I have both, and I understand/agree… the biggest miss I find using the MPC over the Digitakt (or Rytm) for me is the trig-locks…that detail of variation that you get used to with Elektron is a big loss. As mentioned previously, if you’re working with 16-64 steps, it’s really tough to beat the Elektron approach.
yeah if you’re going to the mpc looking for the elektron sequencer you won’t find it, but if you’re looking for the core mpc workflow and then find out that you get all of this on top of that you will be overjoyed…
I sold my digitakt once, never felt such regret as I did 5min after that… never, ever, again…!
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You’re quite right, but it’s not so much resolution as workflow - you can cram a hell of a lot of micro-detail into an MPC pattern, but I don’t think it’s anywhere near as quick and easy to make an interesting 16-step loop on an MPC as it is on a Digitakt. You’ve got nothing like the 1:2 trig conditions, very limited ‘chance’ options via sample layers, and MPC automation is a lot more fiddly than p-locks. So I guess what I’m saying is Elektron makes it easy to do interesting things at smaller time scales. I don’t think that’s the MPC’s forte - but if you want a 128-bar symphony, it has you covered. If you want 32 bars of evolving and changing detail based around a core loop, you can do it within the pattern using trig tools on the Digitakt, but on the MPC you’ll need to extend and duplicate the pattern and then go through it explicitly adding the changes, which makes it harder for the MPC to surprise you.
Both have their strengths and weaknesses, and will take you in their own direction - if I make a track on the Digitakt, there’s zero chance I’d have made the same track on an MPC, and vice-versa. Which is good! That’s what I want from a piece of gear. If it doesn’t offer that, why bother?
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I have both and can tell you: it all depends:
- Music genre: Digitakt - Techno, Dance, Ambient and so on. MPC: RAP, HIPHOP, Jazzy things that
require velocity on pads. - Do you like DAW or not: Digitakt is far from DAW, MPC is DAW in a box. At the end of the day I learned MPC Software DAW and don’t use my MPC One much as using computer software is much simpler and faster, of course if you don’t need velocity sensitive pads.
I disagree completely with both of your generalizations.
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I make techno, trance, synthwave and other in-between genres on the MPC. To say that the MPC is suitable only for certain genres suggests you just haven’t explored it on the MPC yet. I’d agree that the Digitakt probably leans more heavily towards electronic music given its 64-step sequencer and workflow though. Doesn’t mean you can’t make hiphop on it though, as many have already shown.
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This is a matter of personal taste I suppose, but I’m way faster with the hardware in front of me than in a DAW. I specifically dislike working in a DAW and I love the MPC workflow. It makes me explore other paths (like resampling of an arp and using mangled versions of it as ear candy) and to use my ears more than my eyes. It makes my drums more dynamic, and it makes me think about arrangement differently. The MPC 2.0 DAW software is a very different workflow experience compared to the MPC One or Live 2.
Disclaimer: I’ve owned the Digitakt and MPC One, and I currently own an MPC Live 2.
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Well in general you can make any music with a stick and empty barrel.
This is what I’m talking about.
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If you made a point about the SP-404 leaning very heavily towards hip hop and related genres, I’d probably find it less of an oversimplification. But it’s been proven again and again how the MPC is much more versatile than that. It can be used for just about any type of music. Its edge over a DAW is the workflow, which lets you leverage the full power of samples if you want to - while still having access to a full range of great synths and drum synthesis too.
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You can of course attempt to make any of the above genres with either machine, and to great effect, with time and knowledge. But I’d still possibly recommend one over the other depending on the particular genres you might prefer to make. I’ve been having an epic battle over the Akai/Elektron differences and workflow. I’d still recommend the Mpc to make classic techno, deep house etc, and Elektron gear for abstract, glitchy, unpredictable and generative stuff. Personally I find combining both systems a head fuck at this stage. But that may change.
Generally you get out what you put in with the Mpc, whereas Elektron can produce totally unexpected result from very minimal input.
Which system feels like an effort and which feels inspirational? All the features on the Mpc haven’t helped me find inspiration to move forward with my own tracks, but my Elektron gear has been invigorating. But I still think I’d go back to the Mpc if I wanted to make a Detroit Techno type track.
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I agree about the unpredictable and generative stuff, although the MPC has gotten better with the latest releases (random sample layer playback, probability).
