u/SiriusLoFi

Hey guys,
Just wondering if anyone else has noticed this on their S-4.
I’ve had mine for a couple of weeks and some of the knobs have a bit of movement if I wiggle them from side to side. The third one has the most play out of all of them.
Everything works perfectly though. The encoders respond normally and I haven’t noticed any problems when actually using the S-4. It’s just that some knobs feel a little more loose than others.
I’m trying to decide if I should return it and ask for a replacement, but I’m not sure if it’s even worth doing. Maybe this is just normal with these encoders and another unit could be exactly the same, or even worse.
For those of you who own an S-4 — do your knobs have some play as well? And if yours works fine, would you just leave it alone, or would you send it back for a replacement?
Just curious what other S-4 owners think.
Thanks!

To the Akai Professional Management and Development Team,

I am writing this not just as a customer, but as a loyal MPC user who has stood by your brand for years. I have owned multiple models, I have upgraded every time you released something new, and I currently own your latest flagship. I’ve invested thousands of dollars and, more importantly, years of my creative life into your ecosystem.

But my patience has officially run out.

The "Cow Without Milk" Reality

You are marketing the MPC as a complete, standalone music production center. But let’s be honest: it is a half-baked product. Buying an MPC today feels like buying a cow that doesn’t give milk. You promise us the "Standalone Dream," but the reality is a nightmare of "workarounds."

Why, in 2026, am I still forced to export my projects to another DAW just to perform basic automation or professional arrangements? You added an "Arranger" to the standalone mode, but it’s still missing in the desktop software. You are selling hardware with 2026 specs, but forcing us to work with a software logic from the 1990s.

The iPad Comparison: No More Excuses

Don’t tell us it’s impossible. We can see what is happening on the iPad. For a fraction of the price of an MPC X, an iPad runs full DAWs with fluid automation, modern UI, and flawless stability. The processors inside the new MPCs are more than capable. The fact that we don't have a modern, rewritten-from-scratch OS is not a hardware limitation—it is corporate laziness and a lack of respect for your users.

Stop the Hardware Loop

We don't need a new color of the MPC One. We don't need another "Special Edition" with the same old, buggy software. We need you to stop releasing new hardware and finally finish the product we already paid for.

Current workflow for a pro user:

1. Sketch in standalone.

2. Realize automation and final mixing are a pain.

3. Export everything to a computer.

4. Finish the job in a competitor’s DAW.

This is not "Standalone." This is "Double Work." If I have to finish my songs in another DAW, why do I need an MPC in the first place?

The Tipping Point

I am at the point where I am seriously considering leaving the MPC ecosystem for good. And I am not alone. Look at the forums, read the comments. Your most loyal users are tired of being treated like beta-testers for products that never reach the finish line.

You are losing the people who built your brand. It’s time to stop the marketing hype and start the engineering work. Give us a modern OS that matches the power of the hardware. Give us a completed Desktop software. Give us the milk you promised when you sold us the cow.

We are waiting. But not for much longer.

A Long-Time, Frustrated User.