Is MPC Live overpriced ?

That's a great way to put it Charles! $3.28 a day isn't so bad!

Another thing the Live has on some of the other gear in it's price range is that it can be powered by it's built in battery. That's pretty big for some users.

Comparing the Live to other gear that is out there NOW, I don't feel it's overpriced, but I don't own 1, I'm just going by research (I've been considering selling my 2500 for the Live since it came out) ........ I think a better question would be "Is it worth it?" & that depends on the user. If you love the workflow, if you can be creative with it & it has the main features you need, then hell yea it's worth it.

The OP mentions the Live is ALMOST the price of a laptop?
Damn.... I paid $300 for my laptop (it must be shit).
Yet..... I paid over $2,000 for my MPC's.
Which is a perfect example of it depends on the user. I would NEVER pay $1,000 for a laptop. Yet I paid $1,000 for a MPC 2500....... we all have different needs & wants.

Sharris wrote:That's a great way to put it Charles! $3.28 a day isn't so bad!

Another thing the Live has on some of the other gear in it's price range is that it can be powered by it's built in battery. That's pretty big for some users.

Comparing the Live to other gear that is out there NOW, I don't feel it's overpriced, but I don't own 1, I'm just going by research (I've been considering selling my 2500 for the Live since it came out) ........ I think a better question would be "Is it worth it?" & that depends on the user. If you love the workflow, if you can be creative with it & it has the main features you need, then hell yea it's worth it.

The OP mentions the Live is ALMOST the price of a laptop?
Damn.... I paid $300 for my laptop (it must be ****).
Yet..... I paid over $2,000 for my MPC's.
Which is a perfect example of it depends on the user. I would NEVER pay $1,000 for a laptop. Yet I paid $1,000 for a MPC 2500....... we all have different needs & wants.

Some people have to realize that something being overpriced and something that is out of one's budget are different things.

You're kidding me right? Bro if l got mine on the first boat last year $959, Eyalc and a few others last year brand new got it a lil cheaper than l did. You're telling me there are no discounts and coupons out there to get it for less? Do your home work and research cause lm not going to do it for ya. Yiu don't have to pay full price. And learn how to talk to those reps! Or do a four payment plan much easier.

Bezo wrote:Not new. They're $1,200 new now.

Lets get this straight. Cause you got things seriously twisted.

I compared the 2000XL cause it was the same price new as the Live now new and didn't have half the stuff the Live has annnndddddd please don't get me started on that!

Now lets deal with what you said about what's on the market now.

Your so called facts just became opinions! Here's why.
There isn't a machine on the market that can do what the Live can do.

1. Tell me, what machine that came out at the same time in 2017 offered standalone and a computer option plus a 7 hour battery without the use of a power cord?

2. What machine has offered a 7 inch touch? 

3. What machine last year had kick ass AD/DA converters in it that's better than the Live? 

4. What machine give you the option to throw in a SSD HD into it?

5. What machine can let you lazy chop like the MPC live? Might be one or two but dam hellava sexy chopping samples on the live and hellava fast and easy. For those that sample that ish is golden.

6. What machine gave FREE top Vsts like Mini Grand, Hybrid 3, Xpand 2, Velvet ( all l paid for when l had Protools), Riser, Loom abd the sound list goes on. Do you even comprehend  how much each of those cost individually?

7. What machine has 2 usb 3.0 on it to and extra HDs or thumb drive when need be.

8. Name the machine that's cheaper than the live last year when it came out that that will let you export sounds or your loops to wav or Aiff and mp3s from it in standalone. 

9. Name the machine that allows you to explode from one track and separate all your notes played to their own separate track with the ease of tapping a tab.

10. It has Wifi what other machine cheaper than it has wifi?

11. What machine came out last year letting yoi layer your sounds then flatten it to one pad and sound?

I can keep going. You really ask me l definitely would of paid 1,499 for it with all the stuff it comes with. Its freakin underpriced.  Dudes begged for a standalone and then complain about the price? Seriously?

