Support and discussion for all of Akai’s modern standalone MPCs including the MPC X / X SE, MPC Live 1, 2 & 3, MPC One / One+, MPC Key 37/61.
By technonsia Sun Feb 23, 2025 8:48 pm
After a diving incident, I felt a sharp pain in my left ear. Worried, I went to the ENT doctor, hoping for a quick fix. But things took a turn for the worse. Whatever was done during that visit left me completely deaf in my left ear. The silence was terrifying—like half my world just vanished.

Then the tinnitus started. A relentless, high-pitched ringing that never stopped. It drove me to the edge, making it impossible to sleep, focus, or even enjoy the music I loved. For two months, I battled with my ear, trying different treatments and searching for relief. Even now, in the third month, I’m still struggling, but there are small signs of improvement.

Throughout it all, music was my escape. Surrounded by my hardware synths, I tried to create, to distract myself from the noise in my head. But something was missing. I had always dreamed of having a groove sampler, and with the last bit of money I had, I decided to buy the MPC One Plus.

That purchase changed everything. The MPC became more than just gear—it was my salvation. Its pads felt alive under my fingers, and the workflow pulled me out of the darkness. I poured my pain and frustration into every beat, every melody, finding a way to express what words couldn’t.

The MPC is so dope. It’s the groove sampler I had dreamed about for years, and using it feels like destiny. Even with the tinnitus still ringing and my ear slowly healing, the MPC gave me hope again. It reminded me why I love music and showed me a new path forward. And for that, I’ll always be grateful.
By Skep Mon Feb 24, 2025 9:13 pm
I can relate. I lost complete hearing in my right ear when I was younger, and it was definitely an adjustment. It took some time to get used to it, but eventually I barely noticed it. I dj’d through the late 90's and 00's and outside of some clubs with shitty or no booth monitors, it was rarely a problem. There were/are many instances where it can be a hindrance but overcoming them isn’t too bad.

• Someone talking to you in the "bad ear” in a loud environment/club and having to explain why you keep
looking behind you to hear them. I learned to pick seats in loud places where my “good ear” is pointing towards the people I am there with.

• Getting robbed every time you buy nice headphones. You only need half a pair! No real solutions here. Not much love for monos out there.

• Tinnitus sucks, but noise machines and music are your friend. Try not to focus on the ringing and turn something else on when you start bugging out. Eventually you will barely notice it.

• Be careful when sampling records in headphones. If you are recording in stereo, you may not notice sounds coming in your bad side. I usually listen to everything on my monitors first, or switch to mono. Most phones/devices have a mono setting in accessibility.

• At first sleeping with your good ear down is annoying, but eventually it’s dope. My wife snores like a boar sometimes and “good ear down” takes care of that.

I gets better I promise. You can still hear and create music without any major issues! I don’t think there is any scientific proof, but I swear I am able to focus on sound more this way. I can definitely block it out when I want to!

Hang in there homie!