MPC Live pairable device ideas for travel...

I am going on a cruise at some point in the future. I'm planning on bringing the MPC Live with me with hopes of doing some music, I am trying to figure out how to get the most out of my MPC considering I won't have internet access for sampling, and there is a high chance that I won't have consistent power access. If you were in that situation, how would you prepare your MPC? for a week of use with no real inputs?

From a hardware perspective I currently have several battery powered options: Korg Volca Kick *meh* & Volca FM, Roland Boutique JX-03 & D-05, none of which have even a passable keyboard. I have an iPad and iPad Pro along with a CME XKey37, so I can do some digitial synthesis that way. W

In my situation, what would you do, and why? I'm trying to pack light honestly, which is why I'm not just "bringing everything".
- Unreall

Well you can just bring your Live and just that.
Put all your samples on its Hd if you install one and there you go.
Maybe a small usb keyboard to use its synths?

Unreallystic wrote:... considering I won't have internet access for sampling, and there is a high chance that I won't have consistent power access.

Yeah I used to worry about these things when I took a couple cruises. Every ship I've been on had internet access - but for an additional fee. Um - you're not supposed to be worried about internet on a cruise ship anyway. lol

As far as power being consistent - just charge in your room. Take it to the pool area on battery. Most ships have international power connections in the rooms.

As far as what to bring... I would do what Frisbi said. Pretty sure the Akai LPK 25 bluetooth connects to it. Can't say I've ever tried, but I recall a discussion confirming it. Maybe someone else knows for certain.

The MPC Live is portable but still big enough to be cumbersome IMO. In the unlikely event you may come across a reasonably priced OP-1, I'd go with that personally. Of the countless bits of gear I've bought and sold over the years, it's the only thing I'd buy again.

Auto sample a bunch of patches and grab a Arturia key step if you need more than what the live offers in terms of keyboard.

Frisbi wrote:Well you can just bring your Live and just that.
Put all your samples on its Hd if you install one and there you go.
Maybe a small usb keyboard to use its synths?

Bluntly put, I don't really "have" any samples. Typical session for me involves some quick sound design on a synth of choice, or YTing something...especially with the MPC. That's why I'm sort of "err" on what to do, won't be able to do that as effectively as I can at say work during lunch when I take the Live into one of the breakrooms to stretch my fingers.
- Unreall

Eyalc wrote:

Unreallystic wrote:... considering I won't have internet access for sampling, and there is a high chance that I won't have consistent power access.

Yeah I used to worry about these things when I took a couple cruises. Every ship I've been on had internet access - but for an additional fee. Um - you're not supposed to be worried about internet on a cruise ship anyway. lol

As far as power being consistent - just charge in your room. Take it to the pool area on battery. Most ships have international power connections in the rooms.

As far as what to bring... I would do what Frisbi said. Pretty sure the Akai LPK 25 bluetooth connects to it. Can't say I've ever tried, but I recall a discussion confirming it. Maybe someone else knows for certain.

I've been told that while I can pay for and get "internet" on the cruise, its so bad that just checking e-mails is taxing, so I don't want to rely on that.

The power thing is more me not wanting to be tied to the room, I'm looking forward to essentially chilling in one of those globe tent things, and bangin out beats while my wife takes the kids and can't find me.

quick Amz search said that joint (lpk25) goes for $200? I dunno about that...lot of money for what it is.
-Unreall

Coz wrote:The MPC Live is portable but still big enough to be cumbersome IMO. In the unlikely event you may come across a reasonably priced OP-1, I'd go with that personally. Of the countless bits of gear I've bought and sold over the years, it's the only thing I'd buy again.

I used to want the OP-1...BAD, but as it got harder to find, I moved on. I can get it now at the raised price, but I just got the Force - with eyes on a second one, and am still paying off some of my other gear, so I'm not spending another 1300 for another device I have to learn to get any mileage out of hehe. It's a shame how that whole thing went. I would have bought that beefore the Live *shrug*
- Unreall

Unreallystic wrote:In my situation, what would you do, and why? I'm trying to pack light honestly, which is why I'm not just "bringing everything".
- Unreall

I've tried the taking gear, on the cruise and ended up never working. If I had an idea, I would notate it or hum the melodies into a handle held recorder. Now I have done music vacations getaways, for the sole purpose of creating music in different environments.

The good thing about the live, is that it has sounds pre-installed, so you really don't need anything else. Perhaps a M-Audio Oxygen 25 MK, it's small and is usb powered. But like I said, I was to busy, relaxing, eating and checking out my wife in her bikini.

If you want to talk music, connect with the cruise band or dj's.

