Review: Maschine+ Plus vs Akai MPC vs i7 MacBook Pro: 400+ questions answered...

[@RedMeansRecording]

This is unbelievably helpful. Thanks for your hard work on this video!

[@loopop]

🙌🏻🙏🏻

[@lelluc]

Hello Jeremy 👋

[@SirBoopBoop]

OMG it's "Rer Merns Rerording!"

[@Paul......]

Did u buy the m+?

[@datpiff8550]

My sentiments

[@DopamineOverload]

Amazing video as always. Longtime Maschine user, here. When Maschine+ was announced, it was the catalyst that made me take a chance on an MPC One (open-box) for only $540. I absolutely love it. Just as much as my Maschine MK3. If anyone's on the fence about these two-- go the MK3 route, or the MPC One. Why the MK3? 3rd party plugin support (absolutely none on Maschine+), and all the storage/RAM you need (depending on your computer). I'm using Maschine on a 10-year old quad-core Dell with an SSD system drive, Windows 7, and 8gb ram (initially, now 32gb) and I had no issues whatsoever even with 8gb. It's stable, it runs everything, and it's the same thing. And, if your laptop has decent battery, your MK3 runs on USB power. Close the lid, and it's a Maschine+ for less than half the price. Re: battery-- the Krisdonia battery bank works great with the MPC One, and gives you 6-8 hours of runtime. If you have $1400 to spend, get both, because they're both awesome.

[@Knight2Bee]

So far this has been the best demonstration MK III+ that I seen. Thanks for getting into the guts of the Maschine + and the comparison to other products.

[@camreese1444]

This is review is simply phenomenal and answers all the questions I had about the unit.

[@bastiendocquois2104]

The effort put into this review and its quality are phenomenal, great job!

[@Jegkedermigmega]

Completely unrelated to this video: just wanted to give a 'thank you' for the Patreon book. I feel like this is the bible of synthesis. So well-written and with loads of ideas, that I hadn't thought of. I feel you've sparked creativity back into my workflow :) Thanks!

[@loopop]

Thanks very much both for the comment and your support - totally my pleasure!

[@echo_opera]

Wow. I literally had this dream last night and look at what you did here. Thanks for this. 🙏🏼

[@aloharay]

Thank you Loopop, as always you put a lot of hard work into teaching the masses so they can make an educated purchase decision.

[@dwilliams4142]

Absolutely excellent breakdown. Thanks always loopop.

[@cedrickivits4682]

Damn, this video explained so much and gave such a clear representation of the pro’s and cons. Thanks a lot man! You’re a great instructor!

[@zooblestyx]

As a fan of the Yamaha QY series machines, I'm encouraged to see that with Maschine+, Deluge, 1010 BlackBox, etc, there seems to be a trend building toward what I guess could be termed the DAW box, as the next step up from the groovebox.

[@K33HOLDA83]

Always a pleasure to hear your reviews

[@parkaybaby]

I have a home studio which I'm still using Maschine MK2 with Logic but I also just purchased the Maschine Plus for when I want to go on my patio, when I'm on lunch break at work, whenever I'm flying out of town or taking road trips it works plus I'm not a sample type guy but the MPC live 2 is something I definitely like and would of bought if I sample music either way the way you utilize your art/talent you cant go wrong with either.... much love everybody keep creating no matter what you have blessings good luck 2021!!! Blessings!!!

[@trevorbrown8737]

Top video as usual been looking forwards to this and didn’t disappoint!! Thanks

[@stvcolwill]

my first video from you.... EXCELLENT JOB on all!!!!!! thanks so much!!

[@olafmolenveld4985]

Awesome and very extensive review/comparison, thanks a bunch!

