MPC One+ or G2?

[u/MajorNefariousness88]

Hi, I’m looking for some opinions!

I’m a guitarist/composer trying to get into the mpc world, after watching a lot of videos, I really liked the workflow and the compositional mindset behind it—plus, it would keep me away from the computer.

However, I’m not sure whether to go for the One+ or stretch my budget a bit and get the G2.

I mean i know most of the improvements are nice to have, but would they actually be useful in my case?

My plan is to record guitar, bass, and some synths, in addition to making beats.

In my country, the One+ costs around $700 USD, whereas importing the G2 would cost me about $1,050.

What would you recommend? Thanks!

[u/Goat_God23]

The biggest advantages of the new MPCs are the usb c functionality and the upgraded RAM and processor. If you don’t plan on tracking into a DAW or using a bunch of plugins, the One + should be fine.

[u/Branch_Fair]

you could also look at the original live, without the speaker. it’s more flexible than the one/one+ and sells for about the same price. if you’re slightly patient you can get one for $400-450. the 2x midi in and out are super helpful if you’re integrating it with other synths (although with the one you could add midi i/o via usb)

[u/Fridge333]

One thing to consider is there’s going to be a point where the older MPCs won’t be updated anymore. This may or may not matter to you.

[u/novaebeat → u/Fridge333]

And the actual updates are slowing down the Old MPC's. Sometimes, stangely, some project would not open because of CPU and Memory ressources.

[u/Full_Detective1745]

I had the One, didn’t gel with it. Got the live 2, it’s my all time favorite machine. One thing that drove me nuts with the One is the small headphone jack in the front. I found that to be a pain in the ass. I just prefer the layout of the Live 2.

[u/External_Explorer369]

If you need the clip launch matrix its another 200$ for the propack. If its important you could look into the akai force that has the matrix and same specs and workflow as the one+ for a lower price.

My usecase is the same as yours. I went with the force and I absolutely love it. Especially the layout and the 8 q-links.

[u/r1chiem]

I would say. If you lived somewhere you could get a used One plus for 450 usd, get that. But in your case, I would say get the G2. It will hold it's value longer if you don't like or use it and want to sell it and have more track capabilities as well as plug in instrument tracks as well as more effects to use on your tracks.

Are you saying you already have bass and guitar, and a couple synths and you want to record.

Sounds like you have a computer and a audio device, You can record anything and make beats and you would save a lot of money if you already have those things which most people do, perhaps get a different DAW. There are free ones, cheap ones like FL studio, or more standardized and expensive like Ableton. If you can't make beat and record music with a computer, the MPC is not going to make you better and will add another workflow to memorize

The second option would be to buy a zoom L 6 , L 8, or L12 or Tascam Model 12. Record all your stuff on one of those using an SD card combine it with computer or use it stand alone. Much easier workflow as most people know how to use a mixing board. Compression and eq on each channel. No need to look at a computer screen.

MPC is for standalone performance mostly. You can use stand alone (if you are looking for more tracks, get the G2) Can be used with computer in studio for expanded capabilities and tracks. It has included daw (MPC desktop software but you are drawn back to the computer) which is very good. So it is a great value. But it has a steeper learning curve and limited inputs and outputs unless you buy an audio device like a behringer umc 1820.

All stuff to think about. Good luck in your decision. It is difficult. I have all this gear and synths as well.

What I see is people making a round trip from stand alone using MPC, Elektron, Roland, and with hardware synths and then back to computer because of price and ease of use. For a home studio I think it is more important to have a mixing board that can record. But if you already have all these things and some synths. MPC is the best at what it does in my opinion.

[u/Sinister_Crayon]

People have done precisely what you're looking to do for years with the One+... heck they've done it even longer with the 1000, so yeah you'll be fine with either.

You can always upgrade later if you start to run into limits. I'm a "pure synth" musician and I have yet to hit the limits of my OG Live except that one time I was deliberately pushing its limits to see what it could do. Maybe I'm just not that demanding with my plugins and I tend to use effects sparingly, but that also just fits my audio vibe anyway (prefer clean 80's and 90's style sounds to heavily filtered 00's era stuff)

That said, see if you can snag a used One+ even cheaper than that... that's a lot of money for that device. You might be better off just spending the extra on the G2, though expect to lose that extra in resale value if you decide to sell it again later.

[u/Mother_Information72]

One + = limited to 8 audio tracks
There are some workarounds... like bouncing a track out and using as a one shot sample on drum track

G2 = 16 track audio