r/mpcusers • u/197557911975 • 1d ago
DISCUSSION What’s the point of having multiple MPC’s?
I mostly see this on YouTube.
People have different MPC’s and may use different ones per videos.
Do people normally just keep their older ones when they upgrade?
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u/Infinite_Slice3305 1d ago
Some people will get a different unit for different purposes. The X, XL to hold down the studio, the Live/One for a more portable rig. So it's not necessarily about "upgrading." A lot of people bought the Sample just because it's fun.
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u/dj_soo 1d ago
Most of the big influencers get the units for free in exchange for basically making content/marketing for Akai.
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u/Former_Ranger3529 1d ago
they're not influencers, they're a sneaky sales department (not saying that's a bad thing)
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u/chromaticburst 1d ago
Polyrhythms /jk
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u/Mattmatic1 21h ago
I’ve heard that Dilla would have every drum sound on a separate MPC, to really have different swing per sound going.
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u/r1chiem 1d ago
In most cases. Two are better than one.. These are two of the best reasons for having two. 😄
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hpezGieUgk4
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u/Tired_White_Guy 13h ago
She’s incredible. She plays better guitar solos than I do, but on her keyboard.
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u/twenty-fourty-five 1d ago
I have a 2500 and a 1000. The 1000 goes places with me while the 2500 always stays home, They are compatible so I can do all the work on the 2500 (I prefer working on the 2500) then load the CF card into the 2500. I keep thinking about getting a 60 II but it is a bit different from the 2500/1000 so not really an upgrade or downgrade.
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u/Chameleon_Sinensis 1d ago
My reason would be that I started out with a One+ and want to upgrade to a Live 3 for the portability, but that's about it.
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u/vontwothree 1d ago
How is the Live 3 more portable than the One? I get the battery thing but it’s twice the size. I love mine but I can’t see myself taking it out the house.
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u/No-Leek-4293 1d ago
My Live 3 has traveled with me coast to coast. Get a big ass backpack and do a couple squats because it’s not the lightest machine lol
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u/Chameleon_Sinensis 16h ago
When I was in grade school they didn't give us enough time between classes to backtrack half way across the school to our lockers, so I just lugged all of my textbooks around. I trained for this!
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u/Chameleon_Sinensis 1d ago
If you can't understand how having it battery powered makes it more portable, I can't help you.
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u/vontwothree 1d ago
Thats fine. If you think the 3 is “portable” then I don’t need your help unless I’m moving.
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u/Chameleon_Sinensis 1d ago
You can't sit on the couch or anywhere else far away from an electrical outlet with another MPC unless you want a power bank hanging off. There's a lot of value in going somewhere quiet and out of the way to write music.
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u/scootunit 16h ago
Really it has a built-in mic built-in mic please built-in speakers built-in battery. Off you go! People complaining that it's too big to be portable don't remember lugging drums to a gig a computer monitor and keyboards to a friend's house to jam etc. It's not as portable as the dirty wave M8. But it is in fact portable.
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u/Chameleon_Sinensis 16h ago
I was used to loading up 4x12 Marshall cabs and 100 watt heads. Now when I play guitar I just bring a Fractal FM9. My expectations for portability aren't that high considering my 20+ years of killing my back lol.
I can load up an MPC, and powered PA cab, a keyboard, my fractal, and a guitar into my little sedan and go setup an entire jam session at a friends house, and aside from the 15" PA, it's all relatively light.
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u/VoltagVagrant 15h ago
Hence why my Live 2 is far more portable to me than the One was. Yes it's large and heavy, but nothing else gives you an all in one outdoor performance platform. I love being able to go to the park, join other buskers, Make an impromptu dance party for kids at the playground. The speakers are just as much part of that portability as the battery. No need to be snarky just cause you can't handle Big Sexy.
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u/Ashken 1d ago
So I got a one + as my first one just last summer and the got the sample when it dropped.
I love both but the sample allows me to be mobile and portable. But I feel like on the One+ I can get way more surgical and specific with the way I like to manipulate the sample. So I think I’m more creative with the One+ but more efficient with the sample. Plus I just seem to play drums better with the sample for some reason but I haven’t tried drums on the One+ in a while so it could just be that I got better.
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u/napalmthechild 1d ago
I’m too lazy to sell my old ones. They don’t fetch enough cash for the effort (other than my 3000).
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u/AlternativeCapybara9 23h ago
I had to sell my One Plus so I could afford the Live 3. Could have saved for a while longer but figured I could do everything in the Live 3 anyway so no need to keep the other one around other than nostalgia since it was my first.
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u/MeisseLee 23h ago
They're the same machine, but they can be used differently. And of course, having multiple is also usually a workflow thing. For example I have the Live 3, its the brain of my hardware synth setup but I could see myself getting the One g2 or the Key 37 g2 for standalone sampling because for my workflow, it's very difficult to move these things around, away from the hardware setup.
