J.O.BEATS wrote:I traveled every week with the Live 1 for about 5 years. It was great
I've love travelling nationally with the Live II too -- I don't mind carrying bulky and heavy stuff around (I worked for 10 years as an electric+upright bass session player) but the problem with the Live II is flying. If I take the Live II, I have to drop other pieces of equipment due to weight and form factor.
The Live II can just fit in a handheld laptop bag, but it's the only item I can carry onto the plane with me if I do that and means I don't have good quality protective travel case for it at the destination.
I don't really like putting it in the overhead bag since it still won't fit well in a good quality protective travel case, and as sometimes this bag has to go into the hold, any equipment included in this bag needs to be protected. Also, if the Live II is in the overhead then I can't fit much else in there due to the form factor. I've put a lot of work into making all aspects of my rig as compact and travel-durable as possible (pedal boards, cabling etc.) but once you throw in a giant heavy rectangular brick in there, the best laid plans have to go into a checked bag.
The checked bag is a pretty convenient place for it to go -- when I perform without a guitar/instrument it always goes in a protective case and in here. Without a guitar I almost always have an analogue synth with me, so that takes more than half of the bag in a giant rectangular case, the MPC case fits alongside it, throw in a bag of cables and some clothes to pad it out and it's a pretty decent job.
The problem is travelling when a guitar is required, since this is always needed to be checked baggage in a hard case, and checked bags is going to be way too expensive and too much to travel with. The extra guitar stuff needed (I have a very compact pedal board) will all fit nicely in the overhead bag, but the compact but pedal board and MPC (requiring a protective case in that bag) will not fit together geometrically, meaning the only choice for the MPC is to carry it in a laptop case, meaning all personal items need to go into the overhead, meaning not enough luggage space in the overhead, no personal bag for travelling with and no protective case for the MPC..
Weight is a whole parallel battle on top of this.
The MPC ONE is still a pretty chunky device (as MPCs are in general by 202X standards) but the 1.5-2KG weight you can cut between the devices (1.28KG cut) and the extra power adapter and case weight is absolutely game changing, and the 5-6'' inches form factor reduction (the increases in the other dimensions are marginal and unimpactful) makes it much more practical for fitting it in the overhead bag in a protective case along with other pieces of equipment.
All this goes to say, I love travelling with the Live II and I've had some great times jamming and rehearsing with it in hotel rooms, but it DOES NOT play nicely in flight luggage, if you have additional equipment to bring.
Also -- there are probably issues with the MPC battery being on a plane or in a checked bag which I've simply ignored, not been caught out on and could bite me in the arse one day.
Long story short -- an MPC model without a battery with a lighter weight and smaller form factor is ABSOLUTELY necessary.
) it also spots a automation button and a touch strip .. dunno if these will be on the new lines, theres not much space, I would not be surprised if it hosted LinnInstruments UI instead of pads.
not to mention when traveling with other gear it really adds up. The bigger SP16 is 3kg and the bigger yet slimmer MC707 is 2Kilos so a more slim lighter model would be an smart move, 
