The main point is the recurring, necessary connection.
Old plugins still work on old hardware/computers (as posted earlier I have an okd Mac running a ton of old stuff to this day).
Akai’s current policy is embedded in the plugin to expire unless periodically connected to their servers.
If Akai implodes tomorrow, these plugins will not work within 90 days.
I have never changed the timezone or left the country or started to worship another god. I have had the plug-in instruments since January 2023-they have come up twice to re-authorise since then.
Standalone does not exist on this bit of kit-it is like ET-it must phone home or you have a problem-maybe in the middle of a gig- and without any warning!
The fact that they are admitting it’s an issue and working on it would make me a little less anxious about the issue.
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The problem is, it’s not actually a “one time” activation. There is something wrong with Akai’s authentication process in that plugins that people have purchased and activated in the MPC are being randomly deactivated later on, and when they try to reactivate them online, the Akai authentication servers are not responding. I lost 6 weeks waiting for plugins I had bought, installed and activated on my MPC Live 2 to be reactivated. Zero response from Akai customer service (which is easily the worst in the global music industry IME). I was not alone, this seemed to affect a lot of MPC users based on what I read online. That problem plus Akai’s atrocious software QC (every firmware patch introduced new bugs) killed Akai for me. I sold my MPC and won’t go back. Appalling company.
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I have MPC live 2 and this confirms it for me, I’m getting out of MPC. I buy hardware for two reasons.
Firstly to get away from computer… modern MPC fails on that, you’re constantly flying to touchscreen instead of buttons and knobs. I’ve been holding on but firmware updates don’t improve this.
Secondly, I buy hardware because it lasts longer than software. There are many brilliant plugins I relied on 20 years ago, in tunes I can no longer load in a modern os because the company folded or dropped support. If elektron/dirtywave/Roland go out of business and stop maintaining support, my octatrack/m8/mc101 will keep working fine.
This move from akai breaks that. I’m out.
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Is this issue confined to purchased plugins or the bundled stuff? I’ve had my Live2 for over 12 months now (well, whenever the Retro came out) and it’s still running the factory OS, I’ve not upgraded and had no issues with plugins etc. I was planning to update the OS and check out what plugins are available but I might hang fire for now. I rarely use the couple of synth plugins that came with it but I use the FX/dynamics/EQ all the time.
Hello. Its only purchased plugins / effects.
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Are there extra bundled plugins with the OS upgrade or did they just release a load to coincide with the upgrade? I must admit I’ve not drilled down into it all. I want to upgrade the OS as I believe you can have the option of sample playback for the duration of the note rather than just one shot? But I don’t want to get into a world of online validations etc.
If you just update firmware you should not get problems mentioned in this thread. You will probably get free effects like Amp Sim (if you already dont have it), but these are automatically included in firmware update.
I also had to reactivate plugin, but it was only the paid one. All other plugins like Hype, DrumSynth was still active and I dont think they would trigger the online reactivation.
The question is: What else are they adding to the firmware? Up until now I thought that I bought standalone musical instrument. Now there are online checks to prevent pirate copies of paid plugins. Maybe they collect some user data during firmware updates. Maybe they will require internet checks for whole OS in future.
I wish they waited with paid plugins ecosystem for the next generation of devices.
Next time I will buy a groovebox I will check if it has no ethernet/wifi build in 
.
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Thanks for clearing that up for me!
Agreed regarding the requirement to connect to their servers tho. It’s such a shame as the Live2 is fantastic in many ways and I love working on. I suspect I’m only using a proportion of what it offers but that’s enough for what I want to do which as I say only extends as far as the bog standard plugins in my case.
I know this is a model Adobe really kicked off and in industry level practices it’s norm.
So Akai see themselves that way. I’m
Sure they’ll figure out if something said is addressed to them.
I doubt any company will really continue
a thing if support from the customer is dropped, as in no new purchases or significant drop in sales prolonged will leave companies to address a real threat when it occurs.
Otherwise it floats most days. But I don’t see a real investment. An instrument is, and a choke hold is what I guess we’ll see how this plays out.
I’ll always use an OT. I don’t need an update. They even addressed my LED brightness concern……so I won’t ask for more, but I got much more. If they need to make more money
Looking forward to that Syntakt.
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They said that the authorization is internal to the mpc and is a bug, they need to fix it. I think most of you guys read that, and still are saying it needs the Internet like it is a fact. Whenever, world full of Debbie Downers love kicking people… it is depressing… let’s just give them a chance to fix it eh?
I have all the plug ins, it only did this once and I’m never on wifi… I didn’t realize what it was and just turned it off and back on and they worked again… I think I started messing with it too soon after loading a project and the plug ins didn’t get to fully load.
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I won’t boot my Force out of the house based on this issue. I haven’t bought any of the additional plugins (pretty good variety included as standard with no forced checkin required), but if Akai manage to allow changing patches per clip for plugins, then they will look more appealing. As it is, external synths allow more flexibility in that regard, but I’ll sign the petition with low expectations. Akai have been going hard with improvements to this platform for years, and they are obviously in it for the long haul, which deserves some patience in my eyes.
I get the frustration as the wifi checkin obligation isn’t made clear prior to purchase on the website. These plugins aren’t exactly cheap and for pro performance requirements its a potential deal breaker, though boycotting the device brings to mind the “throwing the baby out with the bathwater” idiom.
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Regardless, this shouldn’t be happening. Bug or no bug, the OS kicks you out. It prevents you from using it properly.
Lesson learned for many people I guess: don’t buy hardware with wifi and auto-update bullshit.
These sort of things are one of the reasons people switch from software to hardware.
I have no wifi in my studio and don’t want it. And ethernet cable is plugged out on my computer when I’m making tunes
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True.
What AKAI seemed to miss is that nobody takes their laptop and uses InDesign at 2am on a huge soundsystem 
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I prefer dogs and kittens.
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Had MPC Live since it came out. Got the plugins and never had any issues with activation or reactivation. Switch WIFI on when there’s a new software update available and takes about 2 mins max to update. As soon as it’s done, switch WIFI off and it stays switched off until needed again. Much quicker than having to fire up a computer and download the update, then transfer to MPC, etc. Same with plugins - very quick to download / activate over WiFi.
I can’t think of another music device that’s had so many new features added for free. The latest plugins are optional, not mandatory, as is switching on WIFI.
Akai will fix the problem some have had with reactivation of plugins, as has already been said.
G
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They are just making the reasoning to own hardware almost non-existent lol.
Won’t buy from them or Native Instruments again.
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My digitone keys is sick!! But it just doesn’t do real time recording the same way… it sounds so mechanical, even played from the keys… machine and mpc have that organic groove going that I just think they can’t be replaced… they sound like how a human actually played it sounds.