Despite your dissatisfaction; Are you happy with your MPC X?

I love my live.. Everything is not necessarily for everyone. Love it or don't. Never means the machine isn't capable of achieving desired results sought out. I think a lot of these kids coming from computer based beat making expect hardware boxes to be able to do what they can do alone on a computer. Find ya grove and workflow and knock the rest of the bullsh*t off. If you making bangers on Maschine, Fl Studi or whatever, I could care less. Work with what works best for your. People made classics on less advantages then what we have access to now.

I went from the Live to an X and I love it. If i could I would be a Live again. These MPCs are so far the best on the market for what they do. Happy to see that Akai is listening and are adding requested features. Just imagine what these will be soon and what the next generation will bring. Can't wait.

Could be because I’m just used to the workflow now, but I think this MPC OS is one of the best they’ve created. Lots of things I’d like to see (ahem, MPC 4000 ish), but all in all, I’m pleased.

I don't have a X but a Mpc Live and I am totally satisfied with it, its the best groovebox I tried so far.
But I can say that after a year.
Before it was a struggle, it takes time to learn the right workflow for you and Mpc has just entered in the pro zone with 2.3 and 2.4, they fixed the most important bugs and put serious pro effects.

Im Very Satisfied with the Live. Digging deep in the OS, and learning what all of the Parameter can control, and how they function, has me opening my eyes to features in my Legacy Units. I found myself RE-EXPLORING my 4000 and 5000. Its more visual on the Live/X. Love the new Updates. Now I hope they can focus on more Functionality issues geared towards MIDI, Portamento, WiFi, Bluetooth etc. Then It will be PERFECT PERFECT!!!!

Happy with my Live, just not an ideal process. The workflow does something to my tracks that allow me to overlook the short comings.

I'd like to do at least all my creating without leaving the MPC ecosystem. Ideally, I'd even want to mix without leaving. Unfortunately, the software is missing some key features that "force" me to split the process in ways I don't care for.

When I worked exclusively in a DAW, the process was much smoother, but the product wasn't as tight. I don't know if it's working with sequences vs linear writing & programming, but I like my grooves much more since coming back to a groove box. When I was changing things up, researching tools, the MPC proved to be best for the job. The Maschine MK2 was a distant 2nd. Because of my interface, the X was overkill.

Unreallystic wrote:

Fanu wrote:Also, good to understand that groups and forums are often "for" complaints.
Those who are happy don't make much noise about it.
So the ratio of happy/unhappy posts there is often quite uneven.
Reading relevant groups and forums easily gives one the impression that the product sucks, as you end up seeing so many complaint posts.

This.

With that said there are other categories of reasons for complaints that have merit to them.
1. Not understanding their purchase
2. The cost can be hard to swallow when compared against other tools
3. A couple/few features that are more niche and not present can be a big deal to some of us, and to those of us that it is a bi deal, usually have enough people/power/knowledge behind them - to be LOUD (MIDI implementation for example)
4. The MPC videos you see on YT make it look easy to just pick up and play. Its not. There is a reason the MPC Bible gets echoed FAR beyond this forum as a STAPLE purchase, that means either A) People are quitting before they even know how to use it (I see that ALOT) or B) People are never really getting everything out of it (that's me, but I at least understand that).

All those complaints have some merit. It doesn't make them bad or inferior products.
- Unreall

Know what else is easy to pick up and play? A kazoo.

Nothing worth playing is “easy”.

Despite your dissatisfaction, are you satisfied?

SupremeSoulstice wrote:I love my live.. Everything is not necessarily for everyone. Love it or don't. Never means the Maschine isn't capable of achieving desired results sought out. I think a lot of these kids coming from computer based beat making expect hardware boxes to be able to do what they can do alone on a computer. Find ya grove and workflow and knock the rest of the bullsh*t off. If you making bangers on Maschine, Fl Studi or whatever, I could care less. Work with what works best for your. People made classics on less advantages then what we have access to now.

I can't lie. I look at a regular laptop I can cop for like $500, and I can throw any modern DAW and sets of VSTs in it, throw on a Maschine like controller, and for close to the same footprint, you have a technically more capable machine. It just is what it is. So I can understand - no - I WANT the MPC to get to "Stand alone Ableton", because I know its possible, the technology is there at an affordable cost.

What you are really paying for is the single unit convenience - touch screen laptop, controller, and audio interface, and workflow. So someone thinking that the $1400 live of $2200 X can/should do more, isn't illogical.
- Unreall

Unreallystic wrote:

SupremeSoulstice wrote:I love my live.. Everything is not necessarily for everyone. Love it or don't. Never means the Maschine isn't capable of achieving desired results sought out. I think a lot of these kids coming from computer based beat making expect hardware boxes to be able to do what they can do alone on a computer. Find ya grove and workflow and knock the rest of the bullsh*t off. If you making bangers on Maschine, Fl Studi or whatever, I could care less. Work with what works best for your. People made classics on less advantages then what we have access to now.

I can't lie. I look at a regular laptop I can cop for like $500, and I can throw any modern DAW and sets of VSTs in it, throw on a Maschine like controller, and for close to the same footprint, you have a technically more capable machine. It just is what it is. So I can understand - no - I WANT the MPC to get to "Stand alone Ableton", because I know its possible, the technology is there at an affordable cost.

