Unsure of which model to choose

...if you can find one. There is always that risk and I am simply raising the question. Not everybody thinks of these various angles and most assume everything will continue as it is. That is not always a safe assumption. I have gotten burned a time or two on things like this in the past and am therefore a bit skeptical now. By the time this becomes an issue with the MPC Live, my cautions will have been long forgotten, so it is probably not worth pursuing this line of discussion any longer.

Tony

I read your post the first time.

Conclusion buy another battery!!!

For l didn't go after the next new thing. I waited five years for this machine because l sold my other MPC in 2012. I went after the functions that the Live has the battery was not the main course for my decision in getting the Live. I went for exporting and bouncing stems, touch screen, bigger screen, 16 gigs of sounds, Sequencer , compatibility, compact in size, new on board effects , exploding tracks, extra pad banks, standalone and controller mode and FREE AIR INSTRUMENTS AND EFFECTS that l basically paid for before when l had Protools.
So you're not the only one who thinks buddy. Others did to for different reasons.

There's no need to talk about market crashes etc, its on a battery and the world won't end if the Live don't have one. Lets say there won't be a lithium ion battety in the entire world do you think thst will stop myself or others from making music? Let me answer that for you, NO!

There will be replaceable ac cord and batteties for the Live. You're over thinking, if you let a "what if" of a battery stop you from buying it that's on you. Hell l would be more concern about bugs than a dam battery.

tbeltrans wrote:As I said in the quoted post, that depends on whether the battery is proprietary and whether it is still available when you need it a couple of years down the road. Again, this is a problem with ANY device that uses properitary batteries such as cell phones, laptops, tablets, etc. When a battery is built to a specific form factor and output for a particular device, it isn't cost effective for a business to continue making and selling that battery long past its product life cycle. Some proprietary batteries for products that were unusually popular might be carried by third party vendors, but you can't know whether the battery for the MPC Live will be until that time comes.

These days, people seem all too quick to want to move on to the next shiny new thing, so maybe folks won't care about this issue. I tend to hang on to stuff that works for me, and also to ask these kinds of questions. When folks were scrambling to get ARM mortgages prior to 2008, I would ask them what happens when interest rates rise. I as often told that this would not happen. It did and we saw the market crash. I tend to think these things through, when many people don't. I am just bringing up a consideration that I think should be a factor in a purchasing decision here, based on long time observation of the usage of these prprietary batteries in products.

Tony

Correct! As they have carry everything.

mr_debauch wrote:I am going to assume that MPC stuff will start carrying batteries when that day comes... or if you are capable... you could tear the mpc open and install a new one you buy that are of the right spec.

Danoc wrote:I read your post the first time.

Conclusion buy another battery!!!

For l didn't go after the next new thing. I waited five years for this machine because l sold my other MPC in 2012. I went after the functions that the Live has the battery was not the main course for my decision in getting the Live. I went for exporting and bouncing stems, touch screen, bigger screen, 16 gigs of sounds, Sequencer , compatibility, compact in size, new on board effects , exploding tracks, extra pad banks, standalone and controller mode and FREE AIR INSTRUMENTS AND EFFECTS that l basically paid for before when l had Protools.
So you're not the only one who thinks buddy. Others did to for different reasons.

There's no need to talk about market crashes etc, its on a battery and the world won't end if the Live don't have one. Lets say there won't be a lithium ion battety in the entire world do you think thst will stop myself or others from making music? Let me answer that for you, NO!

There will be replaceable ac cord and batteties for the Live. You're over thinking, if you let a "what if" of a battery stop you from buying it that's on you. Hell l would be more concern about bugs than a dam battery.

tbeltrans wrote:As I said in the quoted post, that depends on whether the battery is proprietary and whether it is still available when you need it a couple of years down the road. Again, this is a problem with ANY device that uses properitary batteries such as cell phones, laptops, tablets, etc. When a battery is built to a specific form factor and output for a particular device, it isn't cost effective for a business to continue making and selling that battery long past its product life cycle. Some proprietary batteries for products that were unusually popular might be carried by third party vendors, but you can't know whether the battery for the MPC Live will be until that time comes.

