AKAI Professional has released MPC 2.4, an update for the MPC X, MPC Live and MPC Software 2 that brings 28 AIR Music Technology Effects and the Mother Ducker side-chain processor.
The original AIR Creative FX collection has been included as part of Pro Tools since Version 8. With MPC 2.4, this suite of 16 mix essentials has been ported to MPC for use with standalone or desktop MPC software; this core range of effects has also been expanded to include 12 new plugins, including the AIR Channel Strip and AIR Transient.
Here’s what AKAI has to say about the new effects:
16 Classic FX from ProTools:
AIR Distortion: Instantly adds color to audio signals with multiple modes, and scalable amounts, of distortion.
AIR Enhancer: Enhances the low and high broadband frequencies of an audio signal.
AIR Ensemble: Applies fluid, shimmering modulation effects to the selected audio signal.
AIR Filter Gate: Highly-acclaimed plug-in that chops an audio signal into staccato rhythmic patterns with variable filtering, amplitude, and panning.
AIR Flanger: Applies a short modulating delay to the selected audio signal.
AIR Freq Shift: Shifts the audio signal’s individual frequencies, creating a unique effect.
AIR Fuzz-Wah: Adds color to an audio signal with various types, and varying amounts, of transistor-like distortion.
AIR Kill EQ: Instantly mutes the Low, Mid or High broadband frequency range independently from an audio signal – a popular effect with DJs and is commonly heard in contemporary electronic music production.
AIR Lo-Fi: Bit-crush, down-sample, clip and rectify the selected input signal.
AIR Multi-Chorus: Applies a thick, complex Chorus effects to an audio signal.
AIR Non-Linear Reverb: Applies a special gated or reversed Reverb effect to the audio signal, creating a synthetic, processed ambience.
AIR Phaser: Applies a phaser to an audio signal for that much sought-after “wooshy,” “squishy” sound.
AIR Reverb: Applies Reverb to the audio signal, creating a sense of room or space – perfect for Effect Send inserts or Main Effects inserts.
AIR Spring Reverb: A faithful emulation of the classic spring reverb sound.
AIR Stereo Width: A useful plug-in that creates a wider stereo presence within the source audio.
AIR Talkbox: Instantly add voice-like resonances to selected audio signals.
12 All-New Plugins
AIR Channel Strip: Specially written for MPC this channel strip combines multiple sections with a super-fast interface for getting incredible results. The equalization section features a high-pass filter, low shelf, high shelf, and a fully parametric mid-band. The dynamics section includes AIR compressor and gate algorithms, which are perfect for achieving hard-hitting drum sounds.
AIR Compressor: A production mainstay. Use this Compressor to change the dynamic range of a signal by automatically reducing its gain if it exceeds a certain level.
AIR Delay: A classic stereo delay featuring a feedback path that has a filter within it to shape the tonality of the repeats. The Ratio and Width parameters enable you to a achieve a wide range of stereo delay effects.
AIR Diff Delay: Delay line effect that is synchronized to the session tempo and uses an adjustable amount of diffusion, thus emulating the dissipation of echoes in reverberant space.
AIR Filter: Applies a filter to an incoming audio signal and then applies a selectable type of distortion and reduction to the filtered signal.
AIR Maximizer: A limiter specifically developed for professional mastering.
AIR Noise Gate: A classic gate effect with a dedicated denoise section to achieve a smoother gate effect with less audible chatter.
AIR Para EQ: Four-band parametric equalizer with four independent EQ ranges.
AIR Pitch Shifter: Transpose the pitch of incoming audio; a range of pitch shifting algorithms gives you a variety of flavors to experiment with.
AIR Pumper: Pumper creates a rhythmic pumping effect, similar to that of sidechain compression, with an assignable speed, depth and envelope shape.
AIR Transient: Add more attack to drum sounds, reduce the level of reverb or increase the sustain level a bass guitar.
AIR Tube Drive: Emulates the sound of the signal being played through a mildly “overdriven” tube amp, creating a warm, smooth-sounding distortion.
Also new in MPC Software 2.4 is the inclusion of the Mother Ducker and Mother Ducker Input plugins. The processors make it easy to create side-chain ducking effects in the MPC Standalone or desktop software.
Additionally, the internal architecture of clip programs has been improved, allowing MPC users to play up to 16 programs simultaneously. When changing tracks or changing a sequence, clips will continue to play, accommodating greater flexibility in live performance.
Pricing and Availability
MPC 2.4 is available now. The update is free for existing MPC Software 2 owners (2.0 – 2.3). MPC 2.4 is available as a new purchase for $199.99 for non-MPC product owners or as an upgrade from MPC Software 1 or MPC Essentials for $99.99.
The MPC Live has a few hiccups at lauch, but I would still say I am a very happy MPC Live owner. Some of these things should have been present at launch, like an easy way to sidechain and clips actually working in a useful way, but the amount of dope extras they’ve put in during its various updates I feel more than makes up for that slight. Yay Akai!
Yeah BABY!!!!! It’s like a new box all over again.
AKAI have realy proven themselves to be amongst one of the best hardware developers for continuously adding new free features….Congratulation s AKAI, this is outstanding (and the rumours of getting all the Force O/S stuff in V3 are mouth watering)
That would be amazing, having a better warp algorithm in standalone mode would be the bomb. The current effects are awesome though.
The FX sound great. Serious sound mangling is now possible. I forgive akai for not improving the workflow at all this round because they really nailed the side chain compression and awesome FX pack. There you go a positive comment
And what about audio track direct SSD streaming ? We need this !
not yet, neither MIDI multitimbrality / routing. fingers crossed for the next updates.
A post on gearslutz suggested it was coming in V3 (which will be the next update aligning with ‘Force’ with a Live like clip launcher etc). That would obviusly be amazing!
I spend two last night trying and testing the new Air Fx pack and a have to say to Akai, you nail it! The fx are studio grade quality, low cpu and low latency. Now the word “standalone” make really sense at all, but for studio use or production wise. For the “Live” portion, the menu driving make it not enough spontanius for performing. But with a little midi controller on the side, assign to the wanted control, the MPC remain enough “Live”. Thx Akai for the update!
Still not multitimbral. Will never consider until that happens. Thing has too much power to only be limited to physically playing one sound at a time. How many revs will it take?!?!
Damn. That’s quite an update. Way to go Akai. Got me thinking again…
+1 on audio disk streaming, it is very much needed in the MPC and the Force I imagine. So far the only thing letting the MPC down for me is the RAM limitations with respect to creating and playing back longer audio recordings. I’d really like to record jams of guitar and synths across the 8 audio tracks and then use all those cool MPC programs to do all the classic MPC stuff. And to do all this without hitting the RAM ceiling (due to large audio files eating up all the RAM) means disk streaming is a required.
Sure there is controller mode but for me the ideal is to sketch out tracks in standalone mode only, so that I can be free of a computer monitor, keyboard, mouse and IT tasks. When you use a computer all day at work like I do, the idea of spending more time on one for your hobby/art kind of sucks. Everything else they are doing with the MPC is exciting, so come Akai, you’re almost there! for me at least.