Akai MPC Key 61 - Studio Strings Instrument Overview

So many keyboards fall short when it comes to the string sounds, but what about the Akai MPC Key 61? In this video I go through the Studio String instrument in the MPC Key 61 and demo some sounds, show you the various controls, and walk through the many string combinations possible with the Studio String instrument. I think this is a tremendous instrument with many great sounds. I can't wait to do some recording on the MPC Key 61 with these strings as well as use them live to see how they fit into the mix!
What do you think? Are the string sounds on the Akai MPC Key 61 a win or a fail?
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Thanks for watching and comment below with any questions you have and I will answer them as soon as I can!

[@michaelgrant5312]

Very beautiful sounds from a very powerful keyboard

[@obyte1world522]

I like what I heard. The string sounds are really nice and I think they are all useful in my kind of music. The level of control to shape the sounds are deep but easy to access. Thanks for the demo. Can't wait to have my hands on one.

[@alexxchavezee]

I'm so glad I ordered one of these. Strings are very heartfelt and these sound excellent 👍 thanks for posting!

[@DSoundman]

Awesome, congrats on your purchase, I hope you love it as much as I do!

[@MaverickM1]

Subscribed after watched the first mpc key 61 video, no regrets. Still following the series because I decided to order one and I would like to start above zero knowledge when it arrives. Thanks for sharing all this information it is really useful for someone like me with zero experience with akai’s mpc workflow.

[@INeedsMoneys]

The violin actually has its natural range above where you played it. Thats why it sounded a bit off compared to the rest. Its only sampled in a specific note range and violin is notoriously high pitched. Great video my guy, much appreciated 🙏

[@DSoundman]

Aaah, makes total sense, thanks for the clarification!

[@mrguitar5051]

Thank you for the info demo, more, please!

[@Noise-Conductor]

Thanks for the demo 🎹

[@dobozdij]

I knew it!!! The slow strings preset is a jaw-dropper for me too!

[@a2roland]

Thanks! Sounds wonderful!

[@ProjectOverseer]

They're very good, but compared to my Spitfire Audio collection (which I sometimes sample into my MPC) they sound of course, synthetic.

[@kenb7540]

Wow. That slow strings passage. 😮👏🏻👏🏻🎶🎶

[@colinodea2407]

Mines comes the morra so am major excited.

[@Marathi-hindi-Instrumental]

Wow .....!!! You are inspiring us to ' think '.....otherwise ..I am such a lazy guy , I use all TONES without editing ....😁😁....I am new to your channel and exploring it day by day.....🤗🤗🤗

[@EverettDudgeon138]

Hope they do a dedicated Studio Brass Instrument

[@DSoundman]

I hope so too!

[@demarketinggroep4198]

+1

[@KingFerithOnTheBeat]

Asi Sonido Estilo Strings Reggaeton Clasico de los 2000

[@joegrant413]

Hi, I've been enjoying your videos since putting a backorder in for this instrument. IMHO, the strings sound pretty good. But among the new Akai plug-ins, they get the most lukewarm reviews. I suppose I'll enjoy them for what they're worth, and AutoSample from the UVI sample library for the solo violins and cellos.

[@Talentocubano]

What type of sustain pedal do you use. Can I use the Nord 3 pedal unit or the Roland RPU-3? Great tutorials by the way.

[@happiestcamper7857]

I am really enjoying the content of you channell along with you ability to teach/communicate. I’m very interested in purchasing the MPC Key but have find that I am hesitant because of the lack of guitar instruments. I tend to utilize distorted guitars (power chords) in many songs. How do the distorted guitar instruments sound and are their any keyswitching capibitlites that would mimick different playing syles? Any chance that you could demo them? I’m also interested int the amp sims as well. Thank you for sharing your passion and talents!

[@DSoundman]

Thanks! Great suggestion! I’ll add that to my videos list and working on putting that together!

[@hjsworld3299]

Nice sounds, is this also available as VST?

[@user-jp3cq6ts2o]

Just got mpc key 61 your videos are excellent . I have a question when I play mpc through headphones great sound but when I take outputs to my tascam dp24sd multitrack the sound somewhat deteriorates ( can't use pc so thought would use tascam for extra vocal tracks ) any ideas? Many thanks and keep up the great work.

[@roymcdonald82]

Have you done a video on the guitar sounds in the MPC keys. They are very poor on lots of synths. If they're good I think I'm going to buy the keys.

[@DSoundman]

No I haven't made one yet, but it's on my list!

