Akai MPC question

[pinbot]

I’m thinking of getting an MPC Key 37 and I was wondering if you can use VST synths and effects in addition to the plugins that Akai already provides you with, or if the system is proprietary. Any info is appreciated

[bmanic]

It's proprietary. The MPC is running a Rockchip RK3288 system which is old a sin and extremely under powered. There's absolutely no way it has enough CPU grunt nor RAM to run any "normal" plugins. It's basically a very lean and powerless Linux computer masked as a beat box.

Still, it's a great system and worth investing in.. in my opinion. I own the original MPC Live and am still using it.

[Jim Roseberry]

I agree that the MPC is under-powered... especially if you're trying to use it as a full-bore replacement/substitute for a DAW.

You can run the MPC software on your DAW... and use the MPC in controller mode.
That'll allow you to use 3rd-party VST plugins (instruments and effects).
IMO, This does strip away much of the immediacy/charm of using the MPC.

The actual keys/synth plugins that run on MPC/Keys are actually not bad.
The Pianos, E Pianos, Organs, Juno, and Mini-Moog aren't the best available... but you can produce professional sounding tracks with them.

I wouldn't want to use my MPC X SE as DAW replacement, but it's really nice for certain things. Cropping samples with the Q control knobs absolutely blows away doing the same with a mouse/keyboard.

I was recently tasked with covering the 16th note guitar "chugs" for the Kiss song, "I Was Made For Loving You". Yes, yes... I know... I hate the song too!
I use a pair of Nord Stage 4 keyboards for live... and the onboard Arp and synth sounds just weren't working. The Nord's included guitar samples are about worthless.
I thought about how to cover the guitar part... so it would sound more authentic... and allow for a slight amount of tempo drift (from the drummer).
My solution was to record the "chugs" using a real guitar playing thru an amp.
I would then split each bar into two halves.
1e+a 2e+a (first half bar)
3e+a 4e+a (second half bar)
I'd assign those two halves to adjacent keys on the keyboard.

I'm not a great guitar player.
So, I recorded the "chugs" at half speed (using my DAW).
Next, I imported these takes into the MPC... and used the new time-compression algorithm to double the speed. The results sounded far better than I had anticipated... and editing (top/tail, cropping) was a breeze.
I then exported the samples and threw them into Ableton Live 12... to use Audio Warp to essentially quantize the "chugs" (our drummer asked for this).
Finally, I exported from Live and loaded the (finished) samples into the Nord Stage 4.
Certainly non-traditional... but the part is now covered authentically... without the use of click-track or flying-things-in.

Very long winded point is that the MPC is a great addition to have in the tool-box.
Over time, I've been importing my own drum samples (from past libraries I've recorded)... and the results sound good... and the immediacy makes it fun.

[Stanklydankly]

They just updated the desktop app to allow VST3 and it's a trip after only using 3.0 standalone - it integrates well enough that you can still do most things you want to do on the mpc itself but with like Keyscape and Serum sounds if you want- feels huge.

I know veteran users have a lot to gripe about with the new software but my skill level is pretty much catered for and then some so I'm just f**king psyched how many options I have available to me now (basically infinite)

The desktop software is a pretty basic DAW and feels more like a front-end for the hardware and you'd always have to export to another DAW for release- quality mixing and mastering but as a pretty uneducated hobbyist, this feels like magic right now.

[machinesworking]

As others have said MPC stand alone is proprietary, the only third party plugins for it are some NI PLAY libraries plus Air instruments designed for it, and Air is owned by InMusic like Akai is. It is an underpowered chip, but to be fair some of the plugins sound really good. The Juno emulation and IMO Sub Factory are both top notch. The Moog and FM synths are pretty good too.

The new MPC3 software is barely a beta IMO, it's still missing some basic things from MPC2, so I don't think you can pass judgement on it just yet. That said the whole experience is pretty solid and intuitive. I own the MPC Live II and Push 3 Standalone. Push 3 is far more convoluted while boasting a more powerful CPU, and the entire Live Suite of synths and samplers. It's a lot easier to use standalone than Push 3, which can be a real PITA, right now I'm trying to figure out how to get CV clock out going because I don't have the seoparate plug I need for the MIDI port to an external synth, which is dead easy in the MPC.

