Is the modern MPC difficult to learn?? My thoughts

[@thing___from___77]

I have an MPC 2000XL, and yesterday helped a friend navigate through an MPC One +. I found the One + very complex and involving, distracting even, despite being capable of a lot. Honestly, the only feature I would want from it is the SD card slot. For the rest, I find the 2000XL much more of an inspirational music maker, and the One + a lot more of a computer/left brain kind of experience. So glad I bought that old thing back in 2001. Thanks for the content.

[@WyattLite-n-inn]

No one has ever done a video like this anywhere. Thanks

[@HowardMangrum]

Wow, mind blown, reset, everything is better now....The statement that the MPC is not a piece of hardware but a workflow is the best mind shifting notion I heard in a while. This simple little realization has improved my approach to MPC-X, MC-707, Ableton Live, and Electron stuff. When I heard the comment, I realized I was comparing everything to Opcode Vision, the first software workflow I learned. Thank You!

[@TangoJordan]

I'm an Old School MPC User who loved hearing this from you. I appreciate how you outlined the evolution of your workflow. I look forward to your story and how it progresses.

[@Roguetrainer]

I bought my MPC One in 2021. It’s fair to say I haven’t used it enough, but that’s mainly down to time constraints. I rarely do anything musical without it going through the MPC. I think you can learn the basics really quickly and produce some nice short loops, either using internal sounds like sample packs / plugins or through connected midi devices. However, when you try to learn more in-depth features, it gets trickier. And most KZbin channels who make content around any MPC hardware nearly always concentrate on hip-hop sample based beats. Which really isn’t my thing. I still love the device though.

[@phabeondominguez5971]

Best way to learn the basics?

[@agentvx8320]

Great summary. The only thing I'd add is that anyone who's curious about the MPC workflow, I can't recommend enough that you give MPC Beats a try. It's the free version of the MPC Software. It doesn't have the virtual instruments (you can use your own VSTs) and it has the usual sort of track limits that many free version DAWs do, but it will let you try out the workflow, and critically, the ridiculously powerful sample engine is there in its entirety. (It's also absolutely worth giving MPC Beats a try in VST mode just as a sampler even if you don't like the workflow.) That'll let you get a feel for whether you're going to gel with the MPC ecosystem or not. Plus if you end up creating a drum kit or sampled instrument you really like, you can swap it right over to the full version of software or a hardware MPC when you get it. Already having a drum kit put together when I finally got an MPC Live 2 was a nice feeling.

[@Antonio_Ortiz]

Fantastic suggestion about using it as a VST in another program even for just the sampler editing options alone. I've done sample-editing in Reason and Ableton, but it's so much more intuitive with the MPC software. After getting an MPC One+ recently, I actually feel like I've wrapped my head around its workflow so using MPC Beats software in place of other DAW's for track completion actually seems like an efficient option.

[@okbrown]

Having owned a 2000, 2000XL, 4000 (which i got rid of the next day due to no being able to load my 2000 projects), 1000, 2500, and MPC Studio (Slim) its clear to me Akai (with all the changes over the last 20+ years) have lost their original knowledge (the guys who made the original machines) and have started from scratch and have made the most unintuitive mess I have ever used on the newer MPC's The simplicity of using the older generations just made music creation fun. The workflow was amazing, intuitive and allowed for creative thinking. I have struggled to convert my 20 years of experience on the new MPC's. I own a Live and a lot of the features i used daily have either not been included or are hidden in a menus that totally break my workflow. I really want to like it, but I find my self doing everything in my DAW skipping the MPC completely. The software needs a re-think, and bring back the best of the workflows from before and the best of the new of today.

[@murmerjangle3016]

Excellent video. You communicated so many important things to consider when buying a beat machine or sampler.

[@CHR1ST1AN1215]

Your videos helped me decide on this purchase back about a month ago. As I am new to music productions it feels a lot smoother to create on then a DAW, but now that I've got a lot of basics down, adding complexity and increasing song lengths is the next challenge. Figuring out how to get past the short loops in music creation.

[@jamesbinitie7249]

There are many ways to do this. You can double the length of a sequence and repeat till you have the number of bars you need. Then edit the long sequence. Or you could create a sequence, duplicate the sequence and edit the sequences muting out tracks so that you have your intros verses chorus and outro sequences. Then go into sing mode to sequence the sequences which you will treat as different sections of the song. You can then convert it to a big sequence on a new sequence or export the song. It sounds complicated but it really isn't.

