I agree. V1 and V2 began a shift away from the traditional MPC workflow. At first, V1 was not that different but even then, some of the original MPC functions such as tempo automation disappeared.
This shift seems to be part of the MPC evolution and V3 has also made some shifts in other directions so far. Since it’s still in beta, we really don’t know for sure but if possible, it’s always best to try to keep a legacy machine in your collection just in case a company decides to go in a completely different direction.
For me, one of my legacy machines is the MPC 1000 running JJOS. If Akai ever completely drops the ball at some point, I can still use that machine. Of course, there would be no access to the latest plugins, etc. but it’s a solid plan b.
I’m also all for some trade-offs for the sake of workflow enhancement and development of the platform. It’s been speculated for a while that the people developing the MPC software aren’t MPC users so they don’t understand some of the things they break and all the different ways we use the machines.
They would definitely benefit from more user feedback and research.
Yeah, this was how I was thinking when 3.0 dropped first, but as the thing has progressed it’s not looking that simple. I find the MPC DAW plugin pretty useful - I really don’t think it’s gonna support 2.x once the 3.0 version drops or that 2.x will be getting maintained beyond that point, which is more of an issue with devices that integrate with computers than on older ones.
Been thinking about going back to a JJOS 1k which is what I had for quite a few years before the Live. But I really don’t think it’s worth the hassle - (imho) much harder to use, (imho) doesn’t sound as good, likelihood of ongoing investment in maintenance / pad upgrades / etc., but also there are a lot of features that like being able to multitrack audio over usb to my DJ mixer that I’d really miss. Pretty sure it’ll feel like a backwards step in too many ways to make it work for me.
Rationally, I feel like I need to sell up before the presumable new hardware is announced and the price I can get bottoms out. But I guess the alternative is to roll the dice and hope that compatibility issues don’t really bite for a few years and/or Akai continue to course correct in the 3.0 beta. It’s a tough one to call right now.
I remember there were times a friend or colleague of mine would still be using an old version of a Mac or PC OS and I would wonder why and they would tell me that it works well for them and they can do everything they need on their system.
In those situations, I would think about all the new things they were missing out on by not upgrading.
The problem with my thinking was that they weren’t missing out on anything because they were focused on their tools and workflow and instead of entertaining a disruption, they would just stay with what works.
I think we all know people like this and it’s the same for pro audio gear. If we want the “new things” then we have to be willing to entertain disruption. I’m not willing in every case. In some cases, I’m totally willing.
Going back to a plan b is not ideal but it’s something I’d definitely do if V3 turns out to be a dud. I would also go back to V2 and no longer update. I’ve used MPCs for many years so using an MPC with an outdated OS is par for the course.
Ideally, Akai properly develops 3.0 and delivers something we all can work with and enjoy.
So far, I think 3.0 is good for how I work. The disk streaming aspect has opened up a lot of new possibilities and has been rock solid so far.
I would just like to add one little thing, ok, old version vs new version, old and new functions, but let’s be clear: my mpc has 2 midi in, 2 midi out and two usb ports, the mpc x even has 4 midi out. These are machines designed to work with midi, and personally I enjoyed being able to use a midi-looper with 128 steps to sequence all my synths. I don’t want to reopen controversy but an mpc is also all of this, they built it like this so I expect the midi section to work perfectly, these machines are daw, and they charge more than any other sampler, so I also hope that they fix everything in version 3 too
flex beat is cool but consider 2 things: 1) you can’t use the pads for effects, only the screen 2) if your mpc receives external midiclock flex beat doesn’t work. Apart from these problems it has a ton of effects, similar to gross beat, with flex you can only use 16 at a time and it may seem like a limitation, but at least this way you remember what to use. I tried gross beat, an effect for each key on my keyboard… I didn’t know what to press anymore to use a simple beat repeater ps: if you think of using the vst version on the pc it is possible to organize a midi system to use the mpc pads.
Also, in 3.0 you can easily create macros mapped to Flex Beat. Another thing: it only works while the sequencer is playing. If the sequencer is stopped, Flex Beat will NOT process audio.
so I expect the midi section to work perfectly, these machines are daw, and they charge more than any other sampler, so I also hope that they fix everything in version 3 too 
ps: if you think of using the vst version on the pc it is possible to organize a midi system to use the mpc pads.
flexing out