[@hugoclubs9676]

Thank you very much for this detailed review loopop. And thank you all the good people you support this channel on Patreon 👍

[@avace917]

In comparing the MPC Live 2 to the Maschine +, another difference in regards to using either as a centerpiece is the Live has extra MIDI ins, outs and audio outs. I think the deciding factor is whether or not you're using whichever device mostly on its own or along with other hardware. I've used MPCs since 1992, so I always had the intention of using it with several synths at once. In my personal studio and on records I produced, I used 4. Plus I'm planning on using a modular synthesizer in the future.

[@evoprox1]

Outstanding video here, second to none, incredibly helpful even if you made up your mind or have invested into one or both systems already. Thanks for putting this up.

[@rydx5445]

Thank You for Answering our questions!!! Awesome review!!! Thanks

[@chrisperpina6326]

Another great vid, Helping the community!

[@edgi55]

Thanks for the comparision and this very informative video

[@frankogio5715]

got the Akai Force , and not interested of buying Machine, but was watching your review with the pleasure ! thanks for your work !

[@DoctorNemmo]

Well, this is a lovely way to start a sunday. Thanks.

[@feedingthehydra7134]

Would love to see this revisited with the new update on the mpc 😁😁

[@jamesmuprhy]

I feel like the main factor with your setup is gonna be whether you use plug ins or you have analog equipment. Personally the best part of the mpc one is the multiple tracks, sequences and as a general midi master device. I use a lot of analog gear and never found my grove on a traditional daw, using the mpc like a live looper and sampler as well as a midi sequencer is pretty great. There are definitely clock issues but I've found that for myself just having analog equipment the mpc one is a game changer with 2.8 and the portability puts that track to edit generally anywhere as opposed to a pc. Don't get me wrong the machine is a better value if you're looking for just the best range, having a one time price access to all the NI plug in suite with a portable daw is worth it alone but as a lame ass analog purist, I'd have to point out the compatibility of midi ready analog devices that shines on the one to the others out there.

[@Shakshuka69]

I think I've watched this video like 50 times now. So much good info. Ended up going with Maschine Mk3 because I'll be working at my desk near my laptop anyways and the UI on a laptop is always going to be better than a small screen with convoluted menus and functions.

[@Re-bl5sr]

Think I'll be going with the Mk3 too ne honest. I already use the S61 Mk2 which was one of the best purchases I ever made so I think I'll stick with NI for my Drum Machine in the new year.

[@jfphotoandlife8287]

@@Re-bl5sr Me too 👍🏻

[@nathanjmansfield9969]

Makes so much sense to go for the MK3. When the +PLUS doesn't offer any benefits worth considering. Still needs a power supply haha

[@sisterzzbro4215]

Thanks for your videos. These are the best for me to understand good. Good job Sir! 🧐 Machine Plus I have never realized ...

[@leslawrenson]

I've just bought the MPC One, and for the money it is fantastic. As regards the lack of plug-ins, that is no big deal. The onboard synth is good enough (on the road) to lay down a track, and when you get back into the studio you can hook up your favourite synth and use the midi data to play it back into an audio track. Or, auto sample your favourite synth, and then use the midi data to play that into a midi track. The best thing about the MPC One is is portability and its touchscreen. That puts it head and shoulders above anything else on the market, for me.

[@jandostalik6290]

This is so great and useful review, unbelievable, thanks a lot!

[@crybo]

Finally! Been waiting for this.

[@danielclifton3319]

Yes! Nothing like some good competition, to get Akai back in the game!

[@PlayEngage]

NI can really compete with Akai if there will be a Maschine standalone that has touch screen, expandable internal storage (for SSD), internal speakers, and of course internal battery. I feel that the current Maschine+ is not enough to call it a standalone, because it is the price of two Maschine MK3 or two MPC One.

[@DopamineOverload]

Loopop strikes again! Thanks again for yet another perfect video.

[@DavidPeck]

I think the Maschine+ is good news for MPC users! The competition should motivate Akai to improve their platform and continue to add features.

