Akai MPC Key 61: Beating Its Competition?

[@Aurelian76]

Always a pleasure watching your videos Darrick. Thanks for another great one. Cheers from Toronto.

[@marctronixx]

To the publisher of this video, brilliant work here explaining the akai. I am not interested in the sounds as I already have one and an mpc, but would like to see you do more videos on the architecture of the akai - just going through actually marketing a program and using the sub mix, etc. there’s so many tools under the akai hood. Thanks again for your direct no nonsense videos. I appreciate you getting right to brass tacks and not wasting time with a lot of fluff intro videos and ish… KZbin recommends your channel to me (no doubt for the akai content) so I’ll be back when/if you do more akai 61 key stuff. Bravo work sir, bravo!!

[@darrickkeels6387]

Thank you for watching!

[@wattage2007]

Another thorough in-depth comparison video Darrick. Fantastic stuff.

[@mikewisdom8925]

Great job explaining these feature in this product sir!....I have the Mpc live and you made it 100 percent clear and gave me another approach to go about creating on the Mpc platform... THANKS!!

[@mesomrom]

Please do sounds comparisons between Akay MPC Key 61 and Roland, Yamaha or Korg and any others!!! That’s what we all waiting for. Thanks

[@williamtocajr.6483]

I haven't heard anyone demonstrate any acoustic instruments like Sax, trumpets and what not on an MPC. Are they in there?

[@th-wf3sz]

Greatly appreciate your insight brother!

[@joonglegamer9898]

Thanks again for an fantastic crystal clear video Darrick. You literally fried my brain with the Yamaha Montage Effects routing, but the AKAI MPC key was crystal clear and I learned a lot. (Btw. I have both the Montage and Akai). Btw. I've taken the time to mess around with HYPE and I gotta say it's a very much deeper synth than I thought, you even get two oscillators + LFO to mess around with so we can go crazy deep with it. That said - we will run out of polyphony real fast though. Not so with the Montage. I might keep my Montage as a "sound donor" to the AKAI, and the AKAI for what it's best at - music production.

[@moonsofjupiter]

I believe the MPC has 192 note polyphony. I've never ran out and do complex things with many tracks. MPC gives you a lot more flexibility on how you use your sounds and effects though...

[@jakesanchez3970]

@@moonsofjupiter I ran out of polyphony demoing one doing a simple production. This was concerning to me and gave me serious pause. Another owner expressed the same issue in their review.

[@Hka...]

Very imformative video . For a finished or polished mastering production will this keyboard give results as good as on mastering software plugins

[@starlight2474]

Darrick Keels another outstanding in depth look at Akai MPC Key 61!!! If this sells well Akai should build more on to this concept of Dawless stand alone workstation unit with 76 key version and why not 88 key version with premium keybed and lots of faders and more knob encoders for macros. Bring future updates for more great sounding software instruments to add on. This can only get better and better if Akai will continue to bring hardware and software together in a quick user friendly UI that inspires musicians to creation of music by inspiring sound content. Thank you Akai and thank you Derrick Keels for sharing your time and musicianship with the social musician community.

[@darrickkeels6387]

So far so good as far as sells are concerned. The largest online retailer in the US sold out in a few hours after the launch.

[@marcusholder495]

Stay blessed brother 🙏 i really appreciate you and your videos are 🔥 📛 👩‍🚒

[@matthewgaines10]

Thanks for the detailed analysis. How would your rate the quality of the effects on the Montage vs the Akai? Akai’s reverb isn’t an industry best and once or twice I have been tempted to buy and chain a Roland SP404MkII to an MPC just because it’s effects sound great. I haven’t but the temptation has been out there. I think the Fantom will be just as good. I’m not going to lie. The Akai seems like the keyboard I always wanted but could not have. Now that I can have it, I look at my MPC One and Live 2 and ask myself should I get it. I fought getting a Live 2 because I didn’t “need” it but eventually gave up on the fight because the speakers, additional I/O, WIFI and Bluetooth. I foresee holding out for a time on the Key 61 and finally making the jump. I speculate the Fantom, Kronos, and Montage have better built in patches but the Key 61 is serviceable enough for my needs. If you have something you must have from those keyboards, you can always auto sample it into the MPC. Thanks again for dropping knowledge. A lot of MPC content is focused around making beats and you sold me on the MPC as a tool for making other forms of music. I have you to thank for making me an Akai user.