[@jrf1962]

Hello, It is possible to listen other orchestral sounds like classic guitars, sax, flutes, horns, trumpet, harmonic, brass, more natural instruments, cinematic sounds? Thanks

[@KingFerithOnTheBeat]

🙏🔥

[@eugenephillips481]

The real problem that keyboard makers do not address when creating string patches on keyboards is the way an orchestra ACTUALLY plays together when players are added. Hence the term “Divisi.” Simple explanation: When individual string players are added, the sound does NOT get bigger when in harmony…it gets smaller in harmony. The sound gets bigger when in unison. When we play chords on a keyboard (i.e. each finger represents a string player), the sound should get smaller and “divide” amongst your fingers. However, typical keyboard string patches get bigger as you add more fingers (players) to the harmony/chord. That “big sound” is cool feeling, but entirely fake sounding and not representative of an actual string section. For realistic strings, when playing a chord or harmony, those notes need to be “divided” over the divisi section. The actual number of players that we are hearing should not multiply once you start playing more notes. Solution: Keyboard manufacturers should either build divisi into the patches (I’m not a programmer, so I have no idea how complex that would be) or have a divisi option for the string patches. I am NOT a fan or user of “Arranger” keyboards. However, if you are curious how divisi works on a keyboard, take a look at the Yamaha Geno’s (and the old Tyros keyboard) “Ensemble Voice” mode. It actually has divisi built in that gets this right. The other issue is true legato…but that is another discussion…😂 I hope this makes sense.

[@mr.kreker1387]

Hey ! Can you give any experience about Key/Aftertouch settings? Keys feels realy hard for me.

[@anthonyalexander7246]

Strings are nice I must say.

[@lyas31]

can i change the attack the pan the eq etc on the sound ? there's no detailed specs on the akai site

[@spiralminus]

My fave is the ebert trundle stringstein

[@davidkapitany1240]

Can you build jazz style upright bass patches with this?

[@MusicIWrite]

What monitors do u use. Mine cause ringing in my ears while using this keyboard.

[@anthonyalexander7246]

Strings are good.

[@EdgyNumber1]

Any way to create that big, dramatic Hollywood strings sound?

[@billbradleymusic]

Sorry but that Cello sounds like a synth. Doesn't matter how surprised you act. We know you've heard them before. 😂 With that much said, it's otw to my house currently.

[@INeedsMoneys]

I see a lot of people hating on these strings, idk why tho. These are by far the best strings ive heard in either keyboard or plugin vst. Absolutely amazing. Its got such a rich sound to it

[@DSoundman]

I agree...very nice sounding strings. I'm stoked to finally have some good string sounds to use live and also in music I produce without needing to do a bunch of tweaking!

[@bigcdub]

If these are the best strings you've heard, obviously you couldn't have looked at the top Workstations, I already have these strings in my Live2, they have some good ones, but fall far short of those in my Montage and Kronos...

[@demarketinggroep4198]

@@bigcdub i think it's personal. I don't like the preset strings in the montage. But I also like the strings in the nord stage 3 which Dsoundman doesn't like. I do like these and the possibilities you have for tweaking. I think it depends where you use them. I mostly use an old motif sample that I ported to montage and nord, discostrings. They are rather aggressive but cut through on a stage (probably too synthy in a studio environment)

[@bigcdub]

@@demarketinggroep4198 Best strings to me are Kronos, hands down. EP’s and Piano, my Montage, Synths and brass and drums, my Fantom G8 (some strings and awesome pads too), but it’s all subjective in what you personally prefer…

[@INeedsMoneys]

@@bigcdub ive heard pretty much all there is. Been producing for 15 years.

[@fonsvanloenhout6620]

is there some animator mode like the session strings has from native instruments

[@isaacjones5385]

I use my Roland Cloud Strings or Orchestra for my strings, Iuse the Mpc 2 software with my key 61.

[@matthewgaines10]

A fair amount of MPC users have complained about the various Fabric components. I find them to be quite serviceable for my needs. Not perfect but good enough. Do they have Yamaha or Roland level articulations? No. But Roland and Yamaha don’t have an MPC quality sequencer. I think I’ll be ok for the moment.

[@room1271]

Can u get a good bagpipe sound for that keyboard?

[@tempmode37]

How do you use this without running out of memory if I use the strings on more than one track it's running out of memory just that fast

[@MaxJamMusic1982]

Still waiting for the preset EP’s video.

[@squeakD]

Is it true that you can only use 8 different plugins at one time in a song before you have to start using workarounds to free up resources? Can the MPC-61 do a full 16 trk song if all sounds came from just one plugin like Farbic, or would 8 tracks of Fabric sounds reach the limit?

[@DSoundman]

Yes, unfortunately that's true. It doesn't include drum programs, only plugin programs. The plugin programs reference a preset within an instrument, so as long as you have the same sound selected, you can use that plugin program across multiple tracks. For example, if you have a violin sound selected and you are building a multi part violin part, you could have each part on a separate track each referencing the same plugin program for the violin. What's interesting though is that each track can have four insert effects, so you could have the same sound, but make it sound somewhat different using the effects. I do this quite a bit with pianos. I'll have the same piano sound on multiple tracks where I mix and treat each track differently with effects to accomplish different things. So yes, while only 8 unique plugin programs are allowed, workarounds do exist to help overcome it. I'm really hoping Akai allows more with a future firmware release, but only time will tell!

[@squeakD]

@@DSoundman Thanks for the clarification. Honestly that news is a bit disappointing for something that is supposed to be a contender to a full synth/workstation. I have top workstations from Yamaha, Korg, and Roland, and I also have a full DAW set up with a large library of VST’s. If Akai is aiming this towards a DAW like environment, then they need to treat those plugins as such and give some of them like Fabric a proper multitimbral mode so that you wont run into this type of limitation. The Akai has some good sounds, but I’ve yet to see anything in regards to its workflow as a workstation that would move me to purchase it, and use it as such. Thanks for the response.

