Mastodawn

This sampler is gonna make me start saying things like, "yo, this is dope."

It can change time signatures, ooh la la

I imagine this is standard MPC stuff, but I haven't ever used one.

I had an Akai Force, and you literally couldn't be in any time signature except 4/4. It was absolutely shocking.

Okay, I just updated the firmware. On Linux. In 2 minutes.

These AKAI people might know wtf they're doing. After the epic frustration-bordering-on-rage that was how I experienced the 1010music Bento, this feels like a Cadillac.

(For those not in the US, USians use "like a Cadillac" to mean the top-tier experience of something, even though that is demonstrably not true.)

Also holiest of holies the MPC Sample shows up as a working stereo audio interface on Linux. So I can record it straight into my laptop or wherever with a USB cable. How neat!!

I wouldn't be surprised to see this become one of my most-often-used pieces of gear. This combo of fun + convenience + simplicity is so so good, and although it's not particularly feature-rich, I kinda consider that a good thing.

sknob 1d ago

@alisynthesis I actually have no idea what these types of devices do, or more precisely, what makes their workflow so appealing. Must investigate :)

@sknob i'll try to grab some audio of something I made with the default samples before I delete them all, lol. It really is for beat making, but beat making can be stretched pretty far.

Basically it's a very well crafted little sequencer for samples. Honestly, I think something like this might really suit your music. I can easily see myself using it for songwriting.

sknob 1d ago

@alisynthesis will definitely investigate. I put most of my songwriting energy in composing/writing, very little in crafting sounds. I usually just go with presets I like, and call it a day (I’m lazy and impatient 😬)

@sknob I hear you. Something about producing music often triggers my hyper focus mode, which is pretty fun, but it is a huge pain also.

I have fantasized about having a loose affiliation of musicians locally that can help each other record things. Easier said than done, though.

sknob 1d ago

@alisynthesis your hyperfocus mode is definitely worth it on the receiving end. Your music *sounds* amazing 🤩

@sknob 🙂thank you!!

@alisynthesis Kind of a different use-case. I think I would want one if I didn't already have an Ableton Move, assuming I could use it reasonably eyes-free. I am no stranger to counting clicks to navigate pre-memorized menus and such, but it sounds like there isn't a lot of that.

@BorrisInABox it is almost knob per function, although there are shift functions, and certainly knobs have different functions depending on what section you have active, eg. sequencer or sampler. There's haptic feedback in the form of clicks on the main knob, although not on the small knobs at the top.

I imagine it would be possible to use eyes free, but difficult. That said, I don't have any experience with that myself, so I could be overlooking something major that would make it impossible.

Borris 1d ago

@alisynthesis I would like to play with one just to see, but I have to say, the bar is exceptionally high these days with Ableton move now having an onboard screen reader thanks to Schwung, formerly Move Everything. It can easily be toggled on and off, and I quite often disable it when I want it out of the way. More stuff needs this.

When I was in high school, a piece of software was released that read out the screens from Kurzweil keyboards using MIDI strings that Kurzweil implemented years ago across their entire range. Didn't get to use it for long, but that sort of thing is what I'm talking about. Instant and immediate access to everything in a non-obtrusive way.

@BorrisInABox totally agree, it seems like something that should be thought about from day one. It's very cool that the Ableton Move has a screen reader.

I love the idea of a SysEx/MIDI tool for that. Seems like something that could easily be part of the MIDI protocol. (Okay, "easily" is doing a lot of work in that sentence. I mean, it should technically not be that difficult.)

Borris 1d ago

@alisynthesis Kurzweil did it in the 80s, and MIDI hasn't really changed all that much.

Francois Dion 17h ago

@BorrisInABox @alisynthesis Kurzweil worked with Stevie Wonder on some of these projects

Borris 16h ago

@f_dion @alisynthesis Yep. Unfortunately, they dropped that stuff with the K2700.

)}]6h ago

@BorrisInABox @alisynthesis
This reminds me of something else that happened in the late 1980s.

I was a regular BBS user, and my local boards had a small group of blind people, all of whom were active in the general discussion areas, and across FidoNet.

The first affordable sound cards (from AdLib and later Creative Labs) for IBM PC compatible computers were big news for all kinds of reasons (especially for gamers and musicians) but with TTS software they were a game changer for blind people.

)}]6h ago

@BorrisInABox @alisynthesis
Prior to that, Text To Speech on a PC typically meant buying an expensive card from a specialist accessibility vendor, with expensive single-purpose software.

I was using an Amiga at the time, which had good sound on board, and decent TTS software included with the OS.
"My computer is better than your computer because" was a common theme in BBS tech discussions, so most PC users knew exactly what all the other platforms could do. Likewise, we knew about PC features.

Borris 6h ago

@dec23k @alisynthesis Why, yes, I grew up in the era of expensive speech synthesizers and expensive software to drive it. Really sucked not being able to afford such things.

)}]6h ago

@BorrisInABox @alisynthesis
But there was something different in the online community about reading the good news from our fellow nerds who happened to be blind. Some deep joy to be had from reading reports about the reactions of those specialist accessibility vendors to their market niche drying up, because suddenly a range of general purpose hardware could be used with a wider choice of cheap or free software to implement affordable TTS on any PC.

Borris 6h ago

@dec23k @alisynthesis Yeah... but it didn't quite happen like that in reality. Lots of potential, sure.

)}]5h ago

@BorrisInABox @alisynthesis
It definitely happened like that in Ireland, for a significant set of users.

I probably only read the "good news" stories, but I remember reading anecdotes about specialist accessibility vendors pushing back against this new threat to their profit margins.

Elif Yalvac 1d ago

@alisynthesis It feels so fun to read about your gear adventures and enthusiasm spontaneously

@elifyalvac I do enjoy playing with the music toys!

@alisynthesis 5 vs 7

@alisynthesis would you like an intervention if that happens?

@mattly yes, please.

Kara Goldfinch 1d ago

@alisynthesis ... And probably other cheesy 90s sample CD phrases like "party people in the house" and "yeaaaaahhhhhh boyyyyyyyy!"

Scott 1d ago

@KaraLG84 @alisynthesis I only ever say yeeeaaahhh boiii with an I. Feel free to DM prices for dope.

@Scott @KaraLG84 🤣

@alisynthesis nice! have one on the way myself

Jonathan 1d ago

@alisynthesis ooh have fun! I kinda want to get rid of my po-133 and get one of these, its so much cooler.

Gavin Volure’s Peanut Butter 1d ago

@alisynthesis That looks like a blast. Been eyeing these for a bit.

@iBlame I was honestly a bit skeptical, but it is quite fun! This is the first time I've actually used an MPC and I can tell that the lineage of live music making is super strong.

There are so many great design choices that make everything immediate and intuitive.

Gavin Volure’s Peanut Butter 1d ago

@alisynthesis That’s all the impetus I needed to pull the trigger. Enjoy your synthesis!

Gavin Volure’s Peanut Butter 1d ago

@alisynthesis Ha! Joke’s on me, it’s on back order, so my instant beats gratification is on hold indefinitely

@iBlame arg, I thought it was, but I didn't want to jinx it by telling you. 😭

Ryan Hyde 🇺🇦🏳️‍⚧️🇵🇸1d ago

@alisynthesis You bought the thing!

Kara Goldfinch 1d ago

@alisynthesis Have fun with that. :)
I hope one day Akai will make the MPC Sample accessible to blind people. At least I've got my Ableton Move and NI's Maschine MK3 which both have accessibility functions.