MPC One Versus Deluge (My Thoughts and Opinions)

MPC One Versus Deluge (My Thoughts and Opinions)
Today I'm finally talking about my thoughts and opinions on the MPC One and Deluge when compared to each other! After having the MPC One for over a year, and the Deluge for about 4 months, I've quickly discovered that I enjoy the sequencer grid interface of the Deluge much more than the MPC workflow. That being said, both devices absolutely have their own advantages and disadvantages, and I hope to cover those in this comparison today. Let me know if you have any questions, or if I missed anything, and enjoy the video :)
GEAR IN THIS VIDEO
Akai MPC One: amzn.to/3vRF4QA
Synthstrom Deluge (not affiliate): synthstrom.com/product/deluge/
Zoom Livetrak L-12 (audio recorder): amzn.to/3stRhuf
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[@JackAcid]

I have both. I love both of them for their individual abilities. I like to hook them together and use them in my set ups. But for ultimate plug and play, instant tune-writing and for taking with me in the van or in a trip, the Deluge is THE box.

[@FreeBeat]

Yeah, it's pretty incredible how much Synthstrom fit into the Deluge, while still keeping it portable! Thanks for watching :)

[@firdaushbhadha2597]

I am looking to get the Deluge, to add to my Minifreak/MPC setup. Would you mind explaining your setup? How do the two interact? I am thinking the deluge will be the main as I prefer the workflow with the minifreak and MPC used more as instruments via midi. My main concerns are the lack of track/stem export on the deluge. As well, the redundant features the two of them share which may make it a pricey sequencer.

[@rayderrich]

Both are so interesting! Thanks for showing them and giving us your thoughts.

[@FreeBeat]

Absolutely, thanks for watching!

[@jahovahjira]

Thank you again for an excellent video, FB. Very helpful!

[@FreeBeat]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@RSKT_music]

Great video as always dude! Absolutely love the Deluge. I definitely have my fair shair of gripes with it, but at no point have I considered it not worth the money. It's helped me come up with musical ideas I probably wouldnt have created without it. The new update is amazing too! Glad you're still having fun with this device.

[@FreeBeat]

Yeah it's an incredible device, nothing else like it haha. Thanks for watching!

[@GazRendar]

Great comparison vid. Thank you!

[@FreeBeat]

I'd love to see what you could come up with using a Deluge haha, thanks for watching!

[@masseyis]

Thanks for this. So many of these comparison things talk about features in a way that makes it clear the reviews never really use them. Getting to the "spirit" or style of a groovebox isn't easy from videos. This really helped. Personally, I have an mc-101 that I got simply for portability. I find the 4 tracks halts creativity a bit. I got an MPC live 2 with high hopes and just haven't gelled with it yet. The MC-101 is more step based and has a great sound engine. Turns out that's more my thing. But it's hard to get these things from reviews. Thanks for doing so

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks, that was exactly what I wanted to convey with this video! Yeah, the MPC workflow really isn't that "step" based, which is something I've learned that I really enjoy. The MC-101 does look pretty cool, I'd love to check one out some day. Thanks for watching :)

[@hvhvgitaar]

Excellent comparison, thanks. Looking for an on the road songwriting box I agonised for months between these two and some of the Roland self contained boxes (MC, verselab) after getting rid of my Novation Circuit . I am glad I went for the Deluge, even though the learning curve is steeper than a Tour de France climb…

[@FreeBeat]

That is a very apt description of the Deluge hahaha. So worth it though! Thanks for watching :)

[@galactictapes]

Thanks so much for the shout out

[@FreeBeat]

Absolutely, can't wait to cover your album properly on the channel :)

[@alexwestconsulting]

awesome video. I've got both and wouldn't do without either. But for me the Deluge is a better fit. One thing I'll add that gets overlooked is that the Deluge will hold up longer being what it is, a rather timeless device, while the MPC One will be replaced by a unit with a more powerful sampler/vst host/dsp/whatever else before long (Akai has a LONG history of effectively antiquating their products after a couple years). Which isn't to knock what the MPC One is right now, the unit that I would probably recommend to MOST people atm, while the Deluge is a little more niche.

