OT MK2 + MPC Live Killer combo!

I didn’t find JJOS2XL immediate at all. I was interested in Grid Editor but having OT it was useless, like many functionalities. Poor arp, very few random possibilities. Recording on several channels was usefull, some pad functions / midi send.
So I thought MPC500 would be enough, and more immediate, for sure ! No regret.
What I heard from MPC LIVE ipad / computer inside aspect stopped my GAS, but I’d like a new 100% hardware MPC, smaller than Live.

On the main screen of the MPC Live, tap the little thing that looks like an eyeball somewhere on the left side of the screen. That opens up a channel strip where you can adjust the volume and pan of the program or pad. You can also set up your inserts here. It’s in the manual.

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I own a 500 but its a buggy mess which craps out on occassions. If you think menu diving is bad on the live then you’re in a world of hurt.

Answering me but quoting someone else…:sketchy:
You also mixed 2 answers apparently. :slight_smile:
I don’t know Live menus but 1000 JJOS2XL’s.
I use an Mpc Editor so no special pain with MPC 500, of course very limited.

What about LIVE’s pads quality ?
They seem really good.
Are there usb Akai Pads with similar quality ?
I don’t especially like 1000 and 500’s pads but 2000 were better IIRC.

MPC live pads are amazing, its on par with the Maschine mk3 for playing I feel.

But what mpc editor?, are we talking mpc maid?

Yep. Mpc Maid.

Yeah its pretty awesome. Don’t get me wrong I love the MPC 500 but I wish it had a few more os tweaks to iron out the bugs and crashes.

Sure. I didn’t have bugs and crashes, didn’t use it very much. Randomly ?

Sampling on battery and then assigning to pads can cause to splutter and crash. Saving entire memory on occassions freezes the mpc but this again occurs on battery. In fact most problems are battery based, wish the pads were nicer too and the display had more info so less menu diving.

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Also the big brother of the mpc live is the one you need if you want to avoid menu diving as it has dedicated buttons anbd tons of q links. Though you sacrifice portability and its huge.

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I was mainly reaching for the reverbs, delays and distortions. I wouldn’t say they’re amazing but they get the job done. The reverb is definitely much worse than modern Elektron reverb but it didn’t bother me that much. I actually like ‘bad’ reverbs like the one found on the OP-1 or the Monomachine so my taste in reverb is maybe to blame.
I also used some of the filters and they are kind of plain and not that juicy. but again, fine for basic sound shaping. I was expecting built in FX to be terrible and they’re just okay. Pleasantly surprised by some of the distortions actually. Can get a nice crunch going. The SP1200 and 60 FX were probably the biggest highlight

Yeah this is spot on. This is something I often notice between big manufacturers like InMusic or Korg (based on my experience with the electribe 2). They often have an amazing list of features but little thought was put into user experience. Contrasting that to smaller companies like TE (Op-1) or Novation (Circuit) that often have select features designed to fit a workflow rather than a workflow designed around a large list of features. I think most Elektron boxes strike a pretty good balance between the two ‘approaches’.

I found a very happy new owner locally already I’m afraid. Probably the one that was the hardest to let go! The MPC, OT and DN have all left the building.

So Main > Select track from your list > eyeball > volume slider? I still would’ve prefered something like shift + pad > volume knob. It’s somewhat understandable that it’s a little clunky given that you can have up to 128 tracks with 128 pads each but in use it just dragged me down having to go through the menus for such small changes. Gets me out of the workflow.

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MPC live is the ”LE version” of the current standalones. The classic MPC UX is more more present on the MPC X. But then again, the portability aspect is not there. Its always a tradeoff. IMO the MPC live is a better compromise than the MPC 1000 in this regard, as the 1000 sacrificed pad size over the then ”fullsize MPC” which was the 2500.

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Nope, just click the little icon and hit the pad you want to adjust the volume for. You can also add inserts here.

So the funny thing is I find myself going to the MPC more than the OT MKII ,
I appreciate the bigger screen size esp with waveform editing.
Pads - no question really good ! IMHO
Keymapping/multisampling
Menu diving -I have to agree can be a bit of a workflow killer.
but when I do turn on the OT it’s like whats been said here many times over very inspirational and
“happy accidents”
Wow I just talked myself into not returning the OT. smdh (1st world problems)

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I have OT MK1 + MPC1000 JJOS. The workflow and uses are so different that they can be great together. Longer MIDI parts on the MPC is great when the 1/2 speed resolution on the OT won’t cut it. I’m sure the Live isn’t that far off workflow wise from other MPC’s.

Audio manipulation on the MPC is nothing compared to the OT but if you get creative you can do a lot with the MPC too. One trick is to place the same sample or loop on 16 pads and have different settings on each pad. Then sequence the 16 pads and you can have something kind of like PLocking on the OT. You can of course resample and then do it again for more audio mayhem.

I honestly use it more for accents or longer MIDI parts but I plan to get it more into the workflow to fill in while changing projects on other instruments. Using the ERM multiclock I can stop just one clock and load a new project without stopping the other instruments. This way I’m not limited to a single project for a seamless set.

How is the MIDI clock stability on the Live? 1000 is very solid which one of many reasons it’ll stay until it’s irreparable death.

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Im new to the forum, but i have an OTmkii coming tomorrow. But my current setup was OP1 and guitar going into MPC Touch. The workflow on the touch (same as live and X) is absolutely amazing. Which is what kept me away from the OT for a while. Cause the MPC does A LOT. And its super easy to get around on it. It is every bit as deep as an OT but its intentions are certainly very different. The way I’m going to attempt to incorporate the OT (for the time being until I get the full swing of it) is to great interesting sequences, fx, scene changy things, to be recording back in the MPC to either be chopped again or just recorded into loops that can either be manipulated further in the MPC and sent back, or just track building with the MPC’s 128 audio 128 midi track limit per sequence :slight_smile: blasing off!

lol. well summarised

Klicking through list of samples gives me serious 2000 Nokia 3110 vibes

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I’m getting close to adding the MPC Live to my OT setup. I see there was a recent update to the MPC OS.
How’s the pairing going these days; is it a stable relationship having them together?

Cheers,
Adam

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Seconded, I’m eyeing up the MPC Live as well…