You have 2 used MPC 2000XLs on ebay right now costing more than the Live and they do half what it does that's why l made the comparison. Would you pay over $1,300 for an 2000XL used with only 32mb ram or the the Live with more power and Ram? I'd get the Live as l have.

bredal187 wrote:

Danoc wrote:I wouldn't say its over priced. The live has way more features than the 2000XL and is modernized. 2000XL was 1,199 and that's without the crappy effects that was optional and the 8 outs were optional. Plus the filter thingy was optional now you get all that and more.
I got my live for $959 brand new at this time one should be able to get it a lil cheaper.

True and an Amiga 600 cost waaaayyyyy more then the MPC Live when it was introduced in the early 90's, so in fact the Live is cheap.

Stop comparing outdated products with the Live when talking about worth. It's just plain stupid. I can find another 100 other outdated products where the Live definitely delivers more!

Fact is, compared to other products released in the same period the Live is overpriced.

Stop comparing thew ive to old MPC's to make it sound good. It's hopelessly outdated.

Exactly! Nicely worded.

chino wrote:The best way to judge value of a particular hardware piece(other than by features) is to see if you gel with the unit enough to express yourself creatively. In order words, does it have the features you need & inspires you to create music.

If the MPC Live enables you to put out bangers and gets your creative juices flowing than thats the device for you. It's really hard to put a price on creativity. I bought a MV8800 for $950 with an MVOP-1 installed. To me, it's work every penny I spent. I recently also purchased a Pioneer DJS-1000 sampler for $1025 new. Some people may say that the Pioneer DJS-1000 is overpriced for the features it has. I would disagree.
I have been able to produce more with the Pioneer DJS-1000 sampler than all my other music production gear combined. Good luck!

OMG NO YOU DIDN'T BREAK THST DOWN TO DOLLAR AND CENTS LOL

DA N.O.C. <------on the floor screamin and hallorin lol OMG!

CharlesRandolph wrote:Buy it for $1200.
Use it everyday for a year, for 3 hour 28 minutes or $3.28 a day.
That breaks down to 1 hour 9 min or $1.09 cent an hour to learn the machine for one year.
It's all mathematics


Now what can you give up, that cost you $3.28 a day?

Cockdiesel wrote:Gees, around the same price point but if you account for inflation that 2000xl would be well over two grand.

I don’t think the live is or was over priced. If you look at the next tiers down and their price points especially. Digitakt 750-800 electribe 400, the live can do a lot more than those machines. It’s questionable if it can do 2-3 times more of the machine, but that’s really subjective.

It’s only over priced if you don’t see the value in it. If you’re making money with beats and bought a live to write with, its certainly way undervalued if you’re able to support your self from it.

well.... how much is the combination of equipment worth? It is a small box with battery power, audio interface with decent I/O ... so sure a laptop is way more powerful and can do way more... but it is also a device where you have to rig up an interface as well... it could wind up costing double the price of the mpc live (obviously if you are running a laptop you would aim to get a much better interface than that on the live)

I don't think that is the question that should be asked though... who is trying to actually decide between a laptop and a live or an old classic mpc and a live? Obviously you should already have a computer before going for an extra curricular item like the mpc live. And classic MPCs are a different product than what we are talking about here... I didn't say to myself that I won't buy a live because I already have a 60.... they are not the same product.

A guitarist might take out the old 60's gibson or fender with their old tube amp to record a part in a song, then he might take out the new era boutique amp and a gretsch for another song.. maybe use different mics some vintage, some new... maybe using a classic fuzz, on other songs using a new faze shifter made recently.... and those decisions are made based on what mood they're in, what the song requires, or maybe just random for experimentation and to try and build up the inspiration or a vibe to get the creative juices flowing... The idea that we have to pick one piece of gear and only use that one piece.. then justify it with reasons .. that doesn't make much sense to me. I have dozens of samplers lying around and my computer smokes all of them when it comes to features... i still like using them though.

Danoc wrote:Your so called facts just became opinions! Here's why.
There isn't a machine on the market that can do what the Live can do.

1. Tell me, what machine that came out at the same time in 2017 offered standalone and a computer option plus a 7 hour battery without the use of a power cord?