[@FreeBeat]

That is an excellent point, thanks for watching!

[@RonCavagnaro]

funny you post this I have both, just got an mpc one for fun. haha

[@FreeBeat]

Hey Ron, love your videos! You basically single-handedly helped me learn the Deluge lol.

[@RonCavagnaro]

@@FreeBeat whoa that's cool! Well I did just get mpc one and yeah the kit construction blows away deluge kits, in Many ways. Currently planning on just using the mpc to be triggered by deluge for drums, so yes it has its uses, and since it's external gear it will be going thru all of my crazy fx chains!

[@ildafons]

Nice video!

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks so much!

[@fulltang1]

I have both as well. From a purely utilitarian standpoint when working standalone with external synths the mpc one crushes the deluge, since you can plug in an audio interface straight into the mpc via USB hub. But I'm with you, I simply just have more fun with grid as I usually don't have a plan. I don't have an analog mixer, so I'm pairing the deluge with my 2-1 with Bitwig to manage my external synths and effects

[@wiggesobk]

Great video. My heart goes out to the MPC One ✊

[@FreeBeat]

You kill it too!

[@eagereyes]

The Deluge can play USB host too! You need a crazy USB-B to USB-A female(!) adapter and it has to be plugged into power (so it can power the device). But it works really well.

[@FreeBeat]

Oh wow, I had no clue! I'll have to grab an adapter and give it a shot :)

[@Havreringar]

Nice one! Which one would be best suited for sketching out ideas (techno) for further processing/production in Ableton? Looking for something that's fun, inviting, tactile, quality to complement the boring computer.

[@FreeBeat]

Unfortunately you can't individual track stems with the deluge, so if you're looking to work with Ableton I would say go for the MPC or something else.

[@duncan-rmi]

the deluge was always capable of recording velocity using the zoom knob or an external controller, but a recent open-source OS fork gives it a "kit keyboard" of eight 4x4 grids for velocity entry from its own pads. also, you can resample mixes or submixes & retrieve them from the card, either for use in a song on the deluge or in a DAW. I have both- haven't touched the mpc in a year.

[@duncan-rmi]

also, the tempo range on the deluge is insane. I altered the tempo from 0.001 bpm to somewhere over 24000 bpm while it was overdubbing audio loops & it stacked over a hundred before I got scared & stopped it.

[@sinewaymusic]

I'd say that the emphasis on the MPC isn't just finger drumming, but rather to offer a tactile experience throughout the whole music production cycle (which includes song sketching and arrangement, too!). The pads are surprisingly musical and playable even for other instruments, and the scale and chords modes are amazing, as is the arp. It's so easy to turn the arp on/off using a double press of a button, and you can switch octaves with the pad bank buttons. The pads even feature polyphonic aftertouch, and the midi sequencer does too. This is a big deal if you own eg a Hydrasynth and want to use it in your production. There are even some prominent DAWs that lack polyphonic aftertouch midi recording, like Reason, FL Studio, etc. In other words, the MPC sequencer is MORE powerful than many DAWs! Overall, it's SO powerful. You don't *have* to use all the features, but having access to per-pad effects (including the amazing drum fx page which offers 8 effects *on top* of the other 4 general effects - per pad, still! - is nothing short of amazing. You can get from 0% to a nearly finished and mixed song in very little time, all with buttons, knobs and amazing pads at your fingertips. The workflow isn't always the quickest, especially when you get closer to the mixing phase, but it's very easy to become extremely quick on the MPC One. For me, this device hits a sweet spot between being a creative noodling, sketching and arrangement kind of device because everything is so quick once you learn your way around its core navigation (primarily Main, Program edit, and Track/pad mix). But then it also has all the power to get you up until the final mixing phase of you want to. And you can then switch to using the MPC2 software on your computer, which is the same full fledged DAW as is built in right into the MPC One, except on the computer you have more performance and can run more plug-ins (including third party ones!). About the only thing I wish it really had was a built-in battery and the ability to power off of a usb-c powerbank.

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks for watching!

