Any reason not to buy the MPC Live 2?

Cases wrote:
Same, I come from the 4K with 8out exp. but never used the individual outs or extra midi options the 4K has to offer.

So when it came time to record/print to a DAW or other medium how were you doing that? Just with the main outs? S/PDIF? I have zero use for MIDI at this stage, but they may change down the line.

astral_Signal wrote:So when it came time to ...

So it's been about 2 weeks since you started this thread. Have you ordered your Live 2 yet?

Cases wrote:Same, I come from the 4K with 8out exp. but never used the individual outs or extra midi options the 4K has to offer.

On the 4000, I use the 10 outs and I always wished the ADAT and 8 out card could be used to push 16 channels. I like working 1 for 1 when it comes to tracks and direct outs. So with these latest MPC pretty much forces me export stems, that's why I didn't need the extra stuff on the MPC X or Live/Live2 at that price point.

EDIT: For me the MPC ONE is more of an accessory and has been regulated to a side duties.

So when it came time to record/print to a DAW or other medium how were you doing that? Just with the main outs? S/PDIF? I have zero use for MIDI at this stage, but they may change down the line.

yeah, always only used the main outs. Only thing I recorded separately was drumbus. Rest was exported stems

EnochLight wrote:

astral_Signal wrote:So when it came time to ...

So it's been about 2 weeks since you started this thread. Have you ordered your Live 2 yet?

Soon. Because of the production affects of COVID-19 there's been disruptions and delays to stock in my country (Australia). Also, added bonus, the economy and value of our dollar took a hit due to COVID-19 so there has been a hefty surge in RRP for Akai and other hardware. There has been a few updates to stock recently, so hopefully soon I'll pull the trigger on this.

CharlesRandolph wrote: So with these latest MPC pretty much forces me export stems, that's why I didn't need the extra stuff on the MPC X or Live/Live2 at that price point.

I've never been a fan of exporting individual stems. Unless you're going to be doing further sequencing in a DAW, the stem to me says you're committed to that particular track or sequence and ready for mix down. I like driving signal through various processors if I have access to them, and having the freedom to either let the track play out in real time during recording or experimenting with different patterns.

astral_Signal wrote:Soon. Because of the production affects of COVID-19 there's been disruptions and delays to stock in my country (Australia). Also, added bonus, the economy and value of our dollar took a hit due to COVID-19 so there has been a hefty surge in RRP for Akai and other hardware. There has been a few updates to stock recently, so hopefully soon I'll pull the trigger on this.

I hear you. That said, when you inevitably make that purchase, you won't be disappointed. The Live 2 really is a fantastic production machine. And the upcoming updates Akai has planned is only going to make it far, far better.

astral_Signal wrote:I've never been a fan of exporting individual stems. Unless you're going to be doing further sequencing in a DAW, the stem to me says you're committed to that particular track or sequence and ready for mix down. I like driving signal through various processors if I have access to them, and having the freedom to either let the track play out in real time during recording or experimenting with different patterns.

That's why I don't understand why they chose to only give the MPC X ten out. That machines should be able to push 16 to 32 direct out easily or at least connect a class compliant audio interface and expand the i/o like the MASCHINE+ can.

Yeah... hooking up a MOTU 828ES or whatever would be brilliant... but it is not meant to be.

NearTao wrote:Yeah... hooking up a MOTU 828ES or whatever would be brilliant... but it is not meant to be.

It's a lack of foresight for this series. So render the stems, load it into the Software DAW, and route the audio back to the board or just use plug ins.

CharlesRandolph wrote: It's a lack of foresight for this series. So render the stems, load it into the Software DAW, and route the audio back to the board or just use plug ins.

This is the whole reason why I'm looking at the MPC Live over the One, its the physical outputs. As appealing as the One looks, being limited to only a stereo output is just not enough for me and probably a lot of other people.

Just out of curiosity, am I right to assume that if the MPC Live was connected to a PC and in controller mode (MPC 2.0), I could assign and record up to 64 individual channels (16 pads X 4 banks) into the software/DAW direct from the MPC? And if I could, would this not remove the need of exporting stems in this scenario?

I forget the channel limit for the software, but I'm 99% certain that you are correct in that you can export quite a few individual outputs in software. However, I still think you'll want stems at some point or another... just that you might not be exporting them from the MPC.

astral_Signal wrote:
This is the whole reason why I'm looking at the MPC Live over the One, its the physical outputs. As appealing as the One looks, being limited to only a stereo output is just not enough for me and probably a lot of other people.

The live gives you 6 outputs, so if that is what you need then go for it.

astral_Signal wrote:Just out of curiosity, am I right to assume that if the MPC Live was connected to a PC and in controller mode (MPC 2.0), I could assign and record up to 64 individual channels (16 pads X 4 banks) into the software/DAW direct from the MPC? And if I could, would this not remove the need of exporting stems in this scenario?

Not from the MPC, because it's still limited by the hardware. Also at that point you're in your desktop environment, so all the MPC is doing is working as a controller for the software. So if you want to move those sounds into another Software DAW, you'll need to render or open the MPC up as a plug in.


Using the MPC ONE I do the following steps.
Create on the MPC ONE
Export stems
Import into Software DAW on my Desktop
Finish the composition there.


Honestly, I could bypass the MPC all together and compose and arrange the entire composition using my software DAW, while using the MPC just a drum pads. The only really I don't because, it's fun using the MPC. But overall, my goal is to make music and not fuss with gear. I don't want anything to get in the way of my creative process.

CharlesRandolph wrote:Not from the MPC, because it's still limited by the hardware. Also at that point you're in your desktop environment, so all the MPC is doing is working as a controller for the software. So if you want to move those sounds into another Software DAW, you'll need to render or open the MPC up as a plug in.

So the MPC software isn't a DAW in the traditional sense, it's literally a controller for the MPC? That's weird man. I use Pro Tools so I don't really need another DAW, I just thought the MPC software would allow further flexibility in tandem with the MPC hardware.

astral_Signal wrote:So the MPC software isn't a DAW in the traditional sense, it's literally a controller for the MPC? That's weird man. I use Pro Tools so I don't really need another DAW, I just thought the MPC software would allow further flexibility in tandem with the MPC hardware.

I mean, it's sort of this weird middle ground - it has DAW-like features as well, but at the end of the day it's a maintenance plugin that allows the MPC to run in Controller Mode in any proper DAW of your choice as well. Plenty of users use it just by itself while in Controller Mode, though. You'll get access to Elastique Pro for your Audio Warp algorithm, as well as no time limits or track count issues with your audio tracks. And of course, you can run VST plugins in the desktop software.

It's sort of like running your MPC as a pre+ Maschine.