[bmanic]

There is apparently a version 3.5 incoming at some point in the near future, coinciding with the new desktop version. Rumors have it that there will be a new Reverb Pro plugin coming as well. That's the only part of the effects that's pretty weak on the MPC so if we finally get a decent reverb then this platform is going to be almost perfect in terms of what it can be capable of achieving.

Hopefully they will be refining the user interface and usability though. Some things were indeed easier to do in MPC 2.xx version.

[Old Norse]

The new MPC3 software is barely a beta IMO, it's still missing some basic things from MPC2, so I don't think you can pass judgement on it just yet.

Is this still the case with the current 3.5? 'Basic things missing' does not sound very tempting.

[machinesworking]

The new MPC3 software is barely a beta IMO, it's still missing some basic things from MPC2, so I don't think you can pass judgement on it just yet.

Is this still the case with the current 3.5? 'Basic things missing' does not sound very tempting.

To sink this in, the exact same scenario happened with Ableton Push 3 Stand Alone. For almost two years Push SA had no time signatures or any way to add in Follow Actions, so you couldn't finish a song on it.

MPC 3.5 still has one time signature, if you do everything in 4/4 then it's a bit easier to work in than MPC 2 was, in that you have access to a traditional linear arranger on a touch screen. Unfortunately for me I almost always want access to a part that falls outside 4/4. They say time signatures are coming but right now it's not possible except by divisions of 4/4 etc.

Other concerns are a lack of their take on Ableton Clips, that part is missing, and whether the computer desktop version will include a VSTi3 plugin for your DAW of choice.

I'm sure they will sort it out, but as of now I'm using Push 3 SA for "computer free" performance.
Hopefully it doesn't take them as long as it took Ableton.

[Old Norse]

Ah, thanks for that information @machinesworking. I guess I'll just wait until the digital dust settles then.

[titino]

Do you think that the final version of MPC 3 will be included for free for MPC 2 owners, like the beta is?

[Old Norse]

The MPC is running a Rockchip RK3288 system which is old a sin and extremely under powered. There's absolutely no way it has enough CPU grunt nor RAM to run any "normal" plugins. It's basically a very lean and powerless Linux computer masked as a beat box.

So the MPC Live III is released with a somewhat beefier CPU. I guess this will be on the whole range going forward.

"It’s powered by a new 8-core processor with 8GB RAM and 128GB internal memory. That’s four times the power of the former MPC Live II."

https://synthanatomy.com/2025/10/akai-m ... ology.html

[Old Norse]

[machinesworking]

FYI, they still only allow one time signature per project, which is just beyond frustrating for some of us.
They still have not offered a VSTi3 plugin version as well, but Ableton style Clips are back. I'm personally probably going to have to give up. I was loving being able to use the hardware and VSTi2 in any DAW I wanted to, but I've waited too long for time signatures to return at this point. Guess I'm married to Push 3 (and Live as a DAW) for standalone.

[Old Norse]

Yep, I'm staying with version 2.15.1 on both MPC hardware and computer software until further notice. Surely they'll get around to it eventually.

(Push 3 + Live sounds like a killer combo, enjoy!)

[mothra]

Yep, I'm staying with version 2.15.1 on both MPC hardware and computer software until further notice. Surely they'll get around to it eventually.

(Push 3 + Live sounds like a killer combo, enjoy!)

Even that's pretty generous hah. Mines staying at 2.10, when the USB Audio/MIDI interface support was added, before all the catastrophic crap started happening heh. That might be where the incoming MIDI bug first started, but I never recorded MIDI into it anyways. I complained for years it needed a better sampler engine, and they finally do it in 3.0 and it's still a bit half-assed. Nothing like the MPC4K which had the whole Z-sampler engine in it.