AKAI MPC ONE REVIEW

this is the MPC one from Akai professional and this could be the best device of 2020 the market has never been more saturated with standalone devices offering a Dallas workflow however the release of the MPC 1 is going to disrupt the market it offers users advanced features and a proven workflow at an affordable price in this video we'll explore the MPC 1 how it compares to similar devices on the market and why it's such a great value the MPC 1 was released in February of 2020 with a retail price of $6.99 u.s. at this price it competes very aggressively with several popular devices on the market if we quickly compare features and prices we can see that the MPC 1 offers many features while being priced relatively low within the current MPC series which consists of the ex live in touch the MPC 1 offers many features of the ex and live despite being marketed as an entry level device $400 more than the MPC touch you get a fully standalone unit that can also act as a controller with a computer the MPC ones biggest competition is the MPC live we could easily do a whole video on the comparison between these two devices but we're just going to go over the key differences in this video a major difference between the one and live is that the live has an integrated battery making it a truly portable and standalone device producers who want to be fully portable and want to work on music in a park or on a plane an extra 300 dollars could see that level of freedom and portability the downside is that batteries are by no means perfect like smartphones laptops and other devices often a failing battery is the reason for a shortened product lifespan to put this into perspective you can still get a fully functional mpc2000 3000 or even an MPC 60 which is impressive for devices that are 20 to 30 years old only time will tell the longevity of the MPC lives internal battery other differences between the won and live are the number of inputs outputs and buttons the life has more inputs and outputs for both audio and MIDI as well as a phono level input if you need more iOS than get the live but it's likely that many users will be just fine with the available inputs and outputs on the MPC one further the MPC one has CDM gate outputs similar to the MPC X which can be used to control outboard synths and modular gear one highlight of the MPC 1 are the dedicated function buttons which greatly increase productivity these are more in line with classic MPC's than the rubber minimalist buttons found on the live in touch the last note of comparison between the 1 and live is on portability the live is highly portable and battery-powered but the one is also highly portable assuming you have an electrical outlet close by it's surprisingly lightweight and small enough to fit in a bag and you can easily use it on your lap while you're chilling or watching TV to quickly compare the MPC one to the flagship MPC X the X is bigger and has more of everything and has more inputs outputs more buttons and many key links with accompanying displays it also has a lot more presence both in terms of size and appearance since the specs are similar in the OS is the same users will have a very similar workflow on the MPC 1 as they do on the MPC X the X will always have a place in the market but the MPC 1 is a capable device and it offers comparable features when it comes to workflow the MPC is arguably one of the most influential MIDI sequencers in history Roger Linn is credited for designing the MPC in collaboration with Akai with the release of the MPC 60 in 1988 the npc's workflow and approach to sampling quickly became a favorite among the pop producers since the cornerstone of hip-hop production has been sampling the sampler with the best workflow is king and it's safe to say that no other device has been more beloved and influential on hip hop production and workflow than the MPC series and that's what makes the MPC 1 so exciting that it pulls from the design and success of previous M pcs with the same workflow pads and dedicated buttons that have withstood the test of time but the MPC 1 is not just for making hip-hop beats although it could be used for any genre where it shines is in genres with an emphasis on rhythm and percussion for example the MPC has been commonly used in house music production Drum & Bass feature bass dancehall and others since it's a powerful sampler in sequencer you can use it for just about anything what makes the MPC one's workflow unique is that Akai has taken little away from the successful formula that started with the MPC 60 and instead they have only added to it notably in addition to being a fully standalone sampler and sequencer the MPC has added software and integration from the MPC studio in touch although it's a powerful device in standalone mode when connected to a computer the MPC want unlocks further features and workflows that give users additional ways to engage with the device like the MPC touch live in X the NPC one ships with companion MPC software providing a similar experience to Native Instruments popular machine workflow the MPC software runs as a standalone app on your computer and provides further access and refinement to your project while still offering tactile feel of the MPC One as a controller further you can use the MPC software as a VST in your favorite dock in a recent firmware update Akai added direct integration in the popular DAW Ableton Live the implication of this is that the MPC can be a controller for Ableton without running the MPC software this frees up resources and improves workflow by integrating directly with Ableton similar to how the push controllers integrate with Ableton however as of the MPC one's release only the live and ax support Ableton Live control the good news is that the MPC 1 is fully capable of getting this feature and we hope that it comes in a future