[@DavidPeck]

@Catholic Truth Sure, but the Maschine+ is a portable device. It's much more fair to compare it to the MPC One or Live/Live II in terms of hardware specs. The MPC X hardware is definitely in it's own class.

[@DJDigitalJosh]

@Catholic Truth Nope! The Casio XW-PD1 TrackFormer was a standalone sampler/groovebox with a speaker made back in 2015.... It did suck, but it's "truly standalone" as well.

[@drizzl8899]

If I was a Maschine user it wouldn't make much sense to me to spend money on this. Thats a mk3 and a laptop or mk3 and komplete 13.

[@jonathansoko1085]

At the one's price point, it is obliterating N.I right now tho

[@jacobarmstrong5308]

@@drizzl8899 imo that's its biggest downfall. pay double the price of an MK3 just to go computerless?

[@ZAYAZOfficial]

Your videos are always incredible man! Love it

[@kalubandali2241]

Thanks for your service :)

[@D-One]

Best reviewer in the game! 👊🏽

[@danieljung2810]

This needs to be updated. The firmware update and price of the MPC One vs. Machine + IMHO makes the MPC One amazing value.

[@ImpactSpace]

Now even more since 2.11 (or 3.2 on the Force) NOTHING beats those beasts right now.

[@LukeLine]

Loved this massive comparison... I'll stick with my MPC but excited for more updates and future standalone features between AKAI and Maschine!!

[@cyxman3940]

Tanks, simply the best music hardware channel.

[@effex75]

simply the best reviews you can get

[@leesimz_]

Totally agree with the Mk+ GUI's ... surely we should have envelopes on the screens instead of mini plugin gui's???? What about an assignable lfo in effects section and waveform gui's? Like a midi clip import folder on the SD Card.. Keep up the great work @ loopop.... Much appreciated dude ❤️

[@duartedasilva5949]

"That's what I do for science."👍

[@boimesa8190]

Are the full plugin versions (massive, fm8 etcetc) included and if so, will it run in my DAW without maschine+

[@BoBeats]

Great work as always!

[@loopop]

Thanks - much appreciated!

[@nissieln]

Thanks for the informative review ^__^ This is great!

[@JeffCfreeradiorevolution]

Great job LP! Looks very promising... i think they really need to fix the interface so that we can see the macros clearly on their instruments. Now it’s your turn... Ableton....

[@Dikkedimi]

only thing I'm missing is sampling quality comparison! maybe you could make a small vid about that. MPC's tend to sound nicer with hot signals, so it'd be interesting to see how machine+ stacks up

[@hubertoef6878]

Hi @Loopop. Thanks for the insightful video. You mention that the fact that Maschine requires are files in a single folder is a "temporary issue". I am wondering whether there has been any progress here. Is there a convenient way to simply browse through different folder levels? I have recently purchased an MPC live II as my standalone device, and part of the reason was that Maschine is really unfriendly when it comes to browsing user files, unless you go through the trouble of labelling everything in the desktop software, which I have always considered a big hassle when using my Maschine MK1 and MK3.

[@soulscientific2685]

Even tho I'm happy with my mpc live classic its nice to see how the mashine+ works!! Thanks i love your vidz there always crazy informative.

[@loopop]

Thanks! Bottom line is both are a ton of fun :)

[@nucentury08]

Just got my Plus Friday Love it I’ve owned every Maschine made💪🏾🚀🚀🚀 I also Own the MPC Live II but the NI workflow is 🔥 and 80% of the features at the making of this video now work or you can do.

[@tony113000]

Again thanks for a great video - very informative

[@MattiasHolmgren]

Great comparison Loopop! I wish we could swap the CPU of the Maschine+ to boost it (like any other computer) if we are unhappy with the native CPU. Maybe they will add variations of the Maschine+ in the future!? Great video!

[@ploytuell1332]

very informative review. thank you!

[@stevenicholsonproducer]

Really great Video, specially with Maschine + now around £850 in price!

