Finally

[dawman]

I have been waiting for this for several years now.
When USB went from USB 1.0 to USB 2.0 we should have seen this.
Better late then never.

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[kylie]

sorry, but you can get those players since... well, ages over here, for peanuts. maybe akai puts it to a new level, but cheapo turntables are available for a long time...

[dawman]

Oh I've seen those for a long time too.
I wanted the Akai I saw way back when that never got released.
Just like a hardware audio/MIDI sequencer sampler streamer w/ SSD's.
2 years ago I heard from the rep and still I wait to see that.
Someday soon we can all migrate away from this endless O.S. chasing game and have dedicated hardware units.
I just used my 25 year old QX-1 sequencer with it's painfully small LCD screen, works like a charm, and doesn't need Snow Leopard 58.7 or Windows 12.0........just a few 5 1/4" FDD's.
I would really love to see an XITE-1 in a 2U version with an ITX mobo running it's own O.S. and dedicated VGA outs..............More dreams..

Seeing the Akai just reminds me that Akai is making some moves again.
With all of the other MPC immatators showing up and Akai's age old hardware samplers using their own O.S. this might be coming soon I hope.

[kylie]

ah, didn't know you were after just the akai

[valis]

I'm a bit lost, the point is that Akai is manufacturing something again? Or that it's a usb turntable? (kylie is correct, there are actually quite a few cheap tt's on the market these days with direct USB connections)

[dawman]

I was told of this years ago and waited and waited.
The rep actually sold me my Moog Lab Series Amp that Wakemen left @ Ye Olde Music Shop for repair and never came back for it, or paid for that matter, so the story goes.
He is a very knowlegable chap and also a very slippery serpant of sorts.
As a former Bob Heil mate he has always been in the know, so to me this is proof that he is juiced in, and that maybe soon the super hardware sampler is on the Horizon.
I buy anything Akai from decades of using their samplers and other well made hardware.
IMHO, this sampler is probably ready to go, and is only waiting for the SSD w/ Intellilink controllers to drop in their quantity prices.........
I am so tired of Samplers that don't sample, they are using poor streaming technologies to save on licensing fee's and every year they get bigger and bigger and never optimize their code. I can't imagine Akai using anything but the best code, and thier own O.S. from yore.
And yes, I am salivating.

[braincell]

I know what you mean about dedicated hardware being better than computers. I think that will change one day. It should have a huge SSD drive, a cool CPU which does not require a fan anywhere, and put the entire OS on a ROM chip in a small computer with optional large monitor.

[dawman]

Well it's going to happen before long.
The whole issue holding developers like Roland, Yamaha & Akai from releasing it has been cost and heat. Yamaha & Roland have wisely bought the software companies that caused them concerns about releasing such hardware. Actually this started when Apple bought Emagic, but their intent was to push the software to it's limits.
Roland tested the waters by releasing an Audio/MIDI hardware sequencer in the hardware Juno a couple years back. I am thinking that Akai will respond to the various MPC look alikes very soon.
Software companies are starting to go to hardware too w/ the NI Mashine, Klangbeatz, etc. Actually the Klang guys released a soft version of their beat box already. They are finding that Akai has sold so many hardware MPC's that the market might be a little tougher than their consulting firm thought.
RAM & Storage w/ a Custom OS is going to be extremely cheap by years end. Developers should thank the world for SSD's.
Funny how much of our hardware is trickled down decades old military tech.......

[Janni]

That thing seems like a step to the other direction...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USnox7IGB0k

[dawman]

