Michael, I live near Akai Professional's HQ. if you want to come visit and yell at them in person, I will drive you there and film it and my wife can bail us out of jail!
I live nearby too and I've known a few people who worked there over the years. Between personal experience and everything I've heard from them, I'd never recommend any MPC newer than the 1000. Buy a Pine64 Linux tablet for $150 and pair it with a decent USB audio/MIDI interface and pad controller and you'll get a lot more for less than half the price of an MPC One (there are plenty of name-brand, budget USB audio/MIDI combo interfaces new for $150 or less, a used Novation Launchpad X in mint condition should be around $100).
Discovered this channel today. Your videos are a must watch IMO, even for people who buy gear regularly. Trying to extract more value out of the tools you have using either ingenuity or free / cheap tools is an invaluable message that it worth constantly being reminded of. Well done.
I own an MPC Live II. The workflow in Ableton is much easier and faster, but I have a hard time getting past all the options and starting to actually create music. The MPC kind of forces you to start laying down music. I also feel like the workflow forces you to use your ears more than your eyes. It’s a clunky workflow, but once it clicks for you, it just works. It isn’t for everybody, but I love it. I just wish it wasn’t so expensive, but that’s the case with a lot of my gear. Also, acting like drumming on the keyboard is the same as using the big and beautiful pads on the MPC is not realistic. The pads on my Live II are my favorite in the world. Overall, great video. I just wanted to nitpick a little. This channel is greatness. Even if I don’t care about the gear you review, I learn a lot from these videos.
This video was hilarious as an MPC Live owner you hit the nail on the head with a lot of my complaints about the unit in terms of its intuitiveness and the implementation of the Q links... they need to address Q link functionality in an update because they are vastly under utilised I feel.
The best review of this product I’ve seen since it came out! Had me laughing and heavily agreeing with the points made! Thanks for this, now I can take it off of my wants list 😂
Fantastic video! This spoke to ALL of my frustrations with my MPC Live and then some. I was on the fence about selling it. No longer. It's gone. Thank you!
Mpd 218 controller that is less than 100 bucks solves that issue. I use the full software with an mpk mini 3 which allows you to do more because it has the pads and the keys
You should rent one , the mpc is the best in its class . dr. Dre , timberland, jermaine dupri, scoot storch , Minnie fresh produced top 10 billboards his on the mpc live which is the same as a mpc one . The mpc one plus has 16 go of ram ram doesn’t matter because the mpc is a hardware device and is designed to do what it do . Example a person playing drums on a drum set and a person say playing drums on his iPad is better. If you want a MPC you won’t be disappointed because it’s a device. This video is like saying a Prius can get you to wear you are going you don’t need a Mercedes when you were about to buy a Mercedes .😂😂😂
As a (quite satisfied) MPC-One owner I can say: honest review of the weak points of the device (akai should open their ears)!!! Would I replace it with an ipad/laptop? No ... for many other aspects/reasons. BTW keep going with this interesting channel.
As someone that's on the fence getting an MPC One, what are the aspects and reasons you have for not replacing it with a laptop+external pad controller?
@@johannmoller8110 There is a difference on doing music with a laptop as to do it with a dedicated machine. The most important part is that you get all the clutter of a computer out of the equation. You ain't going to connect to the internet for instance. won't get notifications etc...gonna be more focused on doing music. Plus MPC is 800$. Computer+Controllers+audio interface is going to be quite more than that. just 2 of the plethora of reasons that I have to prefer working out of the box.
@@johannmoller8110 Michael is biased due to the nature of this channel. That's his opinion. My opinion is that you are *way* faster on the MPC hardware than those keyboard shortcuts he mentioned in MPC Beats. Believe me I have tried both. That's really what you get with the hardware: much faster workflow. Hit a pad while a loop is playing to rehearse, then hit Dub Record and punch it in, dub record again to switch back to pure playback. Change track by holding Main and pressing a pad, and now you can play that track's instrument on the pads. Switch to chords/scale mode and you can improvise in the correct key. Double press the Note Repeat button to turn on/off the arp. Etc etc. This isn't to say that it isn't nice to have the ability to then pick up the project and finish it on the computer in the MPC 2 software (note that that daw isn't free, only MPC Beats is, which limits your track count to 8 - the track count in the MPC is limitless). I often finish the mixing process in front of the computer because by the time I add a bunch of compressors on each track and pad, it can sometimes start to stutter on the MPC One due to performance issues, so being hooked up to the computer at that point is nicer. But I always start new songs in standalone and it's a joyful workflow. At least if you're one of those people who enjoy playing on an instrument rather than programming with a keyboard and a track pad. I couldn't recommend the MPC One more
@@playpm someone needs to do that. most gear reviewers just praise the shit out of their new toy and trick everyone else to buy some useless shit hardware
2nd time here on this channel. Love it. In this disposable age, with too much gear already out there, this floats my boat. I use old pedals, hacked and hand built devices, tape, old glitchy delays as loopers, use cassettes and mp3 players to store my samples. If I'm travelling light, I occasionally perform using just a laptop full of my edits and samples. Mixx DJ of Virtual DJ. I probably won't use a lot the software you share, I struggle with the laptops. Having said that I love the ethos and the possibilities. Keep it up.
That was a hilarious ending! You are sincerely pissed off. Bad gear indeed! Like many here, I really love the MPC One. At the same time your video is great & valid!