[@amfimoll9428]

Amazing video. Thanks a lot!

[@ildarkinildarkin]

You are 100% right on Q-links. I think the problem is that there are so many screens, pages and parameters where they could be useful, that designers have just put it on a user shoulders to arrange (program) them. And programming them is headache for me to tell the truth. BTW if anyone has useful tips on programming Q-links the better way, please let me know.

[@rabbitfist]

Being able to load my own custom Reaktor ensembles imakes the difference between wanting this or not for me. This is the first I’ve heard of it. Everything else I saw or read said it wasn’t supported so I had just about written the Maschine + off. NI really should let Reaktor and Kontakt owners know. Thanks for another great video that gets into the important details!

[@BIGPUN4EVER]

So Kontakt and Reaktor are compatible?

[@TurkmanSouljah]

Soo 3 gbs for sample ram on maschine? And thank you so much for this review

[@shapeshiftersmediagroup]

Fantastic video as always Loop. You're the goat. Do the Kontakt Guitars work on maschine plus standalone? Either as they are or maybe modified as a custom preset and resaved then loaded on Maschine plus? (without doing a multi-sample work-around)?

[@rafaelikenaga]

can a live loop audio? also can I map buttons and parameter to my midi foot controller?

[@DopamineOverload]

Loopop, do you think you could go over in detail using Clips with the upcoming Maschine 2.12? We're all dying to know! Thanks!

[@loopop]

I can't guarantee it soon, they're going to update it further soon and if I cover it I want to whole thing...

[@PlayEngage]

I love this review! Maschine+ have tons of synths, MPC has now 4 plugins including the latest DrumSynth from version 2.9 firmware. I can make full songs with just basic electric piano, analog modeling synth, and drum kits...I am overwhelemed with the plenty of plugins from Komplete or any expansions from both. I came from Maschine MK3 then sold it to switch to the MPC Live. I realized that Maschine+ is double the price of a Maschine MK3 but without internal battery, touch screen, and internal speakers (compared to the MPC Live II) which I found to be less practical to spend 1,200 to 1,400 dollars. I think a valid reason to get a Maschine+ if you do not have a decent computer to produce music or if your current computer keeps crashing when using a DAW or music softwares, but then the MPC One is still the practical choice. :)

[@PHeMoX]

The issue is you can get a decent enough laptop + a Maschine MK3 for less money in total. Especially if you don't care about getting a brandnew MK3. Or even better, get a Mikro MK2 used and a great laptop and you'd get even more for your money's worth. Even worse, Maschine+ DOES NOT support all available plug-ins, meaning you're SOL in some cases which is just 100% unacceptable for a $1200-1400 device.

[@josejuanvelardesevil8379]

This will be solved with new actulizacions is all ready on the table of ni so no worry's about it I own a Maschine plus and have a MacBook pro i7 and I have Maschine MK3 also but I decided to upgrade because the standalone mode and that is a beast Maschine the materials are really cool and I don't care about touchscreens because if is broken you're fucked up have to pay a lot for the screen plus the installation so I'm very comfortable with the plus i recommended highly and works with link with Traktor and Ableton or logic Pro X flawlessly the link option is great I recommend Maschine Plus over Akai MPC one but far away I had both and I sell the Akai i like the workflow of Ni Maschine and I have integrated the jam with the plus and I use them in control or standalone mode and works great is a perfect combo for the ones that are owners of the Jam or if you find one at good price because they are going up the prices instead of go down NI is making the Homework very good and comes a lot of super actualitations for Maschine and Maschine plus the flagship Equipment of Ni with the Sl49 MK2 that is beautiful controller and keyboard

[@UniqueThaPoet]

MPC one for sure. Easiest and most straight forward way to make beats.

[@eddmtz4028]

Your opinión Made me make a good decision , Mpc one easier

[@UniqueThaPoet]

@@eddmtz4028 glad I could help.

