Akai APC64 - Not bad at all!

[@margateswede]

Got mine yesterday. I was preparing to be disappointed and send it back but i havent stopped playing with it. I have my modular and hardware synths and rack send/returns set up. Being able to switch to channel strips, jam and mix all from the one box from various sources is really liberating. Channel strip mode is a great addition where the touch strips control pan, volume, sends etc from one screen per channel. If you already have a decent soundcard and want a "hub" for a hybrid setup it really speeds things up and allows you to spend time creating rather than clicking . Love it. The 8 cv/gate outputs and standalone sequencer are a nice touch too

[@LowHeatBeats]

Looks nice. I would have preferred encoders instead of touch strips, but it’s great that this new APC is a beat making station, unlike the APC 40 which is only good for live performance.

[@AccurateBeats]

Yeah, I think this one is great for live purposes too but I can easily make full use of this one in the studio for beat making too!

[@GabeMillerMusic]

Oh dang this is a surprise! This is a super interesting time to be into clip-based controllers and gadgets.

[@AccurateBeats]

It sure is! Also at $300 this one will probably be the way to go for a lot of people

[@the_impossible_kid]

​@AccurateBeats I picked up the apc64 hoping it will arrive tomorrow! Thanks for video!

[@the_impossible_kid]

Hoping to chain monologue, deepmind 6, nuetron and pro 1. Just seems like the most intuitive grid controller outside the push.

[@buxycat]

A month ago, I hadn't even opened GarageBand on the iPad mini 6 I've had a few years. I bought a BeatStep Pro, which helped me understand Ableton better. Between ordering a Novation Circuit Tracks and it arriving from Amazon, I found a video on the APC64 because I was looking at a Launchpad Pro. Sent the Tracks back for refund, exchanging the BSP for the Akai. Nothing against either piece of equipment, the pads on the Tracks felt really good to me, but the knobs a bit stiff. I used to present on amateur radio a long time ago. We used knobs for things we didn't need to change often, but faders on things we did need to do quickly, like open and close the mic. I'd forgotten faders are so much quicker, so the touch strips really appeal to me, along with its scales modes. I feel the APC64 is the perfect choice for how I'd like to have fun, just messing around with clips and scenes (a week ago, I didn't even know what that meant, so wish me luck).

[@ickebins6948]

Not sure about this... If it's just for Ableton maybe get a used Push2. Way more streamlined for Ableton, bigger display, much better interaction with plugins.

[@LSSTmusic]

i tried two push 2's over the years and i just never vibed with it. i don't like ableton's stock plugins and those are the only ones that integrate with the push 2 so seamlessly. using 3rd party plugins means you're just using it as a more complicated midi controller, and all that happened for me was i was spending all my time figuring out what the push 2 wanted me to do rather than actually writing any music lol this, on the other hand, looks rad as hell, like a direct upgrade to my launchpad pro mk3

[@kikeon0017]

I wish they would just release a complementary device to the Push instead of a competing device. I liked the old APC40 with the upfaders, knobs AND crossfader.

[@1Surinamer]

Good channel, and a great review.

[@cresshead]

nice hands on review, well done.

[@AccurateBeats]

Thank you! I appreciate it

[@_boof]

No lazy chop, no sell.

[@FlatWHDF]

😂😂😂😂

[@tobiaslofi]

This is super cool! And especially given the price of $399 (that's $50 less than what I paid for the original apc40 back in 2008!)

[@robertolopezmartinez2925]

It reminds me of the Ableton Push 1, the one that Akai had made

[@armandolara1290]

I forgot AKAI made that one 😮

[@FakeGlasses]

Been looking at the Nektar Aruba that released live integration via max device.

[@ansonstiles]

Great review. I’m looking to get into some live looping and don’t want to shell out full amount for Push. Will just use this with my MacBook for now I’m thinking

[@djsimson]

Seems to be a Maschine Jam with better Pads and some little more functions in Ableton. But my Jam i can also use in Maschine & FL. For owners of a Maschine Jam who don´t need the CV/Gates and Standalone Sequencer, it´s useless in my opinion... Congrats for the 100.000 Subs by the way @Accurate Beats

[@lextron-audio]

I'd love to see you review the Pioneer DJS-1000 Sampler. Stupidly marketed towards DJs when it's a really powerful sampler workstation with a smooth workflow like Maschine

[@Yo_whatupwithyou]

Wish the would be aligned the test strips all in one row instead on the side. Can’t wait to see what novation drops

[@AccurateBeats]

Maybe… But since things aren’t really standardized in Live, I guess it’s a hard design choice to make

[@Yo_whatupwithyou]

@@AccurateBeats true…if my maschine jam still worked, I’d probably be still using it with Ableton. Touch strips were highly responsive when mapped with Ableton. Dig that it’s usb powered. Just wish they added a crossfader. I guess that’s how they’re gonna upsell the force mk2 along with a built in interface and possible MPE functionality idk lol

[@AccurateBeats]

Ha! That’s some high level speculation right there! A new iteration of Force that takes on Push 3 standalone would be a lot of fun! Even I would probably leave my MPCs for something like that!