Hilarious. U nailed it. It’s nearly the best all in one Groovebox. I’m optimistic with videos like this and other feature request of the community Akai will wake up and bring a kickass update. Really hoping cause if next update won’t deliver I might sell mine
This is why I’ve used an MPC Element as my controller and either set it for low power for the inexpensive MPC app on my phone OR the free MPC Beats software on my Mac for several years now. You COULD use another USB controller just to control all the knobs and faders (in my opinion). But what you explained is exactly why I sold my MPC 1000 years ago. Now I have much more versatility. Thank you again for the GAS therapy, Michael 🙌
First let me say that this review or rant was hilarious. Thank you for your view on this. I have been wanting to buy the MPC One for at least a yr. Listening to your take on this has changed my mind and to look for something else. Actually I was debating between this and an iPad because I already have a decent midi controller with 16 pads and 32 keys. I’m subscribing just because of this.
somebody is in his feelings on this one 😆 i have to say the mpc worflow vs the mpc software / beats workflow is a lot diffrent. Me myself tried a few things after selling my mpc live for financial reasons. But nothing came even close to the feeling an mpc gives me. Not even the new mpc studio with that software your were talking about. Its truly something special about the mpc worklfow i cant even explain. After 2 years of making straight laptop music I've finally came back to the mpc-world with a new mpc one, and i have to say its really really satisfying working with it again. Great Video but i feel like it did not do justice to this great piece of gear. i mean, yeah its a rant but..there is a lot to love about this thing.
I was doing the same thing I was convinced I didn’t need a MPC , I was given a one plus as a gift and it was like a new beginning . I love that thing I have the choice to use controller mode or standalone. I have fl studio on my MacBook , I was using the full version of the MPC software with a midi keyboard , Koloa sampler , beat maker 3 , iMPC pro 2 . the MPC one plus is the best device I ever used . I over 400 gigs of VST’s and sounds and I use them with my MPC one plus in controller mode . I can do everything on my laptop using the software but I prefer using controller mode because I zoom through everything and it feels like I’m not using my laptop . The workflow on the hardware is a bit different from the software easier because everything is at your fingertips. I also have a bunch of plugins and can produce without needing a computer.
@@Z589-r3z they won't. If they hired him he will make perfect MPC then Akai can't sell the next iteration. Music industry reminds of car infotainment especially aftermarket like Kenwood, JVC, Pioneer, etc. Always 10 years behind. Last month I begged Akai via email to release drivers for Renaissance on M1 and they simply said no! They won't even make a driver for device that relies on computer to function? Now I either have to use windows or buy older MacBook.
As someone who has gone through a LOT of hardware in the pursuit of the perfect all-in-one dawless groovebox, I'll start by saying that I absolutely love the MPC One - *and* I love your channel too! I 100% agree with you about the lack of battery and angled surface being clear design flaws and it would have been lovely to be able to not have to bring the power cord with you all the time. That said, I think you didn't spend enough time with either the MPC One or MPC Beats to truly appreciate the difference in workflow speed between the two. It's literally night and day. No, those Ctrl+2 shortcuts on the keyboard aren't even close because the rest of it is completely off. You are required to scroll and click all the time on the computer software. Here are some examples of how fast the MPC One is: - Hit Dub Record while playing a sequence and you can jam things in live, with velocity sensitivity and even aftertouch. The pads are surprisingly playable on any type of instrument sound (guitar, strings, piano, drums, etc). - While a sequence is playing, hold Erase and press down on a pad you want to remove and it will remove the hits on that pad while you hold it down. - Switch back between Main and Program Edit and it will remember where you were, which preference was focused. This means you can quickly tweak a sound parameter, go into Main to change the sequence or start point of a sequence to zoom in on the area you want to "fix", and then go back to editing the parameter, all without even touching the mouse. Anyone who is used to keyboard shortcuts vs mouse gestures will know how much of a difference this makes. - Hold Main and press a pad to select a track/program. - Double press on Note Repeat to turn on/off the (excellent) arp. - Tap a synth parameter and twist the main knob with the other hand - it's so much quicker *and* more precise than doing the equivalent with the mouse. Try to micro edit the faders in the mixer on MPC Beats, it's next to impossible! - Hold down Shift and you immediately see if the Automation button is yellow (off) or red (on). Tap it to toggle. No need for the touch screen. - Configure the q-links to be Project wide for some amazing live performance jamming with your favorite parameters for that particular project. - Double tap Main to get into the sequencer, hit a pad corresponding to a note you want to tweak, and twist the main knob to nudge the notes, or edit their length, transposition, etc. With all this said, I agree the UX isn't perfect and there's a lot of QOL fixes I'd like to see, such as the ability to copy/move projects, reorder tracks and sequences, configure the mostly useless + and - buttons into something better, like Mute/Solo, or Prev/Next Track, or maybe octave up/down. But even with its design flaws, it's easily the most productive, tactile daw replacement out there today. You mentioned the MC-101, and that is truly a UX joke in comparison. It's supposed to be portable, but you end up being so frustrated with using it due to all the things that slow you down, there's literally no point in using it. The presets are lovely, but that's about it. It's a terrible music making device. The MPC One is easily one of the best to come out so far. In *my* opinion! 😉🎶
@@sinewaymusic Everything you said is totally on point. For those not knowing, (you not included) I will say again that you can mod the MPC One to make it wireless, have a battery pack, and flip screen. My bad man. Nice explanation on the dope workflow inherent in the MPC One.
I think the height could be for heat dissapation. The MPC does pick up some heat especially if you don't leave it on a table. I know the live II gets hot in the left side of the screen.
LOL not only you saved me wasting money on an MPC, you taught me some important things and made me laugh, and you have an ALL CAPS sticker on your laptop... Cool Guy (subbed)
The only limitation is the 8 track limit, but if you mainly create with samples, it won't bother a lot, already exceeded its legacy machines 1000 times function wise.
Unpopular opinion, it’s not perfect but if you really put in the time and effort to learn this thing inside and out, you can make the best music you’ve ever made. It’s $800 for a reason, it’s not for beginners.
