To MPC or not to MPC (replacing my MC-707 or not)

Long story, mostly GAS related.
But I would appreciate your insight on using the MPC.
I have been watching a lot of MPC video’s and reading about it on various sites and I’d like to get some feedback on my thoughts.

After 1,5 gassy years I have accumulated a couple of hardware ‘instruments’ that allow me to make DAWLess music in a way that I quite like. I also have a laptop with Reason for when I want a full blown production environment.

So let’s start with my setup right now (minus the laptop).
- MC 707 (central hub, jamming station, performing tool, FX unit etc.)
- Moog Subsequent 37 (first synth, I use this one in the band for bass and at home for many monophonic tasks, usually paired with the Source Audio Collider)
- Moog Minitaur (not really needed, but it does often gets used for bass tasks with the 707 to relief the internal 707 synth engine, often paired with my Zoom B3)
- Novation Peak (very versatile, great FX, I use it for poly duties mainly)
- USB controller for playing in the music. (Nektar T4, because it integrates very well with Reason)



All in all a nice ‘small’ setup that makes me smile whenever I am using it.
But…..
This summer holiday we went to Sweden and I could not help but thinking ‘what if I had an MPC Live Mk 2 and could be making stuff on the beach, in the forest etc. etc. without the need for a ripcord + battery pack.
Also the 707 has some drawbacks that make me wonder if I would be better off with an MPC.
I have also considered other boxes (deluge, electron stuff), but the MPC is the most appealing right now .

So the focus will be on the 707 vs the MPC Live Mk 2 for me.
Of course I can keep both, but that might (will) be an overkill and is not very budget friendly.
I’m just a hobbyist, but quite serious when it comes to my hobbies ;P

What I like about my current setup (and the 707):
- It is quite compact.
- Not too complicated.
- As long as the audio runs through the 707, it is very easy to perform with this quartet.
- The 707 has a very nice sound engine.
- And very nice FX. (a bit limited in the amount you can chain, although that has changes since the last update if you can sacrifice a track)
- The 707 is a multitrack audio interface, so I can record my tracks in Reason and process them easily.
- Dedicated knobs + fader per track work very well when performing.

What I don’t like about this setup (and the 707).
- Sometimes 8 tracks is limited.
- DAW like tasks (moving notes around) etc. is not too convenient.
- The 707 has some big midi limitations (does not record aftertouch, mod wheel, pitch bend or sustain pedal) This is actually my biggest complaint and a big reason for looking for something else.
- Sample time on the 707 is limited. Especially when using longer backing tracks with the band (that is not possible in practice)

And what appeals to me in the MPC (Live Mk 2)
- The Akai pads seem to be ‘better’ than the ones on the 707
- More sample time.
- Truly standalone
- True hub for my synths (the 707 can do that, but more limited)
- More options that make it replace my DAW.
- With the new synths (2.10), it looks like the plugins are close to the 707 engine.

But I also have my doubts about the MPC.
- How quickly does the CPU limit ‘hits’ in practice.
- Is the FX section good ‘enough’ (my main concern is the reverb)
- Having watched tons of video’s on the MPC, I’m not convinced about the workflow yet. Is it really that clunky, or does it only take a couple of projects before you are used to working with it?
- I like multitracking my performance via USB to my DAW (performing my track while recording it), how do you do this on the MPC? Can you stream your performance via USB to the DAW, or this work via exporting stems only?
- How convenient is performing on the MPC (possibly compared to the 707 way which is very easy)
- It is quite pricey, so I might have to sell the 707 to get some funds. (at least that is what I will tell the wife ;P ) but I really like the true ‘standalone’ option. That is what started this investigation anyway.
- Replacing something I have spent quite a lot of time in learning with something I will have to start all over again is not making this an easy choice.

From what I have read, disk streaming could be on the MPC horizon, so the sample time limits on the MPC could be ‘gone’ for the most part, which speaks for the MPC even more, since I would like to use it in the band too with longer backing tracks.
Now I’m not sure if it is really working reliable enough for longer audio stuff when looking at the Force comments….

So that’s about 900 words with my ‘long story’ on the MPC vs the 707.

I’m hoping to get some insights from MPC (Live Mk 2, or One / X) users what they like (and don’t like) about their MPC’s.

Thanks in advance!

I know the MC707 can play samples by uploading them in, but an MPC can do that and also record them in thru its inputs, as well as SD cards and hard drive.

I prefer the free sampling of the MPC than the confines of importing/exporting samples on the MC707.

It will be a different workflow, so be prepared. I used to be a Roland fan and going to an MPC was a battle at first but once you practice around with it, you'll like its intuitions and ideas.

As for all that gear you got, the MPC will work circles around them in the MIDI department.