This is a smart move.
Why try and buy a company when you can just partner up on a certain project.
Live's audio and Akai's MIDI seems perfectly suited.
Damn that little APC40 makes me want to go with Live.
I just cannot for the life of me enjoy or use Cubase/Reaper and always end up reaching over for the fast/stable QX-1.
Cubase always drops out notes causing me to re record or insert the MIDI event. Naturally they blame Larry Seyers Acoustic Drum library from Gigastudio, and LSAD claims it's Cubase, etc. Then I reach over and do the track on the QX-1 first take no problems what so ever.
I can record Kick, snare and hi-hat simultaneously from my KS88 and have done this for years.
I basically record the groove, then add the open close fancy hi-hat stuff. Tom rolls etc.
Cubase and Reaper both drop out events. Even re inserting them via MIDI editor is 50/50 crapshoot. QX-1......no problem, first take, quantize.....next. Workflow is super important as when I become angry I can barely finish a song.
The supposed ppq of Cubase and Reaper is 480, the QX-1 is only 384, but I believe it to be more accurate. The Akai hardware is 960 ppq and I have been wanting to buy something more reliable......Live and Akai.......maybe it's time to make the move, as I can barely read the QX-1 LCD and it's keys are all black as I have rubbed off the white caps !!!!

[Janni]

YES!!!! That would be a smart move!!!
You should at least have a close look into LIVE, imho...
I'm still using LIVE 7 and as far as I know that controller is supported by Live 7&8...

[Janni]

In Germany still not available, but in a few days hopefully...

shipment due to arrive on 29.06.2009

http://www.thomann.de/gb/akai_apc_40.htm

[netguyjoel]

http://www.jazzmutant.com/lemur_overview.php

NIN Drummer w/ one
http://beta.media.nin.com/item/?g_media ... m_id=37788


anyone used one of these with Live yet.

They have a huge selection of templates posted too

[dawman]

I cannot find the ppq of Ableton anywhere in their FAQ's and they don't even have a search function.
Do you know the resolution/ppq that Live uses?

[Janni]

hmm... can't find anything either... BUT:

If you have a technical question not covered in the FAQ section, please contact our technical support team.

support@ableton.com

I had two little probs so far and support was really fast, helpfull and friendly...

[siriusbliss]

This is a smart move.
Why try and buy a company when you can just partner up on a certain project.
Live's audio and Akai's MIDI seems perfectly suited.
Damn that little APC40 makes me want to go with Live.
I just cannot for the life of me enjoy or use Cubase/Reaper and always end up reaching over for the fast/stable QX-1.
Cubase always drops out notes causing me to re record or insert the MIDI event. Naturally they blame Larry Seyers Acoustic Drum library from Gigastudio, and LSAD claims it's Cubase, etc. Then I reach over and do the track on the QX-1 first take no problems what so ever.
I can record Kick, snare and hi-hat simultaneously from my KS88 and have done this for years.
I basically record the groove, then add the open close fancy hi-hat stuff. Tom rolls etc.
Cubase and Reaper both drop out events. Even re inserting them via MIDI editor is 50/50 crapshoot. QX-1......no problem, first take, quantize.....next. Workflow is super important as when I become angry I can barely finish a song.
The supposed ppq of Cubase and Reaper is 480, the QX-1 is only 384, but I believe it to be more accurate. The Akai hardware is 960 ppq and I have been wanting to buy something more reliable......Live and Akai.......maybe it's time to make the move, as I can barely read the QX-1 LCD and it's keys are all black as I have rubbed off the white caps !!!!

For what you're doing you should look into Samplitude.
I use Live8 for a live production project I'm working where the producer requested using Live just 'cause he had it - but I can do so much more in Samplitude, and it's MIDI captures everything I throw at it (guitar synth, padKontrol drum rolls, etc.). If you're into loops, then Live is OK, but for tracking, editing, etc. I much prefer Samplitude.

But I understand that the old hardware sequencers often still rule for response and resolution.

Greg

[dawman]

Someday I will find the right app.
But I just love the sound of VDAT, and the tight timing of a hardware sequencer.
I am looking at the new Akai's atm. The fact that it is a 960 ppq hardware sequencer is most appealing.
When my IEM bro' was Linkin Park's FOH I saw the MPC used live and these guys were sequencer controlled and you couldn't even tell. They sounded so tight, and the patterns and drum sounds were only 16bit/44.1k but I could care less, they were in your face w/ slight time based effects and these guys rocked.
I have been told several times that Samplitude would make me happy.
I think I will download and try both of these.