What you are really paying for is the single unit convenience - touch screen laptop, controller, and audio interface, and workflow. So someone thinking that the $1400 live of $2200 X can/should do more, isn't illogical.
- Unreall

I considered the laptop + Maschine option, but the weight was the deterrent for me: MPC Live is 2.7 kilos, while my Macbook Pro is 1.9kg and the Maschine is at 2.2kg, I end up with 4.1kg in my backpack, considerably more. I make a lot of music in parks during summer, or at work during lunch, so I have to carry my music things around a lot. For this reason, I have to say that the weight footprint isn't similar enough for my taste.
Another thing is that I haven't tested how a laptop battery running pro audio software would hold but I assume the ARM Cortex processor that is in the Live consumes less than the i7 in the laptop, so I would tend to believe that the MPC would hold a bit longer in terms of music time on a single charge. Interested to hear about tests that people have made, did someone compare the 2 ?
There also the fact that the MPC has a bit more I/O which can be relevant for some studios, I suppose. I'm now wondering if I could maybe send a MIDI clock through input 1 and have a midi controller to have more knobs/faders plugged in input 2

Then again, my personal feeling is that the Maschine software is a bit more refined music making experience than the MPC, I think NI has more experience with quality software and better UI and UX design. It was at least certainly very true before the current MPC firmware. Now that the firmware has matured, I think we could say it became more a matter of taste, and I am certainly convinced you can make great music and complete tracks with both options.

I totally get what you're saying about the Standalone Ableton idea, to be completely honest I was myself frustrated by this for a long time. I even almost sold my Live I decided to keep it and to focus on what it CAN do rather than what it CAN'T do. This was when I started enjoying my experience on the Live a little more and started getting things done. Unfortunately, I don't think that Akai wants to take the Live the Ableton route, but it looks like the Force is their answer to this. Not for me though, I think I'll stick with MPC on the go and Ableton in the studio.

To answer OP's question, I am happy with my MPC Live. I don't get that love relationship I get with most of my other gear when using it, but it gets the job done now with the recent updates, and that's what matters to me the most, I make some music

while i do enjoy my live and it gets a good bit of use the main frustrations come from it not being able to do all the function of legacy mpcs, these things should have been the 1st step and move on from there, instead we havean os that has a few holes and may never be able to do all these things due to some lazt inital coding, they should have started with making the 4000 in software and then expanded, or even 2500jjos would have been great starting point, still feels like playing catch up and every time it cant do the basics of trad mpcs i have to go back to the drawing board or re-think the approach to song or even just go back and use an old mpc so to me this is where the current gen from ren-x have been getting it wrong, all the things the can do that legacy cant is great but until it can do all prev mpc basics its not really cutting it. i enjoy my digitakt way more but it doesnt have a legaccy to live upto so all seems new and fresh and can do most of the legacy functions im missing (sample latch/hold is still #1 omission, tubedigga found a handy workaround but i really want an official fix for this) looking fwd to more updates without plugins or synths and just a bunch of fixes for midi and sampler basics

Yeah. You can get a $500 laptop. And it’ll feel like a $500 laptop. I have an older MBP that is cherry. Because it’s built like a tank, yet so deliciously designed. Despite this, I love jumping back and forth between the Live and the software. Never as controller. I just save the project to a thumb drive, and open it on either device. But working with the Live in standalone is sublime within its walled garden. The latest update’s gift of the AIR fx pretty much locks it for me. It’s a sampler to me. That’s my focus. How it talks or syncs with a rack full of external gear means nothing to me.

I LOVE MY MPC LIVE

Here's why.

1. Top notch sequencer
2. Touch screen
3. Dope pads! Gosh l love these pads
4. Standalone mode
5. I can explode tracks. Couldn't do that on the 2000XL.
6. I can export stems
7. Lazy chop
8. Portable
9. Battery
10. Automation
11. Dope effects
12. Mic converters they are very freakin nice
13. l only paid $959 for it

Danoc wrote:10. Automation

What do you mean ? This is one of the main pain points of the MPC IMO, terrible automation management. There was a thread about that issue being present in the Force as well a few days ago, and people are complaining about that too. In my opinion, better automation management is very much needed on both machine, I can't imagine making music without using a bunch of automation lanes but the way it is handled on MPC/Force makes me want to find other ways to introduce variations.

I love my MPC, but automation is a reason to be dissatisfied rather than to love it. How do you do it, why did you put automation on the list ? Am I missing something ?

toodee wrote:

Danoc wrote:10. Automation

What do you mean ? This is one of the main pain points of the MPC IMO, terrible automation management. There was a thread about that issue being present in the Force as well a few days ago, and people are complaining about that too. In my opinion, better automation management is very much needed on both machine, I can't imagine making music without using a bunch of automation lanes but the way it is handled on MPC/Force makes me want to find other ways to introduce variations.

I love my MPC, but automation is a reason to be dissatisfied rather than to love it. How do you do it, why did you put automation on the list ? Am I missing something ?

I feel that the fact that they released Force without automation lanes doesn't actually give me a lot of confidence that it's coming soon.
They obv. had to either rewrite the OS/software or modify it work with Force, and one'd think they'd introduce automation lanes at that stage.
The fact it doesn't have a song mode (afaik; correct me if I'm wrong) and it first came out without a manual kind of underlines the vibe that these products are rushed.
Happy to be proved wrong of course.