[@Yo_whatupwithyou]

@@AccurateBeats ha sounds like I’m on to something…it would be nice if they gave us all we wanted but that’s an old school mentality. I think I’m going to stick with the apc40 mk2, at least until I see the force mk2

[@Yo_whatupwithyou]

Love the touch strips…definitely would dope to have on push 3

[@AccurateBeats]

Yeah, they are really useful! In a perfect world, I’d love to have both knobs and strips though 😀

[@DavidSmith-xc5rh]

How does this compare to the Akai Force?

[@bboydreaded]

Can I plug it into my MPC live and get 64 pad access and use the touch strips for effects. That would be fresh

[@Johnnyjawbone]

Looks like a great performing MIDI controller. Nowhere near the functionality of the Push 3 though. But can't complain @ £330.

[@AccurateBeats]

Right! The price point is a huge thing here! Everyone has different needs and I think this one is perfect for some users that feels that Push 3 is a bit too much… A midi controller is often the safer bet too, just in terms of stability… Thanks for watching

[@InspectorDope]

AKAI finally releases the Push 2!

[@m0t1ve85]

Maybe this product will help get better integration for the force with live or get dawproject support like with bitwig and studio one.

[@ravtub1609]

Hello ! Can we use "launch" bottons to launch scenes during we're playing in "note mode" and "chord mode" ?? Thank's

[@knowhy9238]

Nice! Ty

[@tobiaslofi]

You have a new logo again? Good job!

[@tobiaslofi]

I still love the tag logo from years ago best :)

[@alchemistrpm82]

Idk why people keep saying it’s a Push 3 challenger. It’s clearly competing with Novation’s Launchpad Pro mk3.

[@kvnricco]

Is it me or apc40 it's better for live performance? I want to buy one, but not sure what to choose between these two

[@JamesRamboPearce]

Can you use the step sequencer to sequence CC or CV parameters EDIT - You answered this - thank you so much! I've been trying to see if this is a thing on this and not seen anyone talk about that!

[@r2.lighting]

I just received my APC 64 and everything is working fine, except for the (internal) Step Sequencer. I'm doing everything exactly as in the tutorials. Select a Step Sequence track, punch in some notes and they light up according to their velocity on the upper pads. But when I press "PLAY" nothing happens. It seems as if the sequencer doesn't actually run. On further investigation I found out, that the Step Sequencer does work as intended, when I put the APC 64 into Standalone mode. However, I then lose the ability to control Ableton Live, e.g. launch clips etc. All of the demos show the Step Sequencer running in conjunction with Ableton Live. However, I cannot get this to work. Any ideas which step I might miss?

[@mrdrgonzo]

I’d have liked to have had some endless rotary encoders, maybe ditch the bottom faders or make it wider and have the encoders at the top and faders at the bottom, be much bigger but I wouldn’t be carrying it around anyway

[@LukeLine]

This looks super interesting for us people looking at a push but wanted to save 💵

[@AeonHorus]

Doesn't it have a "standalone" mode ? I heard it had, and can control hardware synths independently from Ableton...

[@AccurateBeats]

Yeah, that might’ve been an oversimplification on my part. It can control things like synths and d such in standalone and has a sequencer that works standalone. But it doesn’t run Ableton live in itself like the push3 does… It’s not like a full blown groovebox in standalone… Guess that’s what I was trying to say. 😀

[@sonokisme]

Thanks a lot for your video, everything is always so clear and helpful! May I ask you if it's possible to navigate through session view moving from pages to pages? (just as I usually do with Ableton push 2) I saw those arrows on the left bottom, but didn't see anything about moving faster through a larger live set. Hope you'll have time to answer me, btw thanks in advance.

[@Matiazzak]

What would be a better decision in your opinion? Get APC64 or Push2 second hand? Or maybe launchpad pro 3. Thanks in advance

[@jimmywheelo]

I’ve just ordered this. The trouble with a push 2 atm is finding one in really good condition.

[@Nazgul_73]

Will this Controller work with Ableton Live 12 that will be available next year? Any Thoughts?

[@01kmacias]

I wonder how this compares to the push2

[@cozmikbuddahbeats1480]

It kind of looks like the force on a diet

[@vinylselektaz6475]

Does this work with the iPad?

[@nachodiaz4837]

I don't know who they were thinking on while designing this device. THE SCREEN STANDS BELOW YOUR ELBOW WHEN YOU'RE PLAYING? no screen? does anyone remeber the Novation SL product line ?

