Akai MPC X versus the Gold Limited Edition Sound Comparison Shoot Out

[@tonelab]

'Download & Play' kits for SP1200/MPC now from TONELAB! tonelab.merchi.co/products

[@CEEPMDEE]

Please do this comparison with the MPC X LE VS MPC X SE

[@ming-artoflight2761]

Great comparison as usual. Thank you. Is there a sound different between the MPC x gold vs MPC x se?

[@neilloughran4437]

Thanks for taking the time on this. My opinions: 1. DX7 sounded identical to me. Nice Gbmaj9 chord too... I use that voicing a lot.. 2. Tr808 did sound a bit different but can't say I preferred one over the other. The gold one had a deeper kick on the initial hit (maybe it my TV optical out though) but after that I couldn't tell the difference. The TR808 hardware itself varies over time due to it being analogues as you know anyway... so unless you sampled the same 808 groove at the same time then maybe that is the difference. 3. Lovely Mini! I used to have a 1972 model... sold on a few years back... I couldn't really tell on my setup as my Samsung TV has a terrible optical out which has some kind of gate when there is silence... so I couldn't hear the initial attack on the black MPCX Overall not sure if I can tell a difference.. certainly nothing I would be caring too much about.. I think I prefer the look of the black one which is just as well as that's the one I own :D Thanks again! Never really knew about this gold one until you started posting about it.

[@tonelab]

Cheers 🙏🏻 yep, the 808 was pre-recorded into the DAW to circumnavigate it's regenerative variances 👍🏼

[@iknNR]

WOW, I thought it will be like this. I have an og X and after your comparison of the gold X vs. 3000 I was like “nah my X doesn’t sound like this!” :D Now to finalize the serie, it would be beneficial to hear the gold edtion X against the X SE. And you are doing excellent job, thank you!

[@tonelab]

Thanks very much 🙏🏻 ..definitely am going to try source an SE for a shoot-out, more on the way with a few other Samplers too though 😉

[@feelmytool]

I didn’t notice a huge difference but it sounds like a loudness difference between the two. I had a gold One and traded it in for a gold Live MK2 and have always wanted the gold X. This just makes me want it even more.

[@TranceCore3]

Round 2 is where you can really start hearing it for me. I was tabbed out and started smiling because I heard more punch coming from one of them, and it's the gold one.

[@Noise-Conductor]

They sounded the same to me. To make the vol completely even, I would've put both main vol knobs to max & matched the levels in the inside the units.

[@tonelab]

They're not calibrated.. if I put both all the way up 1 would've been louder than the other. But, from the angle the camera is on, it looks much worse than it is.. they're close, but not exact. 👍🏼

[@Noise-Conductor]

@@tonelab OK

[@Exkopr]

I think the gold sound a little better but the difference is very subtle. According to Black Lion this two models are the same on the inside and only the SE it’s differ with the Burr Brown converters. So this is interesting. If you can get your hands on an SE and make a comparison between the gold and the SE or even the three model it will be perfect 😂. I prefer the look of the SE between the 3 models but the price difference is too much and I found a pretty good deal on one Black/Red in mint condition so I went for that one.

[@tonelab]

Definitely! ..hoping to get my hands on a SE soon 🙏🏻

[@Exkopr]

@@tonelab btw what studio monitors do you use or do you recommend to use with an MPC x?

[@tonelab]

Depends on the budget.. I like my Tannoy System 1200's running off a Crown DC300 Amp.. and Auratone 5C's, or as Quincy calls them 'The Truth'. Failing that Tannoy Reveal 5A's are great budget speakers you can pick up a pair for around $250👌🏼

[@Exkopr]

@@tonelab thanks a lot .

[@BronxBanDozah]

I think i'll take your advice already having the classic tone plus the newer machine is probably enough. You're right about the price too. Thanks

[@othelo989]

hmm.. To my ears it sounds the same at High and Low end. But at Mid Highs to MId Lows The Gold sounds "Wider"? Like it takes up a little more sonic space? If there is a difference that's the only place I sensed it.

[@BronxBanDozah]

I kept thinking the original X sounded better they're so close. Then it seemed like the gold one had more low-end. Even with my studio monitors & using the recommended YT settings at most i could only hear subtle differences. I don't think that equated to better or worse just different. I still want the BLA mod for the MPC-X SE so it sounds as close to my MPC-3000 as possible. I also use the ASR-10 on a regular basis. I have it connected to a PadKontrol i love using just the workstation & some floppy disks. Limitations create diamonds. The stuff you can do with the new MPCs is dope for sure but sometimes you need to put away anything with a USB port & get busy with your brain & a machine that already sounds like a record. There's nothing like the ASR-10, MPC-3000 or SP-1200/S950 & the Simplicity that comes from years of mastering those machines. Still the cool features & workflow on the new MPCs is undeniable. The closer you can get the new machines to sound like classics gear the better & the best of both worlds. I think these are really close i watched the video a few times & kept thinking the original sounded better but the gold one had more low-end idk? So i closed my eyes slid the video back to a random point & switched to some Sony 7506s i think my eyes were doing more than my ears by that point. They probably sound the same but if i had to pick i guess i would choose the origial. I'd like to see a video of an original MPC-X & a BLA modified MPC-X SE for comparison. You could use a couple original breakbeats from a sample library to avoid any copyright issues. And some Jazz guitar. This was cool thanks for another great video.✌🏽