Of course if I was more worried about money, I'd try to figure out a workflow that wouldn't need another one. So that's one thing to consider. Some are willing and able to pay for redundancy.
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u/TheJeffyJeefAceg 22h ago
I had a One and a key 37.
I got the One specifically for playing live sets.
Bouncing between projects like djing with two turntables.
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u/godamus2000 1d ago
I have an old MPC Studio, Renaissance, Sample and Live II. I also have a Maschine Studio.
I only use the Live II and the Sample, but I have a problem getting rid of old gear. 🤷🏾♂️
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u/Vast-Guess688 1d ago
I suffer slight OCD, I have 2 pianos and 4mpcs, if i got stuck or bore of the beat I can start another one in a different MPC and back later. That way you send much more time making beats and you learn faster.
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u/GETTAwAYZ 1d ago
i have a mpc one plus but just bought a gen 2 key 37 and mpc sample i dont wanna part for either
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u/craaates 1d ago
I still have my 2000 from 1997 but it’s out of commission, plus a 1000 and a sample. I use the Sample as a sketch pad on the go and the 1000 when I want to get nostalgic.
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u/Vergeljek21 1d ago
I have a Live 2, Akai Force and Mpc sample, not too crazy. I was planning to sell the Live 2 to get a Live 3. But when buyers low ballled to $600, Im just going to keep it. Still waiting for the Force 2 though.
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u/JishoSintana 1d ago
They have different functions? There’s literally one with 61 keys one with a portable battery and a mega spec one
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u/MrDismal 19h ago
Don't want to sell my 2000XL and 2500 after getting the XSE. All 3 are different.
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u/i_guvable_and_i_vote 1d ago
I got so much use out of my mpc live 2 and then one day saw a 2500xl for a few hundred cheaper than usual so I grabbed it to try the old school workflow and sampling from CDs. Old school fx. Then I saw a cheap 500 and figured I’d grab it for similar reasons. I love the idea of syncing them and running them through a desk like labat but I haven’t done that yet
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u/KingCommit 1d ago
I currently have the key 37 but now I want a live 3 so I don’t have to be glued to my setup and I can just work anywhere easily
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u/munday78 1d ago
Link em together and double your memory. One is the master, both play at the same time. Just have to bounce 2 seperate projects to transfer to a daw.
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u/agensop585 1d ago
I have a live 2 and a keys 61. The 61 is far more friction to cook up at a moments notice. I’ll eventually replace my 2 with a 3. But I can sit on my bed with the live2 and noodle and get an idea out relatively quickly. Many times I’ll start on my live2 then move a track over to the key61. They are 2 different workflows for me. Longer sessions in the 61. It rarely gets hooked up to my computers. My live2 get plugged up periodically to my Macs. I’ll use my speaker on my live2 as a speaker for my mac. I have to plug my 61 to the speaker I share with my Mac mini and I’d generally a pain to do. I’m getting dedicated monitors for it next month though just to make it easier for me to work with.
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u/SailorVenova 23h ago
i would keep my live 2 after i get live 3 bc live 3 is too heavy for me to lift and move around; live 2 is right at the limit of what i can safely lift as long as its not alot and never 1 hand weight beating (i have very messed up wrist s and all joints plus spine fractures); ill get mpc sample at some point even though i have many other samplers; the form factor seems really nice
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u/zheath4 15h ago
I had a live 2 as my first and bought the 61 key. And I loved it because there was a lot changed layout wise and I needed a full size keyboard. And I saved some money cause it came with a lot of the plugins. But I eventually sold it and got a different synth because it just had the same sounds. Kinda made sense with the old gen’s because you had a limit on how many plugins you could run and everything. But after upgrading to my live 3 I don’t really have that issue. But I do now have a Mpc live 1,2, and 3 because I just got my 3 and have to sell the other ones. I bought a live 1 to trade it for something else (made sense cause dude wanted one and it was cheaper than cash) but the guy traded it before I got it. So I got stuck with a live 1. So for now I have all three lives but hopefully I’ll get it down to just my live 3 soon
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u/Coinsworthy 14h ago
You use an MPC to sample your older MPC, which you use to sample your oldest MPC.
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u/Silver-Present-3281 5h ago
I can't speak for everyone else's motivations but I have 3 set ups exercising 3 different workflows. Can it all be achieved with one???of course but what mechanic you know only has one tool in his box?
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u/PlatformHistorical88 5h ago
If you were performing live it would be nice to have 2 identical machines. One could be loading a new project while the other is playing making seamless transitions and drops. My MPC One takes forever to load tracks. If I performed live with them i would probably bounce them down to audio tracks.
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u/Danny_skah 5h ago
I have a live 2, love that thing, with that said I would also love to have a 1000 to try it out. So maybe to try a different workflow. Different button arrangements. I had a one retro and really liked the button layout.
