Is the modern MPC difficult to learn?? My thoughts

Sharing my thoughts on the difficulty curve of the modern MPC platform and some things to keep in mind if you're coming from a traditional DAW.
Here's the video I mentioned about going from MPC to Ableton: • MPC to Ableton // Our ...
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[@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

[@unbearifiedbear1885]

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

[@istvantoth7431]

Haha, same here..

[@mishalzeera8172]

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.

[@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?

[@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..

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@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!

[@WyattLite-n-inn]

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

[@StephenKloc]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@Rialas]

I’m a long time logic user and bought an mpcx to go dawless. I dislike it with a passion and is now gathering dust.

[@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

[@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.

[@BasedFrequency]

My brother in christ, this is the easiest thing ever to use. Also the mpc can be used for acoustic production too lol

[@themayne6303]

I’m sick of using the mouse but I think I’m stuck with that method. I have no MPC experience whatsoever so this is definitely not for me being only use to using FL studio

[@mmeissonnier]

MPC one+ workflow is a nightmare to learn and combine with other devices . Too bad because MPC60, 2000 and 3000 were fantastic to program, simple and efficient. Come on Akai, simplify the software !

[@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.

[@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.

[@murmerjangle3016]

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

[@pegipoi]

Learning Mpc workflow did take time and requires effort. Especially if you've only used daw before. I couldn't figure anything out myself and was about to leave the device in the closet to collect dust until I found this channel: youtube.com/@JaeFreshmen?si=aTf4wS_LhCnysGql I finally pulled myself together and invested in this completely for one weekend, browsing the aforementioned videos and learning myself at the same time, and it paid off. Now all work is largely in muscle memory, even if you don't use the device for a moment, doing it is fast and effortless. I also much prefer to make beats with mpc, I feel that because of the workflow I get more time if you compare it to sitting at the computer in front of the screen jamming in front of Daw

[@cratediggger]

It's funny I'm looking at this video, I purchased the latest MPC... it gave me headache.... I returned it...

[@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.

[@pentachronic]

It seems to me that both Akai MPC and Native Instruments Maschine are both really bad at integrating Audio editing and sampling and correlating them to MIDI sequences.

[@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.

[@Riuyilmistico]

The workflow is sh*t, overly complicated The activation process of plugins is sh*t. You need two accounts (counting the ilok one) and your MPC needs to be always connected to internet to be able to use plugins without surprises. The memory management is sh*t. The use in live performances is sh*t. You spend more time watching tutorials than using it. I would sell it. But that would mean probably giving away my accounts to other people. Worst thing I've ever bought.

[@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.

[@aleksanderhalbina9379]

Coming from Ableton + Maschine I can’t comprehend what the f is going on in the MPC, and I have it right in front of me on my desk for a long time. I have experience with a lot of grooveboxes, Elektrons, Korgs, TEs, Circuits. No. A lot of stuff in modern MPCs are giving me headache. Can you make good stuff on it? Sure. Is it intuitive? Hell no.

[@RealDigga]

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

[@Schemez-16vhiphopbeatz]

The thing that got a bit annoying is copy drums to another sequence having to copy and paste in the grid so i just copy a full sequence and delete what i dont want ...the step sequence is ok but its not great for melodic stuff

[@WaveRiderMusic]

the MPC workflow is not for me, I prefer X0X devices like the electrons and lots of others. Basically only 1 workflow on the mpc: real-time recording quantized or not, all other ways to input notes are really poor, except for percussion. But it plays samples and midi tight on a grid and it is very good at presenting material live, it is fairly powerful stand alone. I import midi files into it, but it is lame at importing those, and it lacks a lot of midi functionality you would think would be there. I still don't know if I will be using it for a while. Had an MPC1000 in the past, sold it after a year.

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@iammikekush3605]

Going from 15 years of fruity loops to MPCone wasn't too bad as long as you teach yourself that it's the same thing you just "see" less of your workflow than you see in a DAW.

[@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

[@lukemiles1711]

Is there a video on youtube or by yourself on how to program, add effects and construct the drums without using anything premade. My beats just don't sound hard, punchy and professional. So a in-depth video about how to program the snares, high hats, kicks and their effects would make my day. Thanks for anyones help. (I use the Force)

[@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.

[@ctnative203]

If I Have To Move Things Back Into a Daw to be comfortable , ill Jut Stick With The Daw lol.

[@versatiled4468]

I'm logic and abelton and mpc one plus is very very different 😮‍💨

[@Solis357]

its actually easier in my opinion, as someone who makes hip hop beats and do a lot of sampling. i would say that jumping into this without any or little to no DAW knowledge its going to be difficult. the machine breaks everything down to the simplest form because its so small. but i guess everybody is different.

[@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…

[@SNOwyte]

the mpc one plus is literally just a red mpc one. Ion care what nobody says bout start up time or nun. I clocked it my mpc one starts faster than an mpc one plus N its a WORK OF ART MECHANICALLY it also took me about a year to completely figure out and a few years to become fully comfortable with the mpc one

[@garylist7412]

I don’t get why track types are positioned on tracks and you don’t just select the Program you want. They are essentially program types.