Well if you put the time and effort into learning your tools then those tools will help you make the best music you have ever made... it does not really matter if its a DAW or a "groovebox" or a guitar. There is nothing magical about an MPC.
@@djmouglie absolutely true, just speaking from my experience. I just got ableton and I’m bouncing back and fourth it’s interesting how different tools make different vibes. It’s all good whatever you use!
Thank you, Angry Musical Gear Nerd, I am totally here for your crusade against bad design! Feeling pretty done with gear that makes me feel stupid for not knowing how to use it. Same goes for overly complex plugins with absurdly convoluted installation (Native Instruments, I'm looking at you)
Bro, I am a avid mpc user since the 90's and Akai fanboy and you are absolutely right!! Just wow! I cannot argue your points or defend Akai. Akai needs to hire you as a consultant. Frfr!
Just sold my live 2 retro edition, as to I found myself defaulting back to Serato sampler and Logic Pro X, (which I already had installed) and I dont regret it one bit glad I got my money back!
No offense mate but it seems like you haven't really given the mpc one a proper go and you are unable to see the legitimate benefits of it. Yes, a daw can do everything the mpc can do and more, but the mpc can do a lot of those things better and more efficiently. Things like track mutes and pad mutes, all you need to do is press the track mute button and then press the track on the screen, or better yet, the pads. You can press multiple at once which is great for live use. Any kind of menu you would want to get to is just one or two button presses. If you need to edit the envelope of a drum sound or synth, use the pad shortcut to get to that track and press program edit. If it's a parameter you plan on using a lot like filter cutoff or hihat decay or literally anything, you can map it to the q-links. You complain about the file browser and being unable to copy projects. Simple solution is to plan ahead and save projects to folders that make sense. While criticizing the file browser, you completely glossed over the legitimately great features of it like being able to quickly search for any term and filter the results by file type. You can also very quickly build a drum kit by searching for samples and sending them to your current program which you can then save for later use. The hardware is great, it feels very solid and its well built. Not everything needs to be thin and fragile like an iPad and your Macbook. When you're using an interface where the pads are a large part of it, you need rigidity. I always gig with my mpc and a couple pieces of hardware, i don't want to be fumbling around with a mouse or iPad screen when all the functions i will actually use during a set are either mapped to the q links or are a button press away. I almost never use the touchscreen during a set. Having a dedicated midi and audio interface on the mpc is great. The difference between using a laptop with an audio interface and a dedicated piece of hardware is substantial. If there is any delay in the audio and midi timing on the mpc, it would be practically nothing, because i have never once noticed it. I don't need to mess around with midi and audio settings trying to get reasonably low latency, i just plug things in and it works the same every time. I'm genuinely questioning your intelligence here. Some of the points you made in this video are beyond stupid and I don't know how you came to the conclusion that the mpc beats software is the same as what is in the mpc one. On top of this, why did you even buy the mpc one if you plan on using a free daw anyway? Edit: just finished watching the last couple of minutes. You say that mpc beats can do "way more things" than the mpc one. You list three things and then don't even mention the clear limitations of mpc beats which outweigh any positives it has. You have no brain.
The software is MPC beats , not MPC 2.10 , it’s limited , that’s why it’s free , it’s very good though , I tried using an akai pad controller with it along with my tiny GPD pocket 2 , it wasn’t a fun experience , I’d rather use my MPC one
Windows on an ultraportable PC is always an unpleasant experience. It is barely bearable on a full laptop or desktop. Between the constant updates, interface changes, clunky mouse/trackpad movements it makes for a challenging on-the-go music production experience. You would be much better off with an Ipad running Akai's iMPC Pro 2 which can export projects and kits to the MPC Desktop software and/or Beatmaker 3 which has a lot more features and power for doing complete tracks and Cubasis or Garageband for a traditional DAW.
As much as I love my MPC ONE I think you make some solid points(like file management), that being said, I disagree on some of the points… I think the ONE is the most game changing MPC ever made, as it functionality and price point give users so much and I don’t think a budget PC, pad controller and audio/ midi interface are really that comparable nor do they zip up into such a nice package. You can do it, but it’s a lot of wires, set up and work arounds. And you’re not saving much money unless you already have the gear required sitting around, not to mention once you get into midi… yer gunna have some trouble setting up a clock that actually keeps time with all that junk. I also really like the way Q-links are set up and feel they really shine once you get out of screen mode and into project mode and I haven’t the slightest clue how you can set up midi knobs to control multiple parameters that can be toggled in the same project. I love what your doing though, but let’s be honest… you ain’t tossin NONE of that gear.
I bought a MPC Live 2 last year and sold it because of the workflow, I was wrestling with it a lot. Since I came from PC and wanted to go daw-less I tought it would be the best choise. Now I have a TR-8S and MC707 from Roland and I like it very much. It's just not there yet. I'm testing out all sorts of Opensource sofware and stuff, but it takes sooo much time. (Got a Zynthian, which is awesome)
I dislike the "on the fly" loop function setup when brainstorming. Main page Track 01>Transpose set to 1. Program 001>Warp samples> Global tab>note on. Samples tab>pad loop on. For different drum loops, I include them in the same mute group to alternate back and forth, still alot of work.
This channel is absolutely brilliant. I've been getting some more advanced recording and synth stuff lately and even though I luckily haven't had any bad buys yet, I've been looking to integrate my Surface Pro touchscreen (it's basically an iPad running Windows 11) into my live jams more. Absolutely right on the question 'why not just have a slider on your touchscreen and save a hand?'. Thank you for the many awesome plugin and software recommendations!!
