Can I use MPC Studio with laptop only?... ready to buy!

Hey,

I am ready to make the move. I want to own a modern mpc if only to say I do and of course to ensure I stay current with latest technology. I have been doing so research and wanted to get user feedback from current owners.
First, I am 90% sold on the MPC Studio because of:
- Size / form factor
- Looks / build quality (totally this)
- Cost
- Portability (mainly this)

So I watched tons of you tube videos and in all of them I see the Studio and a laptop, yes most often a Mac... I have both Mac & Windows laptops I'll use it with. There was no sound card / audio interface in these videos. So is it reasonably fair to assume the studio will work withkut issues on factory integrated sound cards on both Windows or Mac laptops????

If I need to buy another sound card to travel with my studio and mpc I might as well look at the REN but it is not as portable or pretty l, IMHO.

Anyway, both Mac & Win users please tell me what your experiences, challenges & successes have been with these little beast. I'm ready to buy but have to work out this last tille bit cause I dont want lag or glitching. I dont expect to be recording audio in through the laptop just mainly programing previousky chopped samples and VSTi's.

Thanks,

Hi Jayson,
The MPC Studio does not have a soundcard, so you will need to buy one separately. So you might as well consider buying the Ren. In my opinion it has some important advantages. Firstly you have the q-links which are very convenient, the solution on the Studio is not very comfortable as far as I was able to check that out. Secondly, what I really like is that you have a moveable screen on the Ren which further enhances comfortable working. And I absolutely love the sturdy surface on the bottom of the Ren where you can rest your arms while working. The software is the same on the Ren and Studio, so it is basically a matter of preferences, but I think that the Ren is much more comfortable. Also, you have all kinds of connections that the Studio does not have.

As for your question regarding the right computer, in my experience Macs do the job better when it comes to making music. Again, this is my personal opinion, other people here might see it differently. Personally, I use a MacBook Pro mid 2013, running on Mountain Lion. Apart from some well known bugs (not all of them happened to me), I am really happy to have the Ren and I'm sure the bugs are going to be fixed little by little in the future.

To sum it up, the Ren is a great piece of equipment and making beats on it is very cool, especially since the last sw update with its new chopping features.

I want to emphasize again, that this is my personal opinion, and I am far from a pro!! Let's see what others think.

download a demo of the software first try it out before getting the studio.

I usually use my Studio with my mbpr without soundcard( with the internal souncard of the mac). The downside is that you cannot sample from vinyl if that is what you want.
I too prefer mac for music making. Don't like the asio solution. But that is a personal preference.
Cheers
Edited: just read that you are going to use previously recorded material and vstis so you don't really need a soundcard.

Thanks for the repies. Unfourtnately neither address my original question. Maybe I was not clear.

I understand the differences between the Ren & Studio. At this time I'm not interested in the Ren. Not interested in the age old debate of Win vs. Mac. I'll be using both as I have for years. Downloading software without the hardware will not really address my concerns.

I want to know about using the MPC Studio with the built in soundcard in a laptop, both Mac & Win based systems.

Expected usage and desired feedback is in original post.

Thanks,

TT_Lab wrote:I usually use my Studio with my mbpr without soundcard( with the internal souncard of the mac). The downside is that you cannot sample from vinyl if that is what you want.
I too prefer mac for music making. Don't like the asio solution. But that is a personal preference.
Cheers
Edited: just read that you are going to use previously recorded material and vstis so you don't really need a soundcard.

Awesome. Exactly what I wanted to know. Any lag? Problems with VST instruments?

Thanks

No lags...
For VSTis I mainly use Sampletank 3 and the Air Instruments (AIEP). Not problems with them.
I don't have any kontakt stuff, well I have but don't use it on my laptop for space.

One more thing to say is that you cannot, or at least I think you can't, output to big monitors from laptop's internal soundcard.

Jayson Wonder wrote:Thanks for the repies. Unfourtnately neither address my original question. Maybe I was not clear.