firmware update release currently the MPC one can use Ableton's link connectivity with software that supports this feature when it comes to our favorite features of the MPC chopping samples and banging out beats is at the top of the list the sampling process is intuitive and flexible there are various ways to slice and chop samples giving users powerful tools to manipulate samples quickly and of course the pads we'll talk about them later but for now it's safe to say that they are one of the key characteristics and joys of an MPC the overall architecture and workflow of the device is relatively intuitive and the process of making music on the MPC 1 is highly fun and rewarding the MPC 1 is built upon classic MPC architecture and workflow in a nutshell a songs project file contains sequences of tracks which are either audio or MIDI there can be a hundred and twenty eight sequences per project in standalone mode the MPC one can have eight audio tracks and 128 MIDI tracks MIDI tracks contain programs which can come in a variety of types there can be a hundred and twenty eight programs per project in each project can contain 128 pads of samples this structure allows for plenty of depth and complexity within your arrangement it's relatively intuitive and quick to work with the classic structure of the MPC is the foundation for its legendary sequencer an entire shows performance could be programmed into one project file and some users primarily use an MPC just a sequence external gear with the MPC one CV and MIDI connections it gives users the option to control and sequence various external gear internally the MPC one features three built-in synth engines which are called plugins these allow users to create baselines leads and pads without relying on samples this is a relatively new feature of the MPC series which is welcome and we hope to see more synth engines added in the future in terms of sound design the MPC 1 has some advanced features to help users tailor both the songs mix as well as sculpting individual samples from filters modulation effects in automation the MPC 1 offers a variety of tools that many users can appreciate once your song a sequence and you've refined the sound design the MPC 1 offers several options for where to go from here you can bounce a stereo mix down of your project you can also bounce stems of individual tracks you can even explode the project into individual sounds and MIDI files you can also export the song directly as an Ableton Live file there are many advanced exporting features on the MPC 1 and as we mentioned earlier the MPC 1 is a controller to be used in conjunction with the computer in addition to having more control and access to your project via a computer one of the benefits of this is the increase to the number of audio tracks that can be available in your project in standalone mode the MPC 1 can have 8 audio tracks but in the MPC software on a computer it can have a hundred and twenty eight audio tracks the MPC software can then be placed as a VST instance in a DA for ultimate creativity even if you intend to use the MPC one as a standalone device in which it is plenty powerful the device has plenty of additional features and workflows for users who wish to explore its potential now the MPC one was marketed as an entry-level MPC sure it doesn't have the and outputs of the live in X but it does have similar specs and workflow calling an entry level is doing a disservice to the device when considering everything that has been mentioned so far it's safe to say that there is nothing entry-level about the device other than its price when comparing the NPC one to many other devices on the market it's not the NPC one that looks entry-level by comparison and its price to flood the market in terms of build quality the NPC one is well-constructed it has a metal case invented hard plastic side panels it's surprisingly lightweight but feel sturdy it is just under 11 inches square just smaller than a vinyl jacket it's about 2 inches high or about 3 inches high if you count the knobs it features 31 dedicated function buttons most of which are dual function and backlit the buttons have a low profile and a nice tactile click to them they're similar to traditional NPCs rather than the rubber buttons of the MPC touch and live now you can't talk about an NPC without talking about its quintessential 4x4 array of pads these are velocity pressure and after touch sensitive and the settings of which can be adjusted in terms of size they are the smallest pads and the current MPC lineup each pad is just under an inch square but that said they're still playable and highly expressive they're bigger than the push to z' pads which some users will appreciate but they're not as big as machines personally their size is in preventing me from having fun with the device if you're worried about it I would recommend checking them out firsthand at a local store one of the key features of the new MPC series is this beautiful and bright LED touchscreen display it's the same size display you get with the live in X but it's fixed unlike the X's tilting screen they all share the same OS and screen you get the same experience as the other devices and interfacing with the MPC one via the touch screen is convenient with plenty of visual feedback in terms of inputs and outputs the MPC has a stereo pair of balanced line level outputs I know that traditional npcs as well as the live-in ex have several outputs to help separate tracks but I don't think having one output is a deal-breaker for the NPC one for two reasons first many users don't use multiple outputs second and more importantly you can just export high quality stems directly to your SD card in terms of inputs there is one stereo quarter-inch balance line level input the NPC one does not have a phono level input like the live and X but this isn't a deal-breaker