KVR Audio

Vanthegreat · Post by **Vanthegreat** » Sun Mar 17, 2019 10:16 am

Should I get maschine or MPC LIVE

SLiC · Post by **SLiC** » Sun Mar 17, 2019 11:27 am

You can try the software and see if you like it (its what runs on the LIve in a slightly different layout)

https://www.akaipro.com/mpc-software-2

If you want a simple one box solution that is very portable (great battery life) and replaces a laptop, software, a USB Controller and audio I/O the MPC Live is the obvious choice. If you are in your studio only and always tethered to a computer, then maybe you need to look at both. AKAI have produced excellent free updates for the MPC software including an autosampler and free instruments and fx, V3 is coming soon that will incorporate a Live style clip launcher (from AKAI force) so the future is bright.

I sold Maschine and got the MPC Live, I find it much better for me and I don't miss Machine at all, MPC2 software is better in my opinion and the fact that I can use the Live in the garden, on holiday, at gigs is worth far more to me than a feature by feature comparison (I also prefer the MPC sound packs to the NI ones)

Check out this site, https://www.mpc-tutor.com/

I highly recommend buying the 700+ page manual for the Live - its not just a hardware manual, its how to sample and make music with an MPC....

machinesworking · Post by **machinesworking** » Mon Mar 18, 2019 6:02 am

Another vote for the MPC. I own Maschine Studio and MPC Live. Moved to the MPC because NI in all their wisdom have spent ten years on Maschine, and still do not have much of a song arrangement workflow for Maschine, and no time signature changes in that arrangement. About half the time I've owned it it's had bugs as a VSTi in a DAW, which is a way to get time signature changes in Maschine, but even then it can be buggy, jumping beats etc. Maschine has arguably better interface design in terms of interaction with the hardware, and to get that level you're talking about MPC X, but the software development for Maschine is shit, no polite way to put it, it seems to me they've maxed out profits on it and aren't in development mode on Maschine any longer.

AKIA on the other hand are not done with the MPC, the Live and X are actively being developed. In a lot of areas it's behind Maschine, no multiple audio inputs, and being part hardware, not as many options in general, but the heart of it is set up. It can run stand alone, or as a front end for the MPC2 software as a VSTi.

I've only owned it for a couple months, but I'm pretty sure in general I'm liking it more than Maschine. I think if I was doing 4/4 all the time, and had simple arrangement ideas I would like Maschine, maybe even more, but the intangible is that even in controller mode acting like a front end for the VSTi version, even with a few things that are much easier to grab a mouse for than in Maschine, I'm still voting for the Live.

telecode · Post by **telecode** » Mon Mar 18, 2019 10:48 am

machinesworking wrote: ↑Mon Mar 18, 2019 6:02 am Another vote for the MPC. I own Maschine Studio and MPC Live. Moved to the MPC because NI in all their wisdom have spent ten years on Maschine, and still do not have much of a song arrangement workflow for Maschine, and no time signature changes in that arrangement. About half the time I've owned it it's had bugs as a VSTi in a DAW, which is a way to get time signature changes in Maschine, but even then it can be buggy, jumping beats etc. Maschine has arguably better interface design in terms of interaction with the hardware, and to get that level you're talking about MPC X, but the software development for Maschine is shit, no polite way to put it, it seems to me they've maxed out profits on it and aren't in development mode on Maschine any longer.

AKIA on the other hand are not done with the MPC, the Live and X are actively being developed. In a lot of areas it's behind Maschine, no multiple audio inputs, and being part hardware, not as many options in general, but the heart of it is set up. It can run stand alone, or as a front end for the MPC2 software as a VSTi.