This is the content I wish I had before I bought the MPC Live which im thinking of selling. But I probably needed to buy it and then watch this afterwards. Its a relief to find a channel like this after all the bullshit hardware pusher musical artists on You Tube.
I sorta agreed from the start, none of these points are fully refutable. Then at 10 to 11 mins, learning that ALL FOUR KNOBS (Q-Link Knobs in MPC parlance) are mapped to the SAME parameter (sample start point). I hope there's some caveat like after u set that start sample, all but one (for that) will then be showing (and encoding) for remaining parameters - but idk why anyone would map one parameter to ALL knobs, no matter how important sample start time. No, those knobs CANNOT be replaced by your keys on your QWERTY keyboard - unless u don't care about velocity and/or aftertouch. Pretty sure he said the keyboard keys (not QWERTY) had a better feel than MPC One's pads which not having the later I cannot compare but this I feel sure about: any half decent keyboard, even w/o aftertouch, will give you a reliable, workable, enjoyable equivalent to many sets of pads, as is said in this video; certainly on my Roland MC-909 groovebox, its 'velocity pads' are tiny, substitute for keys on the previous iteration Roland grooveboxes are all awful, non-velocity sensitive (MC-303, 307,505, D2, MC-808 which the 909 predates). I was looking to replace my 909 with something smaller for live, maybe the One, given the one I really want - Live 2 - is twice the price. Interesting on the comparisons to MPC 2000 series as those were all made by Akai Professional back when it was a subset of the Japanese Akai company (before the current owner, who I thought was doing a good job, but perhaps that needs to be reviewed).
The thing I always come to when thinking about these "do it all" grooveboxes is : "it's gonna hit my computer for mixing and mastering anyhow, so why splash the cash duplicating what I have". That said, with smaller more immediate devices the mindset shift and speed of workflow can be a huge benefit (eg Novation Circuit, Digitakt, and others)
@@playpm 😄Great! Hope you can offer redemption. Reading the comment that come with the reviews at the Superbooth 22 presentation, it seems there are alot of patients with their backs against the wall. They left the first stage of grief (denial) and are angry now.. Some are hoping that their arguments will make TE drop the price ( stage 3 the bargaining). But II’m afraid depression with pandemic proportions will be among us, before they can accept: Not everybody needs an OP-1.
Michael, I live near Akai Professional's HQ. if you want to come visit and yell at them in person, I will drive you there and film it and my wife can bail us out of jail!
Can I take the offer?😂
I live nearby too and I've known a few people who worked there over the years. Between personal experience and everything I've heard from them, I'd never recommend any MPC newer than the 1000.
Buy a Pine64 Linux tablet for $150 and pair it with a decent USB audio/MIDI interface and pad controller and you'll get a lot more for less than half the price of an MPC One (there are plenty of name-brand, budget USB audio/MIDI combo interfaces new for $150 or less, a used Novation Launchpad X in mint condition should be around $100).
Always ready for my weekly therapy session ✌️
Hey Simon you’re really funny and alternative but love your stuff
Gas Therapy is needed every week. This series saved me a lot of money🙏
Get a job maybe and stop following losers.
I love my MPC, but your argument is completely valid. Nice work.
Discovered this channel today. Your videos are a must watch IMO, even for people who buy gear regularly.
Trying to extract more value out of the tools you have using either ingenuity or free / cheap tools is an invaluable message that it worth constantly being reminded of. Well done.
🗣 I want to like this more than once! 🙌
Exactly! I don’t buy a lot of gear, but I have learned a lot of useful techniques from these videos.
Amazing… GAS is real and… therapy needed and people don’t know they need it. This is great stuff.
I own an MPC Live II. The workflow in Ableton is much easier and faster, but I have a hard time getting past all the options and starting to actually create music. The MPC kind of forces you to start laying down music. I also feel like the workflow forces you to use your ears more than your eyes. It’s a clunky workflow, but once it clicks for you, it just works. It isn’t for everybody, but I love it. I just wish it wasn’t so expensive, but that’s the case with a lot of my gear.
Also, acting like drumming on the keyboard is the same as using the big and beautiful pads on the MPC is not realistic. The pads on my Live II are my favorite in the world.
Overall, great video. I just wanted to nitpick a little. This channel is greatness. Even if I don’t care about the gear you review, I learn a lot from these videos.
This video was hilarious as an MPC Live owner you hit the nail on the head with a lot of my complaints about the unit in terms of its intuitiveness and the implementation of the Q links... they need to address Q link functionality in an update because they are vastly under utilised I feel.
THIS!
Qlinks are the worst shit ive experienced in ma machine. That issue forced me to sell my mpc mk1
so sad, glad ive been a mv8800 owner since day one
@@marcosrotllanWhat is so bad about the Q links?
Oh My God, you had me in stitches...love it, keep the video's coming my friend :)
The best review of this product I’ve seen since it came out! Had me laughing and heavily agreeing with the points made! Thanks for this, now I can take it off of my wants list 😂
I just found this Channel and Gas therapy is my new favorite series. Thank you so much for your tips!
Fantastic video! This spoke to ALL of my frustrations with my MPC Live and then some. I was on the fence about selling it. No longer. It's gone. Thank you!
bro. you will get end up getting a new one as soon as you will discover the endless fun youll be missing.
Great series, this and Bad Gear is a joy to watch!
Angry Music Gear Nerd is the BEST!! Way to bring it Michael, awesome!
I really appreciate your rage at MPC One, whether it's genuine or amped for the video, you hit the nail on the head!
This is a Workflow thing! I love Hardware and the feeling of play with it...
Mpd 218 controller that is less than 100 bucks solves that issue. I use the full software with an mpk mini 3 which allows you to do more because it has the pads and the keys
@@boomboombaby9140 Very nice too
Thanks! Great to have found your channel, I do have bouts of GAS and your breakdowns REALLY help!