[@TheWeazel01]

It's way more difficult than it needs to be and than it should be. I honestly wonder if the people making these things have really spent any time in the studio making beats.

[@MD_is_me]

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.

[@sedwords]

WARNING: to anyone planning on doing alot of midi editing, this thing has THE WORST midi editor ever. The 1010Music Blackbox beats the MPC hands down with its innovative midi editor. Looks to me like Akai refuses to innovate at all in that area. And how the heck do you record drums over say section 00:37 - 00:42 of an audio track? I got this blues singer that sends me the gnarliest tracks and I'll be dammed if I can figure out how to just loop over a section of his track and lay down midi drums on a separate track at the same time just in that one section. and no I'm not going to chop up his track because his timing is all over the place. Is this not a common task? I tried loading a wav file into an audio track but the 'browse samples' button is greyed out. Is there a special trick to just loading a wav file?

[@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.

[@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…✌

[@rarerbandnewjack9541]

i so dislike the red color and the neon lights. need a Black One but not for sale anymore...smh. What was Akai thinking?

[@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.

[@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.

[@boomboombaby9140]

Took me 2 hours and KZbin to learn how to use the one plus , it’s simple .

[@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.

[@YariBeatsMedia]

Strange nobody is mentioning Cubase Pro anymore.

[@robertgarvansnyder4665]

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

[@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 .

[@yvanbalmet7472]

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.

[@704queencitygoon6]

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

[@RichardThomas-sp4iy]

sent mine back .no fun too much hard work.

[@bboymac84]

Well it’s a DAW in box now with MPC3 now lol

[@eddy67]

The workflow kinda sucks

[@D84D]

The sample editing work flow is way over thought. It's sampling, jeez.

[@D84D]

I bought a new/used MPCx from a previous owner. He started using it until he was so frustrated, he put back in the box. So it sat until I came along.

[@myceliummobb]

Is this DCP Tefty? Lmao

[@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 😩

[@phabeondominguez5971]

Best way to learn the basics???

[@FredF78]

What I miss is to sequence pad mutes on a sequence and make a song out of it without having to copy each variation of mutes in separate sequences. Like the Elektron song mode. How would I do that in the easiest way in the MPC arranger world?

[@teftymusictech]

You can actually record mutes and solos when the overdub mode is engaged. What'll happen is it'll be recorded in the 'list' mode in the menu. Sometimes people accidentally do this can't figure out why their tracks 'randomly' mute on playback.

[@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

[@vince89503]

Best concise video on these machines. Thanks man.

[@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.

[@jh5131]

Love your content man good stuff

[@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 🙏

[@MarcWeertsMusic]

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

[@teftymusictech]

Thanks Marc!

[@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

[@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. 😅

[@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.

[@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!!

[@BlockBallerRecords]

Maschine is King 👑 Make the beat Drag Drop and on to the next track 💯💪🏾💪🏾I bought this thing and bought it back the whole work flow and key group is slow flow 😂I can make beats on fl studio with a mouse quicker than on a MPC and I’m from the old era of Mpc and thought the new ones would have a better work flow but it doesn’t I’m sticking with Fl studio and Maschine 🫡🍻

[@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.

[@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.

[@Shylah-po7zt]

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! 😆

[@Shylah-po7zt]

@@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.

[@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.

[@jamesbinitie7249]

It's not hard to learn. There are so many ways to achieve the same thing. Experiment and you find your own workflow. A few tips that really help is labelling tracks and sequences. Track 1 and track 2 etc should be labelled such as kick, snare, sample 1 synth progressing , piano melody etc. Sequences labeled intro 2, verse 1, verse 2, chorus 1 etc This pays off when you are arranging a song and muting tracks. It is annoying when you are in flow state so I do my labelling after I've built my sequence. Solo the tracks and label them accordingly. Also preplanning and keeping things consistent between the different sequences is important so I used sequence copy to keep things consistent as I build the different sequences which I think of as parts of a song. Intro, verses, choruses etc.

[@Buddhanature322]

Great video. I have the Key 61 and Ableton Live, have not used them together yet, still a beginner and working my way through. Trying to figure out the best workflow to introduce my 17 yr old drummer/piano son to, he has no digital experience. Any thoughts? Thanks.

[@VJFranzK]

Yes it is! but not as confusing as 404 (Much easier to go Push 3 now if you know Ableton.)

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@Misanola]

Would the MPC one work well as a synthesizer for guitar based music, assuming I'd import the stems into a daw?

[@teftymusictech]

Yeah it's a pretty solid platform for synth plugins. The JURA and Mini D are classics that sound great, BUT you have to pay extra for them. Tube Synth comes with the MPC and is pretty good, but JURA sounds better IMO.

[@Misanola]

@@teftymusictech Awesome. Thank you!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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!

[@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!