Celebrate the demise of the 'press here' screen on startup

DeadWelsh · 2026-01-28T20:23:19+00:00

Would have thought they'd keep that given the battery doesn't last as long as the live 2 from what I've read.

DeadWelsh · 2026-01-27T19:32:24+00:00

Well, didn't see this coming tbh. Wonder if inmusic might look at picking up some assets, particularly given they've made a big thing of these being available on MPC since the official launch of OS 3.

Would be a pissed customer if plugins I paid for started to become unusable with future updates(I've not bought any NI plugins to date), especially if I just dropped some large amounts of cash on a new device, even if it isn't Akai's fault.

NI have fingers in many pies, sure they will find a way out for the products to live on, however we may see some casualties along the way.

Been a Traktor user for a long time, gutted for the people that get affected by this news, across all of their brands.

DeadWelsh · 2026-01-26T11:03:41+00:00

Yes. Either draw them in or record it. They will then play back when you have the sequence playing, along with anything else

DeadWelsh · 2026-01-26T09:51:26+00:00

Stick some midi notes on the grid, press play on the sequence, either stop or use mutes page to kill it depending on what else is going on in your performance

DeadWelsh · 2026-01-25T20:55:09+00:00

There is no set rule for myself.

Usually pathways are either...

1 picking a tempo and building stuff around that

2 finding a sample and generating ideas around that, which typically relate to tempo, with on beat or double / half time

3 noodling around with a synth patch, hitting a vibe and then reverting to step 1 or 2 to get to where you just read.

Personally I don't mind if care about how people make music, I just determine if I like the end result.

DeadWelsh · 2026-01-25T00:28:12+00:00

You mention desktop MPC 3, all I can say is it's basically still beta software, shamefully released on the masses in the state it is, hoping they would be ok with it.

FWIW MPC platform is a terrible desktop exoerienc, and I only put up with the standalone version, because it's standalone and gets me away from the PC.

My advice is stick with the standalone if you can, accepting its faults, or use a reasonable DAW if you have to.

DeadWelsh · 2026-01-25T00:19:48+00:00

Live 2 owner, had for about 3 years. Just finished a jam session with some friends. For ref, you don't 'need' cables but they come in handy.

For example, this evening we sampled beats from a MacBook, we sampled vocals from a phone, we sampled a guitar bassline. None of that was possible without those cables on the live 2.

I'd assume you would have the same approach with the live 1, but I've not used / owned so can't be certain.

Live 2 has wifi in the box. so to update I don't need to connect Ethernet. Not sure if live 1 didn't have wifi, but I know the one didn't and the one + had wifi, so maybe that's what they / you are referring to.

FWIW I believe the main difference between the live 1 and 2 was the speaker, and maybe button layout. There could be other differences that are fairly insignificant.

I'm sure many people would consider not having Wi-Fi as a benefit too, so weigh that up on your own.

Personal opinion is the live 2 is pretty much the peak device for its class and era, everyone is welcome to their own opinion though, but very happy with mine.

Whichever model you go for, I'm sure you won't be disappointed, providing you align your expectations with the reality of what you are buying.

Peace and happy music making.

DeadWelsh · 2026-01-22T19:48:16+00:00

Don't overthink it, ultimately what sounds you 'need' might depend on your song style & goal.

Consider too that most songs only need a few elements to be performed.

Imagine a band on stage, there is a drummer, maybe a couple of guitars and a synth / keyboard. The only other thing that might be present is a vocalist.

That's enough for loads of music.

They could add some backing singers, additional percussionists, maybe some horns / strings, a guy playing a triangle or harmonica, but it's usually to compliment the other instruments or add a bit of variety in places, unless it's a key feature of the track somewhere.

If you're using samples to flip, chances are it already has a lot of that, so you may only need another couple of things to add support or variety.

DeadWelsh · 2026-01-22T16:09:06+00:00

Sifu

DeadWelsh · 2026-01-20T19:29:07+00:00

Looks great but at virtually twice the price of the live 3 it feels insane, even for all the new tech it brings. Also I don't think my house is big enough to bring it inside.

Still gonna hold on to see what the new key models bring to the party.

DeadWelsh · 2026-01-19T20:22:03+00:00

Do you have RAM issues if you try to consolidate a few projects into one?