I've only owned it for a couple months, but I'm pretty sure in general I'm liking it more than Maschine. I think if I was doing 4/4 all the time, and had simple arrangement ideas I would like Maschine, maybe even more, but the intangible is that even in controller mode acting like a front end for the VSTi version, even with a few things that are much easier to grab a mouse for than in Maschine, I'm still voting for the Live.

just curious and want to confirm. you can use the MPC on the go? you aren't tied to using it with the software on a laptop or desktop? So you are able to load all your sounds into the hardware and pack it up and use it anywhere?

also, you are able to using different time signatures and tempos in the same song on MPC?

SLiC · Post by **SLiC** » Mon Mar 18, 2019 11:05 am

AKAI MPC Live is fully stand alone - it doesn't run standard VSTs (but we have the autosampler to get VSTs in to samples) but they have lately introduced their own plug in format and provided a lot of free plug ins (Air Fx from pro-tools, mother ducker, instruments etc)

Battery realy does last 6 hours- all you need is headphones and you are good to go, but plug a Mike in and you can finish songs! A few videos and tech below:

https://www.akaipro.com/mpc-live

telecode · Post by **telecode** » Mon Mar 18, 2019 12:10 pm

SLiC wrote: ↑Mon Mar 18, 2019 11:05 am AKAI MPC Live is fully stand alone - it doesn't run standard VSTs (but we have the autosampler to get VSTs in to samples) but they have lately introduced their own plug in format and provided a lot of free plug ins (Air Fx from pro-tools, mother ducker, instruments etc)

Battery realy does last 6 hours- all you need is headphones and you are good to go, but plug a Mike in and you can finish songs! A few videos and tech below:

https://www.akaipro.com/mpc-live

thanks.

are you able to make a song in MPC similar to song view (scenes collection) in Maschine but have different tempos and time signatures for different scenes? Because that's where I am starting to find I want to go and feel Maschine might be limited tool.

telecode · Post by **telecode** » Mon Mar 18, 2019 12:19 pm

Wow. i just checked it out. Now i see now what you mean by there hasn't been very much advancement in Maschine compared to Akai. But comparing the prices -- the MPC LIve is double the price of a MK3. Wow!

Still, if it has all the features in a standalone portable package -- I guess it's worth it. added to my watch list for when/if it goes on sale.

They also make a gold pimp edition.. I lobing it.

SLiC · Post by **SLiC** » Mon Mar 18, 2019 12:59 pm

''MPC LIve is double the price of a MK3''...which is cheap when you consider the MK3 is 'just' a USB controller and some software….the MPC live is a 'hardware' instrument.....no need for a computer or a soundcard, just turn it on and make tracks...phono inputs for record players, line and mike ins, 4 outputs, 4 midi, bluetooth midi, wifi...etc....

telecode · Post by **telecode** » Mon Mar 18, 2019 1:30 pm

SLiC wrote: ↑Mon Mar 18, 2019 12:59 pm ''MPC LIve is double the price of a MK3''...which is cheap when you consider the MK3 is 'just' a USB controller and some software….the MPC live is a 'hardware' instrument.....no need for a computer or a soundcard, just turn it on and make tracks...phono inputs for record players, line and mike ins, 4 outputs, 4 midi, bluetooth midi, wifi...etc....

Yup. I totally agree with you. Its a self contained music tool. I will need to go to a store and try it out to see it. I think for me, as a consumer, the issue will be, i would have to drop the investment I have made into the expansions -- which might be an issue.

So, have you tried exporting midi into a DAW e.t.c. from Live?

SLiC · Post by **SLiC** » Mon Mar 18, 2019 2:07 pm

As well as the hardware running MPC2.4, you get the software version of MPC2.4 free which runs stand alone and as a VST!

You dont have to export anything, you can write on the hardware and it plays exactly the same on the VST version in your DAW (with the MPC acting as a controller if you like :-0) - also works visa-versa.

Go back to my first post there s a free demo for 7 days to try it!

bmanic · Post by **bmanic** » Mon Mar 18, 2019 2:20 pm

I very much caution against getting the MPC Live or an MPC X.

The device is stupidly limited in it's capabilities. I have a MPC Live and it has only been a huge expensive piece of frustration.