[@peterjessop1878]

MPC is actually much more powerful than a workstation in the studio environment. The plug in limitation is a problem if performing live (but only due to load time) but not in the studio. The reason is you also have 8 audio tracks and 128 midi tracks available. Sampled drums on the MPC are the best in the world and re sampling any sounds from either the plug ins or external hardware is a breeze. Sampling is not a workaround just a different workflow. The question is whether that workflow is for you.

[@squeakD]

@@peterjessop1878 The problem is that the MPC-61 is not a traditional workstation. It’s a beat makers workstation that moonlights as an all in one workstation. The workflow in that keyboard is geared towards and tailored for beat makers. The limitations with the plugin system would never be accepted within a traditional workstation. That would be like my Motif XF having 16 trks, but the user only limited to using a sound from only 5 categories. The purpose of the standalone all in one workstation is just that.., and while the MPC-61 certainly has some nice sounds and features, it’s hardly a kill all to the traditional workstation. My Fantom G is evidence of that, as even in 2022 it’s still a very relevant and capable workstation. Akai is trying to enter a market that has been dominated by several makers for decades now. Their first attempt is commendable, but they’ve a long way to go. The purpose of an intuitive workflow is consistency and not breaking the creative chain. If Yamaha, Korg, and Roland were producing workstations with a plugin limitation like the MPC-61, the consumer market would have handed their asses to them. LIke I said its a nice keyboard, but the workflow is geared more toward beat makers.

[@peterjessop1878]

@@squeakD Yes you are absolutely right it is not a traditional workstation and I completely understand that if you are used to that style of product then the MPC Key may not be for you. Interestingly I was never interested in workstations as they were not what they promised. IE a music production centre outside of a computer DAW. I think the MPC key is the closest we’ve ever got to that product. I suspect Native Instruments will be hot on their heels and it will also give Roland, Korg and Yamaha a kick up the arse too. In the end we will all benefit from the increased competition.

[@cepamoa70]

I'm not so convinced by the articulations. I.E. when playing fast legato, hitting each key a little bit hard make the bow hiiting hard the strings on each note, which is a very artificial sounding behavior ...Perhaps the algorithm should limit high midi velocities but the first when playing quite fast legato notes ?

[@lyas31]

can we split the keyboard ?

[@lyas31]

does it read sound fonts ?

[@joonglegamer9898]

A quick question for you - Have you tried testing the keybed yet? Try going trough every touch and see if it stays the same across the entire keybed.

[@DSoundman]

I'm not sure I understand what you're asking, sorry! Are you talking about testing the velocity of each of the 61 keys to see if they all respond the same when played?

[@seanfromdaheights1508]

@@DSoundman I think he's asking if the keybed is cheap and fragile like the Korg Krome ....

[@joonglegamer9898]

@@DSoundman Yes that's it. There's been reports of velocity errors on a lot of the first batch (my own included), and I've asked a lot of youtubers the same, and so far about half of them have to their surprise discovered that the keys don't have evenly distributed velocity sensitivity. Try to apply the same hit-speed gently on each key instead of just playing music.

[@demarketinggroep4198]

@@joonglegamer9898 it looks like a lot of cheaper models have this problem (modx also). I know cost cutting is important, but if you release a player's instrument make sure it's for the players, right?

[@souldreamer702]

The people that are hating are the ones who can’t afford anything so they criticize everything !!!! Me on the other hand just ordered one of these. I have many synths and this will go into my collection !!!

[@leifmarkthaler7809]

well, they dont sound better than 90ies roland ochestra pack for Jp1080 😅

[@The300ZXGuru]

if you want really good strings then just go get the samples of real instruments say from spitfire audio. they sound real because they are real sampled from nummen mics and real players

[@DarkRikko]

Why is so many reverb on EVERY instrument ??? Natural strings don’t always play in cathedrals.

[@DSoundman]

Haha that’s a good point….not sure why though. The presets in these instruments do have a lot of effects added to them. I often times go in and turn some of them off before recording!

[@StAegidius]

In my opinion there´s to much vibrato on this string and the vibrato beginns very early. The Strings in the Korg Kronos or Nautilus sounds better.

[@robertcallender2409]

Violinist and Pianist so all plugins have there draw backs even the Auto Sample has its limits use them for what they are TOOLS for creative expression of our ideas don't read into it if the tool fits what you do buy it use it if not.. Leave the peanut comments out..

[@edrumsense]

Please stop making this videos!! You are tempting me to buy something I don't have the money for!!

[@anthonyalexander7246]

Great features and sounds, keybed is Terrible. Awkward.

[@anthonyalexander7246]

$150 keybed and all plastic, kills the playing experience.

[@anthonyalexander7246]

Not impressed by fabric, hype much better

[@anthonyalexander7246]

The whole board feels very cheap to me, looks good until you play and touch it.. disappointed to say the least.

[@anthonyalexander7246]

Not worth $2000.

[@anthonyalexander7246]

All tech no quality.