Examining the MPC One Workflow After a Month with the Deluge (Part 1)

Examining the MPC One Workflow After a Month with the Deluge (Part 1)
Today I'm finally using the MPC One again after a month with the Deluge. I definitely burnt myself out on the MPC One after repeatedly trying to make longer songs and sequences with it. With the way my drummer brain likes to work, the Deluge is clearly a better fit for me, but how does the MPC One workflow stack up after a month with another piece of gear? I hope you like part one of this multipart examination, enjoy the video :)
GEAR IN THIS VIDEO
Akai MPC One: amzn.to/3BmGGEm
Zoom Livetrak L-12 (audio recorder): amzn.to/3GSCHAw
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[@vertigev]

Man you are good at finger drumming.. Good to see our old pal the MPC though. There will always be room for devices like the MPC where you can go as deep as you would on a computer. I MUCH prefer working on my Live II than on a computer. That said if I want to jam on the couch, I will grab the Deluge, it's the perfect weight/size for couch action. Cheesy or not, I actually really like what you made!

[@magnuseriksson8081]

I agree, I like this more than many done here

[@FreeBeat]

Yeah, it's interesting how even when going dawless there are still different amounts of "dawlessness" you can achieve lol. Thanks so much for watching!

[@kyleguyettemusic]

Happy to hear you’ve been so inspired with the deluge!

[@FreeBeat]

It's absolutely incredible, I love it!

[@JackAcid]

Long term Deluge user here, but recently bought an MPC ONE because it was only £350! It's a very different beast, and I'm stumped by the workflow at the moment, but I'll get it down soon enough. Teamed with the Deluge, this will be a stunning combination!

[@FreeBeat]

Wow, how could you not pick it up at that price, that's outstanding!

[@adambeck6070]

I'd love to see you use both the deluge and mpc one to sequence external synths. Like have them both take the "external synth challenge" and write a whole song on each.

[@FreeBeat]

I will have to give that a shot in the future, thanks for watching!

[@wiggesobk]

Great video. To me the MPC One has still the best workflow of all of my gear.

[@FreeBeat]

It took me a while to get used to, but once I started to understand how it was intended to be used it really does work nicely!

[@joshteafordcomedy]

Cool comparison video. I have the Deluge, and my buddy has an MPC 1, so it was cool to see you make a beat where you just relied on muscle memory as it seemed a lot more "our speed." Still secretly hoping for some kind of screen upgrade for my Deluge, but good points about the screen having a "computery" vibe. p.s. Not one thing you apologized for in the video was an issue. Don't suffer criticisms from people who aren't putting themselves out there.

[@FreeBeat]

That's awesome, hopefully you have some awesome jams together! Thanks so much by the way :)

[@rayderrich]

Well the Deluge looks smooth but what you made with the MPC in such a short time also wins my respect. But you are right, it does look at first like booting a computer. But with all the hands-on control it still seems way better than keyboard and mouse in a DAW.

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@rexcellencemagee6729]

Another fantastic job! I wish could get into trigger pad recording, but being a keyboard player and guitar player, I just can’t see it as anything but cheating, lol! Although I do love MPC 2 app and a few others that are in the 16 trigger pad format. The m audio oxygen pro has 16 but 2*8 in a row, not exactly good for anything but triggers. You do make it fun to watch! If at some point my IOS pads don’t feel like it’s enough, I may plunge into a hardware version. I have a bad habit of buying the biggest instead of just what I need, however the X Live is a multi track, a mixer, let alone all the other features, I would be saving money in the long run! See how my mind works? Try explaining that to the old lady to where it makes sense to spend 3k and have everything in one unit! Cheers Bro!

[@FreeBeat]

As a drummer of over 20 years, with over half of that being professional, I can assure you that finger drumming takes just as much skill as the real deal, just in a completely different way haha. Thanks for watching!

[@GanjaBabyy]

I use them together amazing results

[@FreeBeat]

I'll have to give that a shot!