[@genekj81]

When the SLMK3, Launchpad MK3's, I was super confident a Launch Control XL 3 was in the way.

[@AccurateBeats]

Yeah, when you put it like that, it seems a bit strange. While using it, I never felt like it was an issue though. You don’t really use the display too much as you’re playing the pads.

[@AmbientMusicStudio]

I loved the first generation of APCs but the follow up was quite disappointing. Very cheap and plasticy to my eyes. This looks very solid and professional. I may start liking the APC again.

[@AccurateBeats]

Give it a try if you get the opportunity! This one is all plastic but feels solid anyways. It’s great too see that they keep working in the product line :)

[@big-baby-buddha]

Same. I held off on getting it due to the downgrade to the build quality. Maybe the next iteration?

[@Drrolfski]

Always nice to see additions to the Ableton ecosystem. But unless I also want to sequence a lot of hardware I would probably prefer a secondhand Push 2 when I'm in the market for a somewhat affordable Ableton controller.

[@AccurateBeats]

Yeah, that might be true. More ways to be creative is never a bad thing and having another competitor in the space could be beneficial to everyone ;) Thanks

[@rivemnfingers9133]

Can anybody tell me if this works with iOS

[@thomaspipermusic]

the push 3 is better this is more competition for the launchpad pro

[@AccurateBeats]

Yeah, that’s probably right. I think this one is somewhere in between 🤓

[@big-baby-buddha]

No faders or encoders? Sad trombones.🥺

[@dannyvalentino328]

The channel strips take the place of encoders. One advantage is that you can control more than one strip simultaneously, whereas with encoders it’s just one at a time.

[@rivemnfingers9133]

Does this work with IOS

[@sergoz123]

Hardly. This doesn't have close to the features of a push. Sure, the push is a bit cumbersome for live playing, but if you can afford a push you can afford to throw in a LaunchControl XL. The APC64 is a downgrade from the APC40 MK2. No fader, no knobs. Touch strips are stupid. One tiny amount of sweat and they become unusable. They're inaccurate, too. This is a LaunchPad with more tracks. It's kinda cool for syncing hardware synths, but for Ableton I much rather have a LaunchPad Pro MK3 + LaunchControl XL. They both cost roughly the same as this misunderstanding.

[@2010freeworld]

Werde ich mir auf jeden Fall kaufen, weil bei dem Preis kann man nichts verkehrt machen.

[@denkron3032]

❤❤❤ in the trash push 3

[@AccurateBeats]

Yeah, I’m torn… This one will surely fit some users really well. Push 3 is maybe in its own category though 🤓

[@juancamilo4684]

NO KNOBS???? pass

[@ruffiankick]

Lmaoo. I agree.

[@iamanzio]

And no faders…. 😢

[@TheBeakertube]

​@@iamanzio😑

[@thedinnerdate]

This like a worse push 2 which you could probably easily find used for an extra $100 right now.

[@nested_King]

It’s okay, but not better than Push 3

[@ulyssesbenton8082]

no crossfader 😩

[@AccurateBeats]

Nope… The touch sliders are great for what they are but nothing beats a real fader, 100%

[@big-baby-buddha]

Right? Or encoders..Pfff🤦‍♂️

[@inspector-tech]

I don’t think the Push 3 needs to raise an eyelash let alone an eyebrow over this. Pretty poor design Akai. Stick to MPC’s… you’re pretty good at that…

[@DankePlace]

Did you just compare something that cost 4 times more? wow

[@inspector-tech]

@@DankePlace Ha ha!! Yeah I know 🙄 i’ve been watching way too many Push 3 videos lately so my bad 😁

[@LeeOnTheTrack]

akai designed the push lol.

[@DankePlace]

@@LeeOnTheTrack only the 1st one.

[@inspector-tech]

@@LeeOnTheTrack Akai designed the first Push. Ableton engineers designed Push 2 and 3. When I say 'Poor Design' let me elaborate. I believe Akai could do much better than this with their multiple decades worth of experience. On face value this box looks great! ( Like a mix of a Launchpad Pro mk3 and Maschine Jam). Very slick. However, the workflow & UX should have been thought out more thoruoughly b4 bringing this product to market. Like I said they have decades of experience but bring out something I feel could be much better at this price point. Example, it seems it's very easy to trigger the touchpads accidentally and this is an absolute no-no if performing live or recording. Surely Akai must know this? It seems you really need to 'study' this piece of equipment beforehand to know all its quirks which it appears could lead to killing your inspiration, interupting your workflow, prevent you from getting your ideas down quickly rather than being intuitive and allowing 'happy accidents' to happen...

[@psycheadfuzzfreak830]

Free Palestine 🇵🇸

[@oskie66skye]

Another over priced gadget controller.