[@styx3styx]

hello what and the recording time of a maximum sample between the 2 Machines?

[@tonybattlethebeatmaker447]

Biggest gripe for me between the two is the MK3 has a “mic in gain” and the + has an “input gain” knob. Which owners know with the MK3 to get a decent sample recording from the inputs you needed an extra Audio I/O to get a good level unless you were comfortable using the normalize feature every time you sample external sources which I found very limiting for me vs. the MPC lineup which all units have a gain stage knob for sampling. That and the limited 4 GB of Ram in the + vs. a laptop with up to 16GB attached to the MK3.

[@weyoun6535]

On the MPC if you hold down the Q-LINK page button it shows all of the current assignments on the screen for all 4 banks.

[@loopop]

Indeed, it's still quite slow compared to just seeing the parameters on screen

[@truman5838]

I think stand alone is a nice option and sets it apart from other devices. It's an absolute game changer. I'm excited to see how they develop and improve upon stand alone devices. A maschine , a headset , and im good to go to the park or beach. A beautiful setting can inspire beautiful music.

[@YKMusic-mo6df]

Okay so what seems needed with this MAschine+ is a 16in/out ADAT soundcard to actually get all the tracks separately and independently in the DAW. Any models recommendations ? @loopop ?

[@Tigerex966]

Can you upgrade the ram and storage and CPU on the machine or is it soldered on?

[@davidsteffens3952]

Do scales work with Komplete keyboards? Can I map scales to white keys with it on the +?

[@AnalogueRecall]

Thanks for a great video comparison. I've never got on with Machine sadly. I'm wondering about the MPC now. Touch screen with keyboard would make a massive difference to me. For example, moving a knob for each character is like wading through mud when you want to get things done.

[@PoliPopo]

I just might have to pick one of these up 💯

[@jessepace8868]

@46:00 if you hold the q link button down for 2 seconds it displays what each bank does, and which bank you are currently on

[@davidseaman7485]

I remember when the mpc touch and live came out people were screaming about how pointless the touch screen was and how they didn't need it. With the maschine everyone seems to love touch screens all of a sudden.

[@tgoodjenkins]

MPC heads shit on everything. Seen people knocking the 4GB of ram but their MPC has half that.

[@5etz3r]

I'm firmly in that camp and not budging at all. Hate touch screens, and anything that involves cell phone integration.

[@BIGPUN4EVER]

Good point!

[@txbrown_]

Maschine does not have touch screen :/

[@BIGPUN4EVER]

@@txbrown_ we know, that was the whole point of his comment 😂

[@zeneixi]

Great review.

[@tubeMonger]

I will stick to my MBP Pro and Ableton for recording and retouching the tracks from other devices. It will be nice to see how these dawless DAWs will develop from their current state. Thanks for sharing!

[@jasonpope2278]

What did you plug in to get extra ins and outs?

[@hagenstamm-leichenschmaus]

can you use the mk3 and the plus as controller at the same time?

[@mickvdzwan]

What a lot of knowledge here :) great video. What would be the nr1 standalone ( no other equipement planned, period ) be? After years of making no music ( techno ) at all, I would love to buy a device, sit down on the couch and fidle around!

[@faruzzy]

I've been a Yamaha PSR user in the past and moved recently to using a montage. One thing that I miss from the PSRs is the different drum styles that come with them and the ability to replicate the feeling with the drum fills. Anyway I've been looking at alternatives, I discovered the MPC live 2 but my understanding is that I will have to program those styles myself (which I don't mind) but I'm not sure I can mimic the different style section (newer Yamaha PSRs offer 4 with their corresponding auto-fill) Can anybody please point me in the right direction? Thank you in advance!

[@awaygoodday]

I'm on the fence with the MK3/MP+. With NI Komplete can you create your tracks/songs and export them from Komplete as an MP3 to listen to? Do NI support this?