[@DisInfoWars]

I loved the MPC at first and rnjoyed the challenge of learning a new work flow but after 3 years of Dawless i began to feel trapped and migrated back to my PC. Honestly its the best decision for me because a DAW is so powerful and the tech has moved on so much there is inspiration everywhere

[@istvantoth7431]

You are 1000% right on people thinking they just buy a piece of new gear, a new hardware for sampling/beats/drums and all is gonna be the same... While, as you said, it is an entirely different WORKFLOW, compared to Logic. I was in the exact same shoe as you, I had been using Logic since my early 20's and first I was shocked how different these modern MPC's are, the software. It's a killer machine for Sampling for sure but for overall arrangements... man... I had to take my time. Took me a while. I was unable to get my head around "Sequences" first, what those are, etc. But here is the thing. MPC's at first are challenging, in a positive way. Because you see all those videos on YT how effortlessly artists use them so you see your end goal. Your end goal. You too can get there, you just have to put time/tears and effort into it.

[@mrfett]

I very much appreciate this video! I feel like my difficulty in picking up the MPC is because I'm old and it's hard for me to learn new platforms lol but thanks for explaining the workflow and addressing the differences and shortcomings compared to Logic and Ableton. 🙏

[@famosguider205]

“There is a way to achieve the same goal with different routes in the platform itself.” Which I believe is the workflow you’re speaking of. I have witnessed and learned so many different ways of creating, editing and mixing on the new MPCs that continue to upgrade my experience. It’s more fun to start creating than a DAW, I agree a DAW may be good to finish which is still fun because I can still create and edit inside the DAW with the MPC Software! Great content bro! Instant Like as soon as you started the video

[@Syntox]

The MPC was hard to learn, and I consider myself fairly technical. There's a lot to the workflow that I feel is unintuitive. I never would have gotten comfortable with it and quickly without the KZbin music tech community

[@etondabeat3528]

I'm struggling FL studio was easy even maschine was easy but this shit hard need someone to make a video for the mpc x special edition start to finish for beginners

[@Tora_Dj]

It’s deffo a big learning curve for new starters however using KZbin tutorials and doing the hours to learn simple things to speed up the workflow you will have a great time. It honestly takes time and I think that’s what puts people off cause not everyone wants to sink so many hours into learning something they can do on another DAW faster. However the workflow and ability to keep the creativity going once you learn these things is insane! You will find it hard to get writers block because your playing the music in on pads and being more tactile so naturally you get the feel of a song better than just clicking in on FL for instance. For me it’s been tough but I’m Glad I have mine because I have made so much more music because I’m more of a hands of kinda person and maybe it’s my ADHD that’s makes this great for my workflow

[@aleksanderhalbina9379]

Sure, having a groovebox on your fingertips is super nice. BUT. I would choose Maschine or Push or Digitakt or effin Koala Sampler on iOS anyday instead of MPC. Way more intuitive, way more straight forward. MPC is like super alien for me when it comes to structure of it and the ammount of clicks needed to get to the useful features. Also Qlinks are a mess.

[@Official360]

Mmm! You might spoke on something that might be relavant for many musicians! ADHD! I struggle with that as well but the MPC is like a dream machine to me! Pun intended coming from Maschine, whose workflow I hate but have used twice as long!

[@PianoDanny]

@@aleksanderhalbina9379damn right about the Q links.

[@billiedoesbeats]

Only thing I absolutely can’t stand about my MPC One is the inability to simply copy and paste a few bars in the grid. I hate having to do the whole pencil, figure out which bars I want, from which track, from which program, and whether I want to merge or replace. It’s too complicated. I play a lot without quantizing so it makes things hard. Otherwise love this thing.

[@djsoo]

have you held down shift in the grid edit? Allows you to copy/paste selected notes in the grid edit.

[@billiedoesbeats]

@@djsoo if it’s that easy I’m gonna knock myself in the head lol. I’ll try it and let you know. Thanks so much

[@djsoo]

@@billiedoesbeats you can also use the Cut command to essentially delete selected notes

[@joegrant413]

Another tip is to use a USB keyboard and the shift key to pick one note at a time. That’s extremely quirky I know. It would just take a little love for them to make the pencil and the grid edit lot less janky.

[@djsoo]

@@joegrant413 I use a stylus pen for more precise control, but I should try that out. I would love to see an updated ui where you use 1 finger to select and 2 fingers to scroll/zoom with gestures..

[@jeffryarchambeau5441]

I still didn't get far in the past year, but now MPC3 is helping.

[@cadetesespaciales]

Is it easier to learn for someone coming from ableton live background? I heard they removed some of the whacky stuff and made it more streamlined.

[@DerekRobinsonTech]

I've been using the Akai MPC Studio and it's time to move up, and this video and your MPC Key 37 have helped make the decision more clear, thanks for the great content, new subscriber for sure!!

[@vince89503]

Best concise video on these machines. Thanks man.