2. What machine has offered a 7 inch touch? 

3. What machine last year had kick ass AD/DA converters in it that's better than the Live? 

4. What machine give you the option to throw in a SSD HD into it?

5. What machine can let you lazy chop like the MPC live? Might be one or two but dam hellava sexy chopping samples on the live and hellava fast and easy. For those that sample that ish is golden.

6. What machine gave FREE top Vsts like Mini Grand, Hybrid 3, Xpand 2, Velvet ( all l paid for when l had Protools), Riser, Loom abd the sound list goes on. Do you even comprehend  how much each of those cost individually?

7. What machine has 2 usb 3.0 on it to and extra HDs or thumb drive when need be.

8. Name the machine that's cheaper than the live last year when it came out that that will let you export sounds or your loops to wav or Aiff and mp3s from it in standalone. 

9. Name the machine that allows you to explode from one track and separate all your notes played to their own separate track with the ease of tapping a tab.

10. It has Wifi what other machine cheaper than it has wifi?

11. What machine came out last year letting yoi layer your sounds then flatten it to one pad and sound?

Laptop + Maschine MK3

Now hush....

bredal187 wrote:

Danoc wrote:Your so called facts just became opinions! Here's why.
There isn't a machine on the market that can do what the Live can do.

1. Tell me, what machine that came out at the same time in 2017 offered standalone and a computer option plus a 7 hour battery without the use of a power cord?

2. What machine has offered a 7 inch touch? 

3. What machine last year had kick ass AD/DA converters in it that's better than the Live? 

4. What machine give you the option to throw in a SSD HD into it?

5. What machine can let you lazy chop like the MPC live? Might be one or two but dam hellava sexy chopping samples on the live and hellava fast and easy. For those that sample that ish is golden.

6. What machine gave FREE top Vsts like Mini Grand, Hybrid 3, Xpand 2, Velvet ( all l paid for when l had Protools), Riser, Loom abd the sound list goes on. Do you even comprehend  how much each of those cost individually?

7. What machine has 2 usb 3.0 on it to and extra HDs or thumb drive when need be.

8. Name the machine that's cheaper than the live last year when it came out that that will let you export sounds or your loops to wav or Aiff and mp3s from it in standalone. 

9. Name the machine that allows you to explode from one track and separate all your notes played to their own separate track with the ease of tapping a tab.

10. It has Wifi what other machine cheaper than it has wifi?

11. What machine came out last year letting yoi layer your sounds then flatten it to one pad and sound?

Laptop + Maschine MK3

Now hush....

That makes no sense. Laptop + mk3 over mpc live as a cheaper option. U bugging.

bredal187 wrote:Laptop + Maschine MK3
Now hush....

What Laptop would you recommend for the Maschine MK3 setup?

LOL YOU SOUND INSANE! Is that all you can say after l shut down your nonsensical crap? It's an oxymoron!

Let me shut you down again.

So you mean to tell me l have to buy 2 pieces of equipment to lug around vs one? The Live was made SO YOU COULD GET RID OF THE DAM LAPTOP! You have to carry around a big heavy ass laptop and then the Maschine also?

Let me break you down again. You couldn't beat one feature l posted vs your so call same price range machine. I will challenge you with the Maschine + Computer against the MPC Live in standalone any day!

Plus lm not the only one that see your flawed statement against the Live. And please don't say a word about the X!

bredal187 wrote:
Laptop + Maschine MK3

Now hush....

hansjbs wrote:
That makes no sense. Laptop + mk3 over mpc live as a cheaper option. U bugging.

Buggin big time lol

CharlesRandolph wrote:

bredal187 wrote:Laptop + Maschine MK3
Now hush....

What Laptop would you recommend for the Maschine MK3 setup?

That's a hellava question that l was going to ask. A Mac book pro 13? that's $1,299, lets not talk about the 15 inch. Then buy the Maschine?

In terms of raw components, the Live is clearly overpriced. It's running an aging mobile motherboard and has the minimum memory/cpu they could get away with. The other components inside cost very little. The mark up on raw materials is going to make your eyes water.

However, the MPC is, and always has been, a niche product. And it's a niche product within an already niche 'parent' market of audio production. So, you will be paying high prices compared to the cost of a mass market product like a laptop.