New to mpc help MPC live 2

Hi there all, new to this and new to mpc and have recently got the MPC LIVE 2 and looking to use it along with logic which i have loved for years, i am aware that you can open it within logic as a plug in but seeing if anyone uses them both together as in record from logic on my mpc as i would like to use my LIVE as my main arrange / jam etc, any help would be greatly appreciated

Congrats on the MPC, and take your time to enjoy stand-alone mode before connecting with a DAW.

For the best sync experience, simply use the plugin (or Desktop app) and the Akai-provided USB cable.

However, to create on the hardware while connected to the DAW, you will need five-pin MIDI DIN (i.e. mioXC or Roland UM-One). In this setup you will not use the plugin or USB cable to your PC.

Check out my write up, which also has a link for a video on the topic as well. The content is based on version 2.9.1, but there have been no changes with 2.10 sync for Logic.

viewtopic.php?f=48&t=211510

alanpara wrote:Hi there all, new to this and new to mpc and have recently got the MPC LIVE 2 and looking to use it along with logic

Pro tip: return it and get an MPC One. The whole point of the Live 2 is to be able to use it in standalone mode, away from a computer. If all you planned to do with tether to your Mac and run the MPC Software in Controller Mode, you would have been much better served buying an MPC One, IMHO...

EnochLight wrote:

alanpara wrote:Hi there all, new to this and new to mpc and have recently got the MPC LIVE 2 and looking to use it along with logic

Pro tip: return it and get an MPC One. The whole point of the Live 2 is to be able to use it in standalone mode, away from a computer. If all you planned to do with tether to your Mac and run the MPC Software in Controller Mode, you would have been much better served buying an MPC One, IMHO...

They said they want to "jam" on the live. However, as we know this cannot be done in "Controller" mode. So, what they really want is MIDI Clock and stand-alone.

When they do want the Plugin, the MPC One is only USB 2.0 (white tip), compared the Live II which is Super Speed (3.0) blue tip. Not to mention, if doing analog recording to Logic across TRS, the Live II has lower THD (and more outs) than the One.

Finally, never return an MPC (Except for manufacturing flaws). Just buy more! There is nothing more powerful than connecting two MPCs.

MikeNizo808 wrote:When they do want the Plugin, the MPC One is only USB 2.0 (white tip), compared the Live II which is Super Speed (3.0) blue tip. Not to mention, if doing analog recording to Logic across TRS, the Live II has lower THD (and more outs) than the One.

This is a huge misconception I see a lot of people make. Being USB3 or USB2 in Controller Mode makes absolutely no difference, as in Controller Mode the sounds are triggered via the MPC Software plugin running in your DAW. You are literally just using your MPC as a MIDI controller. And as an audio interface, there is zero advantage to the Live 2 as a USB3 device, as the bandwidth of USB2 is absolutely fine for multichannel audio.

THD is negligible between the One and Live 2. And sure, you do have more outs on the Live 2 than the One, but would this really make any difference in Controller Mode? What purpose would that serve? If you're running the 6-line out TRS from the Live 2 into a mixer and using your Live 2 as your audio interface for Logic, there are much more convenient ways of doing this (one of which being, both the MPC One and Live 2/X now support USB Class Compliant audio interfaces).

MikeNizo808 wrote:Finally, never return an MPC (Except for manufacturing flaws). Just buy more! There is nothing more powerful than connecting two MPCs.

I mean, sure - as well as if you want to acquire gear. I do get that the OP wants to jam with both his MPC as the master and his computer as the slave - totally agree.

> Being USB3 or USB2 in Controller Mode makes absolutely no difference

Perhaps, if Akai is not using the advancements in the USB 3.x standard. However, it appears that they are using multiple channels and giving quality of service (i.e. 12Mbps dedicated to Control/Sync/APIC, 480 Mbps dedicated for Audio Streaming, etc.)

USB 3.x Standard
Here we can see the advancements added to the blue tip cables:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_3.0

Checking your system
I will assume Mac, but substitute as needed.

1. Connect MPC to computer using Akai-provided USB
2. Enter Controller mode on the MPC
3. Open a terminal and run:

system_profiler SPUSBDataType

Note: To use a GUI view instead, navigate to "Apple > About This Mac > System Report > USB"

Example Output
Here we can see the output of two devices (an MPC One and MPC Live II), each running version 2.10 firmware. Observe how the Live II (USB 3.x) has multiple streams available. Also, the Live II has full speed access to disks housed on the MPC (that part is less important). Whereas the One has everything bunched into one 480 Mbps connection.


MPC One


MPC Live II


-end-

If I understood that correctly
- MPC One : all IO i.e. audio, MIDI and disks, are connected to one shared USB2 bus
- MPC Live II : disk IO is separate, ... SATA something, connected how?

This could mean a substantial speed difference in the Live II's favor, for loading (and saving!) projects, samples, plugins, etc.

HouseWithoutMouse wrote:- MPC Live II : disk IO is separate, ... SATA something, connected how?.

Live II's SATA port is connected via USB ironically.

HouseWithoutMouse wrote:This could mean a substantial speed difference in the Live II's favor, for loading (and saving!) projects, samples, plugins, etc.

I should mention that the "MPC X" also has the blue USB 3.x cable, and the same benefits of multiple MIDI streams.

MPC One - USB 2
MPC Live II - USB 3
MPC Live II Retro - USB 3
MPC X - USB 3

Note: The old "Live I" is not listed since I do not have info about it (so let me know, I am guessing it would be USB 2.0).

MikeNizo808 wrote:

HouseWithoutMouse wrote:This could mean a substantial speed difference in the Live II's favor, for loading (and saving!) projects, samples, plugins, etc.

I should mention that the "MPC X" also has the blue USB 3.x cable, and the same benefits of multiple MIDI streams.

MPC One - USB 2
MPC Live II - USB 3
MPC Live II Retro - USB 3
MPC X - USB 3

Note: The old "Live I" is not listed since I do not have info about it (so let me know, I am guessing it would be USB 2.0).

MIDI streams will perform virtually identical on the One, Live II, and X. Still think the OP would be better suited to the One if they have no intention of taking their MPC out of the studio. But they’re strangely absent from this thread.

Live 1 is also usb 3.0

MikeNizo808 wrote:

HouseWithoutMouse wrote:This could mean a substantial speed difference in the Live II's favor, for loading (and saving!) projects, samples, plugins, etc.

I should mention that the "MPC X" also has the blue USB 3.x cable, and the same benefits of multiple MIDI streams.

MPC One - USB 2
MPC Live II - USB 3
MPC Live II Retro - USB 3
MPC X - USB 3

Note: The old "Live I" is not listed since I do not have info about it (so let me know, I am guessing it would be USB 2.0).

thanks for the reply folks appreciated ill go through it all and check it