[@darrickkeels6387]

Hey Matthew! Always nice to see you hanging around my little channel! The reason I have a multiplicity of keyboards is because they all have their strengths and weaknesses. The RD2000 has a great keybed, solid aluminum construction, and really excels at controlling other gear quickly, easily on stage and in the studio. But its sounds for the most part are not top-tier. Then Montage has some of the best sampled "real instruments" and a very powerful FM synth engine but it's best piano sounds take up 4 of the 8 available parts to play from the keybed. It only allows for 1.75GB of user space for samples. And it's sequencer is basically a scratchpad. My Nord has awesome pianos, EPs, organs, clavs and basic pads. But beyond that the sounds aren't top tier. The Kronos is a great all arounder and has a powerful sequencer and sampler. But everything takes 3x as long on a Kronos and it's age really shows when communicating with a DAW. The list goes on. I prefer Yamaha's reverb effects over pretty much everyone. But Roland and Korg are definitely strong in many areas. But when I'm wearing my "composer hat" the Akai wins because of its flexibility. It's a much easier task for me to make one sound really shine. But when you are mixing multiple sounds, solid basic effects in the right spots often really do the trick. The right low pass filter, hint of chorus, compression, reverb/delay sends can take a mediocre background vocal and make it shine. The issue with many keyboards out there is that they don't have the architecture to achieve this for background vocals. They may have a wicked bit crusher but no one leave a concert humming the bit crusher. Maybe I have a few guitars in the same song. They cannot share the same chorus as the vocals. They need their own. Just like they would have their own effects pedals if it were real guitarists playing. I now work as a live sound engineer. As I continue to learn about mixing, I've learned that a lot of sounds in a mix do not sound alone. Musicians on stage get their own mix so that they are happy but at FOH we are normally removing dynamic range from a piano, placing guitars in their own frequency "home," and finding ways to politely tell the bass player to turn down and remove their distortion effect all together because it's simply creating more "noise." While mixing live shows with pros I learned EVERY professional keyboard sounds "good" if mixed properly. I've never had issues with a mix because a person was using a Korg instead of a Yamaha. If I need the absolute most "realistic" sound as possible because a project is only a soloist and piano, I use a VST. Because really nothing beats those just due to the sheer size of the samples. I have VSTs that have 9GB pianos uncompressed. No workstation can compete. The entire Motif XF sound library is 741mb. The Montage is 5.67GB I believe. Every single sound fits into less space than one premium piano VST. But convience cannot be underestimated. Ideally I could play a real grand piano when I needed one. Hire a horn section when it was "horn time," and wheel in a Hammond B-3 for a wicked organ solo. But that isn't practical. A practical solution is using a synthesizer. So the quality of effects when singling out effects...I'd give the edge to Yamaha. But when stepping back and looking at the big picture, I'd choose the Akai any day of the week to compose on. Because it will get me to the finish line. But not just get me there. I'll arrive faster and easier.

[@matthewgaines10]

@@darrickkeels6387 Your channel is dope and I like getting those gems you drop. You turned me on to MPCs.

[@wurlinnawurl]

@@darrickkeels6387 that makes a lot of sense, I'm never blown away initially by the reverb.. but somehow when you start mixing and adding effects, I'm always able to get wicket sounds from the mpc effects and it is always kinda surprising.

[@allenholmankus8880]

Hi Darrick Another excellent review. As an amateur regarding the operation of various effects, please explain for me (and others in a similar position) the difference between editing effects for a given plug-in instrument eg Fabric XL and one of the "patches" contained within a given instrument ie. can each "patch" within an instrument have independently set effects, or can the effects be set only globally for the plugin instrument as a whole? Thanks again for the detailed and well-explained review -- please cover polyphony related matters in a subsequent review.

[@darrickkeels6387]

You can use the "regular" insert effects to add effects to any plug-in just like you can with any other program. However plug-ins do come with their own effects often times. These effects are less "general" effects and more catered to the plug-in itself. If you can it's probably best to do most of the individual plug-in effects work in the plug-in itself. It will save CPU power.

[@tgpword]

DK, can you use the MPC Expansions on this board?

[@darrickkeels6387]

Indeed.

[@tgpword]

@@darrickkeels6387 Thanks for sharing your knowledge Sir...Peace!!

[@tgpword]

@@darrickkeels6387 Could make a video that shows how to do this in the MPC KEY 61? Thanks, Sir!!

[@mpmi7588]

Peace Darrick. Thanks for this video. I have a serious question that gets unanswered or never shown how so I'll ask you. Can this keyboard trigger the sounds on the pads with the keys? If I midi a regular keyboard to my mpc live, I can play whatever is on the the pads. But NO ONE is showing this in videos. So I have a video suggestion for you PLEASE. Can you please upload a video showing how to trigger samples/drums that are assigned to the pads with the keyboard on this unit? A lot of people including myself would like to use the MPC KEY61 in the same manner as an ASR-10, Korg Triton, Roland Fantom etc. If this is not able to be done then, you can simply answer here with a NO. Lol. But if it can, man this would be an instant seller to people that love House music, Hip-Hop and even today's current version of Pop/R&B.

[@darrickkeels6387]

Yes you can play what is loaded on the pads on the keys.

[@IMakeBeats]

The Montage really look like nice board. Great video my friend. I have to agree, the MPC Key 61 is really doin the thang! 🤣If I was a better keyboardist like yourself I would get a Montage. maybe one day. Keep the videos coming my Friend... Thx for stopping by the channel as well. 👊

[@jp4751]

Has the key 61 became the master, or is te MPC One? Curious as to which one is midi'd up to sequence your other hardware.

