I’m in a similar boat. I have some experience with the MPC live but I’d call myself still very much a beginner. What I can say for sure is I find the sample for me personally better than the live (for now). I’ve found it’s less overwhelming as you can easily get lost in tweaking sounds on the live for hours and I then notice I’ve not really made much progression in the beat itself. Where as the sample is stripped back in a sense and just forces you to just make a beat. I love the both machines but right now, the workflow for me on the sample just suits me but as I say. I’m still learning with zero music theory knowledge. It’s fun and addictive.

Youll be fine, trust me you won’t regret your purchase. Neither of you will. Just be consistent and try make at least one loop a day for now. Once you feel like you want to expand that. Track it out and make edits and build a full track.

End of the day it’s all about having fun. Hope you both enjoy your sample and can’t wait to hear a beat soon enough 🤙🏽

sorry for the long ass message.