One of the most intriguing features of the Technics SX-KN1000 Arranger was its COMPOSER function.

I could lay down a pattern in C Major using 5 individual MIDI Tracks:

BASS
CHORD/ACCOMP1
ACCOMP2
ACCOMP3
DRUMS

I would push the DRUM button and create a drum pattern. Next, I would press the CHORD button and play a C Major Chord while the drum pattern was playing. Next, I would press the ACCOMP2 button on lay down a pad or strings while the DRUM and CHORD tracks kept playing in the background.

Once I had built up my custom loop in C Major, I could proceed to play a complete song triggering chord changes with my left hand like any built-in factory Style.

What made this process so intriguing and spontaneous is that I could do this without ever having to stop the beat. It was seamless, simple and effective. The Technics KN-1000 was way ahead of its time.

I see a lot of talented performers on YouTube do live looping with MPC devices. However, they all are constrained by a static loop. Yes, you can mute out the drums or the chords during playback and bring them back in to add some variety, but the basic loop structure remains static.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could incorporate Note Transposition Tables into the AKAI MPC XL? Even simple derivatives like F, G7, Am, Dm7 from a C Major pattern would suffice for starters.

This would open up a whole new world of possibilities to the art of Live Looping. One can start by building a drum loop, add a chord pattern in C Major, add some pads, strings, guitars and then proceed to play a song on their MIDI controller keyboard while triggering the appropriate chords with their left hand – all in one pass, without having to stop the beat.

The younger generation hates the built in styles in arranger workstations. Well, Akai can give them the tools to unleash their creativity and build their own custom styles that respond to chord changes. The younger crowd is enamored with beat boxes. This enhancement would be the bridge to the world of arrangers.

I say this would be the ideal way to introduce the magic of arrangers to the new generation without actually spelling it out.