MPC LIVE II

Want to talk about music hardware or software that doesn't include Reason?
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EnochLight
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26 Jan 2021

Crumbfort wrote:
26 Jan 2021
@EnochLight

Thanks for the detailed response! This in particular really stood out to me:

"With the MPC One you’ll have to physically remove any attached SD card or USB drive and manually connect it to a port on your computer. THEY ARE NOT ACCESSIBLE WHILE IN CONTROLLER MODE. :thumbs_down: On the Live 2, they are. "


That's a big one. It would drive me a bit crazy to have to remove the SD card/usb drive every time I wanted to transfer something over to the computer. That plus the extra outs probably pushes the Live 2 over the top for me. We'll see if I end up getting one (or if the gas passes :lol: ), but if I do I think it'll be the Live 2.
No problem! If you do take the plunge, I think you'll be very happy - the current generation MPC's are the most powerful standalone production machines on the market (save for Maschine+, if you're into that sort of workflow). That said, the new Arranger Mode that's on the Akai Force is rumored to be making an appearance on the MPC's this year (hopefully), so that'll take the MPC's to the next level even more.

Just pick one up from a reputable retailer that has a generous return policy so you can give one a try and send it back if you don't like it. You'll know within a few days if it's for you. :clap: :thumbs_up:

Full disclosure: as of today, Akai still doesn't have Controller Mode working on M1 Macs, so if you've got a newer Mac, you'll be in for a wait if your goal is to use Controller Mode at all. You can, however, transfer files over USB on the Live 2 and X, as attached storage is recognized as removable storage at least.
Win 10 | Ableton Live 11 Suite |  Reason 12 | i7 3770k @ 3.5 Ghz | 16 GB RAM | RME Babyface Pro | Akai MPC Live 2 & Akai Force | Roland System 8, MX1, TB3 | Dreadbox Typhon | Korg Minilogue XD

PhillipOrdonez
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25 May 2021

Hey guys, any of you with the live or live 2 could please clear something out for me?

Do they have the ability of bouncing audio and midi? Midi being the most important part here for me but ideally both at the same time? Does the bounce to .als option bounce the midi as well as the audio?

Thanks!

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EnochLight
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25 May 2021

PhillipOrdonez wrote:
25 May 2021
Hey guys, any of you with the live or live 2 could please clear something out for me?

Do they have the ability of bouncing audio and midi? Midi being the most important part here for me but ideally both at the same time? Does the bounce to .als option bounce the midi as well as the audio?

Thanks!
You can bounce audio very easily through a variety of ways - either by "flattening pads", or just mixing down stems. You can also convert sequences into an audio clip or samples, and obviously re-sample, which is pretty sweet. When you export as an ALS file, you can choose as MIDI or audio files - but you have to choose one or the other (not a big deal if you want both - just do MIDI first and then as Audio). Standalone Plugins, keygroups, and drum programs can be rendered as audio, or render the sequences as MIDI data. Look at the manual on page 388 for more details.

https://www.akaipro.com/amfile/file/dow ... product/6/
Win 10 | Ableton Live 11 Suite |  Reason 12 | i7 3770k @ 3.5 Ghz | 16 GB RAM | RME Babyface Pro | Akai MPC Live 2 & Akai Force | Roland System 8, MX1, TB3 | Dreadbox Typhon | Korg Minilogue XD

PhillipOrdonez
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25 May 2021

Amazeballs. Thanks Enoch!

