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By commuter Fri Mar 31, 2017 7:27 pm
Hi all, newb here, never owned an MPC and I'm looking to transition from my Octatrack workflow to something more flexible. Not sure if I want to go for a used MPC 1000/2500 with JJOS or wait for the new Live/X to drop. The 1000/2500 plus JJOS is solid, stable, powerful, and getting cheaper on the used market. The Live/X has a more advanced interface and is brand spankin' new (which isn't always a good thing with Akai products so I've heard).

So imagine your favorite JJOS version running on a nicely refurbished 1000 or 2500 with new pads, sensors, LCD, etc. stacked up against an MPC Live or X. What does one do that the other can't, and vice versa? Note: I have no interest in working in a computer DAW so that can be crossed off the list.

Specific concerns:

1. For people who have used Akai effects in both the 1000/2500 and MPC Software, which do you like better?

2. How is audio track recording on the latest and greatest JJOS?

3. Would you say JJOS is user-friendly, easy to navigate, or hard to learn?

4. Anybody used a 2500 with a big screen? Is it easy to read stuff and edit waveforms?

5. In 10-20 years, will people still be making music on a JJOS MPC or a touchscreen MPC?
By doejohn Mon Sep 11, 2017 2:53 pm
Yo, octatrack and MPC1k JJOS2xl user here

1. Imo the effects on the 1k kinda blow, its just not the boxes strong point at all, but with the individual outs you can route to external FX. Put them into thru machines in your OT for starters. My MPC has 2 internal send FX plus a master EQ and a master compressor. The new MPC has up to 4 different effects PER PAD then master FX controllable by an XY pad, it has an array or reverbs, delays; flangers and phasers. It absolutely obliterates the 1000 in that sense, and thats before resampling

2. Again this is not the 1k's strong point, I dont track vocs to MPC, mainly cause its just way easier to do in logic. If youre not into DAWs your mileage may vary, I would imagine this is significantly easier to do in the live as it was built with the intention of tracking vocs and stuff. You have a max if 22mins mono sample time with maxed out ram, and you will have to allow space for the rest of your track, halve it for stereo. Then think about how many tracks will be in your set. MPC live has upped JJOS's 128mb of RAM to 2GB. I would also imagine disk streaming is a possibility in a future update, and you fan install a terrabyte SSD in the live. If you have an octatrack this is not a worry for you.

3. If you can handle OT then the MPC will be a breeze after a bit of adjusting. Theres a ton of information in the forums as theres a bit of a language barrier in JJs instructions. Trying to figure it out is half the fun though, everything you could ever need to know is online, its pretty intuitive though.

4. The big screen is a nice touch if you want to go all out but it is already easy to get reqlly surgical on waveforms. And the live can only improve on this. I am very satisfied with this aspect of the 1000 though, it has a nice page for zooming right in on the waveform and lining up a zero crossing point for flawless loops, also crossfade looping is an option

5. In the future people will still be using 1ks and 2ks, MPC live probably wont make it that far. These MPCs work because theyre simple but capable of extremely complex tasks. Everything is implemented nicely and theyre still receiving updates 10 years later. MPC live and X will likely go the way of old computers, because they are computers. And with that theyre more powerful, but doomed to die when out when something better comes along. Eg, when someone manages to put VSTs in a box that isnt a laptop.

The X and live just streamline what could already be done. Need an MPC with CV control? You can use a midi to CV converter with any MPC. Need FX with a touch pad? Buy some midi capable FX, a kaoss pad or use lemur to control FX or your OTs crossfader. There are a million ways to skin a cat. The new MPCs are simply the latest and greatest, and the most streamlined all-in-one boxes

I love my 1k, I would love a 2500 more, and I would love the ability to instantly track out my beats, and have 4 FX per pad and a bunch of other shit even more.

I am looking to invest in a new box which will probably be either an MPC live, a maschine mark 3, or the likely imminent Push 3. Nonetheless my 1000 is going absolutely nowhere, I love it dearly and I think it is the perfect companion for my octatrack. It does some wonderful things and I would be at a loss without it, it adds a lot, and I mean a LOT of functionality to my Octatrack. Until the MPC live can truly match every feature I dont think it can replace it. But at the same time I wish for the level of integration the new MPCs bring to the table.