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Akai just revealed its most powerful standalone groovebox, the MPC XL. For the uninitiated, the MPC has been around since the 1980s and pretty much defined hip hop from that era. The line has continuously iterated to keep up with the times and the XL looks to be the baddest of them all.

First of all, it offers four times the processing power of previous MPCs, which is enough to load up to 32 virtual instruments at the same time. This is assisted by a full 16GB of RAM, which is a whole lot in this era of AI tomfoolery. The XL can handle 16 audio tracks simultaneously. In my experience with previous units, this is more than enough for a full song.

It runs on a proprietary OS and features a 10-inch OLED touchscreen for making adjustments. There are also dozens of knobs and buttons to play with, including 16 knobs that integrate with the display for real-time feedback.

The XL features a step sequencer, but this is an MPC. The real star attraction are those 16 drum pads. These pads can be set to trigger samples and hits, but can also be programmed to initiate effects and do all kinds of other stuff. Each pad has four quadrants, one for each corner, and they are all fully adjustable.

Looking for even more nuanced control? There are two assignable touch-strips and plenty of short-cut keys. It has built-in microphone preamps, phono inputs for sampling, instrument inputs and numerous other connectivity options. This is a true flagship in every sense of the word. It’s also very, very large.

The MPC may have started as a hip hop machine, but newer models are useful for any genre of music. To that end, it comes with an extensive collection of plugins, samples and effects. These even include some plugins made by rival company Native Instruments.

The software can handle stuff like stem separation, time-stretching and more. The workflow has been heavily inspired by modern DAWs, with a full arrangement view available on that OLED.

The MPC XL is a standalone unit, so it doesn’t need a computer or anything like that. The power requirements here, however, don’t allow for batteries. This thing has to be plugged in, much like Native Instruments’ Maschine+. It’s available right now and costs a whopping $2,900. This is a serious machine with a serious price tag, just like Roland’s recently-released TR-1000 drum machine.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/akais-mpc-xl-groovebox-is-the-most-powerful-device-the-company-has-ever-made-183952483.html?src=rss 

Roland just unveiled the Go:Mixer Studio, a powerful entry in the company’s line of audio interfaces. This one promises to be a portable and affordable way to create high-quality recordings with a smartphone or PC.

The biggest news here are the 12 input channels and six output channels. This means that users can record multiple instruments at once and even run the signal through outboard gear if so desired. There are two XLR inputs on the back with phantom power, an instrument jack, stereo ¼-inch line-in jacks, an aux input, TRS MIDI ins and outs, two headphones jacks and stereo line outs for connecting monitor speakers.

It records up to 24-bit/192kHz audio, which will certainly get the job done. The device comes with built-in effects for mangling audio on the fly. Each audio input also has a dedicated EQ and compressor directly on the channel.

It connects via an app that’s available for iOS, Windows and MacOS. The iOS app actually lets users capture both video and multitrack audio at the same time, which should be a boon for streamers and content creators of all stripes. The Windows and MacOS apps allow for complete control of the mixer remotely.

As for the unit itself, there are several big knobs to adjust parameters and a color display. It’s also really small and light, making it easy to pack away in case of an unexpected recording session. The device can even be mounted on a mic stand.

The Roland Go: Mixer Studio is available right now and costs $300. The Roland Go line of audio products has been around for years, but this one seems like a major step up.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/rolands-gomixer-studio-is-an-affordable-but-capable-mixer-for-budding-recording-engineers-163927262.html?src=rss 

Meta has a lot of work to do when it comes to limiting hate speech on its platforms. Now, its Oversight Board is looking into the company’s decision to ban an account for, among other things, posting visual violent threats and harassment against a journalist — and it wants the public’s advice. 

In the year prior to the ban, Meta referred five posts due to violations of its hateful conduct, bullying and harassment, violence and incitement and adult nudity and sexual activity community standards. In addition to the posts harassing the woman journalist, the user also shared “anti-gay slurs against prominent politicians and content depicting a sex act, alleging misconduct against minorities.” 

Meta’s internal review experts decided to permanently disable the account due to the consistent violations and calls for violence. This action was taken despite the number of strikes not reaching the ban threshold — Meta’s guidance states that even seven strikes only get users a one-day ban. However, its account integrity page lays out examples of when it will disable accounts, including violating its community standards through “risk of imminent harm” to an individual. 