[@darrickkeels6387]

The MPC Key 61 has certainly replaced the MPC One in the studio. I will probably sell it down the line but not yet. I still like its small form factor I still use the One to trigger backing tracks in live situations. Even though having both is redundant I am keeping the One because it has been rock solid in live performance. I haven’t actually updated to the latest software because new software updates often leads to new bugs. Once I get a solid operating system that does what I need it to do and does it reliably I do not change. Sure there may be a bug that occurs when reversing a sample that has been pitched up and time stretched. But that will not affect me because I do not work with samples that way. So while a sample-based producer may update their software to fix a bug like that, I won’t. I fully believe in the mantra, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Because I am paid when I play live, having gear that is reliable and works is more important than having the latest bells and whistles. But gradually the MPC Key 61 will replace the MPC One in virtually all applications, live and studio use. But that is a process that could take a year or more.

[@jp4751]

@@darrickkeels6387 Interesting. I still have my 2500 and I don't have any immediate plans to sell it, but I would prefer the hybrid workflow. I am debating between a Key 61, Live, or One. I have other hardware that is going to be midi'd up so this would essentially be the master. I like the idea of the Key 61 as it is kind of the MPC I always wanted. When Roland came with the MV back in the day, I always longed for Akai to release a MPC where I could lay my ideas down and then clean up the midi on screen. If you have been in it a while, you already know the pain of programming your hook, chorus, etc as track mutes by bars, and piecing together a song. You also probably have had the fun of making multiple passes to record into the daw🤣. Hybrid flow allows me to put my stuff down to midi and then just cut, paste, drag, drop, etc...a lot easier and convenient. Unfortunately, I feel that the midi timing, and "feel" is better when you sequence hardware with hardware and not sequence hardware via MTC or Clock from a DAW. The Key 61 is calling my name, but I already have a few boards, but the workflow seems like it will streamline me.

[@souldreamer702]

I ordered one of these a couple of days ago. My question is, can I add plugins to the Akai ?

[@darrickkeels6387]

You can only use plug-ins made by Akai. If they allowed plug-ins made by everyone there would be stability issues I'm sure.

[@tonylancer7367]

Nice one Darrick! I'm not effects crazy (78 effects running at the same time is bonkers), but I am attracted to the half-time, vocal doubler, lo-fi etc. effects that the AKAI has (they sound really good). At this point, AKAI should reach out to you and make you their promoter, I'm not an AKAI user but the videos you've been pumping out have been amazing. Not that I want a comparison video, but if it is in the works, you could compare the AKAI to the "little boys" like the Fantom-0/MODX since they are in the same price range, and compare them to their bigger brothers to see if AKAI punches above it's weight, but to be honest, this keyboard is scaring all the big boys as it should be and give them something to think about.

[@darrickkeels6387]

Yup the Big Boys need to step it up. Ignoring it would be a mistake. There are several examples in business of a "little guy" being underestimated and by the time people recognized the threat it was too late. Sweetwater sold out within hours. So even the promotion was on point. They are now on backorder everywhere. The Fantom-0, Montage, MODX, Fantom, and Nautilus did not sell out that fast at launch. In fact if you want a Nautilus today you can just go get one of any size. A new workstation launches, sells out all over the world and the Nautilus is sitting in the shelf. That's a statement. They are currently offering $100 off and a free Nautilus sound library and no one is jumping at the chance to get this powerful workstation. The Kurzweil K2700 is sitting on the shelf. The Fantom-0 is in stock as well in any size. This means people opted to wait a month for the MPC and not buy the Fantom-0. Ed Diaz put out a video going over the sequencer in the Fantom-0 ASAP lol!

[@GospelMusic4Life]

@@darrickkeels6387 They pretty much pulled what apple did on moving completely to apple silicon. I don’t see how Roland, Yamaha, and Korg can do anything soon other than their keyboard prices going down and reprogramming the current boards somehow. I thought I wanted the Roland fantom 0 but that MPC is crazy aside from no physical sliders. Makes me rethink things especially since the price on the fantom went up.

[@darrickkeels6387]

@@GospelMusic4Life You can program the Q-Links to control the volumes of your sounds.

[@followyourpassion8378]

Negotiated pre-owned prices (06/2024) in my area, all synths in very good to mint condition: Nautilus 61 (no AT) 1350 Montage 6 1700 MODX6 750 MODX6+ 850 Motif XF 7 1200 Motif XS 6 800 Genos 1 1900 PSR-SX900 1250 Akai MPC Key 61 1000 MODX8 850 (auction end price) Which one would be the ultimate price/function&sound winner in this set?

[@realmusic4you]

Great Review and explanation: You covered most of the MPC Key 61 capabilities. Can you demonstrate how to insert on each pad the intro the chorus the verse the bridge, the solo, ending, to complete the whole song for export just using the pads? I immediately subscribed.

[@darrickkeels6387]

I will consider that.