[@agustinbernal2760]

Thank you, I think every video you make is better than the last one, this one has a great rhythm and covers lots of information, very useful, congratulations, looking forward to the next one!

[@teftymusictech]

Thank you 🙏

[@ripvanwink9699]

Wow!! Best description for me as beginner MPC X user of how MPC works when trying to create music! I wish you would make any additional videos about using MPC! Very helpful! Thank you.

[@mathewberteaux5017]

Thanks for the video. I'm a long time reason user who doesn't have a computer at the moment. I was really worried about making the switch to an mpc one but your video just made me feel a whole lot better about the learning curve. Thank you sir

[@danbatts7583]

Thanks for all the MPC videos over the last few years Tefty. They were helpful and informative whilst I was learning the workflow and using the MPC as the primary DAWless brain of a hardware setup. Did that for over a year and overall really enjoyed it, and still have the MPC One in the current setup… which is now based on Logic again. The freedom from the computer and the ‘feel’ of a DAWless system was great, but in the end the limitations of working with audio, and the clunky song mode, and worse the pops and clicks on any audio recording I did all finally sent me back to Logic. (On an M2 mini off eBay - amazing machine!) Poor old MPC is now off to one side as a glorified drum machine controlling the MPC 2 software plug in. Turns out that as long as I never have to look at the MPC 2 GUI, this is the ‘hybrid’ workflow to rule them all. For now…✌

[@Jean-Mi_Paradis]

100% with when you say it’s a workflow. What I would say, for folks out there who may still want to do a parallel between the MPC and a DAW, get the Akai Beats. It’s free and all the concepts around the sequences, plug-ins, audio tracks, etc… will make sense on the MPC.

[@dafunkycanuck]

I have a very similar experience to yours. I picked up my first MPC in 2020, an MPC One. I'm very happy with it and like the workflow too. I haven't gotten around to finishing my tracks in a DAW but it's something I'm trying to work up the nerve to use for the mastering stage.

[@DrMoon]

I confirm.... I bought the MPC Live One some years ago and barely used it as my mind was still thinking in the traditional DAW way. Then it started to click. I learned a lot from the video's here ;) Finally, I found my way with the Akai Force that offers 'the best of both worlds'.

[@teftymusictech]

I keep holding off on the Force because I’m expecting a mk2 version 😩

[@RhymePractice]

MPC Pad Loop function Main page Track 01>Transpose set to 1. Program 001>Warp samples> Global tab>note on. Samples tab>pad loop on. For different drum loops, include them in the same mute group to alternate back and forth.

[@sinewaymusic]

I think this was a great, concise yet rich and useful summary of that key point: it's all about the workflow! I'm so much faster on the MPC when it comes to going from 0-80% of a finished song compared to any other platform and it has everything to do with that workflow.

[@ToniOcanya]

Muy buen video, enhorabuena, yo tengo un MPC ONE desde hace pocos meses, estoy preparando mi set para actuaciones en directo junto con sintetizadores, desde el MPC disparo secuencias enteras (canciones de 3-4 minutos) pero con la peculiaridad que el MPC se encarga también de cambiar cada presets de mis sintetizadores y automatizaciones sin necesidad de tener que cambiarlo todo manualmente en cada canción, es una maravilla !!!

[@stevekirkby6570]

Coming to the MPC Keys 61 as a long time DAW/MIDI user (think from the *beggining* back in the '80's) it came as a shock, but I like it immensly. It sharpens your mind and ears, since you ae no longer relying on a visual presentation of your arrangement and music. You actually have to listen and concieve your music purely using sonics. You have to remember stuff too! I know how difficult this can be when you are used to being spoon fed visual cues. But it is liberating in a way that is hard to describe. I now am making all my music with the MPC, a guita, a modwave my modular rig and a really nice pedal board for the guitar (mainly). Faster, more 'unpedictable' and better intrgration of my gear. I run into a mixer, but mix in the MPC... so the mixer is just used for selecting inputs for sampling. Love it.

[@stephenmarsh6746]

I’ve just realized the similarity between the ‘MPC workflow’ and the workflow we used with the old hardware sequencers (Alexis MMT-8, Yamaha QX-7 et al). Which makes sense of course since it originated in the same era.

[@PianoDanny]

I loved the Alesis MMT-8 for its simplicity and immediacy. If only a company would release a souped up hardware version of that.

[@robertgarvansnyder4665]

For me, it definitely was. Had such a love hate relationship, but ultimately sold me Live II, and quite happy about it.