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EnochLight
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25 May 2021

PhillipOrdonez wrote:
25 May 2021
Amazeballs. Thanks Enoch!
Anytime! Strongly recommend the MPC Live 2. Next to the Akai Force, it's my "desert island" device.
Win 10 | Ableton Live 11 Suite |  Reason 12 | i7 3770k @ 3.5 Ghz | 16 GB RAM | RME Babyface Pro | Akai MPC Live 2 & Akai Force | Roland System 8, MX1, TB3 | Dreadbox Typhon | Korg Minilogue XD

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EnochLight
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06 Sep 2022

So, after a couple of years of using aluminum billet knob replacements for my stock factory MPC Live II knobs, I've grown tired of the Q-Links feel (the aluminum was so polished and smooth, it was difficult to get a good grip on the Q-Links). The main data encoder also felt slightly smaller than the factory knob (it was), so.. I decided to put my factory knobs back on. Thing is, I hate the plain black-on-black look of the factory knobs, so it was time to paint! :lol: :clap: :thumbup:

Used the same approach as I did when I painted the knobs on my Nektar Panorama P4, but I didn't have to strip the MPC knobs. Just cleaned them with some 90% isopropyl alcohol first. Three coats of paint later, and I'm pretty happy with how they turned out! Check it out:



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The factory Q-Links are slightly smaller (not as tall), but at least they're grippy now!


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Win 10 | Ableton Live 11 Suite |  Reason 12 | i7 3770k @ 3.5 Ghz | 16 GB RAM | RME Babyface Pro | Akai MPC Live 2 & Akai Force | Roland System 8, MX1, TB3 | Dreadbox Typhon | Korg Minilogue XD

MuttReason
Posts: 339
Joined: 28 Jan 2021

07 Sep 2022

EnochLight wrote:
06 Sep 2022
So, after a couple of years of using aluminum billet knob replacements for my stock factory MPC Live II knobs, I've grown tired of the Q-Links feel (the aluminum was so polished and smooth, it was difficult to get a good grip on the Q-Links). The main data encoder also felt slightly smaller than the factory knob (it was), so.. I decided to put my factory knobs back on. Thing is, I hate the plain black-on-black look of the factory knobs, so it was time to paint! :lol: :clap: :thumbup:

Used the same approach as I did when I painted the knobs on my Nektar Panorama P4, but I didn't have to strip the MPC knobs. Just cleaned them with some 90% isopropyl alcohol first. Three coats of paint later, and I'm pretty happy with how they turned out! Check it out:
Oooh… like. Nice one. I’ve thought about swapping the stock knobs on my MPC Live 2 for aftermarket aluminium ones but keep hesitating for some reason. I don’t like the feel of the main jog wheel, seems a bit thin and flimsy. Less bothered by the QLinks. I’ve also been away from the MPC for a few weeks as I found the 2.11 bugs to be seriously irritating (lots of lock ups and weirdness, even after preferences reset) but with 2.11.4 it all seems more stable so I’m back on it again.

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EnochLight
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08 Sep 2022

MuttReason wrote:
07 Sep 2022
Oooh… like. Nice one. I’ve thought about swapping the stock knobs on my MPC Live 2 for aftermarket aluminium ones but keep hesitating for some reason. I don’t like the feel of the main jog wheel, seems a bit thin and flimsy. Less bothered by the QLinks.
I'll say this much: the aluminum billet knobs that you get from MPC-Stuff.com (which are the ones I got) are really bad for the Q-Links. Like borderline unusable - they're just way too smooth. The main data encoder has a nice cut texture to it, though, and while it's slightly smaller than the stock factory plastic one, it feels "nice". I just chose to paint my factory knob and switch back so they'd all match.
MuttReason wrote:
07 Sep 2022
I’ve also been away from the MPC for a few weeks as I found the 2.11 bugs to be seriously irritating (lots of lock ups and weirdness, even after preferences reset) but with 2.11.4 it all seems more stable so I’m back on it again.
Yeah 2.11.4 is fairly rock solid on my end, aside from the persistent Splice bug that has plagued both MPC and Force for well over a year now (some random Splice files not getting correct metadata embedded so MPC/Force loads blank files). But if you don't use Splice, then no worries! :thumbup:
Win 10 | Ableton Live 11 Suite |  Reason 12 | i7 3770k @ 3.5 Ghz | 16 GB RAM | RME Babyface Pro | Akai MPC Live 2 & Akai Force | Roland System 8, MX1, TB3 | Dreadbox Typhon | Korg Minilogue XD

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