[@markjwgraham7842]

Brilliant and thorough explanation as always sir! I get great pleasure seeing you get serious about the details, AND having immense fun with what that knowledge unlocks. Question for you - Within your playing context at church/gigs, do you play much piano/keys from 61-key instruments like this, or are you primarily using it as a track controller? I ask as I find 61-keys fine for production, or playing with tracks/bands where the low-end is already covered, but for solo/accompaniment/smaller group work where I need to fill in the full sonic spectrum (without tracks), I really struggle with the shorter keybed. Run out of real-estate at the bottom, octave shift, then run out at the top, so end up octave shifting WAY too much... whereas with 73 it's barely an inconvenience. I'd welcome your thoughts on this to see if I can learn how to leverage such instruments better, e.g. how you work around this with 61-keys, or whether you don't really have to in the context of your main gigs, or something else entirely! Thanks in advance for your time.

[@darrickkeels6387]

I actually use the MPC very much like I use a computer. I use it mainly to play back backing tracks. I also typically have 5-6 auxiliary sounds loaded and ready to go. But most of my piano/EP or any main sounds I use one of my other keyboards. For my playing style 61 keys is too small. I can make it work in a pinch. But I normally run two or 3 keyboards at a time.

[@markjwgraham7842]

@@darrickkeels6387 gotcha. Makes sense to me. What’s the main board you’re using for normal playing at the moment?

[@darrickkeels6387]

The Fantom 7 or Roland RD-2000

[@markjwgraham7842]

@@darrickkeels6387 lovely. Sound and keybed on the RD is sublime.

[@borntrue3621]

Appreciate all your videos, very nice. You should have way more likes, subs and a gear sponsor by now. Subbed when I seen your Montage/MODX reviews. I was on the fence and thinking of grabbing a new board so I could still work if the Mac was down etc.. I have an old XP-80 which is pretty much a controller at this stage given the VST market. The weights have fallen out of the keys and the pitch bend is shot. I grabbed the Fantom 0 76 key about two weeks ago unaware that it has a lot of XP-80 patches. I likely have tired ears trying to discern a sound difference w/ the new engine so stepped away from that. I dig the all the new technology on the Fantom of course but would you have considered another option based on the patch list given I have the XP-80? To be honest, your review on the new Akai 61 has me thinking. It looks promising, though I'd prefer a 76/88 key bed.

[@darrickkeels6387]

Yes Roland really likes recycling sounds. With that said the Fantom is truly a awesome keyboard. The Akai only comes in a 61 key version currently.

[@roggyo]

Thanks for one more great video. AKI looks OK, but to be honest Yamaha sounds much better. Yamaha has less FX comparing to AKAI, but Yamaha FX seems to sound much better than AKAI. And Yamaha samples sound better if I compare those few sounds that you played on Montage and AKAI in last few videos. For example I didn’t like the piano sound so much on AKAI. Otherwise I’m thinking what would be the best way to go DAW-less already few years and this AKAI seems to be one of options. Since you have so many gear I think you would be the right adress to ask what is the best option for making your own music DAW-less? I mean what else is there on the market? And how do Roland Fantom and Fantom-0 compare to AKAI and Montage if you want to make a music on it? BTW I have Yamaha MODX and you were one of few KZbinrs who convinced me that it’s good keyboard and you were right, because then it was the best option on the market for the price. And I like it for gigs because it’s light. I have Korg Wavestate and Roland Jupiter Xm as synths and Yamaha PSR SX900 as arranger keyboard. Now I’m considering buying one analog poly synth and thinking how to go DAW-less. :))

[@darrickkeels6387]

I think for most acoustic sounds the Yamaha beats every other keyboard the market in terms of sounds. That's just my own opinion. Well...I prefer Nord's acoustic pianos. But anyway you cannot really compare the Akai's sound by comparing it in this video. The brass sound I played on the Montage was a sound I actually gig with. It is 5 layers with effects meticulously dialed in. The sounds are panned differently and all the effects in the effects chain are designed to make this one sound great. When I played the Akai I just pulled up a sound. There were no layers played, nothing was panned. I then proceeded to add one effect to demonstrate how the effects architecture is set up. The reality is this. If I had a full song with 12 different tracks on the Yamaha I couldn't have the effects set up in the same way. The variation effect, master effect and reverb return is all designed to bring about one sound. If I had a guitar track, drum track, bass track etc, I'd have to change the variation effect to something more "neutral" that could benefit all of the instruments. So the synth brass you heard cannot be called up and used in a song as is. Not to mention it takes up 5 of my 8 "playable tracks" and 5 of 16 of my entire track count. The Montage has great guitars but a lot of the effects that make them sound so great would be stripped away in a mix. You would be left with two inserts. And a lot of the guitar sounds use up multiple parts. So you will run out of tracks quickly using a guitar that takes up 4 parts and a synth brass sound that takes up 5. Once you start using single part sounds the quality diminishes quite a bit. The Akai's architecture is better suited for managing multiple effects across multiple tracks that vary greatly. I can set up a group of brass sounds using four (not two) inserts on each sound. I could then send every sound to a submix to bring them all together. The submix would be 4 more effects of my choosing. I could then do the same thing with guitar sounds. The Montage will run out of routing options a lot faster than the Akai which will require compromises and workarounds. Those compromises result in diminished sound overall. It would be even more noticeable in the MODX which is actually the direct competition of the Akai not the Montage. Because you only get insert effects on 12 channels not 16 (Technically 14 channels if you are counting the input). In Yamaha's defense, it's not a workstation. It is a synthesizer. And as a synthesizer it absolutely kills the Akai. The sound editing parameters available in the Montage/MODX exceed the Akai by quite a bit. Once you start seriously composing the Yamaha will require a DAW right away where the Akai doesn't. I believe that today the Akai is the best keyboard for people who want to make full songs on their keyboards or for those who don't want to use a DAW until the mixing and mastering stage. However if you are happy using a DAW in the studio and you actually use your keyboard for playing live in gigs...well the "Big 3" still beat the Akai. However, the Akai could truly be one or two updates away from seriously competing in that area too. If they implement disk streaming, load times and plug in track limits would virtually go away. One mind-blowing "sound pack" that utilized keygroups instead of VSTs could really compete with Yamaha's sound as well. So right now the "future" is Akai. But if you own another keyboard and it is meeting all your needs there is NO reason to run out and purchase the Akai.