[@joonglegamer9898]

I got my first MPC when I got the Akai MPC Key 61 at launch last year. I've seen people demo MPC's LONG before that, but I always thought - meh - it's a groovebox/resampling/hip-hop beatbox that just isn't for me. Oh BOY was I wrong. I've been toying around with synths since the 80s, and skipped 25+ years or so inbetween because it never had my workflow for the price range during that time. Then this thing came along, and it immediately spoke to me, the key-61 was my answer to my Fairlight CMI dreams (the unobtainium) and I discovered, not only does it work so simple like "record-next track play - then repeat", but it seamlessly integrated with ALL of my synths like not even my PC could do, I've never looked back since.

[@joegrant413]

Love your MPC videos! I’ve had my first MPC for a year and recommended it for people who like to play their keyboard or real instrument into the tracks and then edit and arrange it. BTW, using the Q link knobs for Seq beg and end, and the punch in feature gives me a good workflow to record a little guitar at a time on the audio side.

[@unbearifiedbear1885]

Me: _"Nah its pretty straightforward..."_ Also Me: *has watched EVERY MPC tutorial on KZbin at least a dozen times

[@istvantoth7431]

Haha, same here..

[@AliNabavi]

Thank you for the awesome video! 🙂👍 I found it to be extremely illuminating. I have two questions: Are you familiar with any good training for learning all of the capabilities of the MPC? Do you know of any in-depth guides for doing an entire composition with audio tracks? I've only found extremely basic demos on KZbin on recording audio tracks, nothing from start to finish with an entire song, arrangement, etc.

[@ripvanwink9699]

Just saw all of your other videos re MPC that you already posted. Ill definitely check on those. Many thanks in advance!

[@mattierenton701]

I have literally just brought an MPC OneMk2 from a facetime I with none other than Andy Mac !!! (long story lol) looking forward to getting into it. I've had a Polyend tracker for about 18 months, I was super hesitant buying it just like I was buying a MPC One, but instantly fell for the tracker, hopefully this will be the same....The idea of working in blocks or chunks and constructing tracks in that was is super easy for me and workflow is really natural to me.

[@TheTerracide]

You deserve so much more attention the videos are just great!

[@boomboombaby9140]

It was easy to learn I found out how to structure a beat immediately by watching KZbin in 2 days I knew the workflow like the back of my hand .

[@weepwow]

Appreciate the video and topic of workflow. I now have Octatrack mk2, P.Tracker, MPC Live2 and many other Elektrons, along with Push 2 and ableton Live. I have been struggling with mixing up workflows between these as I'm sure you know can be nuts as they are all different, each is time consuming to learn. When I bought these I thought they would help me in making music, but the time to learn them is frustrating. I want to work with one or 2 and maybe sell the rest. The MPC Live 2 seems to push me in a direction of music I dont care for- mostly because of the menu of preset sounds and drums, almost too clean and perfect, a long way from the limitations and feel of the 2000xl and vintage MPCs. I like the Octatrack because it can do anything with sound manipulation and mangling just starting with a sine wave, opposite of an MPC, you never know what you will come up with. The Tracker is a nice tool but you need a lot of patience punching in notes and numbers and everything else it offers. I envy the person who only has one of these machines and is satisfied using only one, they are probably using their time better than somebody splitting time learning all the different formats and workflows.

[@jetxee]

This review is spot on. I agree that it is the workflow that makes MPC special, and it is why it’s so great for some stuff, but not for everything. I just don’t know how to achieve the same immediate recording and overdubbing workflow in Live. MPC got it right from the beginning. I also agree that MPC encourages playing and going by feel, when in the DAW I often fly by numbers. And it extends to effects and mixing, almost everything on MPC is adjusted by ear. In general I think it works great for short compositions with “blocky” structure, but not for genres with endless modulations. When it comes to arrangement and transitions, DAWs are miles ahead of the song mode 😂

[@DNYLNY]

As an initial classical pianist I tried for years making electronic, hip hop and modern type music and never was able to with any DAW. Then I saw the MPC live and within minutes was able to make music. Since then I tried other gear and samplers like sp404, po33, and Roland Fantom and MPC was the most intuitive for me.

[@MarcWeertsMusic]

Great video! I’m not an mpc user but it’s interesting to see different workflows.

[@teftymusictech]

Thanks Marc!

[@hornstrum]

Thank you for your clarifications! I just got involved being interested first with SeqTrak and One+ looked and sounded more as I might like and not terribly more expensive. Still thinking & watching more videos. I like its ecosystem and plugin content.

[@teftymusictech]

I have no experience with the SeqTrak, but I really enjoy the MPC ecosystem for what it's worth 👍

[@OfficialAlexSanoko]

10 years of FL Studio and 2-3 years of Ableton. I've had my MPC One + for about 2 weeks and I can confidently say it was easy to learn for me. With that, I will say that I already had the type of workflow I needed and new the MPC was gonna be the right choice for me. I assume that has something to do with how easy it felt learning it. Like I was trying to have the MPC workflow on a DAW.