[@tonelab]

Thanks very much for your synopsis 🙏🏻 ..I might just make a suggestion, regarding your SE, if you're trying to match the sound of those with your 3000, then I'd suggest leaving as is... as SE's have Burr Brown converters in them, same maker as the 3000 converters 👍🏼

[@BMakk205]

The gold sounds a little warmer

[@officialknightowlz]

You think so???

[@BMakk205]

@@officialknightowlz yeah just a little

[@officialknightowlz]

@@BMakk205 hmm , maybe… off topic a bit, if you add the MPC 3000 vintage effect it warms the new MPCs up quite a bit!

[@tonelab]

Here's the clip, where I used the Vintage Effect. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jabRmqyGi89kebs

[@hailnaryproductionz3661]

I wanna see a mpc 3000 vs mpc 4000 sonic shoot!!!! No one ☝🏾 has never done it ☑️ or talked about it.

[@tonelab]

That's in the 'to-do' queue.. hopefully by this time next week 🙏🏻

[@hailnaryproductionz3661]

@@tonelab super 🙏🏾🙏🏾!!!! Cause to see this!!!! You’ll be the first to do it.

[@RoomAtTheTopStudio]

I second that

[@tonelab]

Here it is! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nmemh4Oanp5rfrs

[@hailnaryproductionz3661]

@@tonelab 😮😮😮🎁🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾💯💪🏾 Yessssss lol 😆 thanks 🙏🏾 I’m about to check it out now

[@dagenhorning]

listening on a bose Bluetooth speaker and you can hear the difference clearly...the se hits harder

[@othelo989]

Man yt be bugging Im subbed to you with the bell Icon and it still don't tell me you had a new vid. I had to see your post on face book..😑

[@tonelab]

Check the bell icon options, see if it's set to 'ALL', if it's set to 'Personalised', it can miss clips 👍🏼

[@dubmaverick69]

Spent another week of testing with the lovely drums I got from you soundpack, I have given up on Akai MPC X, and Live 2. The audio is completely changed when in standalone mode, I used tone generator going through all the frequencies and realized how much compression and low end the X is adding, it feels like glorified soundblaster, this is so messed up what they are doing. You can hear it when you go to controller mode with your Audio interface and bypass the entire X, it is just a very good midi controller. So I am back to square one, with no sampler than can sound good in standalone mode. There is NOTHING out there that is professional grade like what we had before, Elektron is good but too much menu diving with those small screens. If you have access to an Analog Graphic Equalizer you will also see in great detail what the outputs are adding. The question is are they really changing the audio all the time with each update, as someone mentioned before. Class Compliant is a joke, its not going to help you because the sound is already in the Akai engine, I tried it with SSL Big Six, sequenced your drums in cubase, record it, Took the same drum sounds sequenced it in Akai X and record that out in standalone mode, night and day difference. Then I put the X in USB class compliant with SSL and played that sequence back, same as the standalone mode, so USB class compliant does not help with sonic, its just good to more outs and in. Connected to the computer is what my X is gone on from now on and just use my quality converters that is connected to my Mac Studio. We are in 2024 almost and we cant get samplers and conversion right. Thank you for all your videos, have watched so many of them. Cheers.

[@tonelab]

Glad you're digging the drums 🙏🏻 I might add that.. I'm not sure if they're adding 'compression' as such, although I can't say for sure. But, I'd presume it could be the 'lack there of' dynamic range. I'd imagine the X's main outputs follow a different signal path, to say, 5 & 6 / 7 & 8. The X's 'main outs' have their own unique summing, which could be what you're noticing... but also, quite likely, employing a different technique of 'summing', to say, legacy MPCs.. and, if I had to speculate, without looking at schematics.. then it could be just be a simple case of 'analog summing' versus 'digital summing'. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find MPC X schematics to see what's going on 'under the hood'.. but, I'd imagine, with all those effects busses in there.. it'd be 'digital summing' 🙏🏻

[@dubmaverick69]

I think you are right, maybe we can get you a non functioning X and you can open it up on youtube and go through all the parts and document it, basically do open heart surgery, maybe that will wake up Akai . LOL. @@tonelab

[@quickstrike209]

You will hear more of a difference from different firmwares versus those actual units. They change the sounds periodically with the firmware updates. I believe because all the devices are using different interfaces and with new plugins to optimize sound for output. So they're manipulating the firmware to have a neutral sound or best fit for the newest plugin. Basically, they're putting some type of processing on the outputs of the firmware which is affecting overall sound sound. Try it! Download a older firmware and compared with a newer one and tell me you don't hear the difference.