The Board is now looking for insight from the public until 11:59PM PT on Tuesday, February 3. The Board is specifically seeking comments from individuals who can “contribute valuable perspectives” on the following topics: 

How best to ensure due process and fairness to people whose accounts are penalized or permanently disabled.

The effectiveness of measures used by social media platforms to protect public figures and journalists from accounts engaged in repeated abuse and threats of violence, in particular against women in the public eye.

Challenges in identifying and considering off-platform context when assessing threats against public figures and journalists.

Research into the efficacy of punitive measures to shape online behaviors, and the efficacy of alternative or complementary interventions.

Good industry practices in transparency reporting on account enforcement decisions and related appeals.

This instance marks the first time the Board has looked into Meta permanently disabling an account. It stated that this “represents a significant opportunity to provide users with greater transparency on Meta’s account enforcement policies and practices, make recommendations for improvement, and expand the types of cases the Board can review.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/metas-oversight-board-is-looking-into-transparency-around-disabling-accounts-145757717.html?src=rss 

The UK government has announced a consultation, asking people for their feedback on whether to introduce a social media ban for children under 16 years old. It would also explore how to enforce that limit, how to limit tech companies from being able to access children’s data and how to limit “infinite scrolling,” as well as access to addictive online tools. In addition to seeking feedback from parents and young people themselves, the country’s ministers are going to visit Australia to see the effects of the country’s social media ban for kids, according to Financial Times.

Australia’s minimum age social media ban went into effect on December 10. It’s the first of its kind and covers several social media platforms, including Facebook, X, TikTok, Twitch, Snapchat, YouTube and Reddit. Just recently, Meta shut down nearly 550,00 accounts, most of which were on Instagram, to comply with the new law.

The UK passed the Online Safety Act in 2023 and has been enforcing its rules since. Last year, for instance, it started requiring websites that publish pornography to conduct age checks for users. But British politician Liz Kendall said parents still have serious concerns about the content their children can consume online. As The Guardian notes, the announcement for a consultation comes just before the House of Lords votes on an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. The amendment is seeking a social media ban on children under 16, which will be enacted within a year if and when the bill passes.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/the-uk-is-mulling-an-australia-like-social-media-ban-for-users-under-16-130000446.html?src=rss 

In a strange twist of fate, a fire broke out this week at the Rad Power Bikes retail store warehouse in Huntington Beach, California, Electrek reports. The structural blaze came less than two months after the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warned customers to “immediately stop” using and dispose of some of the company’s e-bike batteries due to fire hazard. In December, Rad filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, stating it couldn’t afford to recall the batteries. 

The recent two-alarm fire hit a commercial complex with multiple businesses. Footage from the fire shows e-bikes outside of the warehouse as firemen fought the blaze. Engadget has reached out to Rad for more information on the fire’s impact. 

The CPSC’s November warning told of 31 reports of fire, with 12 of those involving property damage. In some cases, the battery was in storage, not being charged or used, yet still caught fire. The CPSC told customers to get rid of (in a safe, detailed manner) specific models of Rad’s lithium-ion batteries. It claimed that the “hazardous” batteries were at risk of igniting or exploding, even more if wet or interacting with debris. 

Rad told the CPSC it couldn’t recall the batteries as it couldn’t afford to offer replacements and refunds. “Rad offered multiple good-faith solutions to address the agency’s concerns, including offering consumers an opportunity to upgrade to Safe Shield batteries (described below) at a substantial discount. CPSC rejected this opportunity,” Rad Power Bikes said in a statement at the time. “The significant cost of the all-or-nothing demand would force Rad to shut its doors immediately, leaving no way to support our riders or our employees.”

The company also said it disagreed with the CPSC’s “characterization of certain Rad batteries as defective or unsafe.” It also pointed to the incident rate being below one percent and stated that all lithium-ion batteries come with a risk when customers do things — such as improper charging and excessive exposure to moisture — that Rad cautions against. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/rad-power-bikes-warehouse-catches-fire-following-flammable-battery-warnings-133056542.html?src=rss