either some turntables like the pto one have line level outputs built in which is super convenient if you're using a technics 1200 or similar turntable you can just go through a mixer or a preamp going through a mixer actually gives you more control over your signal lastly there is an eighth inch stereo headphone output on the front the MPC one has full-size MIDI input and output jacks one of each and similar to the MPC X the MPC one has a set of cv/gate jacks for controlling outboard synths and modular gear it's worth noting that the four cv/gate jacks are actually stereo so using TRS to TS breakout splitters will give you eight total cv/gate connections the MPC one has two USB connectors the USB a connector is used to connect a USB storage device like a thumb drive that contains samples and project files the USB B connector is used to connect the MPC one to a computer although the MPC one does not have the convenience of Bluetooth or MIDI connectivity there is an Ethernet jack for network connectivity it's worth getting a USB to Ethernet adapter to take advantage of Ableton's link connectivity with other apps now there are two knobs on the back which are important the main volume output of the device is controlled by a dedicated knob here which includes the headphone output and there's a dedicated knob for the record input signal level finally we have an SD card slot on the front next to the headphone jack overall the layout and ergonomics of the MPC one are well-thought-out most of the buttons and knobs are on the right-hand side of the unit which is beneficial to people who are right-handed the square format of the device is pleasing the overall size is compact enough to fit comfortably on your desk with a turntable or a laptop the MPC one can easily travel in a backpack but you'll want to find a way to protect the nobs during transportation when it comes to the fine details of the hardware specification on the MPC 1 the device is surprisingly similar to the MPC live in X all three of the devices have the same quad core ARM processor and 2 gigabytes of RAM like the others the MPC One uses 24-bit d2a and A to D converters up to 96 kilohertz internally it handles signals in 32-bit floating-point which is impressive unlike the MPC X and live which features 16 gigabytes of storage 10 gigabytes of which is sound content the MPC 1 features 4 gigabytes of storage 2 gigabytes of which is sound content also unlike the X and live which feature a SATA connection to install an internal hard drive the MPC 1 does not have a SATA connection this too may not be a deal-breaker a high-capacity SD card is an adequate and cheap solution to increasing storage capacity a $20 SD card will provide enough storage to last the average user many years you can also use a USB Drive but the SD card slot allows for a slightly more secure solution than a USB Drive sticking off the back in terms of criticisms no device is perfect and that includes the MPC one first the volume knob is not conveniently located so you'll need to remember where to look for it when adjusting volume on your headphones and monitors additionally the record input level knob is also on the back panel depending on the sources you record from you might be adjusting this often so keep that in mind but you get used to it quickly next it feels like the device is missing d-pad buttons which are commonly found on MPC is although I wish the MPC had them it's not too hard to navigate via the touchscreen maybe they'll add them in the next version also maybe it's just me but it seems odd not to have a dedicated button for the metronome since many devices have a button for this or at least a quick shortcut I found myself looking forward on the amp and see one but it's not a big deal I turn on the metronome and set it to record only this way I can just tap overdub to engage the metronome lastly although I can appreciate the plug-in scents that come with the device I was questioning how many of the presets were ones that I would actually want he is I know you can program and save your own presets but it's nice to start from a preset that's already kind of closed now I don't want to be too critical but I think that the NPC one has the computational power and the interface to offer more substantial synthesis features I hope Akai will consider expanding this realm of the OS really the criticisms of the MPC one are minor and overall it's a great device that is both powerful and affordable if you're just getting into making beads and you want to invest into a serious standalone machine I recommend checking out the MTC one but even advanced users who are looking to get into the MPC workflow should consider the MPC one if you already have an MPC live I'm not sure that the transition makes much sense you're probably better off sticking with alive for MPC X users well if you want an MPC to keep next to the couch or to have with you on the tour bus definitely check out the MPC 1 for full disclosure I paid for the MPC 1 with my hard-earned money and got it from Sweetwater Sweetwater provides a free two-year warranty for the device and they have excellent customer service I recommend checking them out neither a kind nor Sweetwater asked me to make this video I do this for you so please give a like and subscribe if you learned something in this video your support helps grow this channel and drop a comment below if you're considering getting an MPC 1 alright that's it for this video you made it to the end you're awesome and thanks for watching we appreciate you thanks

Channel: Ollie Loops

Views: 187,236

Rating: 4.8987474 out of 5

Keywords: AKAI, MPC, MPC ONE, #MPCONE, #AKAI, #MPC, sampler, sample, beat, beat machine, drum machine, sequener, production, music, song, pads, drum, review, opinion

Id: J_4CHuFFfdE

Length: 18min 0sec (1080 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 24 2020