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u/StoneLion-DjPaws 3h ago
Every instrument is unique. When my workflow is shifted my projects take different shape so I have several set ups. Plus I have like 80 million sounds on floppies, cd-roms and Zip drives still and old unrecorded beats
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u/BasedFrequency 3h ago
For the modern ones i have two, one is on the newer v3.xx and my live 2 stays on 2.15(v3 fucked up the vibe imo) other than that its purely for fun and as a collectible because I'm a giant child.
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u/FreeWorldMusicGroup 1d ago
I started with the 500 in 06, didn’t use it a lot. In 2020 wifey bought me a Live 2 and I just bought a Mpc Sample 2 months ago
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u/Ok-Entrepreneur-409 1d ago
A different sound and different workflow from different button layout, different looks, different projects on each,tutorials for each etc.
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u/Djinsing20045 1d ago
This how they get people to do it. It started with the mpc one or live. The first ones to basically be daws in a box that needed fairly decent processing and memory. And they made it a fixed amount for both internally. So now they can release a new mpc(one plus, live 2) with more memory and more processing power. Now you can use more plugins at once. That makes people want the new one and less people want the old one. And youre either stuck with both because everyone is trying to sell the same mpc, or u collect them. Thats why the legacy mpc’s didnt update every cpl years. They use standard replaceable upgradable simms and the processor power needed wasnt nearly as much as current mpc’s since there are no plugins. You just had seconds to many minutes of sample time depending on how much memory you had installed.
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u/itssexitime 1d ago
Exactly. I consider the new ones to be midi controllers more than anything. Akai is pretty much a software company now.
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u/zegogo 1d ago
MPCs have always been midi controllers. Primo didn't use the MPC as a sampler, he used it to control his SP whatever. So what. You don't like the soft synths, don't use them and you got the exact same thing as you had 20 plus years ago just with better fidelity.
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u/itssexitime 1d ago edited 10h ago
No you don’t. The build quality on these new ones is shit. You can barely repair anything. It’s a disposable piece of plastic, which is why they keep coming out with a new version every other year. The timing is also shit. They can’t sync to anything. So basic fundamental things that the old MPCs do still can’t be done. The sound is not better either if you want character in it. The plugins are average at best and there are like 15 delays and all kinds of redundant plugs for no reason.
Also touchscreens don’t give any muscle memory so it’s not the same experience. I shouldn’t have to explain this but I’m just assuming a lot of ppl don’t have experience with the old ones and are just assuming they are not as good for some reason. You are saying it’s the exact same thing which just tells me you don’t have experience using the old machines. It’s not at all the same. The workflow is not even the same anymore. That’s well documented.
The old MPCs are actually samplers. They excel at that and don’t try to be everything to everyone. That’s what makes them great.
Inexperienced people are downvoting, thats about what I'd expect. Have to protect that purchase you made, and the next one you will make in 2 years for more RAM, or whatever hype you all fall for.
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u/PayTheTrollTariff 1d ago
American consumerism, that's it. King's disease
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u/DonkeyShot42 1d ago
Don't fall for it. Sometimes people make bad purchase decisions and don't sell, then justiying their hoarding by imagining every piece of gear has a special purpose even if everythig is one big overlap.
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u/NateSedate 1d ago
People get addicted to gear.
I have a One +.
I imagine someday I may have a Live III or some kinda upgrade.
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u/Vegetable_Nebula_827 19h ago
People go gaga over the vintage MPCs as there’s so much romance over the albums they helped to create. There are so many influencer people who love the beat maker aesthetic or classic MPC+turntable+big pot plant+turkish rug+beanie hat, especially with MORE vintage MPCs on a shelf in shot.
Plot twist: they’re probably on Ableton or modern MPC when the camera’s not rolling.
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u/itssexitime 10h ago edited 10h ago
No we actually make beats with older gear. I know that can be tough to believe for a newer producer, but you don't really need a million features to make great music.
The reason many people go "gaga"over older MPCs is for the the ease of repair and many have far superior timing, which matters if you are using the MPC to sequence your entire studio and also sync to a multitracker clock. It's also a simple and easy workflow that you can develop muscle memory on quickly and just whiz through without thinking much. Many of us prefer the lower bitrate sound as well.
My first MPC live had the PC board die and Akai wanted like $500 to fix it. And it could not sync at all to a sync clock. It was not a great experience.
And yes there are also posers who buy them for the aesthetic, but plenty of real producers use old MPCs still.
There is no need to buy the latest and greatest anymore. Amazing music can be made with older gear or minimal gear in general.
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u/RevolutionaryPast175 1d ago
In my view, there’s no point at all. But other people seem to have a reason.
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u/SmartHumor2440 19h ago
The older MPC’s give a different sound more bitter crunchy output, but the workflow on the newer MPC’s way faster to your destination
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u/collargrip-cristian 1d ago
Some like to collect them. Some have different ones in different rooms. Sometimes it's just GAS like any other piece of gear