[@dustyaudio]

Welcome back lol

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks for watching!

[@gigamaxmusic]

All the Big G's use an MPC!

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks for watching!

[@GerenM63]

Every time you bring out the MPC ONE, I’m reminded how much I like what I see of the workflow. It seems to me to be a great hybrid of DAW and dedicated hardware. One question, though: how similar is the MPC ONE workflow to the MPC Studio hardware/software combo?

[@FreeBeat]

The experience is very similar, the only thing that's really different is there is no master view on the MPC standalone devices.

[@Joel-re1jz]

Sorry to change the subject but did you see the video fixing the OPZ double triggers with WD40? It would be cool to see you try it out.

[@FreeBeat]

I have seen the video, I tried it a couple months ago and it didn't help at all though :(

[@GerenM63]

@@FreeBeat Did you do the WD40 or the DeOxIt? The two cleaners are a little different chemically.

[@Joel-re1jz]

@@FreeBeat Good to know thank you

[@williamwallace6508]

got a deluge and no this doesnt make me want to pull the trigger. MC707 is worth a look

[@jantuitman]

I have no experience with MPCs, so as a Deluge user I wonder about the MPC: 1. How easy or hard it is to program melodies stepwise, which I do allot the time on the Deluge. 2. How sound design would go when everything seems to be a plug-in with macro knobs. (The second question may not be the best to ask you as you seem to not do any sound design. I was like that 2 years ago, but, the Deluge patches don’t sound very well and since then I learned to come up with all kinds of synth sounds that I just dial in in 10 minutes or so and the range the Deluge can do is quite broad though there is definitely a flavor and if you want to go outside the flavor you need samples).

[@FreeBeat]

Comparing the sequencer of the MPC stand-alone series with the deluge is night and day. The MPC sequencer is more for easily drawing in parameter changes and coming up with simple one or two bar phrases. It's not the main character at all, where is the deluge is all about the sequencer. If you're used to the Deluge you will feel incredible blocked by the MPC sequencer in my opinion. In terms of on board synthesizers, the MPC has some truly incredible options. They do operate just like plugins (they are even called that), but all the hardware controls make them feel a lot more alive.

[@jantuitman]

@@FreeBeat thanks for the answer! I suspected as much, and that is also the reason why I avoid the Maschine.

[@JeanLucConnery]

Is it just me or are these synths a lot better than the op1?

[@arpjunkies]

I like you Freebeat, but the MPC crowd needs to chill, you sounded afraid of them :P

[@FreeBeat]

😂 I just realized I've been a little harsh on the MPC One in past videos, and wanted folks to know that I definitely understand it's legacy in the electronic music community haha.

[@gigamaxmusic]

All the Big G's use an MPC!

[@raytbrown2]

I was hoping to see integration of the two . . . not one or the other.

[@FreeBeat]

This was a video about attempting to return to the MPC workflow after getting used to the deluge. If I do a video with the two of them at the same time in the future, what would you like to see?

[@raytbrown2]

@@FreeBeat How they interact together - or don't. What's useful about this setup and/or what's something you have to move past. I personally have a Maschine (not+) and think I'd still learn how people use a Deluge with this type of device for the better; knowing that I'm replacing the Maschine with an MPC in this example.

[@noisetheorem]

All these devices these days are basically crippled daws. If you look at feature requests, they all tug in the direction of becoming ableton. Oh, but we don’t like computers….

[@shix13]

Don't confuse feature request and UI ... As a person who sits in front of computer for 10-12hrs a day working , the thought of more screens and mice for fun is not always that appealing.

[@FreeBeat]

For some reason, a full-on mouse and keyboard sitting at a dedicated computer with a monitor just doesn't do it for me. Also, this of course does not apply to the MPC One, but I generally prefer my music making devices to be extremely immediate and portable as well (far moreso even than a laptop). Thanks for watching!

[@thebeetlejoose]

Less hand talk please. It's distracting.

[@jens_gruenhagen]

Agree. Needlessly gimmicky.