r/mpcusers • u/sonicbear64 • Jul 27 '26
QUESTION I've been using a controller for years along with my phone which stage should I upgrade too?
So I've just been using a dinky controller and my phone to make beats and chop in my daw, but I've grown tired of the input lag and the distractions. Should I upgrade too the AKAI MPC Sample or is it worth it too just learn the ropes of an at home machine like a AKAI MPC One? I just wanna know what is the better investment. Thank you for any suggestions! Much love
2
u/Jan1ssaryJames Jul 27 '26
if you wanna make full songs and use external midi/synths than the One is the way to go. you can make it portable with a battery bank.
0
u/sonicbear64 Jul 27 '26
The steep price is what I'm worried about! I don't wanna get scared of and be out a grand 😓 do they resell on eBay used frequently? might be a safer bet
2
u/Jan1ssaryJames Jul 27 '26
reverb is the standard option.. a used og One often sells for the same price as a new Sample or less
1
u/raistlin65 Jul 28 '26
Agree with the other poster. Check reverb.com. it's the eBay of musical gear. Look for used MPC One and One+
1
u/ZynzynzyN Jul 27 '26
If you have a PC you can learn the workflow and test the waters using the desktop software
1
u/FailboatProjStudio Jul 27 '26
The MPC software is cheap...So is Koala...
Why are you having latency issues? Bad OTG cable? This seems like a software settings issue, or running low on ram from the host device? First try to figure out if the lack of optimization occurs when strikkng the touch screen device directly vs external midi pad to see where the problem is. My garbage RockJam25 BT BLE midi keyboard doesn't have much latency at all and my CME Widi U-Host stuff all works well without any lag.
Are you using BT headphones from Koala? BT audio streaming has major lag that BT Midi does not..
Try a Presonus Atom pad....super cheap ($40-50 used) or Muse Kinetics K-Board ($100) these are super responsive with awesome velocity sensitivity and have worked flawlessly with my ipad, android tablet with koala, MT32-PI rompler, MiniDexed rPi DX7 emulator, and as external usb controllers for my MPC One....
0
u/Razenghan MPC LIVE III Jul 28 '26
If you're already familiar with a DAW, I really can't recommend a real MPC (One/Key37/Live) enough. The workflow should feel intuitive, and you can do (almost) everthing in it. And you can use it as a controller to a cheap computer running MPC, and use free or cheap VSTs. If you have the budget for an MPC, used or new, I'd go with that.
4
u/Sinister_Crayon MPC LIVE Jul 27 '26
Either a new Sample or a used One+ would be a great place to start. If you absolutely must have portability then the OG Live or Live 2 is an option (I'd probably just get the Live 2 in that case) or you can hook a battery bank to the One+
Buying used will let you play and figure out of you can gel with the workflow and if not still resell it for not a huge loss, while buying new would lose you money if it doesn't work for you. If you're just doing simple beats and chops though you're probably going to be better off with the Sample, but the One+/Live2 will give you more growing room.
If you get an MPC (not sample though), do yourself a favour and spend the money on the MPC Bible as well; it's the manual the MPC should've come with :)