Boy do I relate to this
UI and overall architecture is clunky as f***
Love MPCs and the original workflow from Roger Linn but the new ones really lost the hands on / simplicity of the older ones. And in the end only to achieve a very mediocre DAW experience.
Got the Live first but felt frustrated with it, then thought maybe more buttons would solve it and went for an X. Better, but itās not it. Still too much menu diving, audio tracks being separated from midi tracks is unreal. Overall thereās just too many layers of unnecessary complexity to do simple things. Also thought exporting stems would be easy but that was also a pain with with all the AKAI software etc.
In the end Iām probably gonna sell the X, keep the Live because it can still be handy for some things, and get an Octatrack as the main sequencer for a real hands on experience.
Not this time either I think, the way you use it, it makes a lot more sense. The way Iād use it, as a studio for writing, composing, structuring and putting it all together, it seems too cluttered for my feeble mind.
Actually, if anything, Iād welcome an MPC that went back to the core idea of it, stripped away most of the studio features but kept the modern approach to fx, mixing and such things - but perhaps just accept the beat loop structure and make the most of it, rather than trying to put it into larger context without changing its fundamental paradigm.
But clearly itās immensely powerful, so Iām happy it exists and my old ass is now gonna eat some underpants.
Did you try to just record each track as audio, into the daw, with the sends, submixes on and whatever, the good old fashioned way?
Personally I donāt use the submix feature, it feels like it will slow my workflow down too much, and it isnāt where the mpc shines imo. It might be a must have if youāre going to be playing live though.
I do everything on the MPC, so submixes are kinda useful, especially when I want multiple chops to use the same effects with the same settings as effects management is a bit meh.
The one thing I dislike is how audio tracks are integrated, but hey, they workā¦
No, I used the export feature of the MPC software to render .wav stems. Using MPC as a plugin wasnāt a pleasant experience and Iād rather not mess with audio cables and export via analog.
I used it extensively when trying to turn my MPC into the end all be all of music production, but now that Iām content with the hybrid workflow, I would not use them anymore other than in a super linear way (e.g. one dedicated Program routed to one dedicated Submix - never a per-pad routing).
But I admit, if people are pleased the way MPCs are today, great for them. Older users maybe just have to move along to something else, like Elektron, or stay with the older ones.
I consider myself part of the older user group who welcome the new features offered by the new MPC line. I think theyāre great machines. Yes, a bit confusing sometimes, with a structure and UI not always completely coherent, but compared to my first, brand new MPC2000, what a giant leapā¦
Absolutely, very understandable to see many people pleased with them. Personally Iām in the category of users that use MPCs as a sketchbook away from the DAW to capture ideas as they come. So the more I can build muscle memory to access functions almost instantly without thinking, the better.
DAW like features like the touch screen, convoluted UI and routing etc makes the machine less attractive from that perspective. But for users doing everything in this box, itās a giant leap forward for sure.
Considered it for a while yea, but itās still too close to the MPC and most of all itās rather a matter of getting away from screens. I feel that they suck out too much of the attention away from the music itself in the initial creative phase.
I immediately began to scoff at the scratch FX when the words came out of Andyās mouth til I heard it and thought about applying it to drum fills and break downsā¦ will be very useful indeed
It does go in the direction of a more live and hands on experience. With the possibility to record it directly as an automation I can see a big gain of time and creativity. Cool addition to the toolkit for this one.
I think, the way you use it, it makes a lot more sense. The way Iād use it, as a studio for writing, composing, structuring and putting it all together, it seems too cluttered for my feeble mind.
thousand %
