How do you use your MPC X or Live

Just curious

Standalone. My MPC Live is on a mixer stand in my bedroom. When I'm in the mood, I just wheel it to my bedside and probably hook my iPhone up to the LINE IN and sample some stuff right in my bed. I'm a bedroom producer. LOL.

Standalone.
For a solid year and change it functioned as my main production setup, I would bring it to lunch and work on stuff during my lunch break. Eventually I got a laptop and transitioned to FL Studio - and now going back to Ableton. Since the transition, the MPC has become a standalone device that just sits in my studio, functioning as a "change in workflow" device, where the standalone limitations, no VSTs, just using my outboard gear and vinyl, puts me in a different creative space.
- Unreall

Standalone Live, when im out and about. The X Standalone, at the Spot. I do Sync the X to FL Studio to use VSTi's in sync with the X, sometimes tho.

Standalone & standalone synced to DAW. Depends.

I tried Controller Mode with the software for a long while, but it's too far behind my DAW to be useful.

And I might experiment with using the plugin in my DAW. I'm still experimenting, trying to get settled. The plugin may help with efficiency, at least on the back end. I'm also considering replacing/supplementing Logic with Studio One. If I do, that may play a part in the final workflow.

In standalone only.

Standalone on the Live, though I will on occasion use it to control the MPC Software in Reason. But 95% of the time I'm fully standalone.

I literally bought it to replace DAWs on computers. I.e. I got fed up with constant updates and upgrades for OS, drivers, a gazillion different vendor plugins (plus different ways to handle them), increased DAW updates (I used Cubase and BitWig), deal with hardware "copy protection" devices and their updates, phew, almost forgot to turn on all the instruments. To much non-music stuff, and I am a software systems engineer (but I do not want to be one to make music).

Anyway, I realized after too many years that I had become less interested in making music, likely because of the reasons above. Now that I have an MPC X, although it is also a computer, I am so much more engaged and the machine is only about the music. I turn it on and poof, there we go. Since the upgrades are infrequent, it's no bother at all to do them, and they are so straight forward.

However, I'll keep saying it. I do wish for a full MIDI implementation, I.e. MIDI In Port/Channel to specific tracks, USB out made available, manageable time signatures, re-mappable pads, pre-listen and load partial sample, more basic effects (e.g. wave folding), being able to AM, FM and RM sample layers, save/load any "item" including any sub-items (e.g. an entire F/X "rack", or an individual effect) with the ability to also copy/paste those without involving the disk. I am sure I want more, and some are "nice to have features", but some are IMO fundamental for working with such a complex device.

Standalone only.
I track out the three stereo outs to a Mackie FireWire mixer and from there to a multitrack when I want to record.
First out is master, 3/4 effects, 5/6 a synth or keygroup going to an external chain of effects (KP3, RV500, MD500)

I feel you on that, That's one of the reasons I went PC, and why I don't put my computer that I do music on, online. I keep it offline. I use my laptop. Standalone saves you from that, you wanna make music not worried about updates, it messes with our invention of music. When It comes to DAWs I don't always update immediately.

Elektrobolt wrote:I literally bought it to replace DAWs on computers. I.e. I got fed up with constant updates and upgrades for OS, drivers, a gazillion different vendor plugins (plus different ways to handle them), increased DAW updates (I used Cubase and BitWig), deal with hardware "copy protection" devices and their updates, phew, almost forgot to turn on all the instruments. To much non-music stuff, and I am a software systems engineer (but I do not want to be one to make music).

Frisbi wrote:Standalone only.
I track out the three stereo outs to a Mackie FireWire mixer and from there to a multitrack when I want to record.
First out is master, 3/4 effects, 5/6 a synth or keygroup going to an external chain of effects (KP3, RV500, MD500)

Curious if you have tried to export your track to daw and if you notice a difference in sound

CD when l export out it doesn't change. Whatever l put in is what l get out. I love it. I wil never track out with my MPC live. I drop and drag it into my DAW easy!

I do that too, but I wanted his impression of tracking it out. I know it would depend on what he runs it through, but personally I liked a lot of the tones I could get with even using a cheap mackie mixer. Most interfaces are pretty clean and I imagine he may be using some plugins to help, but I just wanted his opinion if he’s used both ways.

How has it improved the quality of your compositions? Rendering vs Real Time Tracking?

Cockdiesel wrote:I do that too, but I wanted his impression of tracking it out. I know it would depend on what he runs it through, but personally I liked a lot of the tones I could get with even using a cheap mackie mixer. Most interfaces are pretty clean and I imagine he may be using some plugins to help, but I just wanted his opinion if he’s used both ways.

hard to say for myself Charles. I go through weird phases with writing and sound design.

For the last 2 months, I haven’t had much time so I’ve just been turning on an akai miniak( everyday religiously ) and working on my actual playing and theory type stuff. I’ve been making some of the best synth stuff I ever have, even musical but no actual beats or compositions. Although I’m sure when the time comes to put everything together I will have atleast a handful of ideas mastered on the synth side.

I’ve gone through a lot of gear and work flows and I don’t see myself doing any less than 75% of my work flow all standalone ( no matter the size of the setup) and doing the last sound design and mixing through a daw. Perhaps using ableton to mix with the outputs going into a board. Just because mixing for me is a different vibe than just vibing and programming stuff.

My computer and “mixing set up” is hooked to my big speakers and I’m still finding ways to transfer from my headphones/ other speakers to them. Exporting it seems to get to to start from scratch again and get cleaner mixes.
I still have a lot to learn but it’s been a enjoyable ride so far.