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

The Lounge Other Gear
6061

Hey, MPC Elektronauts team. I recently picked up an MPC One for a steal and have been having a lot of fun on it, especially in sampling and creating song ideas. Now there’s somebody in my area selling an MPC X for a very good price (i.e. less than a new Live II).

My question: is the X worth the extra space it takes up on the table? I have read plenty about this topic on forums and other places, but I’m curious about you Elektronauts and your thoughts, since I generally end up agreeing with your analyses. If you’re on the Live, would you switch to the X if it were the same price? Do the extra q-links really matter for workflow? Is the X too much table-top space for what it does? Are the extra audio in/out really valuable. Etc.

I’ll only add that I’m really happy with the One, especially in having buttons to reach (and to point out) the most important workflow features. I think that’s partially why I didn’t gel with the Live when I had it for a day or so (I returned it because it ended up being defective).

Thanks for any thoughts in advance.

3 Likes
6062

I tour with my Live; so, no, I would not trade up. However, if I were using it strictly in the studio, I would go with the ‘X’ in a heartbeat. Just my proverbial two cents…

Cheers!

2 Likes
6063

if you don’t take it with you all the time, I would say X in a heartbeat. the Q-Links alone make a big difference! then there’s the tiltable screen, extended I/O, mic preamps, more MIDI outs, etc etc

2 Likes
6064

both please. one for the studio and one to travel. the X’s larger screen is quite nice…

2 Likes
6065

Well, now I’m looking at the Live II and the X (and still enjoying the One!). And also maybe the Force? It appeals to me too (though I hate how far away the screen is with no tilt).

6066

A lot of it comes down to aesthetics I reckon. There’s no shadow of a doubt that the x adds buckets of enhanced workflow / gui perks. But it’s a big old piece of kit and dare I say it… a bit fugly

6067

Free version of MPC software

https://www.akaipro.com/mpc-beats

6068

Is this a port of the iPad iMPC? Looks v similar

6069

It’s probably an updated MPC essentials that came with the Akai controllers. Still you can get the beat machine timing and drop your samples. I think it’s for the novices new to MPC. They’ll make their money back in sound libraries

6070

The Akai MPC X would be the last bit of gear I’d get rid of, simple as that!

x2 midi in
x4 midi out
x2 USB ports

About the USB ports - I have USB Overhub plugged in to 1 port that means I can have 7 USB midi synths connected plus a lot more via the mid outs. On the other USB port I have the Arturia Keystep connected. I installed a 500GB SSD drive to my MPC X… it really is the hub of all I do now.
16 Q-Links are absolutely fantastic… sure the MPC X is quite big but not that big, love the big touch screen. Plenty outputs/CV etc. My best investment since the MPC 2000XL.
I don’t gig with mine it’s rooted in the studio but you could just use your MPC One for Live.
You could however play live with the MPC X at gigs easily if you needed to :+1:

2 Likes
6071

I just bought, and returned, two Live 2s. They both had a problem where after updating to 2.8.1, the selection wheel would trigger the q-link pop up menu. It only happened when power and other peripherals were plugged in, but since I bought it in part to use with my midi gear, kind of a deal breaker.

I’m guessing this is some kind of software glitch that would be fixed in the next update, but since I have no idea when that update would happen, and since I couldn’t find anyone else online with this problem, I figured I’d prefer to return it rather than wait with defective gear. Did anyone else get this problem with the one or X after this update?

Aside from that, I liked the live 2 well enough. It was bigger than I expected, and heavy, though, so when/if I figure out what’s up with that glitch, I might consider a One instead. I think I’d rather have the smaller footprint, my music workspace bring somewhat limited, and just deal with plugging it in and using headphones when I want it to be portable.

1 Like
6072

I personally think the Force is a design nightmare. The screen and main data knob are out of reach, and the decision to put the DIN MIDI on dongles… Is nothing sacred?

Cheers!

3 Likes
6073

Traded my MPC Live for the Force. I was using Beatmaker 3 on the iPad more than the Live since I prefered BM3’s clip-based workflow and 64 pad layout over the classic MPC workflow.

Plus the Force’s 8x2 Q-Link knobs/OLEDs directly below the 7" touchscreen is a good design, IMO, especially when editing samples and the internal synths. Better build-quality too - buttons are very good.

Easy enough to prop the rear up. I’ve a bad neck, right shoulder + arm but the Force’s ergonomics isn’t a dealbreaker for me. Not much room left on the rear for full-sized DIN MIDI connectors, plus multi-client/port USB-MIDI is coming soon.

