If that’s relevent in the contex of how you live perform, how do you use it for modifying MIDI sequences on the fly ? You achieved being fluent for adding/deleting step on the grid on a 4 bar sequence without having to stop everything ? 
Or you goes with a game of rec/overdub all the time ?
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can elektron gear follow the MPC properly via ableton and mpc software im wondering?
im sure i can do it, but if its too complicated i wont bother using it that way…
i want it to just work!
cant everyone just get along!
A combination of pads (for track/pad mutes), q-links, other Perf functions (note repeat, etc) then a couple of other midi devices (Novation Control XL, FaderFox EC4) if I need them.
Well there’s never a scenario where I’m playing live (as in front of people) where I’m going to have a complete blank canvas, so there’ll always be some pre-prep.
But, I’ll ‘live’ perform seqs (as in playing it in, not in front of an audience) all the time and feel comfortable adding/deleting while playing. I’d much rather do this than add/remove steps personally… I like controlling the velocity and rhythms, I can translate that to a seq faster by playing it than I can figuring out what it looks like I’m a step seq.
This too. Abso-bldy-lutely! This as well! This is one of my favourite things about the MPC, and something Elektron doesn’t have. Being able to perform for as many bars as you need to, then go back in and fine tune things, or grab new sections, etc, is pretty fkn immense. 
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ive been reading your comments for a few weeks…
dude you love MPC if someone compares Elektron you argue every time lol…
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I know… on an Elektron forum too.
Honestly, I love both (in fact, I’d say my Analog Four mk2 and MPC are my joint favourite devices that I own), and how they fit into my workflow is personal to me.
I stand up for the MPC so much because it’s been mis-represented so much, the old ‘DAW in a box’ angle from people who haven’t gone deep with it, and, my first impression with it was based on that… then I got past that initial learning curve, connected with it and realised it’s true potential/power.
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Tbh, that’s down to the performer imo, watching a dataline or Field gig for instance. Personally I’m not wired for the Elektron live performance way and work better with the MPC, I’d find it too stressful, but other people are definitely wired for the Elektron way. I don’t think you can judge something like this based on technical specifications alone. Pattern chains are powerful.
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I think the DAW in a box is true though and definitely not a negative? I mean MPC’s have always been about standard Midi tracks at their heart since forever. The first version of Cubase I had was on the Atari ST and was pretty much the same midi idea except with LR locators instead of patterns, and then as time progressed with Cubase VST, got audio on the Falcon, and then effects in Cubase VST, and then VST Instruments. But the core sequencer is still more or less identical to the Atari VST version (a bit less capable actually).
So with the MPC, it’s the same, the core Sequencing system is the same and it’s added technologies as they’ve become available. It supports audio tracks and virtual instruments etc… I wouldn’t class myself as an amateur with the MPC, as I used an MPC 1000 as the brain of my rig for years over a decade ago. I didn’t really use the sampling side as it was slow to work with, but as a MIDI sequencer it was superb. Pretty much the way I use the MPC ONE now, although I use samples a lot more and the virtual instruments.
The new MPC’s being a DAW in a box is the reason I own one, it’s a phenomenal opportunity to get all of that functionality away from a computer, and for me it’s major selling point. It replaces Cubase/Bitwig for me and all of the endless stress of sorting out technical problems/latency with all the hardware, overbridge & Virus TI bull. The MPC works brilliantly like it’s supposed to.
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I agree, it’s not really a negative, but it’s repeatedly levelled at the MPC as a negative… like you’re not really DAWless or something, or it’s a compromise, or you might as well use Ableton/Logic. That’s what I mean, that vibe… there’s a bs snobbiness about it.
Obvs, the MPC is far beyond the physical experience of a DAW… working with a mouse/qwerty can be pretty flat, and I think that’s what people forget.
Saying that, I don’t think Akai helped themselves with the configuration/feel of the touchscreen.
