Ableton Forum

i like my padkontrol.
but when DJ'ing lately, i kinda want an all in ONE unit to take for extreme mobility.
so far i'm taking a uc33, faderfox lx, and the padkontrol, and soundcard, usb hub, blah blah....

so i'm looking at the AKAI MPD 24. even though the 32 is what i really want, i don't want to throw down $400.

i'm weighing the pros/ cons

any help from the community is highly appreciated!!!

I have the PadKontrol and I love it!

I had an MPD 16 and sold it because the pads was not very responsive and BUGS lots of bugs! Akai is not the best company when it comes to update their software and get rid of the bugs you know.

The new MPD:s may be better than the MPD 16 and the new pads is the same as the MPC I think?

So test it carefully befere you buy and read reviews.

Good luck!

the MPD32 looks to be quite nice and has stuff like aftertouch and note repeat that the padKontrol doesn't. it is available for preorder for $299 USD (not $400) though akai seems notorious for being slow to actually ship things...

thanks for the input guys.

okay $300. hmmm.

anyone know if the akai works as a midi interface as well like the padkontrol?

you would be officially the biggest retard ever if you made this 'upgrade'

grainshifter wrote:thanks for the input guys.

okay $300. hmmm.

anyone know if the akai works as a midi interface as well like the padkontrol?

yeah, works really well, has three ports, 32 channels

MPD32 looks nice!

oh cool.
so i can plug my faderfox into the midi in and not have to get another midi interface then?

The MPD32 does like good. They finally got wise and put 8 sliders instead of 6.

Anyone know if the pads are sensitive over the whole square like the pd kontrol? or circular like the TF?

One thing that it looks like the pad kontrol has over this though is the roll function. I don't think the way the MPD uses the different buttons for different repeat intervals would be good for live jamming. However, aftertouch could possibly work for a roll effect if combined with live's arpeggiator. hmm?

I lurve my PK, but the 24 is quite nice, a little weighted & with more knobs, if it's got what you need, go for it!

I was an MPC user for years before going all DAW and was very disappointed with MPD 24. The pads were not as responsive as an MPC and there was allot jitter with the faders. I got rid of the MPD 24 and went with the Padkontrol. As far as pad response and touch the padkontrol is the best I've ever used including the MPC. I think this has allot to do with the sensors being square covering the whole pad. Akai is really hyping the MPD 32 with the note repeat function. The roll function in the Padkontrol is just as good and more flexible. Search for Stray 411 on You Tube, he has excellent videos showing what the padkontrol and live can do together. I'd stay with the padkontrol, but do your research and try it out first and fit your needs. If you do decide on the MPD 32 I would wait awhile, first shipments usually have allot bugs and gives you time to find users responses/reviews.

this is a good start for this conversation as we'll see how the MPD32 gets reviewed once they're a bit more accessible.

i love my padKontrol,
people are doing some interesting hacks
and the pads are real responsive,
not to mention the xy...

i just don't like plugging in so much stuff when i'm playing out.
and the plastic-ness of it..

but the price is unbeatable.

i'll just have to wait a little more.

thanks everyone!

MPD 32's note repeat feature can be sync'ed to your external sequencer. It also has its own midi clock so you can send sync as well and have your sequencer sync to the MPD (kind of a strange feature). But a sync'd note repeat is definitely appealing to me and one of the big let downs of the PK.

The MPC swing only applies to the note repeat function (kinda stoopid in my opinion).

Yes you can use it as a midi i/o interface.

Someone posted pics up on the MPC forums of an MPD 24 taken apart and the sensors look square but don't appear to cover the whole square pad. I don't think the corners are resonsive like on the PK.

I haven't touched the MPD32 but I imagine it has the same pads as the 24. I've felt the 24 and it didn't really feel much like an MPC's pads. Could be due to the build of the whole MPD being slightly lighter and less robust than an MPC. People also say that its just the rubber pad coverings that are different but the sensors are the same.

Akai posted the manuals for the 32 on their website so I suggest you check that out for details.

The MPD has weight of ca 5,8kg!!!
My padkontrol is about 960g!!!
Sorry AKAI...

i think the mpd32 is going to have the mpc 1000 pads.