[@boomboombaby9140]

I just got a one plus today and I already know how to work it , I made a beat , mixed it and arranged it all on the Mac one plus .

[@darumabeats]

there is the akai force that's basically an mpc but with the arrangment view

[@keepitshortnsweet]

The idea that one is "buying the workflow" is an interesting perspective that I don't beleive many consciously consider. I have a Force and must admit that my production habits, which go back a long way, did not translate well to the Force and kept intruding on enthusiasm for learning a different workflow. Most computer based DAWs share a familiar feel that goes back to the 1990s when ideas from a handful of companies that dominated the computer sequencing market in the late 80s became the foundation upon which DAWs were developed. There weren't too many computer based MIDI sequencing programs to choose from in the 1980s as compared to today but those programs were differentiated by their often markedly distinct workflows. I think this was in part because there was no paradigm to draw from , certainly no SOP widely accepted by musicians at the time, and also becuase these programs were often written by programmers who didn't have a deep understanding of music composition or production.

[@jh5131]

Love your content man good stuff

[@unclemick-synths]

Good video 👍. Your videos have helped and I found the tutorials on the Create Educate Inspire channel cut through a lot of the complexity but I've been off my MPC for a while deep diving on my Roland AE-30 Aerophone wind synth (I am determined to make Zen Core submit to my will 😀) and I've forgotten so much. I'm going to rewatch those tutorials and this time take notes!

[@teftymusictech]

Thanks Mick! I don’t play wind instruments but I’ve always been curious about the digital versions that exist. Keep me posted on the progress when you have a chance 🙏

[@unclemick-synths]

@@teftymusictech will do. My next video digs into setting up the controls - there is more to the AE-30 than just blowing into it! 😀 As well as breath and bite there is a thumbwheel, a pressure sensitive thumbpad, and motion sensors for elevation and tilt (like the new S-1). These features I've already explored controlling my Neutron but it wasn't nearly so easy with the internal sounds. This has been a challenging video to create and it will probably be a couple more weeks' work. I hope people will like it. The wind synth world is a weird thing on its own (predominantly jazzers), my aim is to connect with synthesists like me who suck on keyboards but were actually not bad on sax/clarinet in band class.

[@wayneanderson2866]

Yes great video! I’m not a producer, but I am a songwriter that easily gets intimidated by learning new things when recording music. I’ve had my MPC One for right about 3 yrs & still haven’t done much with it…😂🤯🥺….mostly because at the time I was learning my Digitakt & thought I could learn 2 different systems at the same time. Bad idea! I did get much more familiar with my Digitakt & after song mode came out I went hard into that for a while, but I’m trying to come back to my MPC One & have been struggling to get my head around it. I have finished songs in GarageBand & have intentionally avoided other DAWs because I wanted to force myself to learn the hardware I’ve purchased. I leave the mixing/producing to others as I don’t want to get bogged down in the sound engineering side with my limited creative time. Thanks for all your tutorials & perspectives on various gear & workflows! It gives me a different perspective on how to use my time better!

[@kevincollins8406]

When I bought mine I went straight to work no problems after I figured out what just a few buttons with dual function do and getting the hang of the touch screen. I found my self operating it like my 1000 and 500 and been killin it since! If you have never touch any MPC and are a new user yes you will have a learning curve but once you get your flow of how it works anyone can go beast mode! I don’t know everything about the ONE still some features I have not touched, but they really have no relevance to how and what kinda music I make I’m a funk head and if I’m gonna make a track that sounds like prince, p- funk or what I’m doing now which is 80s style techno funk planet rock etc. I really don’t use a lot of the features that a cat doing EDM or hip hop would use such as slice or filters although I have used them for certain songs. So it’s all in what you do musically and how YOU get it done on your MPC! To me there’s no right or wrong way to work it especially if what you got coming out the monitors is knocking that’s all that matters. And shit I’ll hit you tube up in a minute if I I need to learn something I haven’t touched on mine!

[@ACCOUNTANTB]

I Just miss al those faders and instant knobs to modify parameters just like Roland MC 707 and TR8-S does and a decent sequencer

[@wearethemasons]

(Exhale)....I just picked this up...literally just got out of the car and opened the box. I am hoping for the best!!!!! BTW, Zzounds kept cancelling my order so I just bought it from Guitar Center. Thanks for all of your videos...I have many more to watch.

[@JazMystic1]

How did you get on with it? I’m just learning it and I’m struggling

[@binarysun_]

Yes, that! Except that I instantly clicked with the MPC workflow. It’s just perfect for laying down a beat. Arrangement and final mixing - while I have done that numerous times - is cumbersome and I like to record things to Studio One and finish my beat in there. But lately I am really missing some plugins that I just cannot use in standalone and that seems to become limiting in some ways.

