It's been two years since we reviewed the MPC Live, which was Akai's return to stand-alone music workstations. A lot has changed since then. The Live was joined by a flagship studio model, the MPC X, and recently by the compact and affordable MPC One. The MPCs have seen numerous software updates, and now feature on-board synth plug‑ins and Ableton Live control. On top of that, you also have four capacitive-touch knobs so you've got great, tactile control over all your critical functions.

Third on the list is AIR Stutter. This insane glitch plugin can pull off a wide range of pitch, volume and pan stutter effects. AIR Improved Diffuser DelayThe convenience of the MPC Live II really is irresistible. You don’t need cables and you don’t need headphones. If the battery is fully charged, you don’t need a mains plug either. Most of our time with this review model was conducted cable-free, and it’s an enormously enjoyable way to work. We even took it outside, to a local park, to remove the model from the studio context, and it proved easily loud enough to irritate passers-by. MPC One forwards the external SD Card port to your desktop computer when it’s hooked up and in controller mode. MPC 2.10 takes your vocal processing game to the next level with the fantastic Air Vocal Suite. This trio of top-notch plugins gives you the ability to achieve professional-sounding vocals within your MPC. AIR Vocal Tuner

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. software, and also developed a suite of award-winning virtual instruments specifically for Pro Tools. Leveraging this history of excellence, AIR’s has created four exclusive new instrument plugins for MPC, as well as including Within AIR Solina, you can pan, layer, split and balance sampled versions of the original contrabass, cello, violin, viola, trumpet, horn sounds. You can also tweak Formant, Filter and Age settings. This gives you a lot more flexibility than the original presented. AIR Solina comes with 75 lush factory presets and a selection of built-in effects. WayOutWare Odyssey 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!A wide array of connections, including a SATA port to have your samples library and project everywhere. Another new feature is the ability to edit note mapping – that is, to assign different MIDI notes to each pad in a program. When you touch a Q-Link control, you’ll see an overlay on the screen showing the currently controlled parameter and values. Somewhere down the line, we’d like to see the MPCs and Force softwares merge, so the Force can sync with the MPC software, and the MPCs get the lovely arrangement view that appeared in the recent Force beta. a legendary tape-based sampling keyboard. AIR Solina: based on the classic string synthesizer keyboard, and WayOutWare Odyssey—a faithful recreation of the all-time favorite analogue duophonic synth with added

This excellent update sees the inclusion of the wonderful DrumSynth addon to your production tools, adding unparalleled rythmic power to your already impressive toolset. The USB ports on the MPC Live have a variety of uses. They can be used to transfer files on and off of the MPC Live, as extra storage, and as input for USB MIDI controllers. If you have a class compliant MIDI controller (one that does not require drivers), you will be able to plug it directly into an available USB port on the MPC Live and control MIDI information in the embedded system software. It 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 MPC 2.10 lets you edit the name of any control as well as save, edit and recall your customised parameter names/assignments. This is particularly useful if you’re using an external synth that responds to MIDI CC messages, as you can put together a straightforward editor for it. Melodic & Drum CV Programs The device features 24 pads and 9 knobs, allowing for intuitive and versatile control over various aspects of DJing. It is equipped with 2 GB of RAM, enabling smooth and seamless operation. Additionally, it has a generous internal storage capacity of 16 GB, providing ample space for storing samples, music, and other files.

Yes, but not many. You may notice some differences depending on your work style, though the main difference will be with VST support. MPC 2.0 supports VST plugins when used on your computer, however, these will be disabled when using the projects on the MPC X and MPC Live in standalone. Your MPC can now automatically calculate the key of a sample. Add any audio file with melodic content and let it do the work! Users of the MPC Live who don’t want speakers might not be motivated to upgrade, especially as the 2.8 software update is compatible with the original model. But if you’re enticed by a brand new battery-powered production and sampling machine, you’ll love this unit. Key Features 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.

AIR Mellotron features 6 Tape Sets of the OG’s Flute, Choir and Strings tape samples which give it a truly authentic sound. You can also select “Dirty” and “Cleaned” versions of the original tapes. Other sound-shaping parameters include Formant, Age and Sample Start. There are 30 factory presets to get you going and a selection of built-in effects, including the new AIR Flavour (instant lo-fi goodness). AIR SolinaPowerful sound generators driven by completely new FM synthesis, analogue & physical modelling, and For me, while MPC Sequences have great potential for live sets, they still don't provide a fluid scene system for combining song ideas and building arrangements. This is where it would be great to see some of the Force's ideas bleed over into the MPCs. On the hardware side, Live II would have hit perfection if it had had a mic/instrument input as well as line ins. As it is, you'll need a separate preamp or mixer if you want to plug in a microphone. Conclusion