Firmware 3.0.5 looks promising: https://www.mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=199007&sid=d379eb400be3821cdeeaa9924b9f189a

6074

This may help someone:

Akai Force: Width: 350 mm / 13.8", Length: 389 mm / 15.3", Height: 72.5 mm / 2.85", Weight: 3.87 kg / 8.53 lbs

Akai MPC Live: Width: 424 mm / 16.7", Length: 224 mm / 8.8", Height: 69 mm / 2.7", Weight: 2.7 kg / 5.9 lbs

Akai MPC Live II: Width: 411.5 mm / 16.2", Length: 243.8 mm / 9.6", Height: 45.7 mm / 1.8", Weight: 3.38 kg / 7.45 lbs

Akai MPC One: Width: 272 mm / 10.7", Length: 272 mm / 10.7", Height: 53 mm / 2.1", Weight: 2.1 kg / 4.7 lbs

Akai MPC X: Display Down: Width: 505 mm / 19.9", Length: 424 mm / 16.7", Height: 87 mm / 3.4", Weight: 5.66 kg / 12.57 lbs
Display Up: Width: 505 mm / 19.9", Length: 388 mm / 15.3", Height: 214 mm / 8.4", Weight: 5.66 kg / 12.57 lbs

Ableton Push 2: Width: 378 mm / 14.88", Length: 304 mm / 11.96", Height: 42 mm / 1.65", Weight: 2.71 kg / 6.0 lbs

NI Maschine MK3: Width: 320 mm / 12.6", Length: 301 mm / 11.85", Height: 41 mm / 1.61", Weight: 2.2 kg / 4.85 lbs

Elektron Digitakt/Digitone/Analog Heat MKII: Width: 215 mm / 8.5", Length: 176 mm / 6.9" (Analog Heat: 184 mm / 7.2"), Height: 63 mm / 2.5", Weight: 1.45 kg / 3.2 lbs (Digitone: 1.49 kg / 3.3lbs)(Analog Heat MKII: 1.5 kg / 3.3lbs)

Elektron Octatrack MKII: Width: 340 mm / 13.3", Length: 184 mm / 7.2", Height: 63 mm / 2.5", Weight: 2.3 kg / 5.0 lbs

Roland MC-707: Width: 426 mm / 16.81", Length: 263 mm / 10.38", Height: 60 mm / 2.38", Weight: 2.1 kg / 4.69 lbs

Pioneer DJS-1000: Width: 320 mm / 12.6", Length: 422 mm / 16.6", Height: 110 mm / 4.33", Weight: 5.4 kg / 11.9 lbs

Pioneer Toraiz SP-16: Width: 437 mm / 17.19", Length: 261 mm / 10.28", Height: 74 mm / 2.93", Weight: 3.2 kg / 7.05 lbs

5 Likes
6075

Toss the Pioneer Toraiz SP-16 and DJS-1000 in there :+1:t4:

1 Like
6076

That’s cold comfort for those who need a wide range of connectivity options on a regular basis. From one gig to the next, I never know what gear I’m going to be required to plug into, and that’s where the MPC design has excelled and endured for decades now; until the Force came along anyway. I was literally left gaping when I first saw those dongles, and suddenly found myself worried for the future of the MPC platform. While USB protocol may be the modern standard for audio and MIDI, in the real world, DIN is still more common and more robust.

Dongles are flimsy, often incompatible with other dongles, and can be easily lost or damaged on tour. And that’s before you consider the environmental impacts of disposable peripherals in general; never mind the cost and inconvenience to the end user.

I use PCs over Macs for the same reason: i.e. proper, backwards-compatible, onboard connectivity. We don’t work in the future; we work in the past.

Any way you slice it, Dongle Gate sucks balls. Period. :wink:

Cheers!

1 Like
6077

The force is nearly 4kg woah !

6078

Hmmm, thanks for pointing that out. I noticed that I made a mistake with one of the kg>lbs conversion.

1 Like
6079

That’s a good point, and I agree, dongles are a letdown.

More 5-pin DIN MIDI ports would be ideal, but how big should it be? And should it directly compete with the MPC series? Or instead compete with a laptop running a pattern-based DAW and VST/AUs, with a connected MIDI interface, controller, audio interface, etc.?

MPC Live/X/One v2.8 owners have already confirmed that most class-complaint USB MIDI interfaces can be connected directly to the MPC’s USB port, and configured in the MIDI routing page. A USB hub can be used as well, with the MIDI interface connected to that. Force v3.0.5 adds that functionality.

The Force’s 3.5mm ‘minijack’ MIDI connectors are the official MMA standard ‘TRS to MIDI Type A’, but the dongles aren’t required for recent products from several manufacturers including Akai, Korg, Make Noise, etc. (Not 1010Music, Arturia, Novation, Polyend, etc., which use Type B).

Those 3.5mm MIDI connectors don’t might not provide any power for devices that rely on ‘power-over-MIDI’, like the MIDI Solutions products, but they do sell power adapters, and there are other ‘powered’ options, like Kenton (which in my experience doesn’t choke on MIDI data like the MIDI Solution products). The Arturia MicroFreak and Korg SQ-1 may provide the full +5V from their 3.5mm minijack MIDI outputs.

We’re going to see more 2.5mm and 3.5mm MIDI connectors in the future as consumers demand smaller devices. Trading comfort cold for change, or something like that.

6080

I like the dongles as they can be connected to splitters or extension cables that move all the thicker midi cables of the table, etc. You can also use right angle cables that reduce top contact damage.