I am just a miserable old Bastard.
I see how MIDI sucks in software based sequencers, my favorite bread now comes with only a single layer of plastic to keep it fresh, which fails miserably, even my favorite toilet paper falls apart in the crack of my ass................everything's becoming cheap and worthless as I age, even my pension plan and insurance I have paid on all of my life is turning out to be big lie.

Maybe Samplitude or Live could rescue me from this world of genercism I seem to be surrounded by.

Sorry, I was just blowing off a little steam.

Thanks for the tips guys, I will check these out.

[valis]

I think Live is an excellent app for live performance if you are doing loop-based work. If you need underpinnings to play your synths over, it may well do the trick. You'll want to grab a demo copy and run through the tutorials etc before even bother with that APC though (imo).

I personally cannot stand arranging/mixing in Live compared to Logic (and Samplitude or Reaper3) because it feels rather claustrophobic to me in the 'timeline' view. The Live view though, it's the bees knees imo.

Also Ableton Live makes an excellent sampler (both using clips and the simpler/sampler) and MPC replacement, hence the reason for the APC. In fact its workflow is excellent for somone used to an MPC as you're essentially doing the same thing (grabbing looped samples and arranging them).

[siriusbliss]

Believe it or not, I've never used VDAT, but will test it when Xite FINALLY arrives

I remember a conversation with a programmer that complained that Microsoft had a conspiracy to get rid of MIDI way back in the Win98 days when they glommed on clocking junk on top of DOS (which had very tight MIDI timing in Win31 days) - effectively adding several more ms delay in clock timing and basically ruining the resolution of 'slower' serial protocols.

Now with Vista/Win7 it may be a miracle that MIDI timing works at all, so perhaps these hardware controllers are part of the reverse trend to pull more junk out of the computer, and effectively make the computer a slave and container.

Which brings us to Xite - so question Jimmy - how's the MIDI response for really fast or dense playing?

[dawman]

I have better feel with my expression pedals, which is the only place I can tell that there's an improvement.
I hear some guys say that they can tell when they play a keyboard if there's MIDI timing trouble or latency, honestly I think they're full of crap. The protocol is pretty fast, and unless you are using a really low budget controller, that argument is moot.
I also play high polyphony voicings on synths, and while with ASIO sample streams this is never an issue unless you're using poorly coded, overbloated streamers, with synths in DSP this have never been a problem.
For example, with a B2003, I use 4-5 voices on the lower manual. 4-5 on the upper manual, and every controller gets used along with dual expression pedal streams, that swell the drawbars. If there were any MIDI issues, they would appear on the B2003 I use live.
XITE-1 is snappier, and I do hear a higher quality in sound. Actually the fidelity is so much better that I can hardly use DSP or native distorion, except for G.O.S.T.'s Saw plug as it uses a different appraoach to getting grit.
My Warming type of plugs work better, but the sound is more defined to the point where if I want my B2003 to sound authentic, I had to re write all of the presets and delete the OD/Dist, and use my external Tube Pre Amp of the Rotary Cabinet.
And these guys I work with now play pretty loud due the kick butt drummer, so I re route the audio from the Rotary Cabinet's built in mic's, and send it back out of the project to my Barbetta's.
MoJo's Overdrive does work well though. I send my Rhodes & Wurlitzer through MoJo,and in the case of the Rhodes, I have 3 x stereo channels to mix and match. Clean, MoJo'd and Leslie'd. I mix 'em on all the fly, but the MoJo / Leslie's Rhodes sounds extremely Vintage. But if I want the prissy pussy ass clean digital sounds bathed in reverb, it's there.
I had a guy sit in who complained about no reverb, shitty action on the KS88, etc. So I was wondering what he used, that could possibly sound better than what I had, and he brought in a big Motif Rompler..... The guys in the group kept trying to tell him to turn up, and get rid of the Reverb. At any rate it sounded like a recording of recording compared to my rig.
Kids these days ain't got a clue what any of the hardware was supposed to sound like in an ensemble. They are so used to playing at home by themselves, or with a lame chick singer and Cubase........at least he took his beating like a man, and finally admitted that that the XITE-1 is not a boys toy...