MPC Thread : MPC Live - MPC X - MPC One (Part 1)

Just watched 3 more videos of exactly the same demo by that rep. Cancelling my pre-order and plotting to have Rihanna’s voice wiped from the earth…

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I assumed the Thursday was fro traders only and open to the general public from Friday.
If that’s the case, something more might start showing up.

Also, until mentioned I didn’t know that was Rihanna.

Cool, hopefully some looser vids showing up soon :slight_smile:
Someone else mentioned it was Rihanna, i have no idea really…

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There’s no shame in liking pop music and knowing how Rihanna sounds like…

:slight_smile:

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I check UT to verify and all I found was obama rapping hotline bling. Such is the life of a lamestreamer like me :nyan:

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William, did you read my post 514 on the Digitakt introduction thread? If not, check it out, because it might change your MPC Live order once more :-).

Like you, I was excited about the MPC Live for a couple of days. But after seeing (1) a couple of Digitakt videos and thinking about it (especially after the Jonas Hillman interview!) and (2) the MPC X / Live demos on NAMM 2017, I’m not interested in the MPC anymore:

  • the touch screen on it seems very nice but thinking about a Microsoft Surface Studio, and the way those (future) type of screens are coming out, what use is MPC X/Live’s screen if you can have all kinds of fully-fledged touch devices running the full version of a DAW?
  • have you also noticed what exactly AKAI is demonstrating over and over? Some nice vocal timestretching / chopping / pitch shifting, note nudging, the Q-link buttons, some fun beat-repeat / filter effects. All good and well. But in standalone-mode the MPC Live can run 8 “tracks” and can’t access VSTs. Its sequencer is, compared to Elektron’s P-locking, quite limited. AKAI is demo’ing what they want to demo, it’s a nice sales pitch.
  • MPC2.0 probably still isn’t even close to the capabilities of a full-fledged DAW like Ableton Live / Bitwig, etc. In the end it’s merely a plugin to the DAW.
  • the MPC videos completely lack proper DAW-style arranging. It does have “clips” (alike Ableton Live) but effect automation over (e.g.) 8 bars length like a DAW can, I wouldn’t try to do on MPC2.0.

I think Elektron is stepping into a completely new territory / strategy with “modular” boxes. Multiple new products will come out in 2017, as Jonas Hillman has stated. Exciting times, I want to wait and see what comes up! :slight_smile:

EDIT: of course my Microsoft Surface Studio argument falls short if you want a live performance computer-less setup.

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Seems people are maybe kind of blinded by the Elektron light a little sometimes. Or just not seeing what the mpc is about and it’s potential, or they’re just shopping on the wrong shelf… I love my OT and AK and the new box looks OK. But the sheer amount of functionality/integration/connectivity/storage on the mpc is next level for a scratch pad/live tool. And even just as a sampler drum machine. You can say ‘just get a tablet and a daw instead’, but that’s kind of like saying just get a tablet and use something like Geist or ableton and push 2 instead of Digitakt… Kills the convenience/ui/connectivity.

If Elektron ‘are’ doing ‘modules’ like you say, it’ll prob take about 4 of them to cover the mpc ground.

When/if they do those modules, each box will likely outshine the mpc in its area, but it’ll cost a fortune, mean a ton of cables, a ton of projects/patterns housekeeping etc… Fine for studio, but for portable the Live looks like its out there by itself. Not to mention having zero need for something overbridge just to get some separate outs…

Seems like anyone that’s been put off the MPC by news on the digitakt were just gassing to begin with, didn’t actually need what it offers and had a lucky escape :wink:

FWIW I hope the digitakt turns out to be more interesting than it seems to me atm. Could potentially be a cool box, like a super beefed up, next gen Sp404 + Elektron sequencer if workflow is fast and they put some nice insert fx in there.

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I do get what the MPC Live is about. But Akai’s MPC is coming from the hiphop scene. If you analyze a finished hiphop track, the beats are pretty straightforward and repeating, the song variety comes from the vocals. And therefore hiphop can get by with a “pattern chaining”-style DAW (MPC2.0). But now it seems Akai wants to enter the EDM-scene with the MPC Live (they’re demo’ing deep house, future bass, etc.). Think of a hit song by for example (my fellow countrymen) Martin Garrix, Tiesto, Afrojack etc. The tracks are vastly more complex as compared to the hiphop example with all kinds of subtle bar-by-bar nuances. That seems impossible to compose on the MPC2.0 software.

On a live stage however, the MPC Live seems very capable. But so does the Toraiz and so can an OT.

That’s kind of my point, if you knew you wanted OT/rytm style drum sequencing I’m not sure what made you more than glimpse at the MPC to begin with :wink:

But I’ll add that I’m pretty sure that between the pads and the touchscreen piano roll view you could do some insanely complicated/evolving drums on mpc, and possibly faster than on a step sequencer. People seem to cope fine doing that style programming in ableton? Not to mention the resampling of switching between various patterns and turning that in to a new pattern etc and then slice and dice and so on. And you also have a ton more voices/polyphony…

It’s possibly not so fluid for ‘jamming’ but in terms of doing complicated stuff it seems kind of limitless once you put its different aspects together and use them to feed each other…

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I’m planning to get both. (MPC Live & Digitakt)

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That’s the spirit! :grin:

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Does any one know how long the MPC Live and the OT can record for? Basically I want to know if it can record 1 hour of stereo audio. I am trying to avoid buying a computer to record my Dj mixes…

Vaguely remember talk of 20 minutes individual sample limit. Don’t quote me on that tho…

That’s exactly, how I use my MPC … as a sketch-pad. Samples, self created audio loops, midi tracks to control some synths, having everything in tune and the same timing, playing various combinations of loops and tracks to check, how they fit together or how the later arrangement could be … until I decide to boot up my computer and get all those creative-chaotic ideas in the box for the final revision :wink:

Up to now I miss only the audio-looping-recording-like workflow of the OT pickup-machine. Now it seems that the new MPCs just do this too.

