It’s that time of year again: discounts everywhere, “great deals” on plugins, synths and gear filling your feed, and it’s tempting. Know this: the urge to buy new software usually comes from feeling stuck, not from lacking tools.

When you start producing, it’s normal to hit hurdles. Your mix doesn’t sound right, you can’t shape the sound you hear in your head, or you feel like something important is missing. The first instinct is often to think the missing piece is a brand-new plugin. Later on, most producers realise that the real issue wasn’t the tool but the workflow, experience and repetition. What feels like a software problem is usually a practice problem.

There are a few points that reinforce this. One beginner-focused production blog clearly states that expensive gear does not equal better music for beginners:
https://imusician.pro/en/resources/blog/music-production-for-beginners-on-a-budget-when-to-invest-in-better-equipment

A well-known reviewer wrote that his collection included over 1,500 plugin licences, yet in reality he used about ten tools for almost everything:
https://www.production-expert.com/production-expert-1/2020/3/6/my-number-one-reason-for-buying-studio-gear

Another writer explained that hoarding software instruments made him indecisive and slowed his development:
https://www.opussciencecollective.com/post/hardware-vs-software

But in case you still feel the need to pick up something new, that same article actually offered a positive angle worth mentioning:
“Alternatively, if you're willing to make a sizeable investment, invest in something a little different from what might be the typical instruments used in your musical field of choice. Incorporating such unusual and/or quirky things into your work.”

There is also something many new producers overlook. Just like you can recreate almost any synth sound once you understand basic synthesis, you can often recreate the vast majority of modern FX plugins using the stock tools you already have. Most DAWs ship with compressors, saturation, delays, modulation, filters and transient tools that are far more powerful than beginners believe. If you explore their simpler layouts and start stacking them on buses, you can get results that match what expensive “magic” plugins promise. And you learn why the effect works rather than relying on a preset. That knowledge becomes part of your workflow, and no sale can give you that.

So what is actually useful when you’re still building your foundation as a producer? The first thing is to truly learn what you already have. Every major DAW today includes instruments and effects capable of finishing entire tracks at pro level. The second is to use sales to invest in the base of your studio, not in impulse buys. A solid MIDI keyboard with real feel, an MPC or other hands-on device, cables that remove friction, adapters that simplify your setup, acoustic treatment like bass traps that solve the worst resonances, a chair that keeps you comfortable for longer sessions, headphones you trust, a stable mic, or even a small mixer if your workflow needs it. These are the things that give you long-term returns.

And if you mainly produce on iOS, the same principle applies. Cheap apps trick you into thinking you’re spending less, so you end up buying more. At the end of the year you’ve collected twenty apps you barely opened. The feeling of being stuck never came from missing the right app. It came from not fully learning the ones you already had.

As the big sales roll in, keep your focus on long-term growth. This is the time of year where it’s easiest to spend money but hardest to make the right decisions. Use the discounts to strengthen your environment and workflow, not to chase a short-term fix. Your future self will thank you for choosing growth instead of impulse.

MPC Live 3 leaks show faster CPU, more RAM, mic and new pads. 

Here’s what producers should expect and the key improvements I still hope Akai delivers.

The MPC Live 3 is practically confirmed now. Pictures and specs have been spotted across forums and leaks, and it looks like Akai is about to give us the most powerful standalone MPC yet, and that would be the first in the series of different lines.

If you’ve been around since the first MPC Live in 2017 you know Akai’s track record has been solid. They’ve kept supporting even the original older models with firmware updates. It’s also been interesting to see them experiment with different MPC formats like the Live, One, X, Key, letting each of us pick the box that actually fits our own flavour and need.

So yes, new hardware is exciting. But we often care just as much about the software and workflow details. Let’s look at what’s coming and where I think Akai still has some work to do.

What the leaks say about MPC Live 3:

• 8-core processor, way faster than the Live II

• 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage

• 16 RGB pads with new 3D sensing

• Built-in stereo speakers and even a studio mic for field sampling

• USB-C connection and improved DAW integration (up to 24 audio channels via USB)

• WiFi and Bluetooth on board as before

• CV/Gate outs, extra performance buttons, more I/O and a larger touch screen

If all this holds up, it’s not just a refresh, it’s a big jump forward in power and connectivity.

The new box is obviously going to do more and handle bigger projects, but hopefully it wont break the bridge between the current lines and new MPCs. The OS hopefully stays consistent so projects can move between models, for many owners of multiple machines that could be pretty important but in general keeping the support for all current machines would be a reasonable path forward. This is most probable since the current existing newer lines all have similar hardware and i dont think Akai would make them software obsolete so fast 

Here are a just a few improvements that would actually make a difference to my daily use:

• Auto-sampler: it needs to evolve. Let us create expressive, almost perfect copies of our VSTs and libraries, with velocity layers and round robin sampling, intelligent loop-points, there is a lot that could be further developed in the Auto-sampler.

• File management: right now if you keep your songs in separate folders, you know the pain. Scroll down, preview, back out – the folders reorder every time. Tiny issue, but its a pain in every session.

• Wireless file transfer: let me send files via WiFi or Bluetooth without plugging a cable every time.

• Better library tools: smarter tagging, better search, active preview of keygroups? (you load up a lowres playable version).

These are maybe not the most glamorous features like just more raw power, but they’re a sample of the small details that would actually make you work faster.

MPC Live 3 is almost here, and sure, it will be faster and stronger. But what I want most is for Akai to keep improving the workflow basics instead of the current focus on FX and internal "vsts" that dont always live up to it.

I’ll be posting more on these small improvements and ideas in future updates. If you’re an MPC user, what’s the one thing you want fixed or added in the new generation.