Audiobus: Use your music apps together.
What is Audiobus? — Audiobus is an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear. And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.
Download on the App StoreAudiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.
AKAI MPC Touch - So close!
http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2015/10/07/akai-drop-totally-new-mpc-touch/
Just read this on Sonic State website. As soon as I saw the image, it looked like it would be standalone. My jaw dropped to the floor and my wallet opened lol. After reading it's just a controller for the software 
Would be cool if it could link to IMPC somehow. Although it has a touch screen I'm sure people could find a use for it.
Thoughts?
Comments
it has some strange marketing copy going on, like what does 'with it's decent onboard abilities' mean, are they only talking about the touch screen or will it allow you to load up some beats to play away from the computer like a live playback machine for a show or something?
I really, really hate that they went to light-up pads. Since the Numark merger, MPC pad quality has consistently fallen. Now with the light-up pads, I can't find replacements (MPC-Stuff makes replacement pads for MPC's through the 1000 and the older MPK line).
I've been more active with my MPC1000 now than I've probably ever been. I look at like this: an MPC1000 can be found on Craigslist these days between $400-$500 average. You can then: Put amazing pads on them, max the RAM to 128MB (plenty for me), load a hard drive, put a screen twice the size of the original, and most importantly, put a great aftermarket Operating System designed by an old Akai programmer (JJOS). After doing all that, my MPC1000 is very powerful, useful, dynamic (I cannot stress enough how much better these pads are than anything you'll find on a new MPC). It even plays lovely with my iPad!
Looks cool but it would be a lot better for us if Akai pushed the R-Dudes to update/fix iMPC Pro...
Then again, maybe Akai got fed up with the R-Dudes and we'll get an Akai iMPC Touch from another developer
Why does a controller have L/R ins? I guess it acts as an audio interface, too?
yep audio interface as well. an iPad or iPhone and an mpc is like a match made in heaven
so close is right!!!
You're absolutely right, but Akai would rather sell us another redundant controller. They have released so many controllers the last few years it makes my head spin trying to sort the different models. Support and updates for them is abysmal. This latest offering looks like they scrapped together some parts from the bug-ridden MPX series, slapped a color touch-screen on and an exorbitant price tag ($799 US). Clearly this is their answer to Native Instruments' Maschine Studio sans the ultra-tight Komplete software integration and well thought out development plan. A year or so they will be selling for less than $400.
I paid a little over $400 for my MPC Renaissance. No way would I have paid the $1,699 retail price for the 'Beta' version:)
Oddly enough, the GUI on the touch screen looks very Retro-nymish. Maybe that's the reason they haven't made any significant improvements to the iMPC apps........
Agreed! Sometimes IMPC Pro crashes on me but I love the workflow of it. A new version would be more than welcome. Seems like every other major IOS DAW is coming up with something new this year
@Dham This definitely is the answer to Maschine Studio. Your right that they introduced so many new controllers I don't even know where to start. I use to have Maschine and the Mikro. What I like about NI is they have simple, clear distinct hardware offerings then use the software to drive change.
I won't lie I love the look of this controller though but it's not enough
I would like the look IF it were a standalone, self-contained MPC. But having to attach it to a computer, wait for the computer to boot up, launch the programs, etc. really kills the convenience factor. The MPC Touch is essentially just an MPC Element connected to a dedicated Ipad Mini with an external CPU:) Lol
In a weird way I'm actually relieved by Akai's latest offering. I'm saving money. I have no desire whatsoever to upgrade, update, swap out, etc. Now I can sit back continue to learn and enjoy the equipment that I have.
http://blog.zzounds.com/2015/10/07/interview-inside-the-akai-mpc-touch/
R.I.P. iMPC Pro
If Akai sold them with different name and stop abuse the "mpc" logo it would be fair. Too expensive for a controller. Awesome controller but it's just another controller (and audio interface). If the price is good and the software not buggy it will fit in ,not my taste but Akai has studied the market better.
It is using the same MPC Desktop software that the Ren. and Studio use. The software has become pretty good, is updated regularly and performs well. The Touch will come with version 1.9 which has been with additional touch screen enhancements. The biggest workflow benefits would seem to be in sample editing. Not really revolutionary though. The Ren. with the 16 qlinks is really quite fast at sample chopping/editing.
They don't mention anything about the impc development,so why R.I.P iMPC Pro?
Exactly:) The fact that they don't mention it and the anti-Ipad slant of their comments speaks volumes.
Different developer, and totally different market.
I realize that the MPC Desktop software is developed by Pete Goodlife and crew whereas Retronyms is the developer of iMPC, but they both are Akai products and should be able to communicate with and complement one another. Native Instruments realized that with iMaschine and gave their users the ability to work on projects on the go and then seamlessly import them into the Maschine desktop. Regardless of whom the intended target market is there should be a logical plan to integrate products across platforms. As far as being a totally different market, from the promo. videos I have seen they appear to be pretty close and is also alluded to in the comments by the developers.
what I mean is, iPad musicians will gobble up a capable iMPC app, while never giving a thought to moving toward the desktop, whereas desktop users are likely to, en masse, shun the iPad version.
iMaschine has a great app that's all but useless to anyone except desktop users.
For me, the problem with both the apps and Akai's more recent hardware (that's not just a MIDI controller, ala-MPK and MPD series) is their drifting away from MIDI sequencing into trying to be a more internalized sampling sequencer. The sampling on MPC's is necessary, but I couldn't fathom using that NOT in conjunction with the MIDI sequencing, via-recording a MIDI track then sampling the results via-separate Audio track.
The MPC's post-5000 seem much more interested in this internalized world of using either stock or sampled sounds, and their own software-based sequencing environment. I'll pass on that...
As long as it's tethered to a PC it's not even close. Should've rebranded to NPC (Needs Personal Computer).
thought there was going to be another announcement?
I think that was just a part of the rumor mill/speculation and maybe even wishful thinking. Some people interpreted Akai's "..there's more to come" to mean more product announcements. I took it to mean more enhancements to the Touch.
bah humbug!
iMaschine has a great app that's all but useless to anyone except desktop users.
They (desktop users) would be far less likely to shun the Ipad version if it allowed them to create kits/samples/sequences,etc. that could be easily imported into the desktop version:)
i guess the rumored "Maschine Killer" failed to materialize. 1st Pacquiao vs. Mayweather, now this!
I've been looking at Maschine Studio, but held off when I realised the HW had been out for two years so it must be due an upgrade in the next few months. If Akai have gone down the touch-screen route it bodes well for NI feeling like they have follow suit with Maschine.
maschine is already dead, it's like the imaschine of desktop drum sequencers, as far as akai go I hope this was just a dipping of their toes in the pool to see how the touch screen water was and how the people would respond and I hope they listen to the feedback. If they come out with a stand alone machine they are going to have great success.
Lol everyone has amazing comments and I feel the pain. There was a lot of iPad hate in that akai article though. First company to come out with a "standalone machine" type beast has my money...and my soul!!
Couldn't agree more.