These days, people seem all too quick to want to move on to the next shiny new thing, so maybe folks won't care about this issue. I tend to hang on to stuff that works for me, and also to ask these kinds of questions. When folks were scrambling to get ARM mortgages prior to 2008, I would ask them what happens when interest rates rise. I as often told that this would not happen. It did and we saw the market crash. I tend to think these things through, when many people don't. I am just bringing up a consideration that I think should be a factor in a purchasing decision here, based on long time observation of the usage of these prprietary batteries in products.

Tony

Wow! Geez! Sorry I even mentioned it. Can we stop now?

Tony

Damn danoc finna scare dude off with the economist talk.

I just wanted to mention how dope it is to sit on my back porch and makes beats with only two cords. Usb from keystep to live and my headphones. I even found some dope stereo effects pedals that run on battery. Similar workflows can be had with iPad and various apps and even some that can work in conjunction with the x.

I had the same choice but I went with a live. The portability was a feature I didn’t care about but now it’s invaluable for me. I don’t have my monitors setup as I’m preparing to move but I can take a portable speaker to get an idea what’s goin on and still do stuff around the house. I cook and make beats, clean, laundry all that shit. Most of all I like sitting outside when it’s nice and having a beer and a smoke while bumping a beat. It’s all on one machine that I can just export to usb. I can play the usb in my car or just turn on the computer and drop it in my phone to listen to.

If portability isn’t a factor. Hands down just get the x. I will say it again that portability is a game changer workflow wise. Instead of having a box in a dedicated room, I can tote the thing around like an iPad. I have very little free time and the live helps me make the most of it.

He is the one that brought that up not me.

I keep mines mostly in the stu and take to the major studio.

Cockdiesel wrote:Damn danoc finna scare dude off with the economist talk.

Danoc wrote:He is the one that brought that up not me.

I keep mines mostly in the stu and take to the major studio.

Cockdiesel wrote:Damn danoc finna scare dude off with the economist talk.

Clearly, my point was completely missed, judging by your response. I apologize for not being more clear in my explanation. I will be VERY careful in both what posts I choose to respond to and how I word them in the future. Hopefully, that will avoid all this nonsense.

Thanks,

Tony

Thanks for everybody's input. I ended up getting the MPC X because my local guitar center didn't have any more Live units in stock, at the moment.

This is my first dealings with the mpc platform, so this is an adventure to say the least!!! I was never a manual kind of person, but I have spent the last two days just watching videos and google searching. I am so thankful all the people that took the time to make those videos.


When I told one of the musicians in my band about my new purchase, he asked to bring it to church so he could look it over. The portability issue reared its ugly head. I don't have a case yet and don't want to travel with it without one.

Do I like it?? I go back and forth on how much I will use it on a regular basis. Of course I'm on it constantly now because it's new. But will I use it with the same zeal this time next year??

In a perfect world I would own both the Live and the X, (I do have the money for both) but that seems like throwing money away.

So, for now I will keep learning the X and as I near to the end of the time to return it, make that final decision to stick with it indefinitely. I don't really return or sell gear. If I buy it, I stick with it.

In hindsight, I think the MPC live would have suited my needs, BUT I LOVE THE X THOUGH!!!!!!

dflat57 wrote:In hindsight, I think the MPC live would have suited my needs, BUT I LOVE THE X THOUGH!!!!!!

I know why you love that X so much, cause it's SEXIER THAN A MUTHA F***

dflat57 wrote:In hindsight, I think the MPC live would have suited my needs, BUT I LOVE THE X THOUGH!!!!!!

Before the X, what was your main sampler?

I think the fact that you are in a band, you made the right choice. It can be the drum machine and DAW and can record all your players in a session, then sample and chop it into new songs, its endless once you think it through.

The Live is 90% what the X is, without the CVs and extra outs.

Enjoy your purchase

See how the iMPC works in conjunction with your x and it’s projects. Might be a good workflow/scratch pad for ya.

tbeltrans wrote:Personally, I don't like devices with proprietary (custom) batteries. If the battery is an industry standard form factor and output/current capacity (such as AA, AAA, C, D, 9v) batteries, then it would be fine. However, those standard batteries do not provide enough voltage and current long enough to be useful in devices such as the MPC Live. These Lithium batteries have a finite number of charge/discharge cycles before they no longer hold a charge. By the time a given battery reaches the end of its useful life, the company that made the device using the battery has usually moved on to other products and no longer supports that device. The device then becomes essentially useless unless it can run directly off AC power and the user doesn't mind the device no longer being portable.

Tony

+1 Go with the MPC-X