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 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 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.