This is very enlightening. Subscribed!! Even though I got my MPC shoe box for $450 when it was first released. I’m happy with it.
I was going to buy a mpc one, the faults you called out would piss me off to no end. Thank you for saving me a lot of time and money
If one day you couldn't hold the gas, make sure you choose a store that gives you full refund option, you'll be even more thankful 🥂
You should rent one , the mpc is the best in its class . dr. Dre , timberland, jermaine dupri, scoot storch , Minnie fresh produced top 10 billboards his on the mpc live which is the same as a mpc one . The mpc one plus has 16 go of ram ram doesn’t matter because the mpc is a hardware device and is designed to do what it do . Example a person playing drums on a drum set and a person say playing drums on his iPad is better. If you want a MPC you won’t be disappointed because it’s a device. This video is like saying a Prius can get you to wear you are going you don’t need a Mercedes when you were about to buy a Mercedes .😂😂😂
This guy in the Akai boardroom would really put the cat amongst the pigeons 😂
As a (quite satisfied) MPC-One owner I can say: honest review of the weak points of the device (akai should open their ears)!!! Would I replace it with an ipad/laptop? No ... for many other aspects/reasons. BTW keep going with this interesting channel.
As someone that's on the fence getting an MPC One, what are the aspects and reasons you have for not replacing it with a laptop+external pad controller?
@@johannmoller8110 There is a difference on doing music with a laptop as to do it with a dedicated machine. The most important part is that you get all the clutter of a computer out of the equation. You ain't going to connect to the internet for instance. won't get notifications etc...gonna be more focused on doing music. Plus MPC is 800$. Computer+Controllers+audio interface is going to be quite more than that. just 2 of the plethora of reasons that I have to prefer working out of the box.
@@maschinelab8598 Plus no other background processes using up CPU, and virtually no worries about latency, right?
@@johannmoller8110 Michael is biased due to the nature of this channel. That's his opinion. My opinion is that you are *way* faster on the MPC hardware than those keyboard shortcuts he mentioned in MPC Beats. Believe me I have tried both. That's really what you get with the hardware: much faster workflow. Hit a pad while a loop is playing to rehearse, then hit Dub Record and punch it in, dub record again to switch back to pure playback. Change track by holding Main and pressing a pad, and now you can play that track's instrument on the pads. Switch to chords/scale mode and you can improvise in the correct key. Double press the Note Repeat button to turn on/off the arp. Etc etc.
This isn't to say that it isn't nice to have the ability to then pick up the project and finish it on the computer in the MPC 2 software (note that that daw isn't free, only MPC Beats is, which limits your track count to 8 - the track count in the MPC is limitless). I often finish the mixing process in front of the computer because by the time I add a bunch of compressors on each track and pad, it can sometimes start to stutter on the MPC One due to performance issues, so being hooked up to the computer at that point is nicer. But I always start new songs in standalone and it's a joyful workflow. At least if you're one of those people who enjoy playing on an instrument rather than programming with a keyboard and a track pad. I couldn't recommend the MPC One more
@@aneveningwithebola2727 yeah! As i said a lot of reasons. There is not going back to software when you get the grip on hardware.
right video at the right time. highly appreciated! love the angry nerd style!
I'm currently binging your content. Thanks again
Thank you for being the only
Honest music hardware reviewer on the internet
Lol, maybe the only one who goes all negatives.
@@playpm someone needs to do that. most gear reviewers just praise the shit out of their new toy and trick everyone else to buy some useless shit hardware
Should check out Ave McCree then, dude is so BS as well
2nd time here on this channel. Love it. In this disposable age, with too much gear already out there, this floats my boat. I use old pedals, hacked and hand built devices, tape, old glitchy delays as loopers, use cassettes and mp3 players to store my samples. If I'm travelling light, I occasionally perform using just a laptop full of my edits and samples. Mixx DJ of Virtual DJ. I probably won't use a lot the software you share, I struggle with the laptops. Having said that I love the ethos and the possibilities. Keep it up.
You are doing gods work! Thank you for showing me the way of plugins. You have changed my whole method for making music!
I love you so much, im a fan for life already. lol
I was just about to buy a MPC One tomorrow. You totally changed my mind. Thanks, dude 🤘
🙌
That was a hilarious ending!
You are sincerely pissed off.
Bad gear indeed!
Like many here, I really love the MPC One.
At the same time your video is great & valid!
Love these so much Thank you again for all the awesome info. I'm having a blast using the plugins you recommend.
AMGN: Angry Musical Gear Nerd! Love it!!
every time i decide to buy a new equipment,i looping ur video😊
This is my new favorite channel!! Thanks for all the great videos!!
Michael, thanks for another fun and informative video.
Great review. As a long time user of the MPCs (2000xl, 10000 and 4000), I was shocked by the missing stuff on the Live/One.
Hilarious. U nailed it. It’s nearly the best all in one Groovebox. I’m optimistic with videos like this and other feature request of the community Akai will wake up and bring a kickass update. Really hoping cause if next update won’t deliver I might sell mine
Love your channel. Your work will help many to get out of the GAS Matrix.. It's a problem! Thank you!
This is why I’ve used an MPC Element as my controller and either set it for low power for the inexpensive MPC app on my phone OR the free MPC Beats software on my Mac for several years now. You COULD use another USB controller just to control all the knobs and faders (in my opinion). But what you explained is exactly why I sold my MPC 1000 years ago. Now I have much more versatility. Thank you again for the GAS therapy, Michael 🙌
Think I love you. Great points, and fantastic money saving advice ; )
LoooL that ending line! Awesome videos!