[@jonsilvermann2473]

Renaming Samples ect. via pads would be nice. Just a graphic on the dsiplay where letters are and you can rename everything like with keyboard...

[@skyddsrum3350]

Great work as allways! If I understand this right, It's possible to transfer my +4000 Massive-presets to the PLUS? That would be a big bump in the instabuy direction!

[@loopop]

Thanks and yes it should work. Feel free to email me some good ones - happy to try ;)

[@DBX79]

Are the displays any brighter, or clearer on the Maschine+?

[@JeezVince]

does using a stylus on the mpc to make notes/midi stuff is good enough?

[@0e0]

It would be really fun if you could run special version of Traktor on this with the two screens

[@fitagoraz]

Imagine

[@quiddam]

kind of an old video but I've been wondering... which of these two would be a better partner for my use case. I basically need a box that can fill these two roles: It should process incoming audio from another groovebox (think EQ and Compressor/Limiter as end of chain solution so I don't need to bring another gear), I should be able to play clips/loops to help me transition from one track to the next in my main groovebox. How do those FX compare in these machines? Could I have enough clips in each without having to be changing projects and stopping playback?

[@cyberluke]

I just bought MPC Live II and because it cannot export properly WAV nor Ableton when you use Track mutes, I'm returning it. Now I'm looking for something different. Perhaps iPad + Keystep Pro. Or this one?

[@gretareinarsson7461]

So would it make sense to have a Maschine and KK S88 together, maybe with DAW? I’m confused.

[@DoctorNemmo]

33:48 The superpower we all wish we had.

[@therealjackfisher]

Naaah.. I dont want it.

[@Iredidv]

About the lack of cv on maschine, their audio cards are compatible, wich means you could add an audio 6, wich supports cv.

[@SunTzu192]

Here's my 2 cents after owning the MPC LIVE Gen 1, Maschine MK3 and Jam. I use the MK3 and Jam as my centre piece in my studio. I use the MPC standalone and when I'm out of the studio. 1. Browser Functionality- The browser to me is worlds better on the Maschine. You can tag and organise your samples i maschine saving time and helping my creative process. MPC is rather more manual and cumbersome to find your sounds (I am highly organised with my folders too). NI have just made finding particular sounds such a breeze. 2. NKS System: Another workflow advantage of NI is the NKS system you can browse presets on 3rd party plugins as thought they came stock with the maschine. Check out more on this. I don't use outboard gear/synths so cant speak to that integration. But have to say I do enjoy the workflow on the maschine especially paired with my jam. The MPC is just amazing as well, while my missus is doing her retail therapy, I opt to remain in the car and without any fuss can start sampling off my phone or downloading sounds from splice and get to work.

[@0e0]

if i could load my own reaktor ENS (which are very large and involved) in these boxes...I would buy two right now.

[@oryxandcake2011]

Does anyone know if it has lag when triggered via midi in. If I was to use it as a drum brain, would it be tight?

[@Weareroses]

I’ve been debating between a bunch of different groove boxes… I think I’m headed toward the mpc one. Still watching videos and still debating, but thanks for this video… on to the mpc one videos 😂

[@GregDixson]

ha! same here. mpc one seems like great value, and pretty much a daw in a box

[@Weareroses]

@@GregDixson yeah definitely looks like I’m getting one… Also gonna pick up a few cheaper synths/ groove boxes too like the model samples and the sonicware stuff is looking dope too

[@trimusfree]

Outstanding review as usual, Many Thanx!

[@TeleporterM11]

Can projects be rendered to wav files or file from the Maschine+

[@Fycstion]

Torn between the two as a beginner. I'd have more fun with the mk3 but One is a better value. Which one is best for beginners?

[@ajv820]

Mileage will vary with not only synth presets but also the number of oscillators, and how many voices (MIDI notes) you're sending to a synth. You could easily quadruple CPU usage on Massive by increasing unison voices and playing chords on one instance.