[@bartjanc]

You can probably just get a myvolts ripcord to charge from a powerbank. Probably needs a powerbank with an 3+A output.

[@sinewaymusic]

@@bartjanc I tried and no, it doesn't work well. The ripcord isn't rated at those extreme power draws, despite them marketing the cable as "Compatible with the MPC One". I got a refund from them and the cord is just lying around, but it won't power the MPC, unfortunately. Don't buy it.

[@Quark.Lepton]

I run mine off a power bank all day long while traveling/whatever. I carry it all in a laptop case with a Arturia Keystep 37.

[@IsaiahGrande]

@@Quark.Lepton what cable and power back are you using?

[@jantuitman]

I did not use the synth of the Deluge for the first 1 1/2 years I had it, because I thought synths were hard. But actually if you just turn on pulse width modulation with an LFO, or FM with low levels and no fractions in the ratios, or noise through the filter, any of these things will sound so good on the Deluge that it is hard to get a “wrong” sound. So I now very often use very basic synth sounds which I make in 5 minutes or so, because it is friendlier for my mind to just make a basic sound from scratch than to try and find it in the presets. For the rest I do have a decent multi sampled piano, some strings, a bass and a clarinet.

[@FreeBeat]

Fantastic tips as always! I need to update my multisample libraries on the Deluge, sometimes I forget it has the capabilities to use them lol.

[@jantuitman]

@@FreeBeat i hope it will click with you one day even though you now feel you are not a sound designer. I also still underuse the sampler.and I tried the wavetables but so far that always sounds like the same lawn mower 😅 even though I tried different files.

[@theglurgle]

These are both amazing machines, never having had hands on one though, I got to wondering if you have any “best budget groovebox” type videos? I’m a fairly new viewer, and the usual suspects .. PO, Cycles, samples, etc. all pique my interest.

[@BroodXindustrial]

Notation rhythm. Just got one. Pretty bad ass for a budget box

[@joshualane1716]

@@BroodXindustrial this or the SP 404 we’re going to be my suggestion. The Sonicware’s SmplTrek looks very promising for the price, but you can honestly get pretty far with Flip Sampler or Koala Sampler on your phone/iPad for $5-$10

[@justintimemusic_]

What do you mean by ‘budget’ ? I own three grooveboxes that I would say are mid-range in price: the Roland MC-101, the Teenage Engineering OP-Z and the Elektron Digitakt. Of those, the Digitakt is currently my favourite, although it is the most expensive, has the most limitations and probably needs other synths to get the best out of it. The MC-101 is a very close second though. It has an internal synth engine which sounds great with over 4,000 presets, loads of drum samples, you can load in your own samples. It supports patterns which go up to 128 steps in length (approx 8 bars - competitors are generally 64 steps / 4 bars) and there are plenty of them, It has four very flexible polyphonic tracks and plenty of polyphony. On the downside the workflow is pretty clunky. I don’t know why it isn’t more popular. I also like the Koala Sampler app with its Samurai expansion. Again there are polyphonic tracks and it supports resampling. The expansion adds a piano roll and timestretching. The controls over the sounds are very limited compared to the Digitakt, but it only cost me £7 and, workflow aside, I’d say it is close to as capable.

[@FreeBeat]

I don't really have any directly covering the topic, but I have videos overviewing a lot of different "budget" options. My personal favorite would have to be the Elektron Model:Cycles ($300). Elektron managed to cram their entire high end sequencer into it, and it works really well. If you're more of a sample user, the Model:Samples is also a fantastic option! Thanks for watching :)

[@xneoken]

Depends on your budget. I have a bunch Pocket Operators but I would skip them as they are more like toys & can’t scale as you get better. Circuit Tracks & Rhythm can be had for around $200 used. Used OG Circuit for over $100. Circuits have one of the best workflows so the design of the Deluge is based off that.

[@JohanVandekerckhove]

I switched from Deluge to MPC Live II but I miss the sequencer and probability from the Deluge a lot... But I prefer having a screen rather than remembering shortcuts... Sampling with Deluge was a pain as well for me. If probability and random notes (not static) would be added to MPC... that would be the best thing ever...

