I like the size of the One+, but I sometimes wish I’d saved more and gotten the Live 2. The portability would be so great - not for taking it out and about, but for spontaneously going to the couch with it rather than either being tied to my setup or having to bring the cable/ power brick with me.
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I had a One and traded up for a Live 2. I like the pads more on the Live 2.
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The voice of reason. Time to create music and have fun.
Just got a Live II, was surprised at how useful the speakers are. Decent bass and a fairly decent baseline mix translation.
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I honestly thought it was a gimmick until I got my Live 2.
They are very good and very useful
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The one plus only has stereo outs, no turntable inputs, usb2 only, etc… the live 2 is a much more rounded machine, the one is much cheaper though if you don’t care.
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the One and the Live 2 are compatible with external usb mixers and audio interfaces
something to keep in mind
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True, but the guy is trying to keep it mobile & simple. I think a used MPC One & power bank would be better for this case.
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Now that I’ve spent some time using a laptop with relatively ok speakers for a couple weeks instead of a big synth setup centered around a desktop PC with headphones, I really understand why so many device manufacturers are putting speakers in. Sure, it’s a small effort to plug headphones in, but that’s one more small bit of friction between not doing something musical and doing something musical.
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agreed, outside the house the one is great, ironically inside the house from room to room couch to couch the Live can’t be beat
Maybe, but I’m going by the guy’s stated needs:
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Honestly I don’t think @antic604 can go wrong with either choice but after thinking about it more yeah, the One/One+ probably fits their needs better. The One will certainly be a hell of a lot cheaper - used Ones go for $350. It isn’t that much hassle to plug it in, and a battery pack is an option as has been stated if that’s not an option for some reason.
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I wonder if you’d still feel that way if they made the MPC-Mini? 
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I upgraded from the MPC One to the MPC Live 2 and I don’t regret it for a second. The build quality is higher, the i/o ports are more sturdy, it has a large headphone jack, etc. I wouldn’t mind if it were a bit smaller, but it’s not a big deal. Well, that’s a pun I suppose. 
The built-in battery is the headline feature for me, but the built-in speaker is useful too! I made a video earlier about how we (my imaginary friend and I - j/k @CCMP) record live jams outdoors, where the speaker means we can record it with zero cables whatsoever. It’s one of those things that are hard to put a price tag on.
The slower workflow amounts to pressing Menu+pad instead of a dedicated button for Program Edit (now called Track Edit). You’ll have to do that to reach the arranger on either of the MPC’s anyway. So I wouldn’t worry about that at all.
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Dumb question I couldn’t find an answer for (that wasn’t 4 years old)-
Does the MPC Live II support USB Audio? I know the Key 37 I had briefly had 2 channel class compliant audio.
Seems crazy to me that it would support hosting a 32-channel USB interface but not a digital audio out stream. It’s just so convenient to send audio, midi, and transport sync over one cable without an analog conversion and a mess of cables and interface, gain staging, etc.
Can you sample from USB?
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Finally got a MPC Key 61. Can’t find them new in Europe but got one second hand for a crazy price (800€) like new. Even if it gets discontinued it’s damn worth it. I’m surprised with the audio quality that comes out of it. Was expecting more digital/aliasing feeling.
Anyone knows when Akai plugins go on sale again? Tried buying them in advance for my future MPC on 31st December but prices were already updated to current ones.
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what???
the mpc key-37 has class compliant sampling via usb?
had no idea!
It had stereo class compliant usb audio out for sure, not sure about sampling. It had a defective keybed and I never replaced it once they were finally back in stock. Grabbed a Live II yesterday and just assumed I wouldn’t have to hook up 4 in/out patch cables, midi cables, etc just to get audio in/out and sync. Not interested in controller mode to be honest, which isn’t even available on MPC 3 OS.
A luxury I must have taken for granted on the 404 mk II, Digitakt, and OP-XY
No it doesn’t.
The Keys 37 only does Midi over USB as far as I recall. I don’t think it does audio over USB to an iPad or Mac/PC.
Maybe I was mistaken or confused by this description from their website:
MPC Key 37 features a built in 2-in 2-out USB audio/MIDI interface, so you can record audio and MIDI directly in and out of your computer
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