I would sample a lot of shit beforehand and bring my laptop with me.

a portable turntable & bunchs of vinyle

CharlesRandolph wrote:I've tried the taking gear, on the cruise and ended up never working. If I had an idea, I would notate it or hum the melodies into a handle held recorder. Now I have done music vacations getaways, for the sole purpose of creating music in different environments.

The good thing about the live, is that it has sounds pre-installed, so you really don't need anything else. Perhaps a M-Audio Oxygen 25 MK, it's small and is usb powered. But like I said, I was to busy, relaxing, eating and checking out my wife in her bikini.

If you want to talk music, connect with the cruise band or dj's.

I can understand that, I've had similar issues when doing holidays, for this Thanksgiving (mind you we were gone for almost a week) I brought...
Roland AIRA MX-1
Roland AIRA Tr-8
Roland Boutique D-05
Roland AIRA System-1
Roland FA-06
And a new 2.1 sound system
AND my MPC Live

The Live never came out, I made one song on the FA-06. I did one jam session with my pops, I showed him the FA-06 as I knew he'd enjoy it...and that was it. Previous trips to see family have been similar, so that is actually the genesis of why I'm trying to travel with a small footprint.

With that said, I could give two pennies about excursions, the vacation part for me is getting time to work on music without having to go to work. I'd honestly be just as fine staying home, but my wife loves cruises and they have a daycare so...here I am trying to get the most out of it, hoping for oceanic inspiration, and time away from the kids - creativity.
Going to finally buy the MPC Bible ahead of time so I'm *touches temple* smart, but seeing as for once I'll actually HAVE time to work on music with the kids in a daycare and wife leaving me alone, I want to make the most of it. Originally I WAS bringing a bunch of gear, I was bringing my Live, I was bringing the System-8, I was bringing my Peak, etc, but its just going to be too much, and I'm thinking a focused music approach will be time better spent than jumping around from piece to piece.
This got all thhe more confusing for me when watching the "this is your boat" youtube videos and thinking "man I'd love to make a beat *right there*, so if I am making music away from the cabin, then I can't expect power, so my fresh Force is staying home in favor of the battery powered Live. It would be a great time to finally starting digging through the massive vinyl collection I have, but I'm not lugging that crap around, and lord knows how the needle would act on a cruise . My laptop is so trash (I bought it around 7 years ago) that its dead to me, and I can't stomach the idea of paying for a new one. I've gone through everything on the MPC, so I keep it fresh with my outboard gear.
Sorry for the exposition, no one to really talk to about this stuff here.
-Unreall

Unreallystic wrote:I can understand that, I've had similar issues when doing holidays, for this Thanksgiving (mind you we were gone for almost a week) I brought...
Roland AIRA MX-1
Roland AIRA Tr-8
Roland Boutique D-05
Roland AIRA System-1
Roland FA-06
And a new 2.1 sound system
AND my MPC Live

The Live never came out, I made one song on the FA-06. I did one jam session with my pops, I showed him the FA-06 as I knew he'd enjoy it...and that was it. Previous trips to see family have been similar, so that is actually the genesis of why I'm trying to travel with a small footprint.

With that said, I could give two pennies about excursions, the vacation part for me is getting time to work on music without having to go to work. I'd honestly be just as fine staying home, but my wife loves cruises and they have a daycare so...here I am trying to get the most out of it, hoping for oceanic inspiration, and time away from the kids - creativity.

Going to finally buy the MPC Bible ahead of time so I'm *touches temple* smart, but seeing as for once I'll actually HAVE time to work on music with the kids in a daycare and wife leaving me alone, I want to make the most of it. Originally I WAS bringing a bunch of gear, I was bringing my Live, I was bringing the System-8, I was bringing my Peak, etc, but its just going to be too much, and I'm thinking a focused music approach will be time better spent than jumping around from piece to piece.

This got all thhe more confusing for me when watching the "this is your boat" youtube videos and thinking
"man I'd love to make a beat *right there*, so if I am making music away from the cabin, then I can't expect power, so my fresh Force is staying home in favor of the battery powered Live. It would be a great time to finally starting digging through the massive vinyl collection I have, but I'm not lugging that **** around, and lord knows how the needle would act on a cruise . My laptop is so trash (I bought it around 7 years ago) that its dead to me, and I can't stomach the idea of paying for a new one. I've gone through everything on the MPC, so I keep it fresh with my outboard gear.

Sorry for the exposition, no one to really talk to about this stuff here.
-Unreall

I see, I see. Then yes, go as compact as you can The Live, IPad, MINI midi keyboard.

OriginalProducer wrote:a portable turntable & bunchs of vinyle

Are you trying to break his back?