Let this sink in for a minute: You can not flip the phase on anything anywhere. The most fundamental thing on a mixing console.. something that was there since the get-go is not anywhere to be found on the MPC Live or X. It's not as if users haven't asked for this since more than 10 years back (tons of threads on their forums and the mpc forum asking for this extremely simple feature). This pretty much underlines the attitude of Akai and how they perceive their users.

If this describes you: "Duh.. I press finger on pad. Make sound! Da?" then MPC Live is perfectly capable and you fit Akai's perception of their users.

If you want to do anything slightly more involved then stay the f**k away from it.

Akai does have a unit here that has the potential to be great but the track record of Akai ever upgrading anything that was a POS to the status of great is pretty much non-existent.

Maschine is infinitely more capable, even considering how limited that thing is (I have a Maschine Mikro so I know this ecosystem as well).

The MPC Live is literally stupidly simplistic to the point of utter frustration.

gundam · Post by **gundam** » Mon Mar 18, 2019 2:48 pm

if you want to say you can make music "everywhere", you have money to blow and music it is just a hobby, then get MPC.

If you want to finish music and would like to make music a career, then get Maschine.

Ableton drumracks, sampler and simpler is probably better than either of those options anyways. I bought Ableton 10 Suite here for $320, I would suggest that 1000xs over both of them

I have both, and I find the MPC software much less intuitive and the layout much less friendly than Maschine. MPC software looks like it was made in the 2000s. Also the Daw integration with maschine is so well done, that I have no use for any hardware and I just use my mouse for everything. No point in dragging a cheap piece of plastic.

Plus, 95% most Live recorded MPC/Maschine beats are straight garbage even before quantizing. Just work like most famous producers and create using MIDI. Case and point, you don't see that many videos of fire beats created "Live"

Instead of wasting time trying to not make boring ass live recorded beats on hardware, just learn to edit faster with a mouse.

IMO, unless you are rich, it is just stupid to spend $1k+ on a brick MPC, when you can get a student laptop, DAW, LOTS of software and a simple midi keyboard for the same price...and which can do 1,000X than the portable brick MPC

Just buy maschine 2 software on the 2nd hand market for $50. Good Luck

SLiC · Post by **SLiC** » Mon Mar 18, 2019 2:49 pm

I dont think it is quite the show stopper you suggest, I have never had an issue (never had to use it) and if I did you can do it on your computer with any sample editor. I would take disk streaming before this (probably sell my Octotrack when it comes)

You either like MPC workflow or you don't, but many people have have hit records with the MPC, they manage somehow, after all AKAI invented the MPC (well, AKAI and Roger Linn).

AKAI's upgrade policy on the Live has been nothing short of amazing, especially 2.4; https://www.akaipro.com/kb/mpc-2-4-desk ... re-update/

From what I hear we have a lot more to come including a lot of the clip features from FORCE....

https://youtu.be/7VG9Xh473Eg

SLiC · Post by **SLiC** » Mon Mar 18, 2019 2:53 pm

gundam wrote: ↑Mon Mar 18, 2019 2:48 pm If you want to finish music and would like to make music a career, then get Maschine.

I think a lot of hiphop artists and studios would probably disagree with you.

gundam · Post by **gundam** » Mon Mar 18, 2019 3:05 pm

SLiC wrote: ↑Mon Mar 18, 2019 2:53 pm
gundam wrote: ↑Mon Mar 18, 2019 2:48 pm If you want to finish music and would like to make music a career, then get Maschine.
I think a lot of hiphop artists and studios would probably disagree with you.

Given the current state of the software, I am just giving specifc advise to the OP who is probably just sort of starting out.

Additionally, all those old boomer MPC hit made records relied on engineers, and lots of editing on pro tools, which again, not applicable to the OP

Most not boomer hip hop artists use mouse and ableton/fl studio nowadays. Just go on instagram

Ableton sampler and simpler is probably better than either of those options anyways.

Maschine or Akai