First let me say that this review or rant was hilarious. Thank you for your view on this. I have been wanting to buy the MPC One for at least a yr. Listening to your take on this has changed my mind and to look for something else. Actually I was debating between this and an iPad because I already have a decent midi controller with 16 pads and 32 keys. I’m subscribing just because of this.
somebody is in his feelings on this one 😆
i have to say the mpc worflow vs the mpc software / beats workflow is a lot diffrent. Me myself tried a few things after selling my mpc live for financial reasons. But nothing came even close to the feeling an mpc gives me. Not even the new mpc studio with that software your were talking about. Its truly something special about the mpc worklfow i cant even explain.
After 2 years of making straight laptop music I've finally came back to the mpc-world with a new mpc one, and i have to say its really really satisfying working with it again.
Great Video but i feel like it did not do justice to this great piece of gear. i mean, yeah its a rant but..there is a lot to love about this thing.
I still love it, when it don't use it 😌
Every time I put an mpc in my shopping cart I come to this channel and I end up removing it
Maybe it's time to give it a try, since it's already 2 years from this video, my video must be outdated 😀
😅
I was doing the same thing I was convinced I didn’t need a MPC , I was given a one plus as a gift and it was like a new beginning . I love that thing I have the choice to use controller mode or standalone. I have fl studio on my MacBook , I was using the full version of the MPC software with a midi keyboard , Koloa sampler , beat maker 3 , iMPC pro 2 . the MPC one plus is the best device I ever used . I over 400 gigs of VST’s and sounds and I use them with my MPC one plus in controller mode . I can do everything on my laptop using the software but I prefer using controller mode because I zoom through everything and it feels like I’m not using my laptop . The workflow on the hardware is a bit different from the software easier because everything is at your fingertips. I also have a bunch of plugins and can produce without needing a computer.
You are hilarious! Akai should hire you for product development!!!
If Akai takes your advice when making the mpc one update it could be pretty epic, and unbeatable...
@@Z589-r3z they won't. If they hired him he will make perfect MPC then Akai can't sell the next iteration. Music industry reminds of car infotainment especially aftermarket like Kenwood, JVC, Pioneer, etc. Always 10 years behind. Last month I begged Akai via email to release drivers for Renaissance on M1 and they simply said no! They won't even make a driver for device that relies on computer to function? Now I either have to use windows or buy older MacBook.
The best way to force them work harder is destroying their business.
Must say, I still have and still love my MPC1000 that I bought from new back in 2006 : ) with JJos is is still useful today!
Sh… ! Can’t stop watching your videos. You are a genius. Loving your approach so much. And this was really liken angry nerd episode 😊
I saw the KISS sticker on your laptop and knew right then and there you understand....GAS!
Thanks! Your videos are really helping me get over my gas!
I love how this channel is evolving
Appreciated, this one is the closest one to what I wanted to make initially ;)
A big Wow! Great video. You made my day Michael, thanks a lot!
This one hurts, because I bought one as well and I hate it, but love it as well 😂 you really nailed it!
Thanks for this video king I really enjoyed your point of view BLESS UP
Love your videos! Great work, keep at it please.
As someone who has gone through a LOT of hardware in the pursuit of the perfect all-in-one dawless groovebox, I'll start by saying that I absolutely love the MPC One - *and* I love your channel too! I 100% agree with you about the lack of battery and angled surface being clear design flaws and it would have been lovely to be able to not have to bring the power cord with you all the time.
That said, I think you didn't spend enough time with either the MPC One or MPC Beats to truly appreciate the difference in workflow speed between the two. It's literally night and day. No, those Ctrl+2 shortcuts on the keyboard aren't even close because the rest of it is completely off. You are required to scroll and click all the time on the computer software. Here are some examples of how fast the MPC One is:
- Hit Dub Record while playing a sequence and you can jam things in live, with velocity sensitivity and even aftertouch. The pads are surprisingly playable on any type of instrument sound (guitar, strings, piano, drums, etc).
- While a sequence is playing, hold Erase and press down on a pad you want to remove and it will remove the hits on that pad while you hold it down.
- Switch back between Main and Program Edit and it will remember where you were, which preference was focused. This means you can quickly tweak a sound parameter, go into Main to change the sequence or start point of a sequence to zoom in on the area you want to "fix", and then go back to editing the parameter, all without even touching the mouse. Anyone who is used to keyboard shortcuts vs mouse gestures will know how much of a difference this makes.
- Hold Main and press a pad to select a track/program.
- Double press on Note Repeat to turn on/off the (excellent) arp.
- Tap a synth parameter and twist the main knob with the other hand - it's so much quicker *and* more precise than doing the equivalent with the mouse. Try to micro edit the faders in the mixer on MPC Beats, it's next to impossible!
- Hold down Shift and you immediately see if the Automation button is yellow (off) or red (on). Tap it to toggle. No need for the touch screen.
- Configure the q-links to be Project wide for some amazing live performance jamming with your favorite parameters for that particular project.
- Double tap Main to get into the sequencer, hit a pad corresponding to a note you want to tweak, and twist the main knob to nudge the notes, or edit their length, transposition, etc.
With all this said, I agree the UX isn't perfect and there's a lot of QOL fixes I'd like to see, such as the ability to copy/move projects, reorder tracks and sequences, configure the mostly useless + and - buttons into something better, like Mute/Solo, or Prev/Next Track, or maybe octave up/down. But even with its design flaws, it's easily the most productive, tactile daw replacement out there today. You mentioned the MC-101, and that is truly a UX joke in comparison. It's supposed to be portable, but you end up being so frustrated with using it due to all the things that slow you down, there's literally no point in using it. The presets are lovely, but that's about it. It's a terrible music making device. The MPC One is easily one of the best to come out so far. In *my* opinion! 😉🎶
@@MS-1 Rant? Lol it's the opposite. Please read it, don't be lazy.