[@jamesbinitie7249]

Use mpc beats software instead of standalone then. You will be able to use all your plugins if you use your mpc tethered to the pc. The workflow is till the same except you will have to use your computer to control the plugins that are not mpc native plugins. I prefer to work standalone throughout so limit myself to standalone plugins. Tbh I find I have more than enough plugins to do anything and with all the expansions I have acquired my mpc live 2 is a fully loaded beast.

[@PianoDanny]

I agree. It works as a powerful standalone drum machine and sampler. But the ‘arrangement’ functions are confusing and not intuitive.

[@normannutbar424]

I bought a brand new one in 2020. Spent a few hours on in before I realized that I could have done the same thing in cubase in about 2 minutes. It’s been in its box on top of my cabinet for three years now.

[@swishahouse68]

Let me have it for my birthday then lol

[@pinatacolada7986]

Yes, I agree. My MPC One is amazing for sampling, sequencing midi devices (and CV/Gate etc) and a few effects. But mastering? Forget about it. When a track is ready for mastering I manually record individual parts to a laptop, transfer the wav files to a separate computer in another room and use Ableton to put it all together into a cohesive song. Mastering should always be completely separate I reckon.

[@97mentality]

This is a great way to think about it.

[@SantiagoGT15]

I’m on the fence about buying one, I love sampling and samplers, my main rig involves the Octatrack and for travel I have a Polyend Tracker, what I’m on the fence about this one is the VST instruments you get on it, on one side I could buy let’s say a Minifreak and have a hardware synth or buy a MPC and have a fake Moog/Juno/Mellotron etc

[@bazZzment]

I am mainly a live musician and began using an MPC to sample analog and digital bass synths, 808s, etc. because no other synth is capable of doing this. Coming from Logic in 2022, the MPC workflow is SO DIFFICULT! Honestly, I have been frustrated way to often. But, with the MPC Key 61 and especially the Key 37 that's coming, I'm going to sell my MOOG Sub25 and will stick to it. I hate using laptops on stage and the MPC gives you so much possibilities. You just have to work real hard to understand this overly complicated system.

[@mooganoid]

Really informative, thank you. 🙏🏼

[@Official360]

The MPC was a little complex to get into but the workflow was pretty easy to eventually master. I started on the Touch & it was ny entry into MPC's. I'll choose it everytime over Maschine's workflow.

[@davidlandrum]

I just received my MPC Studio. I wanted an inexpensive way of trying out the ecosystem (and Jura sounds amazing). You’re right about the sequencer. I keep wanting to go back to it and it’s frustrating to use. 😕

[@Schemez-16vhiphopbeatz]

As a first time user learned the full workflow in a couple hours with all the tutorials on KZbin its so easy ...im im used to using other samplers and synths ect so if u know what u want to do u will figure it easy af im not really a daw user only hardwear....if anything wants an mpc and is scared of the workflow dont be its straight forward i was put of buying one of a long time wish i got one sooner

[@SleepySmacc]

I just got mine 7 days ago & I learned A LOT so far with the help of KZbin. Malo beats & Bolo

[@prodigy_xd]

I plan to use it to record synth lines/loops from my modular and capture drums designed with my FM synth, and then spice it up with some stereo ambient sounds, chord- or vocal samples and of course some onboard FX. Creative sampling basically. I hope this device is intuitive enough. I want to be spontanous and not set up 10 menus to get my ideas down.

[@matthewgaines10]

I came from a keyboard sequencer and the workflow on the MPC was good to me. Step sequencing isn’t my thing. Linear sequencing is good for me. Use song mode to put it all together. A DAW is used for last mile type work like mixing and mastering. I asked myself where has it been all my life. Like all things, it’s a very individualistic experience. Your mileage may vary. Once I learnt what it expected from me, I don’t want to work any other way. I do have Ableton Live and Studio One. Also, I have Cubasis for Android that I use on a tablet when I travel. The MPC or MPC software is my go to in starting a song. Once it’s all arranged, I like to take it into a DAW. Everything isn’t for everyone. MPCs (Live II, One, and Key 61) are for me.

[@SonicVibe]

step editor is backwards to me i don't like sample's record as midi ya have to convert to an audio track kinda a vibe killer and the looper is meh otherwise i like it got rid of mine simply because of the inMusic direction company is taking but jura air flavor pro are nice but i feel it starts to get expensive fast no more free stuff lol ps also love the mpc one button layout though over the live

[@timevaultart]

Tefty, have you any experience on the Akai Force? I find the MPC workflow a royal Bass-ackwards mess of a process. The way you explain the MPC is almost from an apologetic perspective which I think is deserved. The Force is so much more intuitive and better for arranging and experimenting with song composition before committing it to an arrangement. A video comparing the MPC workflow to the Force would be extremely educational for all.