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Does that matter? I mean people say bad stuff about every bit of gear out there, they’re just tools for making music at the end of the day, the only important component is the person using them. I think if you go down that route of being bothered what people say about your tools, it’s a bit like self harming 
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Yeah, you’re probably right… I’m sure Jimi wouldn’t have been on a Gibson forum explaining why the Strat is great…
Misinforming/misinformation drives me mad though, guess it’s the age we live in. The people with least knowledge have the loudest opinions. 
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You JUST posted “can’t we all just get along”
Then you write…
…that’s not the way to do it.
Everyone plays different with their gear. Some shit werks better for others, some doesn’t.
MPC is tite. DT is tite. Pros and cons with both.
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I think of the MPC as an instrument I can play, and a production box that can approximate a DAW. That’s where the beauty lies because it invites me to use my ears more than my eyes and to play/jam on the pads and feel my way around, rather than switching to project planning mode. Once the idea is there and it’s a solid one, the MPC can take me right up to the mastering finish line, I’d say 99% of a finished song. That’s impressive.
The Digitone/Digitakt are amazing instruments and I had so much fun with them. They take you to maybe 50% of a finished song, but on the other hand, they generate so many exciting ideas along that 50% journey that they more than justify their price tag. (Disclaimer: I sold them anyway but that has more to do with budget than their inherent value.)
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This is exactly why I got the Live 2. Plus you can work on any of that anywhere with zero wires!
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Yep. I don’t get the whole “my sampler is better than your sampler” discussion.
I have the MPC Live II Retro and it’s probably my favourite piece of gear ever. It’s pretty, it can do everything, it works on batteries, it even has a great sounding speaker attached. What’s not to love? It’s absolutely great.
I also have the Digitakt (and Digitone) and I like those too very much. They’re very very different from my MPC but not necessarily worse or better, just very different. I have also had the Octatrack earlier and I liked some aspects of it too. It’s a completely different approach to sampling and for me the MPC approach feels better and more at home. For you it might be the other way around. I don’t blame you. Good for you.
It’s a bit like the MPC is a Victorinox multi purpose knife with multiple blades. It’s great and I take it everywhere with me. It’s my all time favourite. BUT the Digitakt is a very good screwdriver. Have you ever tried to turn a screw with a Victorinox? It’s a pain in the ass. But with a specialized tool it’s fast and efficient. Some things are better done with a specialized tool but having a Swiss army knife in your pocket helps you out of many different situations.
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well I THINK the MPC is a sampler production unit, and the Digitakt is a sampler production unit.
in the right hands each can do wonders. in mine…fuck 
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for me it’s the exact opposite to your experience. I went hardware for the immediacy and bought the Live on the basis of the praise it received in forums like this one - specifically as a performance tool. I understand that people play sequences, pads and track mutes and those are all features that are useful, but as a live tool for genuine live performances (without prep or plan), the MPC just has too many quirks that made it quite impractical in that scenario - at least for me. I think it is presented as a live instrument much too enthusiastically, and to me that part actual borders on misinformation – though I do understand that people get excited about their boxes and their workflows AND “live performance” means different things to different people, so ultimately there’s nothing wrong with that as well.
For me I frame and discuss the MPC Live as a production tool primarily because I think that’s where it is most powerful and unique/valuable. There are few boxes (none?) that can do what the MPC Live/One can do in that regard (and in that form factor).
As a live performance tool, to me it’s less than stellar in many ways, and I don’t say that out of snobbery or a lack of knowledge and understanding of my MPC. (happy to list the reasons if interested, PM me)
In the end it comes down to individual workflow and one’s jobs-to-be-done. Many cases where an MPC makes sense, but there are also a few where maybe it doesn’t, I think it’s legit to mention and acknowledge this.
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nothing wrong with that, this is the mpc thread, it would be helpful for others to list them here.
I would struggle if I had to play live with the Mpc, it would take too much time to prepare my tracks into a coherent set without the downtime of loading a new song.
With some adaption it is possible to perform quite comfortably with a modern MPC. Not sure if you’ve seen this vid but it’s so cool!
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Wait what?! When you use an MPC you are not really DAWless?! 
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