@@sinewaymusic Ok I'll peep it.
@@sinewaymusic Everything you said is totally on point. For those not knowing, (you not included) I will say again that you can mod the MPC One to make it wireless, have a battery pack, and flip screen. My bad man. Nice explanation on the dope workflow inherent in the MPC One.
Excellent video as always, Michael.
it is amazing) Thanks for the video. I had a great laugh during the file transfer part 😹
Appreciated, but bad news, from recent comments, things are still the same. Wait,,, now I see why they made the + version!
I love the Angry Music Hardware Nerd
Kudos, a hilarious and most informative vid!
Thank you! This ended my GAS for the MPC One. 😃
I think the height could be for heat dissapation. The MPC does pick up some heat especially if you don't leave it on a table. I know the live II gets hot in the left side of the screen.
Cane here from the BoBeats video. Love this content!
Making beats with one hand on the MPC one is priceless for me
LOL not only you saved me wasting money on an MPC, you taught me some important things and made me laugh, and you have an ALL CAPS sticker on your laptop... Cool Guy (subbed)
Absolutely brilliant! MPC Beats looks great too!
The only limitation is the 8 track limit, but if you mainly create with samples, it won't bother a lot, already exceeded its legacy machines 1000 times function wise.
Bro´s dropping some serious truth bombs.
Every comment you made is totally valid and true - thanks man!
Unpopular opinion, it’s not perfect but if you really put in the time and effort to learn this thing inside and out, you can make the best music you’ve ever made. It’s $800 for a reason, it’s not for beginners.
Bit of an exaggeration. Meanwhile kids are using MPE, ARA, microtonal stuff, and getting away from 4/4 with laptops.
A computer and a daw with free plugins is far more capable than any hardware.
Well if you put the time and effort into learning your tools then those tools will help you make the best music you have ever made... it does not really matter if its a DAW or a "groovebox" or a guitar. There is nothing magical about an MPC.
@@djmouglie absolutely true, just speaking from my experience. I just got ableton and I’m bouncing back and fourth it’s interesting how different tools make different vibes. It’s all good whatever you use!
Your analogies are sublime
This was brutal. I love it.
finally somebody exposing them for being so shrewd . Well done !
Excellent and unique content. We want more, thanks for your work and time 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
your very funny and make really great points but I love this damn thing it's so much fun
Thank you, Angry Musical Gear Nerd, I am totally here for your crusade against bad design! Feeling pretty done with gear that makes me feel stupid for not knowing how to use it. Same goes for overly complex plugins with absurdly convoluted installation (Native Instruments, I'm looking at you)
What where they thinking !!!!
I think I just found my new favourite the synthesiser channel. I like how you basically implying you're not an influencer. Wonderful
Appreciated man, but actually I am influencing others with my content, which makes me an influencer too 😉
@@playpm well sure I get that. You've got a great sense of humour. I just mean you seem to be being honest. Lol
I see, seems influencer is a negative term now 🤔
Bro, I am a avid mpc user since the 90's and Akai fanboy and you are absolutely right!! Just wow! I cannot argue your points or defend Akai. Akai needs to hire you as a consultant. Frfr!
Just sold my live 2 retro edition, as to I found myself defaulting back to Serato sampler and Logic Pro X, (which I already had installed) and I dont regret it one bit glad I got my money back!
No offense mate but it seems like you haven't really given the mpc one a proper go and you are unable to see the legitimate benefits of it.
Yes, a daw can do everything the mpc can do and more, but the mpc can do a lot of those things better and more efficiently.
Things like track mutes and pad mutes, all you need to do is press the track mute button and then press the track on the screen, or better yet, the pads. You can press multiple at once which is great for live use. Any kind of menu you would want to get to is just one or two button presses. If you need to edit the envelope of a drum sound or synth, use the pad shortcut to get to that track and press program edit. If it's a parameter you plan on using a lot like filter cutoff or hihat decay or literally anything, you can map it to the q-links. You complain about the file browser and being unable to copy projects. Simple solution is to plan ahead and save projects to folders that make sense. While criticizing the file browser, you completely glossed over the legitimately great features of it like being able to quickly search for any term and filter the results by file type. You can also very quickly build a drum kit by searching for samples and sending them to your current program which you can then save for later use.
The hardware is great, it feels very solid and its well built. Not everything needs to be thin and fragile like an iPad and your Macbook. When you're using an interface where the pads are a large part of it, you need rigidity. I always gig with my mpc and a couple pieces of hardware, i don't want to be fumbling around with a mouse or iPad screen when all the functions i will actually use during a set are either mapped to the q links or are a button press away. I almost never use the touchscreen during a set. Having a dedicated midi and audio interface on the mpc is great. The difference between using a laptop with an audio interface and a dedicated piece of hardware is substantial. If there is any delay in the audio and midi timing on the mpc, it would be practically nothing, because i have never once noticed it. I don't need to mess around with midi and audio settings trying to get reasonably low latency, i just plug things in and it works the same every time.
I'm genuinely questioning your intelligence here. Some of the points you made in this video are beyond stupid and I don't know how you came to the conclusion that the mpc beats software is the same as what is in the mpc one. On top of this, why did you even buy the mpc one if you plan on using a free daw anyway?
Edit: just finished watching the last couple of minutes. You say that mpc beats can do "way more things" than the mpc one. You list three things and then don't even mention the clear limitations of mpc beats which outweigh any positives it has. You have no brain.