[@teftymusictech]

No experience yet, I've definitely considered scooping one. But honestly I've really grown to love the MPC workflow for hardware control. I'm also anticipating a mk2 or updated version at some point... so that's another reason I've held off on buying one. At this rate it might never happen! 😆

[@timevaultart]

@@teftymusictech Rumor has it that any successor to the Force will be a hybridized workflow product that combines Force and MPC ui. I don't think this will happen as the MPC workflow is very antiquated from a time before DAWs. I bought like new, hardly used Force in the box for $600 last Fall. I would strongly suggest you try this product. It will revolutionize how you make music because you can instantly and on the fly, remix sections of a song until you feel it clicks, and then commit the final version to an arrangement recording. For the price of a used one like the condition of what I got, you could resell it for little to no loss if you decide it is not for you. My prediction is you will sell your MPC when you know the Force.

[@StephenKloc]

If you are just starting out what would your minimum setup be? Thank you in advance.

[@YariBeatsMedia]

Strange nobody is mentioning Cubase Pro anymore.

[@KyuminShimMusic]

Man you nailed it. Exactly as I felt about mpc and ableton. I use ableton more but some stuff on mpc is super fast no matter what daw I use. Btw have you had any audio delay issue when you record mpc’s audio in ableton?

[@RomeAround]

I like my One+ it’s a faster workflow I just take time to get a better sound. I use it with Reason, together they’re 🔥

[@sederquest]

There is a learning curve alright, it’s a very versatile and comprehensive price of kit

[@anticssmantics8446]

THANK YOU FOR THIS!!! I'm just now seeing this. I hate AKAI and the MPC workflow. I have both the Force and MPC X. I've been trying to replace the MV-8800, the GOAT for years now (Roland abandoned us ALL)😢 with MPC I have two of the most expensive drum machines ever

[@ddeafner]

I've been thinking about getting an MPC One for a while now, but the workflow kinda intimidates me, especially coming from a DAW type forefront. But weird thing is, I really want to get into the Octotrack workflow, and I heard that's more difficult than using an MPC 😅 I'm a glutton for punishment, what can I say. Also you got my subscription!

[@zenithjcoke]

When looking into different hardware sequencers when upgrading from the MC-101, MPCs were high on the list but even after watching several videos I never could grasp the how and why. It felt very unintuitive. I ended up buying the Akai Force and the workflow to me feels leaps and bounds beyond what the MPCs offer, while having many similarities such as feature set. Akai really dropped the ball on promoting the Force, because it is an amazing machine and I can never imagine going with an MPC over the Ableton like clips and rows based workflow of the Force. It really is an underrepresented piece of kit and I've not intent to swap it out as long as it works. Recommend anyone making electronic music to check it out.

[@blaykjord6171]

I've had my mpc for over a year and a half and am finally becoming hip to a workflow similar to yours. Had this info been known to me before I would have been much more productive. Thanks for a great overview. I am currently using my MPC, Mac, Keys, and Keyboard. Do you have any recommendations for gear or plugins? I really want to have some powerful 808's and grungy tracks.

[@PhilipAndresen]

Yeah my main issue is I kept getting stuck trying to learn how to do something, only to realize I was doing it right the whole time but a software bug made it not work. Waited 6 months for a software update to come out that fixed a bug with saving q-link mappings. I also have been frustrated by the fact that it can't store compressed samples, for my use cases it's trivial for me to run out of ram. I understand why you would want uncompressed sounds in ram, but there are reasons to want streaming from storage media, and mpc gives no choice in the matter.

[@ickebins6948]

I struggled with the Live2 alot and it just was not fun to use it. I picked up an Digitakt (I know not the same thing) and it made just so much more sense to me. It was fun right out of the box. The MPC is rarely used, mostly for creating Drumsounds to sample int othe digitakt.

[@ToyKeeper]

Instead of starting a song on MPC and finishing it in Ableton, I use a Force so I can get the core features of both in a single device.

[@RealDigga]

Great Tutorial,are u loading samples from Vinyl or an Akai sample library.....Thanks

[@huilustudio]

Thatnk you for your great video!

[@Curious_Skeptic]

Just picked up a new mpc one plus. Not sure what to think. Not as intuitive as i hoped! Clunky workflow imho, but i really wanted to leave the daw world. Missing the visual aspects of tracks. Sort of sucks missing multitrack views. Oh well. 800.00 isn't horrible. Glad i didn't jump into the x or key 61

[@jello-tarzan]

Very helpful thanks!

