Advice on MPC Studio 2 purchase

Hi, I am considering purchasing an MPC Studio 2 to use largely as just a MIDI controller for live work. My main requirements are the pads, transport controls, some sort slider/pot to assign to volume control and a few programmable buttons to emit MIDI note or CC commands that I can map to functions in DAW type software. I have a few questions I where would be very grateful for your opinions:

1) Can I even use the Studio 2 as more or less just a "dumb" MIDI controller?
2) Do the buttons other than the pads and the transport controls emit any MIDI information? (CCs, Sysex etc?)
3) If they do emit any MIDI info, is it configurable?
4) Can I set (and fix) the touch-strip to issue CC11 for MIDI volume?

Would I be better off with an MPD226? I prefer the size and form factor of the Studio 2 and the MPD218 I have doesn't have transport controls or assignable buttons.

MPC Studio 2 is just about as dumb as any midi controller could ever be. Without the MPC Software it does nothing other than transmit random MIDI notes from the various pads and buttons. It has no option to edit the configuration when running as a generic 'controller', it's definitely not an MPD replacement, realistically it can only be used as an mpc software controller and even then it’s bloody awful at doing that in any meaningful way.

The original MPC Studio was great, but even this cannot function as an MPD style controller for other software.

So yes, definitely far better off with an mpd or even a non akai pad controller.

That sounds pretty unequivocal! Thank you for the info. Sounds like I'll opt for an MPD226.

DaveBoulden wrote:Hi, I am considering purchasing an MPC Studio 2 to use largely as just a MIDI controller for live work. My main requirements are the pads, transport controls, some sort slider/pot to assign to volume control and a few programmable buttons to emit MIDI note or CC commands that I can map to functions in DAW type software. I have a few questions I where would be very grateful for your opinions:

1) Can I even use the Studio 2 as more or less just a "dumb" MIDI controller?
2) Do the buttons other than the pads and the transport controls emit any MIDI information? (CCs, Sysex etc?)
3) If they do emit any MIDI info, is it configurable?
4) Can I set (and fix) the touch-strip to issue CC11 for MIDI volume?

Would I be better off with an MPD226? I prefer the size and form factor of the Studio 2 and the MPD218 I have doesn't have transport controls or assignable buttons.

Are you using Ableton? If so, the Mk2 has a script to work with Ableton so you can have the best of both worlds. Its not just a dumb midi controller. The Ableton script is very capable