[@roggyo]

@@darrickkeels6387 Thank you for so detailed reply. I think currently Roland Fantom is the best workstation there. AKAI is OK, but they still need experience to reach the big 3. I agree with you that Yamaha has the best sounds of acoustic instruments and if I’m using sound of real instruments it will usually be the Yamaha. But on the other side Roland beats Yamaha and everyone else in synth sounds. Especially before Montage and MODX came to market, Yamaha sampled synth sounds were not so good. FMX engine provided Yamaha with synth sounds but still there is a lack of synthesized sounds in Montage/MODX comparing to Roland’s keyboards. That’s why I own Yamaha MODX and PRS SX900 for sounds of real instruments and Roland Jupiter Xm for synth sounds. Actually today I had one more purchase after 10 months. I said I’m gonna buy real analog synth and I was considering Sequential Take 5, but I bought myself ASM Hydrasynth because I really liked it when I tried in music store. If you want it can sound as analog and it sounds very warm, much warmer than Roland’s synths, because Roland synths are known for punchy sounds. When I was reading interview from designer of Hydrasynth he said that he was inspired mostly with Prophet synths and I guess that’s why it sounds so warm. Take 5 synth is good but it sounds almost like a digital synth, comparing to flagship Sequential models Prophet 5 or 10, 6 or OB6. So Take 5 would be huge compromise not only with size, but with sound as well and it’s because of price. Except the sound I like Hidrasynth because of ribbon and polyphonic aftertouch. I guess you are not so much in synths because you are a pianist, but believe me that poly aftertouch makes huge difference in playing because it enables you a lot of possibilities for expression. That’s the reason why Vangelis loved Yamaha CS-80, it had ribbon and poly aftertouch and he could play strings sections realistically with vibrato. Interesting that poly aftertouch after CS-80 disappeared for several decades from all keyboards (including Yamaha) until recently. Besides that ASM Hydrasynth has a lot of possibilities for modulations. It’s virtual analog wavetable synth and it has FM synthesis as well. When I said I want to go DAW-less I didn’t mean only workstations as a possibility/solution, but I thought is there some box that has decent sequencer, audio and MIDI recording possibilities and FX section? Did you ever come across some box that could do it decently?

[@darrickkeels6387]

@@roggyo I think sounds largely come down to personal opinion. There are people who actually prefer Roland's V-Piano to any of Yamaha's acoustic pianos. Others prefer Kurzweil's strings to Yamaha's strings and vice versa. It's hard for me to declare a certain keyboard the "winner" based off of sound because there is rarely anything about sound that can be objectively measured. Features wise the Roland Fantom can be the best workstation for some but not others. If you play traditional jazz, classical, cinematic music, or some other type of music that would be hindered by loop-based recording, it's tough to argue that the Fantom is the best workstation if you want to work in a dawless environment. Hard to recommend the Fantom to a sound designer that works primarily with FM synthesis. Likewise it is hard to recommend it for full musical projects when it only allows one insert effect (called a multieffect in Fantom lingo) per track. Or a limit of 16 tracks and no audio tracks. The Akai is 128-Track sequencer. It allows 4 inserts per pad, four inserts per program, 8 submixes each with four inserts, 4 returns with 4 inserts each, and four inserts per master. So when we talk about "catching up to the Big 3" we must be specific. Because in many ways Akai has surpassed the Big Three. I think the best boxes out there are also MPC's. When comparing features per cost the race is just really not close if you are looking for a "DAW in a box." Others may prefer a MC-707 for its Zencore editing parameters or a Deluge but if we are strictly looking at the amount of features the Akai wins. Of course if you don't need those features lol....then clearly it can be a waste of money. The best workstation for me is the Fantom. I don't need linear recording. I do most of my recording in Ableton Live and Roland has the most seamless DAW integration with Ableton Live. I perform 90% of my recordings live and I prefer sliders and real-time controls like knobs. But I can really only objectively argue that the Fantom is best in certain areas or that Akai is the best in certain areas. After that I let the experts decide what they want to buy based on how they work.