I understand the differences between the Ren & Studio. At this time I'm not interested in the Ren. Not interested in the age old debate of Win vs. Mac. I'll be using both as I have for years. Downloading software without the hardware will not really address my concerns.

I want to know about using the MPC Studio with the built in soundcard in a laptop, both Mac & Win based systems.

Expected usage and desired feedback is in original post.

Thanks,

Download the demo for akai pro's website. You will be able to gauge 100 percent on how your laptop will handle the software.

I think you will be fine using the Studio on a MacBook, for general beat creation/sample editing etc.

Someone earlier said you can't sample from vinyl or output to monitors. I don't quite understand this as there are plenty of USB turntables which work fine for sampling from vinyl, and likewise you can output (when ready to mix) to an external sound interface which will allow monitors to be added - the one I use is http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/m-audio-m-tra ... face-n55qh

I use an iMac, but the principles should be the same. I have the Mac with the MPC Studio, external USB Numark deck (can be bought for about £100), a Akai MPK keyboard controller also used through USB, a USB Virtual DJ platter and the M-Audio interface mentioned above, linked to some modest-sized studio monitors (and also these act as inputs for some Korg Volca synths). I don't experience any lag, nor problems whatsoever with the set-up which make me wish I'd bought a Ren. I'm happy with the Studio.

The only consideration may be to have to buy a decent powered USB hub, to hook everything up should you run out of ports, but regardless - once you have your samples loaded the MPB on it's own should be fine for most of the workflow.

Mink wrote:I think you will be fine using the Studio on a MacBook, for general beat creation/sample editing etc.

Someone earlier said you can't sample from vinyl or output to monitors. I don't quite understand this as there are plenty of USB turntables which work fine for sampling from vinyl, and likewise you can output (when ready to mix) to an external sound interface which will allow monitors to be added - the one I use is http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/m-audio-m-tra ... face-n55qh

I use an iMac, but the principles should be the same. I have the Mac with the MPC Studio, external USB Numark deck (can be bought for about £100), a Akai MPK keyboard controller also used through USB, a USB Virtual DJ platter and the M-Audio interface mentioned above, linked to some modest-sized studio monitors (and also these act as inputs for some Korg Volca synths). I don't experience any lag, nor problems whatsoever with the set-up which make me wish I'd bought a Ren. I'm happy with the Studio.

The only consideration may be to have to buy a decent powered USB hub, to hook everything up should you run out of ports, but regardless - once you have your samples loaded the MPB on it's own should be fine for most of the workflow.

Sounds good and makes me anxious. You mentioned that you wish you bought the Ren? Is it because of all the extras you ended up buying and adding to your setup?

Jayson Wonder wrote:

Mink wrote:I think you will be fine using the Studio on a MacBook, for general beat creation/sample editing etc.

Someone earlier said you can't sample from vinyl or output to monitors. I don't quite understand this as there are plenty of USB turntables which work fine for sampling from vinyl, and likewise you can output (when ready to mix) to an external sound interface which will allow monitors to be added - the one I use is http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/m-audio-m-tra ... face-n55qh

I use an iMac, but the principles should be the same. I have the Mac with the MPC Studio, external USB Numark deck (can be bought for about £100), a Akai MPK keyboard controller also used through USB, a USB Virtual DJ platter and the M-Audio interface mentioned above, linked to some modest-sized studio monitors (and also these act as inputs for some Korg Volca synths). I don't experience any lag, nor problems whatsoever with the set-up which make me wish I'd bought a Ren. I'm happy with the Studio.

The only consideration may be to have to buy a decent powered USB hub, to hook everything up should you run out of ports, but regardless - once you have your samples loaded the MPB on it's own should be fine for most of the workflow.

Sounds good and makes me anxious. You mentioned that you wish you bought the Ren? Is it because of all the extras you ended up buying and adding to your setup?