[@FreeBeat]

Yeah, I'm not sure I could go back to not having the grid laid out in front of me, now that I've used the Deluge haha. I'm very interested in the new box from Polyend, seems like it could be the best of both worlds!

[@noisetheorem]

Have you tried connecting the Deluge to the MPC via USB? When I borrowed a deluge 3 years ago, they were a pretty good pair. With all the audio and midi updates to both, I wonder how well they’d pair now?

[@FreeBeat]

I have, but it felt really redundant haha. I actually made a whole video about it! Thanks for watching :)

[@melokit-music]

Totaly agréé, Deluge IS the BEST ❤️

[@FreeBeat]

Yeah, it's amazing!

[@EverettVinzant]

It matters to me that both products exist. Competition between businesses, different approaches, different interfaces, I’m happy there are options. For me, the Live II is my weapon of choice (thanks Fatboy Slim). Before that it was the MPC 1000 with mods (to include battery). I have LOTS of feature requests I still want from the MPC… playing the sample from storage is (1). The BlackBox does it, the Akai force does it, and my 1000 does it. Save. Where the heck is save once you’ve got something sounding perfect? I should be able to instantly save what I’m doing (AT THAT MOMENT) as a .wav so that I can use it elsewhere if I want. 2GB of RAM? In the 2020’s? Come on, make it 8. And fix the damned problem with it not previewing tracks from Splice (purchased on Apple platform because it d/l’s the wrong format). But…. I’m glad I have an MPC Live II.

[@FreeBeat]

It's funny, the more we fall in love with pieces of gear, the more we seem to come up with improvements we'd like made as well haha. Great list, thanks for watching!

[@djcuda]

I have an MPC but I like deluge I wish I had one I guess when we get to a certain level it’s really what you want to use to make music cause all of these machines have different ways of making music it’s refreshing but if choose MPC it’s a Swiss Army knife

[@FreeBeat]

Yeah you nailed it. Most of these pieces of gear can all basically make the same songs, it's all about how you want to work!

[@williamwallace6508]

how does the mpc one compare to the deluge for creating presets? to move my sample library onto the deluge to create presets would take me months of work!

[@blkrbbt]

Didn't one of your last videos tend on a cliffhanger? What happened with the double triggers? Anymore crashing?

[@FreeBeat]

I filmed this video before that one haha.So far I haven't had any more crashes though, and just a few double triggers. Thanks for watching!

[@loktar00]

Streaming from the SD card with the Deluge is amazing.. wondering why the MPC One hasn't gotten that yet since the Force can do it.

[@FreeBeat]

Yeah, kinda silly we don't have that yet!

[@traitortotheliving]

Can you assign different multiple effects per pad or layer the sounds on a pad in the deluge like you can on the MPC?

[@jantuitman]

On the Deluge effects are pretty basic. You have bit crushing, distortion, saturation built in in the synth/sample engine so you can turn any combination of these on. Next you have 1 pluggable fx per sound/track which can be chorus, flanger, or phaser. Then you have a delay per sound/track and a global reverb (each track has a send level to determine how much it uses the reverb). Kits have all these fx per sound, so your kick can have different fx than your snare. There is nothing to layer sounds but it is pretty easy to copy/paste stuff so I have used layering many times by just having 2 tracks with different sounds play the exact same notes.

[@traitortotheliving]

Oh wow super limited. On the MPC you can assign four effects per pad on a track as well as four global effects. Can layer up to four sounds per pad also and then just resample to keep adding more if needed. The deluge resamples right? You can add an effect then resample the sound and add another effect?

[@jantuitman]

@@traitortotheliving o yes, resampling is a breeze on the Deluge. I’ve seen people who first record a short chord loop through resample and then by slowing it down, speeding it up and modulating it like crazy with “random” create something out of it which gives many a granular synth a run for its money.

[@FreeBeat]

Looks like Jan beat me to it! (To be fair, Jan's comments are also where I get a lot of my Deluge tips lol).