[@tonelab]

Interesting.. where did you hear this from?! ...FYI, I use 2.9 'pre-class compliant compatible OS' 👍🏼

[@kris7847]

Shocked to say my ears prefer the X, esp with the DX7. Drums on the gold had a little something though.

[@tonelab]

Yeah, during the Bonus Round, the Kick, from the Gold LE, appeared to me, to have more of a pronounced 'attack' 👍🏼

[@nostandingonlydancin]

SE sounds better. I’m surprised. Although, I could not tell much difference on the MiniMoog samples

[@tonelab]

I didn't notice much difference other than the top end, myself.. which, I noticed on the Electric Piano sound.. and then, strangely enough.. during the Bonus Round.. the Kick seemed to have a bit more of a pronounced 'attack' 🤔 ..interesting though, it's quite possible that they share identical components.. but, due to hardware tolerances.. give off, some degree of variance 👍🏼

[@nostandingonlydancin]

@@tonelab I noticed that in the kick too

[@mikemoscomusic]

Hi, Just out of interest, where did you hear this?: "and the X-SE is packed with Burr Brown converters (according to Black Lion Audio)" ... as I cannot seem to find any information that confirms this regarding the X SE? Cheers, M.

[@tonelab]

One of their customers posted some correspondence between himself and them regarding why the price was more than a 'regular X' conversion, and their response details the Burr Brown converters required an alternate process. I guess, it shouldn't hurt, to contact them directly if you wanted to find out more 👍🏼

[@mikemoscomusic]

@@tonelab ah ok, no worries. Thanks for your reply. I wasn’t being argumentative or anything, I’m just genuinely interested if they do have the Burrrs in the SE or not 😁👍🏼 All the best and great channel by the way, M.

[@tonelab]

No problem! ..I was quite surprised when I learned about this myself.. I tried to find the Service Manual's, to also validate this.. but, Akai keep those pretty close to their chest ! ..thanks 🙏🏻

[@sebastiandior1315]

I think the gold edition sounds truer to the source by just a hair.

[@tonelab]

Yup, my ears definitely picked up a little more 'sparkle' from the Gold 👍🏼

[@JyotiMishra]

To my ears - the SE has better dynamic range than the original. Which is disappointing as I have an original X. *weeps*

[@tonelab]

Y'know, I had the original Black/Red X, years ago.. when they first came out.. I ended up selling it.. then a couple of years later ended up with a Gold, for one of another reason.. but, I thought my ears were playing tricks on me.. I could've sworn there was a little 'extra' from the Gold.. so, I've been really wanting to do this shoot-out for a while now 👍🏼

[@AriestheLegendRVA]

​@@tonelabthey sound the same

[@RoomAtTheTopStudio]

@@tonelab The Gold has a more pronounced low end on my studio monitors. I've noticed that in this demonstration the kick is louder on the Gold. At first I thought that this was the SE which also has a louder low end. The original X doesn't punch as hard

[@JyotiMishra]

@@tonelab I would love to see you do the same thing with the SE but I'm guessing you don't need *three* Xes hahah

[@tonelab]

Oh I'd totally be up for giving that a shoot-out.. if I can find someone local with one, I'll hit them up for a day-sit 👍🏼

[@hailnaryproductionz3661]

Aren’t there both the same!!! Why would this be a sonic shoot lol

[@tonelab]

Well the SE isn't.. and I've had a few people tell me their 'Gold' One's sound better than their X. So, perhaps we're not getting the full story. For example, it wasn't Akai that mentioned the SE has different converters.. it was an engineer from Black Lion Audio 👍🏼

[@hailnaryproductionz3661]

@@tonelab wow 😯

[@hailnaryproductionz3661]

@@tonelab now I wanna see the gold SE and retro SE have a sonic shoot lol 😆

[@neilloughran4437]

@@tonelab has anyone actually verified the difference in converters?

[@tonelab]

Black Lion Audio mentioned that the SE has Burr Brown converters.. the former have AKM converters.

[@BeastlyAnteater]

Shootouts are great and all but there’s zero point in comparing the exact same machine. The only reason there would be a difference in sound would be due to user error (setting gain slightly differently on each machine). Contrary to popular belief, the paint job on your MPC has zero impact on the sound

[@AriestheLegendRVA]

The same

[@tonelab]

🙏🏻

[@tonelab]

I was listening to the E. Piano part, straight from the audio interface, then repeated by both X's.. and the X's seemed to play-back a touch 'duller' compared to the original audio.. which, I didn't notice as much with the 2000XL and the 3000.. but, it did sound like to my ears.. the Gold had a touch more 'sparkle'.. then, during the bonus round.. the Gold LE Kick 'attack' (high-end 'perc') seemed to knock thru a little more for me 🤔

[@AriestheLegendRVA]

@@tonelab I'm using a UA volt 276 as my sound card for the mpc live 2

[@tonelab]

Nice.. bypass the converters.. you notice the 'swap over' when going to the UA much?

[@AriestheLegendRVA]

@@tonelab no

[@hailnaryproductionz3661]

They sound the same