Akai Professional MPC Live II – Battery Powered Drum Machine and Sampler With Built in Speakers, Beat Pads, Synth Engines and Touch Display

Product Information

These four MPCS all differ in a variety of ways but it’s very important to realise that all four MPCs run the exact same internal software with the same features (the only exception is the MPC Key 61 does not have Ableton ‘Live Control’ Mode). Here’s the main screen of the MPC firmware which gives an overview of all the main features of the operating system. The Akai Professional MPC Live II is the second iteration of the hugely popular and powerful music production centre with fantastic new features and upgrades. Ready When Inspiration Strikes Time stretch is identical for all standalone mpcs, there is nothing unique about the stretching on the live 2. Reply The unit is integrated with an extensive range of preloaded samples and can be connected with an external hard drive to help you access various sounds. It is less than 6lbs, which means it can be carried around for your music gigs. Powerful sound generators driven by completely new FM synthesis, analogue & physical modelling, and

MIDI devices can be connected via the traditional MIDI DIN ports, via bluetooth, or via USB (up to 32 devices via a USB hub). You can also connect USB-to-MIDI interfaces to increase the available MIDI DIN ports. If you don't want to work in front of a computer with mouse/keyboard, this is what you need. Not everyone has a powerful / decent modern computer to use DAWs. This can serve as a decent standalone machine to replace a DAWs. And you can always export the project into Ableton live if you need more refinement. With the option for battery operation and everything you need to create music contained within the Akai MPC Live 2, this music production centre allows you to create music whenever and wherever you want. MPC One is a suitable choice for beginners who want a standalone sound production unit that’s lightweight and portable, but it doesn’t allow the musicians to re-pitch the sounds.

If you use it in studio with lots of midi devices, you can make it the brain for midi too, no need to buy stuff like Bome box or MRCC. ( of cuz they are great if you need one in your setup ). However, with the plethora of effects and plugins, one could create mix and master a song totally in the box. From the Touch and Live onwards this generation of MPCs has been characterised by, if you'll excuse me, thinking outside the box. Nobody is doing anything comparable in the stand-alone space. But adding what amounts to a sound bar to the Live MkII? Have Akai lost the plot? I don't think so! Many people complain about the bulky design, but it’s justified, given the built-in processing and battery. This is a portable and lightweight design, so you can take it around. A big strength of the MPCs is their ability to directly host USB MIDI devices. Now you can connect and use USB MIDI interfaces, and also connect devices via a USB hub. I connected the Retrokits RK006 interface that I have on test, and boom: 10 new MIDI output ports on my MPC! The port manager lets you name ports, choose whether they output sync, and whether they are for notes or control, or both.

You may have noticed that most of these MPCs support ‘Ableton Live Control’ and Ableton Link. So what’s the difference? The new MPC Live makes the process of performing your studio inventions on stage incredibly seamless by combining the power of a production centerpiece with the portability and rugged design of an on stage workhorse. This article will walk through setting up a MIDI controller with the MPC Live. The MPC Live II is also the first MPC unit to feature built-in stereo monitors. Combined with a built-in battery and wi-fi/bluetooth connectivity, it's the perfect mobile production workhorse. Home, studio or on the move, the MPC Live II has got you covered. MIDI & Hardware IntegrationIt doesn't end there though; you've also got capacity to load up any samples of your own to create fresh sounds. Record them in, load them via USB or even SD card! New in MPC Firmware 2.10 - Incredible new features and Sounds Open your Preferences in MPC 2.0, and select all the MIDI inputs, this will activate the MPC Live's MIDI Ports.

All this made the MPC the centerpiece of my studio and the perfect travel companion for composition abroad. Best ‘Beats on the go’ Option: With its internal battery and speakers the MPC Live II is definitely the most naturally suited to making music whenever the mood takes you, snd with its decent array of audio ports and flexible MIDI options it’s equally at home in the studio. If the MPC One Plus didn’t exist I’d be recommending the MPC Live II to everyone, but as it stands I just think that unless you really need those extra ports and are going to make good use of that internal battery, the MPC One edges it with its comparable features, ultra-portability and significantly lower price, and don’t forget it can be used with an external rechargeable battery if you really need that additional portability. All content will need to be stored on a thumb drive or the internal SATA drive before transferring to the internal storage on the MPC X or MPC Live. The internal storage will not appear as an available drive when connected to your system. MPC X: 2GB ram, not 4GB. No premium plugins included. Same CPU, exact same hardware (literally identical except for the retro colour scheme). With the MPC One Plus, MPC Key and the MPC Live II, there’s only 4 physical dials – to access the other 12 Q-Links you have you hit a button to select the appropriate virtual Q-link ‘bank’, This is of course nowhere near as intuitive as the MPC X and (for me at least) means that the Q-Links tend to be used a lot less on these MPCs.Of course! MPC 2.0 will support VST2 plugins, as well as AU plugins for Mac, just like the previous MPC software versions. Can I open my current MPC projects in MPC 2.0?

Unlike the Force and MPC X, the Live and One encoders (Q-Links) don't have displays. I've generally found the red outline on the screen to work fine for showing what the encoders are controlling, but the new version adds a graphical overlay that pops-up when you touch the encoders. This is especially helpful if you're not in Screen follow mode, and is great in most of the instrument and mix effect views, as these have margins at the sides. For other views, though, the overlay obscures what's on the screen, and I ended up turning the feature off. All in all, the MPC range is at the most appealing right now that it’s been in the 21st century. In terms of its balance of capabilities and convenience, there isn’t anything on the market to rival the MPC Live when it comes to realising the dream of wireless, go-anywhere music production. The hardware updates for v2 are subtle, but both speaker and CV ports add genuine usability. Plus, with a wide range of inputs and outputs, you can connect to a computer or a multitude of other devices for limitless production potential. Akai Professional MPC Live II Key Features:The Akai MPC Live II features the same multi-core processor found in the MPC X and includes all the features you'd want from a modern MPC.