[@roggyo]

@@darrickkeels6387 Exactly! I forgot to add that it’s the best for me personally, according to my taste. You mentioned Kurzweil and I completely forgot about it. New Kurzweil workstation has great sounds! I think that most of us give advantage to sounds we used on. For example if I used my ears on Yamaha pianos, I will often choose to practice on sound of Yamaha pianos, because it behaves as I expect it to behave. But I realized and it’s my honest opinion that Roland, Yamaha and Korg all have great piano sounds and on the end it’s really just a matter of taste. I like what Roland did with V Piano, because it’s actually some kind of synthesis that behaves like a piano, not samples comparing to Yamaha pianos. But I don’t have a Fantom to play it. I have Roland RD pianos on Jupiter Xm, but they are not as Yamaha, although they are layered with 4 so called partials. But if I would have Fantom, maybe after few months of playing V Piano, I would prefer it over Yamaha pianos. I’m really trying to be objective as much as possible too, but I admit that I needed some time to stop being Yamaha fan boy. And I needed some time to give a chance to other manufacturers that are not members of big 3 club. That’s why I wanted Sequential Take 5 but ended up with Hydrasynth from ASM. It’s my first keyboard that doesn’t belong to some of big 3. :))

[@followyourpassion8378]

On the pre-owned market, a MPC Key 61 is maybe a little less or similarly priced to a Motif XF6. That says a lot. Motif XF = internal software is stable, good but old sounds, good DAW integration with Cubase, very good keybed, comprehensive sequencer If you are looking for an over-performer (price/function&sound), a used MODX6, which is considerably less, has the best bang for the buck at the moment. I think comparing on price points helps. Somewhere I posted some prices for used stuff and I'll add it here.

[@eddie9501]

Damn they should make you their spokesperson. Now here is the real question. I have the modx+ the touch sucks. How is the touch on the akai 61. The sounds are kind of weak tho on the akai 61.

[@park171]

Really would like disk streaming. But that will be in the future. Akai is on the right path.

[@richsandness5409]

Hmm, So many options and dimensionality, to layer & kraft one's own "sonic Picasso". (A "good thing") ... However, if someone is not careful, they could risk becoming overly "mixed" up. 😉 (Kidding!) But seriously, I do believe you got your point across very well, as regards "production" aspects. (Very robust, indeed. To me, that's a blessing in capability, ... and desirable Darrick.) As to your Question in closing, I would be interested in sound comparisons, in general, as to the sounds that synths come with, out of the box, and I would be interested mostly between this MPC keyboard and Roland Fantom ("O" series) but, as secondary choice, also Yamaha's latest keyboard with closest price point range (i.e. Not necessarily the Montage, but whatever's convenient.) Thank you for insightful details and comparison on! 🤔 👌

[@Ast3rixMusic]

This was an education for sure. I haven’t used the sequencer on a workstation keyboard in years and you covered the exact reason why I moved away from that path for music production. I would have thought that after decades of making keyboards that are targeted as “workstations” that Roland, Korg, and Yamaha would have focused harder on improving those areas that make it a workstation. They excel at sounds only in my opinion, however if they honestly would invest in updating the sampler, disk recording, and sequencer areas all 3 would actually be what they advertise. I am an akai force user and like the workflow of the clip recording as well as the sampling features. The thing that attracted me to it was the Ableton export features so I can take my creations and import them directly into Ableton and do all the creative mixing and mastering.

[@darrickkeels6387]

Thank you for watching!!

[@jp4751]

Just checking in making sure you are good.

[@darrickkeels6387]

I am indeed. Playing and creating lots of music.

[@jp4751]

@@darrickkeels6387 Hadn't seen a video in a bit so figured you must be busy.

[@terrorbytez6537]

Honestly at the end of the day...Look how much support akai offers with their updates vs Yamaha...Im no akai fanboy but I do recognize after product support when I see it especially in the music gear.

[@followyourpassion8378]

I am in no position to compare, but the updates that Montage/MODX received were pretty substantial.

[@Damianthelovetour2024]

I think native instruments is going to come out with a keyboard with there komplete 14 ultimate library can imagine playing the gorgeous Noire piano

[@THE.MICHAEL.ANGELO]

You didn't compare the effects between the instruments. The Montage sounded so beautiful but when it came to the Akai you didn't play the keyboard to demonstrate any differences. Can you do a video on that? Thanks Bro. Excellent video btw! So thorough in the explanation of how to apply/ edit the effects!!