Since Akai had in the past always software issues (old MPCs as well as the MPC-Software), I will wait, until decent reviewers and first users report about their hands-on experiences. If this machine is doing, what Akai claims, then it’s just what I would like to use on a day by day basis in the studio.

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@JD : I get your point too and discussed yet already here with @CallofthevoidFACT 1 : we all have different needs FACT 2 : we all perceive differently Our real needs FACT 3 : We probably don’t have the same goals. (per example i understand and respect the scratch pad/live tool need from COTV i do not really after this idea… but i share this point in time where i’m not really for now after the Digitakt, relative to my existing setup i may change my mind on it as may not.)

As i said (with some kind of real thinking about it) Digitakt is cool but waiting more informations on it. I may choose to add it in my setup regarding different advantage but it’s really depend of : more informations, what is have to offer in the practical realm, how it’s sounding etc.) I never judge hardware or software based on DEMO PROJECTS or REVIEW Musically because otherwise i buy NOTHING. :joy:

it doesn’t change my MPC Live ordering so ordered second times and this one will NOT be cancelled. WHY is THAT ? I’m after a Sampler Hardware like Kontakt can working. I already have an Octatrack witch i consider more like a Dr OctoRex from Propellerhead. Both, Sampler are not used in the same way. And DT cannot afford me what i looking for on the Sampler Program with keygroup, polyphony playability and Layers.

Powerful aspect of the MPC Live or X is a real bonus on Storage, Focus on Music Production, Price for specifications, Sampling with inputs + ground, Q-Knobs, etc…

I also comes from the old era of sampling (S2000 - MPC5000 - Z8 - E4xt ultra + RFX32) and know AKAI & EMU, i never has been productive as the period i use this devices and Groovebox department (RS7000, MC909, MS2000R…)

I do not minimize Elektron actually Who put me back on the Hardware again and i’m reborn to take pleasure in music production today out of the computer (because of them in a way). I’m graphic designer and my heart, brain, eyes are sick of it (the computer). Plus i’m really disappointed by apple these days (i will not debate on that, because i’m done on this)

I can’t totally get out of the computer arrange/mixing point of view because i learn it so many years, i know my tools and i can’t get rid of it completely. BUT for music ideas, layout + my Live Performance project = i’m totally back on hardware. I do not know for now which place i will keep or not for a laptop in my setup.

One thing i’m sure is PIONEER TORAIZ is not ready as i would like + too expensive.
Akai MPC is back the way i like this BRAND : so i will give them the last chance to convince i’m not wrong to spend my money on their device again. I may have wrong ? … but i feel not.

Anyway, my Setup is 70% Elektron based so… A bit of difference should bring goodness and fresh idea.

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for those thinking you can only make simple beats on MPC’s, take a look at ATOM TM in action :wink:
as far as I remember from an interview I read, he’s only using the MPC live - the MacBooks are 1 for visuals / 1 as backup
I know it’s not extremely complicated - but his live set is great, and only uses an MPC… I strongly recommend both his album HD, and seeing him live, he puts up some really great music IMO
besides, this guy is also behind other eclectic projects, like Señor Coconut :slight_smile:

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That is a totally wrong assumption. With a linear sequencer with almost unlimited sequence lenghts and 64 tracks, you’d have no problem pulling off complex music assuming you put time and effort into it.

I am involved in a synthpop-esque band project where an MPC 1000 has taken over sequencing duties from an old (unreliable) MMT8 unit. And believe me, we are not even close to utilizing the MPC sequencer to it’s fullest potential.

It’s so funny that many people seem to forever see MPCs as devices capable of only simplistic hiphop and nothing more. It’s a sequencer, very much comparable to what one could do with an Atari ST back in the day. Y reckon all Atari ST users wrote simplistc, four bar music?

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Touch screen for MPCs will be great. On old MPCs you have to use cursors buttons to select parameter and edit it. With touch screen you can tap it directly(instead of tapping multiple arrow buttons) and edit with data knob.

Saying MPC sequencer is limited compared to Elektron’s is pure ignorance.

Simple tracks?
Back in the days Chemical Brothers and Crystal Method used mpc 3k for their tracks.
Crystal Method - Vegas
Chemical first 2 albums for sure(not just for live)
I wouldn’t say they are simple tracks.

MPC 3k was sequencing the whole live show. Synths, drums, samplers, clock, lights and so on. But yeah, lets look at the boom bap genre.

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Nope, I do not think Atari ST users all wrote simplistic music. And I also have no problem with linear sequencers, I use Ableton Live’s “arrangement view” a lot which (in the time-sense) is also linear.
But surely you’re not saying MPC software is equally equipped just like a full-on DAW like Ableton Live, Bitwig, etc? Are you? I can show you hundreds of YouTube videos containing really complex DAW projects. Can you show the same on MPC software usage?

My assumptions are not “totally wrong” at all, although I’m also sure that both MPC software and hardware are indeed very capable to compose and arrange complex music with. Yet it’s exactly the factor “time and effort” that ultimately leads to creativity-loss and unfinished projects. That’s my opinion anyway, may I?
No need for you to label me as “totally wrong” or imply that I’d label Atari users as “simplistic”.

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Who told you that it’s full on DAW like Ableton Live?

999 bars per pattern(sequence) ,
64 tracks.

Midi tracks(can seqence every midi parameter you throw at it)
Audio tracks
Bild in drum/instrument sampler(64-128 polyphony)
Effects

That it’s all. In a box.

If MPC sequencer is limiting you then use DAW.

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