With the new MPC III I’m thinking NI better get its act together. I was going to wait for a new Maschine Plus BUT…not with this new MPC. That’s where my $$$ is going. I have a Maschine
MK 3 so I’ll hang on to that for the workflow. Selling the MPC One.
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I think it’s an awesome combo: Maschine MK3+laptop, and Akai MPC Live III (or keys 37). Maybe add a Roland TR1000 for giggles 
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Very cool if true.
I was worried NI was getting out of hardware when they allowed their plugins on the MPC. Maybe just a bit of friendly competition instead.
I think he means a software synth… 
Not at all sure its going to be a hardware device, though the rumours didnt specify… I’d wager, knowing NI, its more likely to be a softie
So I didn’t think I would, but I did pick up an MPC once again. And I do like the new device. One conclusion I have so far is that it won’t replace my Maschine, fully. At least not yet. Probably the biggest thing Maschine has over MPC at this point is sounds and sounds management. Even with porting Maschine expansions, there’s just a ton missing. The other one is the workflow. The clips get it one step closer, but it’s still not as fluid. Just feels like a bunch of cool solutions slapped together and I have a feeling with the next gen, maybe MPC 4.0, it might close the workflow gap.
For now, I find together these devices are quite powerful. Here I have Maschine+ running off powerbank, and connected by a USB-c to USB wire. Maschine recognizes Live III and allows audio and MIDI in both directions. So I think for now, I am able to enjoy the best of both worlds.
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Cool! I also like the combination of MPC and Maschine. I have a Maschine MK3 and MPC key 37, and figuring out different ways of integrating them.
I notice that on the MPC I tend to achieve good arrangements quicker and more “intuitive” while on Maschine the basic foundations of an idea flow out faster. A potentially powerful combination. Also the drums on Akai sound really nice, very “mid heavy”.
Overall, MPC OS 3 feels like a more mature platform with lots of features and power, but somewhat disjointed in places. But it feels like a platform that is much more future proof than Maschine. Good times all in all 
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Nice!
After using the MPC 3.6 for a few weeks now, and really getting deep into the workflow, I still think Maschine is a more powerful creative tool and MPC has more catching up to do. Just simple things like finding a sound, with MPC you need to start with technology first (I.e plugin? Sample?), where with Maschine the librarian guides you on sound type/character regardless of tool/technology. Then, sound designing, moving between plugin settings and sound FX, feels like fewer clicks and god forbid you need more than 4 fx on your sound. I get you can extend with sub mixes, or bounce and continue but with Maschine’s ability to add pretty much unlimited fx, rearrange, it’s very fluid. Also the type of FX and their depth MPC has nothing on Maschine. I have every plugin/fx for MPC, and it just feels so much harder to get the sound I want. Addition of clips and arranger on MPC certainly was a great step ahead but the move between them isn’t very fluid and once you have an arrangement laid out, it’s much harder to go back and iterate on ideas which I do a lot. I need to make tracks of different lengths quickly from the same content and on Maschine, adding/removing sections, adding transitions is just so smooth where in MPC I feel a mini panic attack at the thought and feel like it’s just better to go back to an earlier version of the project.
I have no doubt MPC will catch up, but with Maschine having a lot of this so well thought out years before, makes me feel like for electronic musicians and creators, Native Instruments is in a league of its own.
So I think MPC in LIVE 3 has enough for me to keep this time around, but only until and if NI puts out a higher spec, more buttons/controls, and touch screened device. I also see an opportunity of a smaller form factor, “rompler” like sound module, which perhaps doesn’t have as many controls but allows you to find/design sounds, add/edit NI fx and chains, layer sounds, and be used by MPC & other boxes by MIDI. I believe AKAI may now be hard for NI to catch up to and compete unless they’ve got something in the works already.
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Honestly, if they put out a MkII of the M+ with a modern processor that could handle some of the Arturia plugins, PolyAT, and more color options for the pads, I’d be overjoyed. The MPC looks neat, but I just see so much on it I wouldn’t use.
