few extra knobs. And poss some physical step sequencer buttons to enable fast Elektron p-lock functionality. Would still be pretty portable size. Reckon if well executed they’d sell a fair few of something like that and almost zero r&d/risk if built in pretty small numbers…
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If the live and the X turn out to be home runs for Akai, you can bet we will be seeing more offsprings of this “computer-on-a-chip” approach they’ve taken. IIRC the heart of these standalones was a very inexpensive, neat solution. Cramming one inside their advance keyboards could then become a possibility.
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Damn, that’s a beatiful thing right there.
I think desktop multitimbral synth will be great for LIVE I believe Virus is 16 part multitimbral
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