[@VJFranzK]

Apples to Pumpkins! So different. (I also have a vid on this topic.) It's Sample / audio Focus & Buttons vs Sequence Edit Focus

[@DJSockmonkeyMusic]

I have a Maschine Mk2 which is similar to the MPC in concept but requires a computer to run the software, and while I have had plenty of fun with it, and I use it for drum tracks all the time, I wouldn't buy another one. Tbh, I thought it was standalone when I bought it (2nd hand by mail). I'll have to give an MPC a try some time. I don't really like the lack of velocity control on the Deluge, so it's a definite no for me on that one. I much prefer my Beatstep Pro with its big fat pads.

[@FreeBeat]

Funny, I almost made the same mistake with the Maschine haha. Thanks for watching!

[@Innersea]

For a little while I had a BSP hooked up to my Deluge and they worked together really well. The Deluge can take velocity data from an external device so it kinda overrode that problem. I sold the BSP though because I could of got the same functionality out of a standard Beat Step and the Deluge sequencer blows the BSP's out of the water. All fair points though!

[@gigamaxmusic]

The lack of velocity is a deal breaker, the MPC is so versatile! The only thing the deluge can do that the MPC can't is have two different time signatures in the same sequence. I have a $10 stylus for my MPC it's a night and day difference, I highly recommend the Amazon choice.

[@SexyNinjaMonkey]

It has velocity, just the pads are not velocity sensitive. You can assign velocity per step if you have the patience, or just use a MIDI controller.

[@gigamaxmusic]

@@SexyNinjaMonkey that's not terrible, each tool has their place. I agree with FB that this is a composition sketchpad not a production tool, with only one sound per track it will sound quite bland. Compared to the MPCs multiple actions per pad and automated filter and tone settings, it's comparing cake to bread.

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks for watching!

[@uberzone5836]

The 4.0 Deluge update also added support for MPE

[@ujjayisoundsystem]

Velocity usb keyboard and boom

[@FelixSaint]

Another thing worth mentioning. You actually can have up to 4 (I believe) USB devices and Deluge works great with them, and can differentiate too, even better than with 5 pong most of the time. And whats more important, Deluge supports MPE looping. So I can record Hydrasynth performance and play it back. That was a deal breaker for me.

[@camlong89]

I've never played an instrument more than i play the deluge. Well worth the money.

[@FreeBeat]

Yeah, it's a complete monster!

[@wiegraf9009]

The screen on the MPC One screams DAW to me. The screen on the Polyend Play is more the sort of thing I'd like to see on a groovebox.

[@FreeBeat]

That's a pretty fair comparison I think, thanks for watching!

[@EverettVinzant]

Freebeats - Have you ever considered an Akai Force? It’s sorta between these two and has the arranger function you lie.

[@FreeBeat]

I've looked into it, a bit out of my price range currently haha. I'd love to check one out though!

[@helxis]

What's the difference between writing and production?

[@FreeBeat]

In my opinion, writing is more about the actual music. The rhythms, the notes, the arrangement and orchestration, etc. Production is more about mixing, effects, the sounds themselves, etc. Again, that's just my opinion.

[@headlinerbeats]

I dont know, I just cant see anything in all these blinky tiny pads on the deluge, I find it hard to navigate and actually know exactly where I am at, just by looking at the pads on it.

[@ShaighJosephson]

The Deluge is in dire need of a new hardware interface... They are now into 3-button combo functions... That's a big no-can-do for me...

[@SonicVibe]

i think your going to really like the sonicware smpltrek

[@lbarnett748]

I’m waiting for that Ive Got 2 of their livens already incredible value for money and so many features 👍👍👍

[@FreeBeat]

I'm really hoping to get my hands on one eventually! I wanted to back it on Kickstarter but I didn't have the spare cash sadly.

[@lbarnett748]

@@FreeBeat yeah I’m not gunu be able to afford one for a bit but a month of saving should cover this for when it’s on order again. Touchwood aha

[@krazywabbit]

Polyend Play. Watch that space.

[@FreeBeat]

Definitely waiting to see what they do!

[@TheRhyne91]

Why not both? I wanna see someone use the MPC but with the Deluge’s unparalleled sequencer

[@FreeBeat]

I've actually done a video about why I don't really use them together before haha. Thanks for watching!