That said, to me it’s more of a difference of whether you want to produce finished tracks (MPC wins) or if you prefer the magic of live performances (Elektron wins). The Digitakt is an amazing live performance instrument, but since you can’t really record all the knob twisting and ctrl+all magic into a track without recording live into a mixer or DAW, you’re basically stuck with great live projects, maybe as part of a bigger live set. Sure, you can create a lot of patterns and approximate a final track, but the magic is in the live tweaks you perform yourself. And you can’t automate ctrl+all, Fills etc. So if you want to turn it into a finished song, you have to record the Digitakt output into a DAW, tape recorder or similar.
The MPC, while not as live jam friendly, has all the recording and production capabilities built in. You can automate any knob twist, you can perform live while Record is on and everything will be captured. Then you can go in and fine-tune a live performance to perfection, mix, swap out sounds etc after the fact.
That’s a great question to ask yourself when choosing gear, for sure!
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I currently have my Mpc X up for sale but might still keep it. I’ve just ordered a Digitone, to sit along side an Octatrack and Syntak. If I keep the X I’m going to have 2 separate desk/work areas. I really felt in awe when I bought the X. And I’ve really appreciated your posts, enthusiasm and knowledge of the Mpc. It’s one of the reasons I keep plugging away.
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I appreciate you taking the time to write that. Thank you.
You asked the most important question already: which system inspires you to make music?
The other question I’d add is: what is your goal?
To me, I really want to finish full tracks in an environment that inspires me (not a DAW in my case). For that, the MPC is the best there is today.
If my goal was to perform live, or I was comfortable with “printing” my live performances to the DAW and finishing the songs there, then I would have been very happy with the DT/DN combo I owned before switching to the MPC. In all honesty, the DN inspired me in ways no other hardware has. Weird, awesome drum sounds, spooky synth sounds. The MPC is a bit more what-you-record-is-what-you-get, whereas the DN/DT made me wonder who came up with the ideas sometimes (me or Elektron?).
It’s just that I kept spitting out more and more song ideas and not a single finished song. So, based on my goal with the music making hobby, the DT/DN combo wasn’t for me.
Perhaps a third good question to ask yourself is: when do you want to make music?
Me, I have a family, a full time job and other commitments. I’m lucky if I can spend an hour per day making music, and ideally in an environment that is portable around the house and doesn’t require a lot of setup. The DN/DT combo meant I had to keep it all at a fixed desk because plugging and unplugging midi and audio cables every time I wanted to relocate would be a major hassle. This is why I upgraded from the One to the Live 2, because that built-in battery makes it so convenient to move around. This means I make music daily nowadays. It used to be once per week before, and much less social. It sounds silly, but being able to deep dive into my hobby with headphones, while still being able to look up and see what my wife sees on Netflix and occasionally take the headphones off to discuss something together makes a massive difference to us both. It brings us a little closer compared to me stepping into the studio and forgetting that I was supposed to go to bed early.
Your answer to the when question may be very different. Maybe you have more time, maybe you make music in a band or with a friend, or maybe you actually enjoy time away from family. I imagine that people who buy an OP-1 love to make music on the go. For me, it’s a home thing. But not necessarily a home studio thing. The couch, patio, kitchen, bed are all places where I make music.
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Bookmarked!
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I’ve gone to sell my MPC on numerous occasions and not done it… every time it’s happened I’ve come back to it, discovered some more about it and been really glad I didn’t sell it.
I’m sure it’ll be the same for you.
For me, I only have 2 ways to produce music… Ableton Live or an MPC.
Everything else, inc Elektrons that I really dig, is for sound source generation and that includes parts/sections.
For example, I can sit at my Digitone and come up with ideas I really like, p-locks/lfos/numerous tracks, etc, but these ideas only become real music when I put them into a production workspace (Ableton or MPC).
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They are both Essential Instruments, and anybody who says they aren’t doesn’t say they are.
I like Elektrons and their less is more approach.
Lately, I’ve been questioning myself if I flip my MPC One for a digitakt, and it has been a tough decision TBH. Lots of potential on both of them, but lots of overlap as well, it’s has to be one of the other, having both doesn’t male sense to me at this moment.
DT shenanigans into the mpc looper for fun and lifetime enjoyment
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In my experience it was harder going from an Mpc to a Digitakt or Octatrack.
I’ve had multiple Elektron and Akai machines and always tried (and failed) to choose one system over the other.
It was hard to properly evaluate the seemingly minimal feature set of the DT, after experiencing the vast options in the Mpc.
If you can add a Digitakt, rather than switch to one, I think you’d eventually find the combination to be perfect.
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I agree, I need both… live 2 and dk here… both are great at different things.
Digitakt is mono tho