NPC of MPC xD
You made alot of valid points
The software is MPC beats , not MPC 2.10 , it’s limited , that’s why it’s free , it’s very good though , I tried using an akai pad controller with it along with my tiny GPD pocket 2 , it wasn’t a fun experience , I’d rather use my MPC one
Windows on an ultraportable PC is always an unpleasant experience. It is barely bearable on a full laptop or desktop. Between the constant updates, interface changes, clunky mouse/trackpad movements it makes for a challenging on-the-go music production experience. You would be much better off with an Ipad running Akai's iMPC Pro 2 which can export projects and kits to the MPC Desktop software and/or Beatmaker 3 which has a lot more features and power for doing complete tracks and Cubasis or Garageband for a traditional DAW.
@@derbinhamler2103 it’s runs maschine just fine as you don’t need to look at the computer screen at all
This guy makes great vids ! .
The channel we didn’t ask for , but the channel we all needed - thank god for you
Love this series :D
As much as I love my MPC ONE I think you make some solid points(like file management), that being said, I disagree on some of the points… I think the ONE is the most game changing MPC ever made, as it functionality and price point give users so much and I don’t think a budget PC, pad controller and audio/ midi interface are really that comparable nor do they zip up into such a nice package. You can do it, but it’s a lot of wires, set up and work arounds. And you’re not saving much money unless you already have the gear required sitting around, not to mention once you get into midi… yer gunna have some trouble setting up a clock that actually keeps time with all that junk. I also really like the way Q-links are set up and feel they really shine once you get out of screen mode and into project mode and I haven’t the slightest clue how you can set up midi knobs to control multiple parameters that can be toggled in the same project. I love what your doing though, but let’s be honest… you ain’t tossin NONE of that gear.
DAAAMMMNNN 🤣👍 Scathing! I love it!!!
I bought a MPC Live 2 last year and sold it because of the workflow, I was wrestling with it a lot. Since I came from PC and wanted to go daw-less I tought it would be the best choise. Now I have a TR-8S and MC707 from Roland and I like it very much. It's just not there yet. I'm testing out all sorts of Opensource sofware and stuff, but it takes sooo much time. (Got a Zynthian, which is awesome)
I dislike the "on the fly" loop function setup when brainstorming.
Main page Track 01>Transpose set to 1.
Program 001>Warp samples>
Global tab>note on.
Samples tab>pad loop on.
For different drum loops, I include them in the same mute group to alternate back and forth, still alot of work.
This channel is absolutely brilliant. I've been getting some more advanced recording and synth stuff lately and even though I luckily haven't had any bad buys yet, I've been looking to integrate my Surface Pro touchscreen (it's basically an iPad running Windows 11) into my live jams more. Absolutely right on the question 'why not just have a slider on your touchscreen and save a hand?'. Thank you for the many awesome plugin and software recommendations!!
I love your videos!!!!
This is the content I wish I had before I bought the MPC Live which im thinking of selling. But I probably needed to buy it and then watch this afterwards. Its a relief to find a channel like this after all the bullshit hardware pusher musical artists on You Tube.
I sorta agreed from the start, none of these points are fully refutable. Then at 10 to 11 mins, learning that ALL FOUR KNOBS (Q-Link Knobs in MPC parlance) are mapped to the SAME parameter (sample start point). I hope there's some caveat like after u set that start sample, all but one (for that) will then be showing (and encoding) for remaining parameters - but idk why anyone would map one parameter to ALL knobs, no matter how important sample start time. No, those knobs CANNOT be replaced by your keys on your QWERTY keyboard - unless u don't care about velocity and/or aftertouch. Pretty sure he said the keyboard keys (not QWERTY) had a better feel than MPC One's pads which not having the later I cannot compare but this I feel sure about: any half decent keyboard, even w/o aftertouch, will give you a reliable, workable, enjoyable equivalent to many sets of pads, as is said in this video; certainly on my Roland MC-909 groovebox, its 'velocity pads' are tiny, substitute for keys on the previous iteration Roland grooveboxes are all awful, non-velocity sensitive (MC-303, 307,505, D2, MC-808 which the 909 predates). I was looking to replace my 909 with something smaller for live, maybe the One, given the one I really want - Live 2 - is twice the price. Interesting on the comparisons to MPC 2000 series as those were all made by Akai Professional back when it was a subset of the Japanese Akai company (before the current owner, who I thought was doing a good job, but perhaps that needs to be reviewed).
Please do a video for the OP-1 substitute! Your videos are really good! Already saved me tons of money!!!
The thing I always come to when thinking about these "do it all" grooveboxes is : "it's gonna hit my computer for mixing and mastering anyhow, so why splash the cash duplicating what I have". That said, with smaller more immediate devices the mindset shift and speed of workflow can be a huge benefit (eg Novation Circuit, Digitakt, and others)
"Fancy shoe box" 🤣You make some great valid points! Great channel btw! 🙌
I always enjoy your videos. Quite entertaining. I’m on therapy myself :-)
Thank you! You cured my urge to waste lots of money.
“Just feels like you’re holding the entire hip-hop history”
He’s about to go off 😂
Michael, forget about the free MPC One. I want a free OP-1 field.😂
Therapy on its way ;)
@@playpm 😄Great! Hope you can offer redemption. Reading the comment that come with the reviews at the Superbooth 22 presentation, it seems there are alot of patients with their backs against the wall. They left the first stage of grief (denial) and are angry now.. Some are hoping that their arguments will make TE drop the price ( stage 3 the bargaining). But II’m afraid depression with pandemic proportions will be among us, before they can accept: Not everybody needs an OP-1.
Came for the music advice, stayed for the righteous rant! If musicians spend top dollar, we deserve top quality!
you sir are a legend!
Addicted therapist :-) Love ur content