[@darrickkeels6387]

Unfortunately that was not the objective of this video. Both keyboards have tons of effects and they can both arrange those effects in millions of combinations. Not to mention the underlying instruments have a variety of oscillators, LFOs, ADSR etc before they even hit the effects block. Yes the Montage sounded great.🙂 But you must keep in mind that one sound used up 5 of the 8 available parts you have to play from the keybed and 5 of the 16 total tracks you have. Furthermore all of the returns were set to parameters to benefit a synth brass sound. If you wanted to add a bass, lead guitar, drums, percussion, piano, and flute those sounds would not really benefit from the way the variation effect was set up. And if you wanted a delay, chorus and flanger on your guitar sound you wouldn't be able to do it without sacrificing the quality of synth brass sound. Because with only two insert effects you cannot use 3 effects in a track without resorting to using some sort of "master effect." So getting an overall better sound over a multiplicity of instruments is going to be much easier on an MPC than it is on a Montage. This is what makes it a better buy for composers and producers.

[@THE.MICHAEL.ANGELO]

@@darrickkeels6387 WOW! Your reply said it all! The fact that just that one sound setup required 5 parts alone (out of only 8) does break any consideration of getting the Montage. I'm coming from years of owning a Motif XF7 (since early 2011) which finally gave up a few days ago and I'm looking into getting a replacement. I knew the Montage line is what replaced the Motif line but this new Akai MPC Key 61 just came out and I was concerned that if I got it, I'd be downgrading. Having the pads wasn't a deal breaker for me since I have the MASCHINE but I'm thinking that now with the advanced system in place and the fact that it's a standalone keyboard, the Akai MPC Key 61 just might be the one! Thanks for the thoroughly awesome reply Bro! It helped so much! Looking forward to more vids!!!!

[@sylburnarthurs4398]

Thanks for your thoughtful review. I do believe if they added knobs and sliders the appeal of this keyboard would jump considerably above even the good place where it sits today. Also including streaming from the disc.

[@syncMixer]

You do a good job of describing how it beats the competition. I'm wondering if those things are important enough for you to use it instead of the competition?

[@darrickkeels6387]

It depends on what I am trying to do. FM sound design? I am reaching for the Montage. A live performance auxiliary keyboard?...the Montage is better at that task. Recording a song from start to finish? The Akai is absolutely what I would reach for. Any sampling or sequencing inside of a hardware unit, I reach for the Akai without hesitation.

[@cadoanduong2990]

Could you please tell me how is the keybed quality of MPC 61 compared to Montage?

[@darrickkeels6387]

It's not as good as the Montage. But the Montage does cost over $1000 more.

[@cadoanduong2990]

@@darrickkeels6387 Thank! So is the keybed the same as the Komplete kontrol S61 MK2?

[@darrickkeels6387]

@@cadoanduong2990 It's not the "same" keybed but about that level of quality.

[@mounirlucmaghraoui357]

Hello guy, Thanks for this brief explanation of how the effects are implemented on the two machines ! But there's something I don't understand: you have 16 layers on the Montage with each two inserts effects which make 32 effects in total. Is it right? For the MPC-keys, do you have layers and how many one can you use at the same time? I do undestand that the price range for the two gears is also very diffrent !

[@darrickkeels6387]

In the MPC you get 128 Programs (layers) and 4 insert effects on each program.

[@mounirlucmaghraoui357]

How it works with the limitation of 8 plug-ins at the same time?@@darrickkeels6387

[@darrickkeels6387]

@@mounirlucmaghraoui357 A plug-in is only one type of program. You can use key groups (up to 128), drum programs (programs that have samples on the pads), clip programs, and MIDI programs.

[@mounirlucmaghraoui357]

@@darrickkeels6387 I know that cause I'm using an Akai Force which runs, with some differences, the same OS. But my question is, and sorry if it's not clear enough: once you have layered the 8 plug-ins for the same track, how do you layer other melodic instrument?

[@darrickkeels6387]

@@mounirlucmaghraoui357 You cannot layer plug-ins on to one track. Each "layer" is its own track. If you use 8 plug-ins in a recording and you would like to add in more you would have to bounce your plug-in to a sample to free up more plug-in slots. But you cannot have more than 8 plug-ins in a project.

[@suelikesspurs]

What sounds does the keyboard come with before you spend $500 to get all of the nice plugins? Did you spend $500? If you are going to do sound comparisons, can you do them on an unexpanded machine?

[@darrickkeels6387]

It comes with all of the plug-ins. You only have ti buy them if you want to use them in a MPC X, Live, Live 2, One, or Touch.

[@suelikesspurs]

Thanks for putting me right on that point Darrick.

[@MrSirMargas]

MPC is not a workstation for gigs, so what's the point? Having it for studio? I can use my powerful daw

[@darrickkeels6387]

Because some people don't like using DAWs and they really only do so because "workstations" are so underpowered. Workstations were originally designed to be used in the studio. The Korg M1 was the first workstation and it was a big hit because it allowed players to actually record on their keyboards without using other devices. Lastly, it CAN be used on gigs. I just wouldn't say it's the best tool. Just like a Montage can be used in the studio. I use mine on gigs to play backing tracks. I can take it instead of a laptop and I use it as a top-tier keyboard as well. But buying an MPC Key 61 just to play live and never do any recording is a waste of power to me.

