If you can emulate Nintendo devices on laptops, why can’t you emulate laptop software on a Switch? That’s pretty much Alquemy’s train of thought when it came to this concept which merges the worlds of gaming and music in a way that would make Guitar Hero look like child’s play. The Akai MPC Switch are two controller units designed to snap onto the sides of a Switch console, turning your gaming rig into a live music production factory. Unlike your average Guitar Hero controller, this thing is as serious as it gets. MIDI inputs and outputs, a fairly detailed DAW running on the Switch’s screen, and a myriad of controls that let you deejay or produce music on the fly.
To be honest, this concept does give you pause for thought. Why can’t a capable gaming rig also handle other high-intensity software? Music production, 3D modeling, video editing, everything you’d otherwise do on a studio-grade machine. Sure, the Switch isn’t as powerful as an iMac, but that doesn’t mean it can’t handle anything a MacBook Air can. The MPC Switch (albeit conceptual) are a pretty brilliant idea if you think about it – imagine being able to game when you’re bored and produce/perform music when you need to, all on the same machine. Just swap out the Joy-Cons for this MIDI setup and you’re good to go!
Designer: Alquemy
The AKAI MPC, for those who don’t know, holds a special place in the music hall of fame, with artists from Dr. Dre to John Mayer to Mark Ronson to even Kanye West using the hardware to create some of their most legendary work. The MPC (or MIDI Production Center) is, simply put, a sampler and sequencer, allowing you to load audio banks, record music samples/loops, and play them back in a sequence. Think of it as a device that lets you build your track together, brick by brick.
It’s no different from how you’d play games like Street Fighter, mashing together buttons in a variety of combinations to make up your routine. The only difference is here, you record tracks/sounds/effects, and mash buttons to create drum loops, synth patterns, leads, and choruses. Individual sounds can be tweaked too, with the ability to adjust EQ, apply effects, or even modulate live music, thanks to the MIDI inputs and outputs on the device.
This basically means your Switch isn’t just a gaming console anymore, it’s also a live music console. USB-C and SD Card slots on the Switch let you load tracks, sound banks, etc… and the MPC Switch’s hardware give you even more ports, letting you connect your Switch to a more professional setup with anything from electronic instruments to a turntable to even a mixing deck for live recording.
Now this isn’t the kind of idea that would come to your average Nintendo or AKAI exec… you’d need to be slightly eccentric to draw such a brilliant parallel, which designer Phil Rose (who goes by Alquemy online) definitely did. The MPC Switch is incredibly detailed, even down to the software running on the Switch’s display. The only problem is that it’s entirely conceptual, which breaks my heart a bit. If anyone from Nintendo or AKAI is seeing this, you guys are sitting on an absolute goldmine that would not only break the music industry but might also end up creating a new handheld gaming hardware category!
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