[@CHUD-NORRIS]

Hello! Merci tu m'a bien aidé à prendre une décision 👍 Je suis un débutant donc je suis vierge 😂 une vrai page blanche. Tu prendrais quoi entre la mpc one ou la live ? J'ai regardé beaucoup de tuto de vidéos sur KZbin et j'avoue que j'aime beaucoup le côté ludique du roland tr8s.

[@bobclark5360]

Just got mine yesterday and saw your video. Spot on about odd workflow! Tell me how in the world do I save and open a session or is it a project or a sequence..? I’m looking at a device that builds songs and nowhere on the screen is the words Save project, open project, or delete! I spent an hour this am trying to figure out how to open a session I made last night. I don’t see “flow” in that! Constipation. Yes!😅. I’ll keep at it.

[@PianoDanny]

😆👍🏼I had precisely that issue too. It’s just the Browse button and then the touch menus. But I agree. The whole thing is over complicated.

[@everpuremusic]

When you're familiar with all the OG MPCs, you will feel right at home with the new ones. Then, of course, you might have a learning curve with the 1 million things that the OG MPCs couldn't do. But to start with, you can even import projects, sequences and programs from legacy MPC units into the new ones directly. And then go from there. But yes, when you're an Elektron person or x0x type programming, the new MPCs are most likely total overkill. 😅

[@djsoo]

have you checked out the Force?

[@TonyThomas10000]

Check out Roger Linn's review on the MPC: "Roger Linn tries out a new Akai MPC". I remember the day he stopped by my studio in LA to check out my DSS-1.

[@teftymusictech]

Nice Tony! Love stories like that. And yeah I watched it when it was first posted. Really cool to see his thought process from the original design.

[@TonyThomas10000]

@@teftymusictech Yeah, I interviewed him for Mix when he was working on the follow up to the Linn 9000 back in 1985-86. It crashed at NAMM and his company folded. He started working with Akai on the MPC later that year.

[@teftymusictech]

Just saw the reply! Love hearing this, I use to read Mix mag (and pretty much all the publications) back in the day from late 90s to mid 2000s. It's interesting how things went from going as clean as possible to now adding all the shortcomings of analog back into the signal 😆 My first highend preamp was an Avalon 737. I thought I was set. Little did I know how clean it was (even though it had tubes lol).

[@TonyThomas10000]

@@teftymusictech I wrote for Mix from around '84 to '90. In the 1990s into the 2000s, I wrote mostly for Recording Mag. Yeah, it went from into the box for digital cleanliness (some would say, sterility) to back out for a bit of distortion and grit!

[@bengalinsky4300]

I would add that if you’re looking for just a drum machine, the MPC is not a great choice as the sheer amount of functionality can really slow you down, plus you WILL need extra external processing to get it sounding release ready. I traded mine for an Analog Rytm which IMHO is the best drum machine around today, really simple workflow and sounds as good as an old MPC.

[@Johanthegnarler]

I really wanted it as a platform to quickly sample and chop up stuff. Considered using it as a midi brain. Eventually it just went into a box to never return. Oddly enough, the Polyend Tracker has turned into my main sampler just because of the immediacy even though it's technically not as good for it as the MPC. The Digitakt would be my main sampler if they didn't release it gimped intentionally.

[@designsinorbit]

It sounds like this box could replace my Minifreak, TR8S, and Tascam Portastudio. But I don't know where to find all that info.

[@PianoDanny]

I’m finding my workflow slowly on it. Mainly via layering drums on simple 2 bar patterns. For me it works well as a drum machine and sample combo. ‘Proper’ songs, acoustic and audio arrangements? Forget it…

[@704queencitygoon6]

Which is easier to understand and use the Maschine + or the MPC One + ?

[@JGramWilliamChicago]

you very good at explaining things

[@davidscott2095]

Thank you for the video. As a total beginner, who hasn't used the MPC One+, The Live II, or the MPC X, which one of the three would you recommend, assuming money isn't a factor? I'm not sure if I would like havning to use the touch screen as much (at least I don't think I would), as I prefer button pushing and twisting knobs more. Any help you can give would be awesome. Thank you.

[@honeybadassger88]

I will decide to buy mpc by the end of this month because I watch this clip 😂

[@heatwave598]

Hey. The timing of this video is also perfect for me. I’ve been using Logic for 5 years but I now want to move to sampler for quick idea generation: drums, vocal sample loops from vinyl. Then bounce the tracks to audio and arrange & process in logic. I’m torn between the MPC one & digitakt. Any thoughts?

[@etondabeat3528]

Need help with audio setup don't know if I need extra cords or not I have a Apollo twin interface and I wanna use that with my mpc x special edition I hear the sound on the software when I click but I don't hear sound when I hit a pad