Other than that, its up to you if you want one or not but at this moment in time, the MPC is a sampling DAW computer that one will thrash 10 MC707s in a second

Montfrooij wrote:All in all a nice ‘small’ setup that makes me smile whenever I am using it.

I'm more and more getting into like to stay laser focussed and having a small setup. My advice would be to stay in that mental space and keep yourself aware of what gear you have that overlaps with what you have, and where it adds new features.

Montfrooij wrote:This summer holiday we went to Sweden and I could not help but thinking ‘what if I had an MPC Live Mk 2 and could be making stuff on the beach, in the forest etc. etc. without the need for a ripcord + battery pack.

Yeah... two things that the MPC Live Mk2 specifically will let you do here. First, it's got the battery and the speaker, so you can take it by itself and go pretty much anywhere and make music for a few hours before you need to recharge. Autosampling also let's you make key groups out of whatever instrument you want so that you can have a reasonable facsimile to work with and at least sketch work out.

Montfrooij wrote:What I don’t like about this setup (and the 707).
- Sometimes 8 tracks is limited.
- DAW like tasks (moving notes around) etc. is not too convenient.
- The 707 has some big midi limitations (does not record aftertouch, mod wheel, pitch bend or sustain pedal) This is actually my biggest complaint and a big reason for looking for something else.
- Sample time on the 707 is limited. Especially when using longer backing tracks with the band (that is not possible in practice)

So you can have way way many more tracks on the MPC, and it can also be additive to what you've already got.
The MPC does record aftertouch, mod, pitch, etc... anything you can map to a CC# you can record and then send someplace else.
Technically sample time on the MPC is limited to around 60 minutes or so (it's not exactly straightforward to calculate...), but it is super flexible to load up new projects, and for me... 60 minutes of audio has been more than enough, I've only capped this out when Autosampling a lot of instruments... and don't think I have ever hit this when working on a project.

Montfrooij wrote:And what appeals to me in the MPC (Live Mk 2)
- The Akai pads seem to be ‘better’ than the ones on the 707
- More sample time.
- Truly standalone
- True hub for my synths (the 707 can do that, but more limited)
- More options that make it replace my DAW.
- With the new synths (2.10), it looks like the plugins are close to the 707 engine.

The pads on the Live Mk2 are the best pads on any MPC I have ever used.
Definitely more sample time than the 707 (an hour vs a minute or two?)
Yeah, you can definitely take the MPC just about anywhere, and it has enough synths, fx, etc... that you can use it to do *everything*
It can function as the center of many setups for sure.
Personally I use the MPC more and more, and Reason/Ableton less and less. It's not a perfect process, and not an exact one to one mapping, but you can do an incredible amount in the box with the MPC.
2.10 added a lot of fun new stuff, the MPC and 707 feel like they compliment each other, but I see the 707 as more of a rompler and the MPC as more of a sampler.

Montfrooij wrote:But I also have my doubts about the MPC.
- How quickly does the CPU limit ‘hits’ in practice.
- Is the FX section good ‘enough’ (my main concern is the reverb)
- Having watched tons of video’s on the MPC, I’m not convinced about the workflow yet. Is it really that clunky, or does it only take a couple of projects before you are used to working with it?
- I like multitracking my performance via USB to my DAW (performing my track while recording it), how do you do this on the MPC? Can you stream your performance via USB to the DAW, or this work via exporting stems only?
- How convenient is performing on the MPC (possibly compared to the 707 way which is very easy)
- It is quite pricey, so I might have to sell the 707 to get some funds. (at least that is what I will tell the wife ;P ) but I really like the true ‘standalone’ option. That is what started this investigation anyway.
- Replacing something I have spent quite a lot of time in learning with something I will have to start all over again is not making this an easy choice.

Personally I have not hit CPU limits on the MPC, and I'm frequently running 16-20 tracks.
The FX section is quite robust, they are not going to replace your favorite off board gear or VST plugins, but they are great places to start, and you can always stem out tracks and add in other effects later.
The Sample/Program/Track workflow is super fast in my mind. I think song mode is where a lot of people think it is clunky, you'll either meld with it or hate it, but there are some things you need to know here to get it to work effectively.
You can multitrack out to your DAW if you are in controller mode. You can still do it in Standalone mode, but you'd have to do only up to 6 channels at a time.
Step editing on the 707 will probably be where you'd still want to program drums, but for recording sequences by playing pads or keys, the MPC is much much better.
You could always use the MPC to auto sample your favorite synths off of the 707 or other gear as well. Just remember that you're trading off one set of functions/operation for the other. The MPC is awesome here, and the four q-links (and four banks) can get you a long way, but the dedicated controls and differences on the 707 might be more your thing.

Good luck!