[@TheRhyne91]

@@FreeBeat which one?

[@TheRhyne91]

@@FreeBeat what video

[@healthyhappyhero]

I tried the deluge but the tiny screen was frustrating. But the sequencing on the deluge was so great compared to the MPC. Then I got an Akai force and I think it may be the best of both worlds. Cheers

[@FreeBeat]

I'd love to check the force out someday, it does seem like a happy medium between the two! Thanks for watching :)

[@steveedwards4495]

What's the difference between producing and writing bud? Deluge might be the next in the collection.

[@guysmiley7289]

I use them together. They kind of fill each other's holes, giggity giggity.

[@felipefs106]

The fx's and synths on the Mpc One sound much better to me imho. On the other hand, the step sequencer on the deluge is great.

[@FreeBeat]

Yeah, that's a pretty fair assessment. I'm discovering that you can make the Deluge synths sound pretty good though. But the effects on the MPC are crazy lol, so many options!

[@felipefs106]

@@FreeBeat I've heard some really nice presets on other youtube channels, but I don't know how the synth engine really worked to be honest (when I had a Deluge). Regarding Fx, I wish they add a compressor to the deluge, in order to glue everything on the master channel

[@parisdontlikeyou]

MPC: if you convert audio tracks to drum kits you can have 64 audio tracks per each drum track 128. That's over 8000 audio tracks.

[@FreeBeat]

Good tip!

[@scrapeape]

U say Bolth

[@FreeBeat]

I definitely prefer the Deluge haha.

[@scrapeape]

@@FreeBeat No I mean you put an L in both like a lot of people do. Anyways I subscribed. Good content here.

[@FreeBeat]

​@@scrapeape Omg you're right haha, time to fix that! Thanks for the sub as well :)

[@zodchyi]

Автор странный:))) А типа песни это не продакшен:)))? И на счёт звука, лучше в MPC только качество синтеза, сэмплы идентичные по качеству и записи и воспроизведения ну и я считаю что если сравнивать делюгой это нечто среднее между op-1 и akai force но MPC там вообще сравнивать глупо…. Прежде всего это лёгкий компактный грувбокс для мобильных набросков.

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks for watching!

[@PianoDanny]

Best results? Learn. To. Play. A. Piano! Drum sequencing cool, but…in terms of creativity, nothing beats an actual piano in front of you. Take time, but there’s no better real time sequencer than…playing piano!

[@FreeBeat]

Yes, a proper keyboard aids both of these devices. However, it's not what this specific video is about, hence why I didn't include it. Thanks for watching!

[@PianoDanny]

@@FreeBeat as a career piano player, I can see how ‘automated’ this music can become. Soul, rock, reggae, folk etc doesn’t get a look-in. I have an MPC-One myself. But I’m struggling to find how this can be a proper SONGwriting piece of kit, rather than something that’s handed to users on a plate. Ie: the same sounds previously put together by master producers, just played in a different order!

[@rocl420]

@@PianoDanny Worthless commentary, as if you don't understand the reason sequencers exist. Piano though, why stop there with the automated hand-outs? Will you malign everyone using a drum machine next, or is that acceptable because you yourself aren't a career drummer? Your haughty attitude is unwelcome.

[@PianoDanny]

@@rocl420 nothing haughty whatsoever. Why the over-sensitivity Roci? I’m all for people making music using technology. Helping people do this pays for my mortgage and helps support my wife and two kids! All I’m saying is that playing piano well takes far far more time and effort than learning to use an MPC, Logic, Ableton etc, great tools as they are. How you can possibly disagree with this, quite frankly, says a whole lot more about you than it does me… 👍🏼

[@rocl420]

@@PianoDanny It's not whether I agree or disagree, it's you interjecting judgment randomly. Look at the subject of this video again; telling people to practice piano more is a non sequitur. Playing dumb regarding your snide tone is a weak defense mechanism.

[@___xyz___]

Software people shouldn't make hardware, and hardware people shouldn't make software.

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks for watching!