Should I choose OT or MPC Live?

I know this is going to trigger some debate. You could say it’s not comparable to an OT but actually you can compare different products given your specific needs.

What I’m looking is a machine to sequence external gear + perform live launching loops and hits. So I’m struggling between the two.

given my needs, Octatrack vs MPC live

mpc live pros:

  • 6 outputs (vs 4)
  • 16 pads
  • big touch screen
  • MIDI/seq: musical scales

Octatrack pros:

  • smaller
  • better sample mangling possibilities
  • crossfader
  • MIDI/seq: midi fx, LFO designer, arpeggiator
  • mature product (exists)

so, my question is, what else could I miss if I choose the MPC route?

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4 inputs vs 2

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that’s right!

forgot to say, everything goes into multiple inputs to my DAW and there I add sidechain compression, reverb, delay and limiting

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Maybe start a new thread for specific Vs comparison like this? :slight_smile:

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3 posts were split to a new topic: Kidding

Ot pros : step seq, physical plocks, 3 lfos per track, midi lfos, good arp…
8 recorders. Crazy possibilities to play what you’re recording…
Too complicated for a normal person. Its a pro. :slight_smile:

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I guess the OT can change samples with an LFO or p-locks and the MCP don’t, right?

It can change Slice number, not samples.
Don’t know about Mpc.

I had an Mpc 1000, sold, bought an Ot, needed more polyphony and midi overdub, bought an Mpc 1000 Jjos2xl but didn’t use it.
They can be very complementary.
Very different.
Mpc should be simplier to control several midi gear.
Do you want to record audio ?
Polyphony ?

For the moment I prefer to practice Ot A4 and Blofeld only.

OT can change sample by holding down a step button and rotating the level knob to select a different sample per step.

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True I missed plocks as Denoise talked about Lfos, so I didn’t mentionned sample locks.

If your goal is to sequence external gear + perform live launching loops and hits then you will be better off with the MPC because of its polyphonic multi-channels as well as the real-time time stretching algo that is better than the OTs.

I think it comes down to mindset. If you want to “explore”, get an OT. If you just want to hammer things out, get an MPC.

I’ve had most MPCs and the OT. Right now I have neither but the MPC Live has certainly caught my attention. I find MPCs in general better for arrangement and for sequencing external gear. The MPC will also be better for any polyphonic sequencing. The OT, for me, is more of a creative tool and while some people have certainly mastered it as a performance device, I found the interface way too inefficient for getting simple sequence ideas down quickly.

Given what you list as your needs, I’d say MPC is looking like a good choice. But really you should wait for it to be released so you can try them both out before you buy.

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If it’s for external sequencing it might be relevant to your needs that the OT sequencer is kind of weird for polyphonic stuff. Like you can’t for instance have a 4 note chord held for a bar and then descend one note while the other notes stay as they are. It’s kind of ‘all or nothing’. Maybe someone else can explain it better. Not sure if mpc has the same behaviour or if it’s something you’d find a problem, but its something that stressed me out a few times…

Yep. That’s why I bought an Mpc 1000 again.
OT is very special for midi, but if you don’t have much polyphony…
You can begin with Live and try Ot later.

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I’ve never experienced buyers remorse by purchasing Elektron Gear. I will say, aside from the mono machine… the Octatrack takes some getting used to. The ability to setup a flex machine recording buffer that allows you to mangle in realtime is great. Akai is bringing something new to market. There is not too much that can’t be done with the Octatrack. I think it’s wise to try both, and see which one works better for you. The Octatrack shines on flex machines, P-Locks, scenes, and its MIDI capability to control and sequence 8 MiDi tracks with chords on top of 8 audio machines. My only real issues with the unit are with its effects. You can only use reverb or delay. Can’t use both without sacrificing a track to a neighbor machine. The MPC X… different story.

I guess it also depends on what you plan to do. If your intention to to simply arrange samples and sequence gear… I guess the MPC would be good. The Octatrack is more of an instrument than a sampler.

actually I would record mostly on my DAW since I have better A/D converters there.
no need polyphony, since I’m doing the kind of techno where you rarely play chords :blush:

So you can think twice, maybe the Ot step seq would suits you. 8 midi + 8 audio tracks would be enough for you ?

yes… more than enough.
I’m planing to leave the mixing task to the DAW, so I would only use 1 track per out (4 OT or 6 MPD)