Edit: Of if they made the M3 able to control external hardware and the computer at the same time.
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I love maschine but it’s impressive how the core sampling engine hasn’t been updated since V1. Still the same crappy filters and modultors as 10 years ago… especialy when they have so much better stuff in battery and kontakt
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@rephazed yeah man I feel the same. The NI workflow is much more smoother and streamlined. And less options means faster productivity from idea to melody. You know you need a compressor… you add it. On mpc you have a ton of versions. And f me if I know what’s the difference between them.
NI will expand our choice a bit more in the near future, and that is only a good thing.
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The pads on the Maschine are pressure sensitive?I never got this to work…….
you mean velocity sensitive? there is no after-touch sensitivity if you mean that…
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The reason I ask is see Boris at 20 mins…
I’m confused 
Edit-oh I get it,the note is retriggering with velocity…….I think I’m so wanting the pads to be pressure sensitive like the mpc pads I just wanted/willing it to be true somehow.Well I guess you got the touch strip for that ))
- actually,it’s still working in a similar way.
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agree 100%. NI should improve maschine GUI tho.
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I was set to buy one of the next batch of MPC Live 3’s shipping in the UK, but after having my arm in a cast from an accident on holiday and being unable to use my right hand, this is good to read after generally positive reviews.
I rarely ever maxed out my M+ from maybe 150+ projects by knowing what not to do and always thought it sounded great and was easy to achieve great music with, so this is therapy for the mind.
Bells and whistles are nice, but so is speed of getting ideas going and sometimes finished. Probably be a shame to miss all the Akai BF deals for instruments and expansions though.
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I’ve had the live III for four days now, three of which I couldn’t step away from it for too long. Never had an mpc but I love M+ so figured it would be a gradual curve. It’s the first box i ever had with a touch screen so that was the first thing to grapple with. For instance, shutting down surprisingly wasn’t on screen but in the back button. I wanted to rearrange my pads and couldn’t and still haven’t but generally things are laid out very well.
I’ve never chopped and mapped a break on the M+ as quickly as i was able to do on the III. The ability to grab slices on the touch screen, the far better performance of the zoom and scroll made it a breeze. Apples to oranges, the M+ is dated this thing is souped. Which is smoother? It’s too early for me to say, especially considering how deep the III is compared to M+. I like it, like a lot. For years I never considered the mpc cause maschine had the best workflow. Than it took em months to fix a problem with plugin pinning. Maschine 3 rolled out and all the instabilities and crashes, on top of a mountain heap of smaller complaints i was ok to live with. The III caught me off guard, had to grab it quick.
No affiliation, save some cash. NI expansions turned into xpm. Really tidy, it’ll make a preview file as well.
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Cool. I have watched another Maschine fanboi, DDS825, make the switch and he took his Expansions and made a video about it. I have all but maybe 10 or so expansions too and it’s great you can do it, but you’re obviously going to lose some content there, synth presets and effects. Not a dealbreaker maybe, but it’s worth noting.
He’s still getting to grips 6 months later and there’s things he misses, so maybe if you’re happy to put the time in and craft/graft something out, then it probably makes sense. I’d rather get things going quickly and either dump or carry on working on something if i’m onto something. I have less time to create than I used to have too, so for me speed is key
Haven’t seen any on resale yet, so it’s probably a good sign. I’m sure I will get one to try someday soon too after my cast is removed, but there’s definitely pros and cons with either way of working.
On Reverb right now it is 517 euro B-Stock ( as new ). Ok I think the live mpc mk3 is better but it also is 3x the price. For beatmaking for fun, I think this is a steal.
How well does it work with external synths?
Pretty good, you can use MIDI or USB to control external synths. It only has 2 inputs but you could use an audio interface with more inputs and then select the different inputs per group or track. quite straight forward. of course you can use all the effects or better create 2 send/return tracks to save CPU.
Only issue I have with Maschine+ is you cannot select a different audio interface for IN and OUT so you cannot use an external device for the synths and the internal headphone IIRC.
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