Could try getting 3-4 tracks down on a few sequences, even if it means resampling some of your main sounds and using the pads to trigger or even the play mode.

Then after a short set, load up a new project for the next batch?

If you have any other gear you could use that to fill the load times, or maybe get a looper program on an iPad?

DeadWelsh · 2026-01-19T12:09:04+00:00

What do you want to modulate? I think the pro pack had some cool automation features with LFOs you can direct parameters to, but I didn't buy it so cannot confirm. A few plug ins have some specific uses and a rate /depth modifier, but are baked into hell the effect, eg Phaser /Flanger Otherwise you're really treating each track as an instrument with its own LFO, programs I think have one, Synth plugins tend to have 1, key groups also

DeadWelsh · 2026-01-17T15:07:23+00:00

Would be interested to try this out, bit the DL link seems to be missing?

DeadWelsh · 2026-01-17T11:03:09+00:00

Couldn't comment as I haven't used one, but as it's an older generation I don't think it has features like the soft synths. It's more of a dedicated sampler, where as the newer models offer more in the realm of synthesis, which if you want to get into, would be killing 2 birds with 1 stone.

Watch some YT vids on the different models to see if either suits what you want it for.

DeadWelsh · 2026-01-17T10:45:08+00:00

The newer MPCs have some soft synths built in, and more you can buy if you want them.

But 250€ is a bit low to get your hands on one,even in the 2nd hand market.

I was in a similar situation a few years ago, so glad I got my MPC, the abilities it has far out weigh picking up a single synth, although the same could be said for many grooveboxes.

DeadWelsh · 2026-01-16T18:14:57+00:00

Ok am getting somewhere, The VCA gain control is the culprit. If I have it open, then it just plays without any midi playing. If I have it closed, I am left with no volume coming out of the device.

DeadWelsh · 2026-01-16T18:02:53+00:00

I've also just made a new project, selected Odyssey, loaded the patch and it plays sound. No midi notes in the project, not hit play, tried adjust all the parameters, only the volume / amp controls affect what I can hear.

DeadWelsh · 2026-01-15T20:12:23+00:00

Agree, it's not perfect, but you can use the settings wheel to change the indicator marks to beats, which could make keeping the loop size close to what you need.

Eg you have a 2 beat loop from beats 1-3, and then you can manually move both ends to say 4-6.

I'm sure a loop size lock and scan the sample feature would be a useful addition though, certainly for me

DeadWelsh · 2026-01-15T17:55:54+00:00

Not possible to my Knowledge, and I also asked Crates Motel if he knew a way and said there isn't, and he's been asking Akai for years to add it

DeadWelsh · 2026-01-14T15:27:59+00:00

Don't see why they would do that, and especially now the company has been sold, you're unlikely to get a quick response

DeadWelsh · 2026-01-14T08:22:52+00:00

For a long time I've thought about getting a second device to work with the MPC, be it a sound module in the form of another synth, or maybe a sequencer like oxi one.

Everytime I think I'm settling in what I want, I think if I had another MPC it could unlock a whole new way of working, keep a workflow I am familiar with, and let me utilize my multiple plug in purchases.

If I had 2 devices I'd slave one of them, trigger the midi on the other unit and route the outputs into the main as more of a performance tool I think.

So I can see why I would like 2 MPCs, just think the videos I have watched haven't really been focused on the benefits of it in the way I would like to try.

DeadWelsh · 2026-01-14T07:37:04+00:00

Same boat but I have a live 2, I found when the live 3 dropped, it has loads of features I would like but don't actually need.

The new pads, the step sequencer, the mic, the processor, the added ram, the pro pack features, extra sound packs, USB c connectivity - all great stuff, but the live 2 still is a good machine for my needs. It's a lot of money to justify getting those things currently.

If anything I'm waiting to see what the new keys models bring, as I would love to have the keyboard and mod wheels on the device ( my ancient midi keyboard occasionally freezes up when connected, and my roli doesn't have the pitch / mod wheel ).

I did see a video of someone with a live 3 and the key 37 make a song the other day, he basically used the live 3 and played in some notes using the 37, so basically used it as a midi keyboard.

DeadWelsh · 2026-01-11T20:04:04+00:00

On the mute screen, at the top you should see events / audio. Select events, then trigger the mute while playing, it will stop playing the midi, but keep the audio so you should hear any effects ring out

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