thanks Yorgos, gonna try that ))
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Thereās a lot to wade through here, tbh I have not been following this thread intensly.
But I have a question about the MPC Live - does it have any onboard synths?
Also, howās the general view on the MPC Live 6 months on? Is it awesome?
I find myself frustrated with various limitations of Elektron gear sometimes and wonder if the Live might be a sweet spot
No
Itās rad
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No on board synths. I use single cycle waveforms, which can be layered and played chromatically with polyphony. There are modulation limitations but lots of automation possibilities. Lots can be done with multi sampled instruments as well.
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Itās my first mpc and Iām really happy with it! Still learning but Iām getting there.
Very different from an elektron though, but I think they complement each other nicely.
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No oscillator modelling, but you can use samples plus filters and modulation. Since it has a reasonable amount of RAM, you can get good granularity in terms of say - a sample (or stack of samples, which can cycle per trigger) per note value.
So, itās reasonably powerful. Couple it with a good analogue modelling multi-timbral synth, like say a Virus Ti, and you have a lot of coverage.
I do find the key-group setup a bit un-intuitive. Key-groups are the mechanism for loading samples to be played back per MIDI note. Iād normally rather hook up to an external synth for melodic stuff, rather than use key-groups.
I prefer the sequencer to Elektronās, especially the ability to use more than 4 bars without having to resort to chains or tempo trickery. I just hope that Akai continue to make incremental improvements.
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Nope.
Getting better with every update.
Itās not a perfect machine, for me it replaced the OT, but I wish it had the A4ās reverb and the automation power of the Elektron sequencers. Not being able to draw or program automations in standalone mode is a bummer.
As someone who is trying to decide between the Octatrack MKII or the Akai MPC Live, can you expand on that remark on the automation. Are you saying you canāt draw in MIDI automation on the piano roll in standalone mode?
Thanks
No, in standalone mode you can only record automations in real time and edit them in an editor.
You canāt draw them on the piano roll, you canāt add automations from the editor.
In controller mode, you can draw the automations with a mouse, but not on the touch screen.
Thanks for the quick response, Iām quite surprised that hasnāt been implemented, letās hope it gets revised in a later firmware. Are you running version 2.0.5?
Yes, Iām on the latest version. I hope for this feature every time I turn my Live on. But despite this I still like it
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i ordered mine 5 minutes ago from thomann. lets see. was b-stock 1111 euro
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now i can use 1 octa for drums a/b, kick c and bass d as thru and the other octa for synths and flex recording the hole piece for live mangling and jaming. all into mpc for bouncing, saving samples and buidling the song. i am so happy and the poorest guy on earth.
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I traded my MPC Live for Octatrack. Best decision iāve ever made. On paper MPC live is great but I didnāt love itā¦ also theyāre customer support and windows issues made me resent them a little. Last time iām buying large corporation audio products. You just canāt compare it to the way some smaller companies like Elektron look out for their users. I must say, even though there can be frustrating stuff with their products too, Iām really impressed with Elektron in this regard. For me at least it makes a huge difference to how much risk it feels like trying out one of their new products involve.
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I have considered this route in part because I believe the Live is a poor investment in the long runā¦ its not the most robust feeling machine either in terms of build. The work that gets done is my primary concern howeverā¦ and though Iāve yet to use an octatrack, my impression is that it is not as immediate to me as the Live.
yes, I think that any elektron machine demands some work to really understand. However since I already had experience from working with A4 I actually found the Octatrack (MK2) supprisingly easy to work with.
Any idea on how to get long moving delays on an MPC Live?
Youu can automate the fx params via the qlinks, and record the movements as automation. Check qlink edit.
Hey guys
I have ordered an MPC Live but I am wondering how I will be able to use my Hardware effects with it (Roland Space Echo - Reverbs, Various guitar effects pedals, Moog Midi Murf)
I will put 3 examples of how I would like to use the effects. Maybe some of you could let me know if these are possible?
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Apply effects to samples and or any sounds recorded onto the Live, and have the sound with the effects applied recorded onto the Live.
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Apply effects to sounds going into the Live ie Vocals, Guitar, Synths.
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Apply effects to Sounds coming out of the Live in a Live environment, Real time.
I want to do all of this in standalone mode.
All three should be possible with a bit of planning. You can resample anything back into it, and you have 6 individdual outputs you can use as āaux seendsā to your pedals/fx. Only one set of audio inputs though so you can only resample one aux at a time if you want to capture all auxes separately.
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