Sorry that was a bad use of English. When I say I don't experience any problems which make me wish I'd bought a Ren, I mean I AM HAPPY with the Studio and DON'T wish I'd bought anything else

The Ren wouldn't have stopped me needing any of the equipment, apart from the £59 audio interface (I'd still have wanted to add a turntable, keyboard, monitors etc if I had bought that instead).

The bottom line is....for the money, I think the Studio is a no-brainer. Sure, the Q-Links are better on the Ren, and it has a pop-up screen and audio interface, but I wouldn't hesitate in pulling the trigger on a Studio. It will work fine with your laptop in isolation, and should you wish to plug in other stuff - be it for sampling (turntable), MIDI input (keyboard) or mixing (Monitors) then you can do that too.

Do it.

Mink wrote:I think you will be fine using the Studio on a MacBook, for general beat creation/sample editing etc.

Someone earlier said you can't sample from vinyl or output to monitors. I don't quite understand this as there are plenty of USB turntables which work fine for sampling from vinyl, and likewise you can output (when ready to mix) to an external sound interface which will allow monitors to be added - the one I use is http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/m-audio-m-tra ... face-n55qh

I use an iMac, but the principles should be the same. I have the Mac with the MPC Studio, external USB Numark deck (can be bought for about £100), a Akai MPK keyboard controller also used through USB, a USB Virtual DJ platter and the M-Audio interface mentioned above, linked to some modest-sized studio monitors (and also these act as inputs for some Korg Volca synths). I don't experience any lag, nor problems whatsoever with the set-up which make me wish I'd bought a Ren. I'm happy with the Studio.

The only consideration may be to have to buy a decent powered USB hub, to hook everything up should you run out of ports, but regardless - once you have your samples loaded the MPB on it's own should be fine for most of the workflow.

Yes you are rite!
I didn't thought about usb turntables.
But for the monitors you will be needing a sound card external as you said and that is what I meant when saying that you cannot do it with the internal soundcard.
The OP clearly stated he does not want an external soundcard.

Jayson Wonder wrote:If I need to buy another sound card to travel with my studio and mpc I might as well look at the REN but it is not as portable or pretty l, IMHO.

TT_Lab wrote:

Mink wrote:I think you will be fine using the Studio on a MacBook, for general beat creation/sample editing etc.

Someone earlier said you can't sample from vinyl or output to monitors. I don't quite understand this as there are plenty of USB turntables which work fine for sampling from vinyl, and likewise you can output (when ready to mix) to an external sound interface which will allow monitors to be added - the one I use is http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/m-audio-m-tra ... face-n55qh

I use an iMac, but the principles should be the same. I have the Mac with the MPC Studio, external USB Numark deck (can be bought for about £100), a Akai MPK keyboard controller also used through USB, a USB Virtual DJ platter and the M-Audio interface mentioned above, linked to some modest-sized studio monitors (and also these act as inputs for some Korg Volca synths). I don't experience any lag, nor problems whatsoever with the set-up which make me wish I'd bought a Ren. I'm happy with the Studio.

The only consideration may be to have to buy a decent powered USB hub, to hook everything up should you run out of ports, but regardless - once you have your samples loaded the MPB on it's own should be fine for most of the workflow.

Yes you are rite!
I didn't thought about usb turntables.
But for the monitors you will be needing a sound card external as you said and that is what I meant when saying that you cannot do it with the internal soundcard.
The OP clearly stated he does not want an external soundcard.

Jayson Wonder wrote:If I need to buy another sound card to travel with my studio and mpc I might as well look at the REN but it is not as portable or pretty l, IMHO.

Sure. I guess the answer to the OP's original question, is yes - the Studio will work fine with a vanilla MPB using it's internal soundcard.

Should he wish to do some more professional mixing of his tracks he will be wanting studio monitors, and in buying an MPC Studio he would need to factor in purchasing an external audio interface to hook these up, as it doesn't come built in.

