Chang wrote:navitus wrote:Ok, so "Starving Student" from these boards got me researching on the Akai MPC series.
But its more geared for studio stuff and less live performance am i right ?
Isn't live with an akai MPD controller the ultimate MPC ?
I'm missing something, please elaborate.
Cheers
F
Long time MPC 2000 and 4000 owner here. The main reason the mpc is better is sequencing work flow. Hit one pad puts all pads in pitch mode on the fly of that sound, hit another pad put selected sound velocity on all pads on the fly and in the 4000s case, hit pad put sound on all pads with all kinds of filter levels on the fly and tons of other items constantly sequencing away. This is more powerful than anything when it comes to sequencing. The MPD controller is just a lookalike and is anything but an "ultimate MPC" it can't do those features that only the mpc line can which are the most important powerful ones. The mdp is just a midi controller with some pads and fader controllers. Just use keyboard controller, close your eyes and pretend your hitting pads, it does same thing. Being an mpc owner I've never understood the mdp thing. it looks like an mpc with little pads but is far from an mpc. And to my knowledge there is no way to make Live or any other daw act like an mpc in use with an mdp.
I wish there was.
bullshit. i press a button, and a pad, and it pitches my chosen drum rack pad. push the same button, and everything pops back to normal. there's like, a few different velocities available at the push of a button, and if that isn't getting it, a knob or slider can be set to a velocity plug... i shouldn't have to explain how complicated/deep you can take racks, for sounds, filtering and such

... of course this takes some setting up from the user, but to some people, esp. those who know live fairly well, and enjoy tinkering with stuff, this can be advantageous. spend a little time, roll your own, and get on with it. if one can't sequence in live, i'd say that is that user's problem, not live's. maybe a native step sequencer would be nice, but creating loops, editing them, and triggering them, contrary to popular belief, IS possible with live. so what if it takes a little bit more work for a bit of swing, figure it out, or play the shit yourself.
i'm not dissing the mpc, and sure, it was around before live, and it supposedly has instant gratification, and all the hiphposters use it, and it is the ONLY thing rap can be "written" with

... but to say the mpd is "merely" a midi controller is kind of misleading. using that logic, live is just a plug-in host. sure, peeps are comfortable using their mpc's, and that is fine. but owning all three of the big pad controllers, i'd have to say, you can do a lot with live, and an mpd, which would be slightly more convoluted with the other two brands. sure, you can't do anything with the mpd, by itself, but i can do a hell of a lot more with a laptop, an mpd, and live, with no power supply, than can be done with a mpc500. does your 2000, 2500, 3000, 4000, or 5000 run on batteries?
bottom line? use what works for you, i left sequencing on screens the size of an iphone's display a few years ago for live, and i don't regret it at all. ymmv, of course. it's all about the tunes, anyway, who gives a fuck how the end result is achieved?