[@MrSirMargas]

@@darrickkeels6387 first of all good job with your videos! It seems that MPC is a good tool instead of taking a laptop , but it is more or less the price of a powerful Apple MacBook. But I see the point, myself I like synths instead of laptops ;)

[@marctronixx]

@@darrickkeels6387 underrated comment.

[@GospelMusic4Life]

@@MrSirMargas That is something to think about if mostly buying a Mac for music production. Get this and a windows computer or a used Mac.

[@park171]

There’s so much going for the MPC platform. Keep in mind that MPC hardware also has its own DAW, while Montage, Kronos and Fantom don’t. My personal thoughts, as long as Akai dosnt add too many features and just polish some of the existing things… the Akai’s production machines would be in a league of their own. Peace Darrek

[@darrickkeels6387]

Agreed!

[@trackworkz1793]

Montage comes with Cubase AI therefore does have its own DAW 👍

[@park171]

@@trackworkz1793 yes true. But it’s not as integrated and the work flow in the montage is different than Cubase. But it is the closest you can get, the next level it MPC. Although Cubase is a monster DAW…!

[@frankr7239]

What is a better keyboard Yamaha mod or akai

[@darrickkeels6387]

It really depends on what you are looking for and how you plan to use your keyboard. They both have strengths and weaknesses.

[@frankr7239]

Which is a better keyboard Akai or a genos

[@darrickkeels6387]

Those are two totally different categories. The Genos is an arranger and the MPC Key is a workstation. Neither is "better." They have different jobs.

[@frankr7239]

@@darrickkeels6387 can you explain what they mean

[@darrickkeels6387]

@@frankr7239 An arranger comes with preprogrammed "styles" like: Jazz, Latin, Pop, Rock etc. The keyboard plays these prerecorded backing tracks and follows your chord changes. A workstation doesn't have styles. It is normally designed for the musician to make music completely on their own. So they give you all the tools to compose and perform music but there is less prerecorded material.

[@EyeGotSoul]

Maan I love my Key 61.

[@JaySain69]

Aw man I got to get 1 of them🏆

[@NDHDStudios]

I’m gonna attempt to be a much better musician with the KEY61 ✊🏽

[@Melodic623]

They’re eq on the mpc

[@frankr7239]

Akai would be good for recording using as a recording studio with no computer needed it rpobably the best keyboard on the market at the moment in recording wise as a studio.as well if it has all musical instruments not just for hip hop it would be good as well for all music genres

[@alphabeets]

Right?

[@88keyz]

👍🏾🔥👍🏾🙏🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

[@g-soul4771]

I wish people would stop comparing the MPC Keys to a workstation. It can be compared to ARS 10 but you can get a lot of bread and butter Ensoniq sounds that fit together and make it into a workstation. MPC Keys is just another MPC. It has all of these weird incomplete sounds that where just thrown together.

[@darrickkeels6387]

So the Korg Kronos is a workstation. It has a ton of sounds, sound design capabilities, a sequencer and a sampler. The Roland Fantom and Fantom-0 are workstations. They have have a ton of sounds, sound design capabilities, a sequencer and a sampler. A Yamaha Motif is a workstation. They have a ton of sounds, sound design capabilities, a sequencer and a sampler. The Akai MPC is NOT a workstation. Though it has a ton of sounds, sound design capabilities, a sequencer and a sampler. Okay. So we are supposed to compare it to a keyboard that came out in 1992 made by a company that went out of business in 2002? Okay.

[@g-soul4771]

@@darrickkeels6387 It just don’t give me that vibe. I might try to buy the extra sounds pack to give it a chance. It’s just seems so much like Kontakt.

[@darrickkeels6387]

@@g-soul4771 It's definitely a different vibe. 🙂

[@g-soul4771]

@@darrickkeels6387 I just bought the fabric bundle and that made It a workstation plus more. You are right, I just had to open up to it.

[@marcusdo2000]

I can't compare the Montage with the Akai, it's unfair.

[@darrickkeels6387]

Why is it unfair?

[@gibson2623]

Not at all. A fantom 0 or a Modx+ is much better, anyday.

[@anthonyalexander7246]

Montage is garbage, should of kept the motif line, big mistake.

[@darrickkeels6387]

😂😂😂. That's funny. It's not how I feel but the blunt honesty made me laugh.

[@anthonyalexander7246]

@@darrickkeels6387 I had them all, fantom, motif, montage, kronos, nautilus, m1, I loved the m1, , but my mpc one is the best for me, with keys better, it's like an asr 10, but easier to use.

[@anthonyalexander7246]

Ts 10 ensoniq.

[@anthonyalexander7246]

@@darrickkeels6387 I even had a geno's, you couldn't edit those beautiful sounds what a bummer.

[@darrickkeels6387]

@@anthonyalexander7246 Yes the Genos is a nice arranger keyboard!