MPC X vs MPC live

Hi guys,

I'm looking to get an MPC but i'm fairly new to music production and i'm wondering which MPC model would be best, can anyone help me and and give me some pointers

What's up, Harrison...
Depends on your needs really.
If you only need to make beats & carve out songs, then the Live would be a good start, it's a good £300 cheaper than the X,so price point is attractive, it's portable & fits in a back-pack so jamming with friends is an option, works well with keyboards, OR if you're using it as a studio centre-piece, & driving external gear, then the X is the way to go if portability isn't important.. either way, you can't go wrong

X = Live with more immediate access via buttons & knobs, more expansive I/O, but less portability.

Folks could help more if you provide more info. Do you have any other gear? Will the MPC be the center of you setup vs maybe a DAW?

If you have the money get the X. Bigger screen and direct access buttons go along way.

kaydigi wrote:...Bigger screen...

Forgot this. And it tilts. The Live will need a stand, or you'll need to account for a comfortable viewing angle some other way.

with regards to the OPs question - I was at the same point over a week ago ... I however had a play with the X in store and since have received the Live and as software is the same and you dont need the various inputs/outputs - I actually think the live is better - its mobile can run off battery ...

I thought more knobs etc would make a significant difference - after a few days I dont really see that no more but the mobility does - quickly taking it into another room or different place - priceless ... dont want to carry a huge flight case around for that ...

with regards to stand I 3d printed this but was a bit tight so I scaled it up to 103% and did put velcro in it to avoid any scratches

however I think there is room for some improvements on both - eg the internal browser doesnt have quick links for genre, styles - really would like to see that ...

the browser doesnt allow a global search - so only searches in the current directory which is a bit of a pain really ...

apart from that enjoying it ...

For the level of your question, spending 2 stacks plus on the X would be a mistake. It would frankly be a poor investment, especially with the dirth of Live's that can be had at a good cost these days. You use the X if its going to be a centerpiece of your studio, and thus needs multiple inputs (your question makes it sound like you don't have a bunch of outboard gear, and thus don't need this). You use the X if you want/need buttons that avoid menu diving or want to avoid holding shift to access secondary options. I've honestly heard both sides to the arguments on that alone as a Live user still contemplating getting a X myself, I keep my ear up, and surface level, you aren't saving time with the extra buttons. The Q-Links are a definite plus, though muscle memory from use will reduce the gap of having 4 vs having 16.

Going the other way, the Live is portable and has all the same functionality, with fewer I/O. The screen is smaller, but how much that matters is a valid question as muscle memory with Q-Links paired with the lack of need of "perfect interaction with touch screen". Tilt isn't really an issue, if you want to tilt the Live, you can grab a laptop stand for 7 USD that will suffice from Amazon (I have this one I grabbed for that price on sale https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GL ... UTF8&psc=1 that I keep in my UDG bag, and I have a $20 Amazon one at the house, when part of my main studio, it fits into my https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000R ... UTF8&psc=1 stand that everything else does - at an angle).

I'd feel different if the X was substantially cheaper, but the currest cost in USD is WAY too high for starting out on without prior experience, heck at that point I might even just get something like the MPC Studio and run it off the MPC software until I felt the proper pull to the X or the Live. I jumped to Live because being able to use it at work means I'll actually get time away from my kids to work on music (during lunch), and I'm only feeling the urge for the X as I've started to prefer making music on the Akai platforms (ironically I felt the tug the other way back to Ableton, so I'm just waiting, give it a year or two to see what's next in the standalone landscape).
-Unreall

Get the Live and make beats in the bathroom or at the park.

Since the new shortcuts were added to the Live and the QLink indicators show the currently selected section, I think my desire to have more buttons and knobs have faded. Whilst I'd love an MPC X, I think they made a mistake making the CPU and ram the same. Although agree, it's the most attractive option if u need CV and additional inputs. I discovered my soundcard can be used standalone, and so that has become my input expander for my Live.

robleighton22 wrote:Since the new shortcuts were added to the Live and the QLink indicators show the currently selected section, I think my desire to have more buttons and knobs have faded. Whilst I'd love an MPC X, I think they made a mistake making the CPU and ram the same. Although agree, it's the most attractive option if u need CV and additional inputs. I discovered my soundcard can be used standalone, and so that has become my input expander for my Live.

My lust for the X will fade if they add qlink auto switching to legacy functions. With the new plugins the qlinks auto follow/auto switch when you select a parameter on the touch screen.

This is a must for main screen, sample edit, program edit, etc...