MPC Live 2 - Pre-purchase questions

Mric wrote:Hello all

I am just about to hit order on an MPC Live 2 and currently trying to decide between black or retro. I think the retro looks great but I did notice when I saw one the other day that the button graphics are painted on the retro compared to the black.

Two potential problems with that are seeing the buttons in the dark (probably not a big issue) the button graphics wearing off over time.

Does anybody have any experience of has noticed anything like that? The retro looks so good and that's the only negative I noticed between the two.

Also what are likely my best options for expanding storage? Large SSD so can transfer between MAC easily or just go in for an internal something like 256/512GB. Does anybody have any recommendations on good models brands for either solution.

Thanks in advance, after borrowing an MPC one for a while can't wait to jump in properly and get my own.

HouseWithoutMouse wrote:This is only my experience with MPC One retro edition and may not apply, but the drum pads had a very inconsistent velocity response. The response was different in the center of the pad vs. the edges, and it was very difficult to produce any meaningful dynamics because the velocities were so random, so I only used full velocity mode. Speculation was that the pad rubber material may have been different in the retro editions, for a different look. Or maybe it was just a faulty unit, but all the pads were like that. I was only able to compare it to an old MPD16 controller which had a much better and more even velocity response. And bigger pads too. I returned the MPC One, and I'm now using a Force. If this worries you, it might be best if you could test two different units side-by-side to see if the response is OK for you.

Mric wrote:Hello all

I am just about to hit order on an MPC Live 2 and currently trying to decide between black or retro. I think the retro looks great but I did notice when I saw one the other day that the button graphics are painted on the retro compared to the black.

Two potential problems with that are seeing the buttons in the dark (probably not a big issue) the button graphics wearing off over time.

Does anybody have any experience of has noticed anything like that? The retro looks so good and that's the only negative I noticed between the two.

Also what are likely my best options for expanding storage? Large SSD so can transfer between MAC easily or just go in for an internal something like 256/512GB. Does anybody have any recommendations on good models brands for either solution.

Thanks in advance, after borrowing an MPC one for a while can't wait to jump in properly and get my own.

EnochLight wrote:As for storage, Akai recommends an SSD (installed in the bottom) for best performance. Any decent quality SSD will do. YMMV, but I've had fantastic luck with Samsung's EVO and QVO line (EVO has a 5 year warranty; QVO has a 3 year warranty). Whatever you choose - do not - I repeat - DO NOT EVER save or store Expansions, samples, projects or Splice data on your internal factory storage.

EnochLight wrote:Whatever you choose - do not - I repeat - DO NOT EVER save or store Expansions, samples, projects or Splice data on your internal factory storage.

KaoticShock wrote:And also, just to reiterate, NEVER save to the internal drive on the MPC. NEVER!

Follow these things people & NEVER EVER, flower (HAAHHHHA) with the default
internal storage. Use SD/ USB/ SSD/ SATA/ FLOPPY DISK/ PUNCH TAPE/ KYK-13 (if you
know, you know) but never default internal storage.

This aint ya Pappy's old mpc where you can zeroize all and start from scratch, don't do that. A few knuckleheadz have flower'd round and found out already.

Mric wrote:Thank you for all the replies. I think I will grab an SSD to start off with and I can always grab an SD later if transferring becomes an issue.

Slightly worrying to hear about the potential Retro edition problems. I wonder if I should maybe get the standard version and will have to pass on the nice aesthetics. I guess the low light thing will be fairly rare that I am using in in very low light but if the button graphics wear off quickly like has happened with some of my other equipment it's a bit annoying.

Be great to hear if anybody has had positive retro edition experiences!?

Thanks for all the advice and sharing your experience.