That said, I don't know how seriously the OP is going to be using this for his beats, and if it's just from a hobby perspective or perhaps for spitting some rhymes for a mixtape, then he may be able to use some external speakers on his MPB, or headphones for most of his needs.

Mink wrote:

TT_Lab wrote:

Mink wrote:I think you will be fine using the Studio on a MacBook, for general beat creation/sample editing etc.

Someone earlier said you can't sample from vinyl or output to monitors. I don't quite understand this as there are plenty of USB turntables which work fine for sampling from vinyl, and likewise you can output (when ready to mix) to an external sound interface which will allow monitors to be added - the one I use is http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/m-audio-m-tra ... face-n55qh

I use an iMac, but the principles should be the same. I have the Mac with the MPC Studio, external USB Numark deck (can be bought for about £100), a Akai MPK keyboard controller also used through USB, a USB Virtual DJ platter and the M-Audio interface mentioned above, linked to some modest-sized studio monitors (and also these act as inputs for some Korg Volca synths). I don't experience any lag, nor problems whatsoever with the set-up which make me wish I'd bought a Ren. I'm happy with the Studio.

The only consideration may be to have to buy a decent powered USB hub, to hook everything up should you run out of ports, but regardless - once you have your samples loaded the MPB on it's own should be fine for most of the workflow.

Yes you are rite!
I didn't thought about usb turntables.
But for the monitors you will be needing a sound card external as you said and that is what I meant when saying that you cannot do it with the internal soundcard.
The OP clearly stated he does not want an external soundcard.

Jayson Wonder wrote:If I need to buy another sound card to travel with my studio and mpc I might as well look at the REN but it is not as portable or pretty l, IMHO.

Sure. I guess the answer to the OP's original question, is yes - the Studio will work fine with a vanilla MPB using it's internal soundcard.

Should he wish to do some more professional mixing of his tracks he will be wanting studio monitors, and in buying an MPC Studio he would need to factor in purchasing an external audio interface to hook these up, as it doesn't come built in.

That said, I don't know how seriously the OP is going to be using this for his beats, and if it's just from a hobby perspective or perhaps for spitting some rhymes for a mixtape, then he may be able to use some external speakers oh PB, or headphones for most of his needs.

Hey guys. Thanks for all the great responses. I'm ordering the studio today. It is exactly what I need. I will not need to add anything as it will be just for when I am traveling and want to bang out a quick beat or do some chopping in the hotel. All mixing down, vocals and even viny sampling will I'm my big studio. I just need paitince until this baby gets shipped. Will be sweet to add this baby to my collection.

Mink wrote:I think you will be fine using the Studio on a MacBook, for general beat creation/sample editing etc.

Someone earlier said you can't sample from vinyl or output to monitors. I don't quite understand this as there are plenty of USB turntables which work fine for sampling from vinyl, and likewise you can output (when ready to mix) to an external sound interface which will allow monitors to be added - the one I use is http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/m-audio-m-tra ... face-n55qh

I use an iMac, but the principles should be the same. I have the Mac with the MPC Studio, external USB Numark deck (can be bought for about £100), a Akai MPK keyboard controller also used through USB, a USB Virtual DJ platter and the M-Audio interface mentioned above, linked to some modest-sized studio monitors (and also these act as inputs for some Korg Volca synths). I don't experience any lag, nor problems whatsoever with the set-up which make me wish I'd bought a Ren. I'm happy with the Studio.

The only consideration may be to have to buy a decent powered USB hub, to hook everything up should you run out of ports, but regardless - once you have your samples loaded the MPB on it's own should be fine for most of the workflow.

Quick question for you, because you seem to be very knowledgeable about hook ups, inputs, outputs etc.

I want to get an audio interface, like M-Box Mini (FastTrack) to use with my MPC Studio, Numark USB vinyl, & laptop. Do you plug your MPC & Numark into the interface or keep them plugged into your laptop & just have monitors plugged into interface? Im looking into getting Pro Tools also to track everything. Thanks for any feedback.