AKAI Professional MPC One+ Standalone Drum Machine, Beat Maker and MIDI Controller with WiFi, Bluetooth, Drum Pads, Synth Plug-ins and Touchscreen

Product Information

On the other hand, the program edit window helps layer up four samples on every pad, and you can use amp envelopes and filters for every pad. The pads themselves have been downsized a little, making them closer in size to those found on the Novation Launchpad Pro, but they still feel excellent to play and are up there with the most responsive you’ll find on any MIDI controller. There are full level, tape stop effects, sixteen levels, and note repeat features to help you play the 808s. The users can add effects like half speed, diode clipper, diffuser delay, limiter, stutter, and sample delay.

However, the Gear4music extended warranty scheme provides an enhanced service, and is designed to offer a higher level of protection than many 'free' warranties offered by some retailers and manufacturers. Alternatively, many MPC One owners are using android phones to share a a wifi connection via USB tethering. At the time of writing, it seems USB tethering does not work on iPhones, and some Android users also report problems with this. It’s definitely not ‘officially’ supported, but it’s worth a try. I want an MPC One Plus, but I’d prefer the stability of an ethernet connection! All content will need to be stored on a USB drive or SD card before transferring to the internal storage on the MPC One. The Internal drive will not appear as an available drive when connected to your computer. So, there’s more breathing space on the 4GB models which means you can more free and easy with your plugins, and maybe more lazy with your project sample management. But of course you don’t have to use plugins like Studio Strings (‘synth’ plugins use barely any RAM), and for acoustic instruments there’s keygroup instrument alternatives such as MPC Orchestral which are more highly optimised to use minimal RAM. Interaction with the instruments, like any of the MPC's main views, can be directly through the touch-screen, or via the four physical 'Q-Link' knobs, or by tapping any parameter or field and using the main encoder. The Q-links can be banked through different targets with dedicated buttons, but you can simply touch any on-screen element and the knobs will jump to that section.With the MPC One Retro, all MPC functionality you expect is here, perfectly positioned with two goals clearly in mind – ease of use and no-nonsense workflow enhancement. Four touch sensitive controls and a large data encoder seamlessly map to critical parameters. Sixteen velocity- and pressure-sensitive RBG pads deliver perfect response for full expressive range. MPC mainstays including Note Repeat, Full Level, 16 Levels and dedicated Transport Controls complete the MPC One Retro’s arsenal of control options, providing complete production capability. Studio Connectivity The MPC Live II sits somewhere in the middle, maybe a little overpriced especially considering it’s ultimately running the same 2GB ram as the MPC One Plus. But it is unique with its internal battery and speaker as well as it’s decent I/O. Standalone MPC Buyer’s Guide: Conclusion Sequence: The basic unit of an MPC. Project: Can be used like a scene, song section, or a whole song. The MPC One does not have a battery and will need to be connected to an outlet with the included power adapter. What software comes with the MPC One? Akai have reworked drums and keygroups to ensure a smoother workflow. Now you can add tail to any audio file to avoid abrupt and unnatural endings. There’s a new randomisation section as well, to add subtle variations to your drum samples. If that wasn’t enough, Version 2.10 adds eight effects slots for your drum pads, including bitcrush, decimator, soft clipper and many more! Key Detection

There's a lot of choice now within the Akai stable, with three MPCs and the Force. All are more expensive than the One. The Force is closest in price, and is a different beast in various ways. While built with some of the same technology and code, it takes a different approach, more like Ableton Live/Push or NI Maschine. If you've used these systems you'll feel more at home with the Force, while the One is a natural progression for legacy MPC users. The One is the only device across these ranges that doesn't feature an Ableton Live control mode, so that may be a factor. The Akai Professional MPC One Plus Standalone Music Production Centre takes the original design to the next level, with expanded internal storage, built-in Wi-Fi/Bluetooth wireless connectivity and a range of other upgrades and enhancements. MPC is one of the most iconic sampler/sequencer series ever created; instrumental in creating the landscape of modern music. Taking the classic design into the modern era, the MPC One features an intuitive touchscreen display, allowing you to switch between sounds and settings within an instant. You can connect your standalone MPC with your USB audio interface by navigating through the preferences menu and finding your sound card. You can also up to 32 inputs/outputs (but beware of the CPU usage!) New plugin Instruments The MPC One Plus uses the same SOC board as the original MPC One. Bluetooth and wifi were already present on that board but were disabled (I assume to avoid the costs of FCC testing, which is required for any wireless device). Does the MPC One Plus have a battery? As you can see, each of these MPCs is a powerful, modern sampling groovebox, all of which are also more than capable of acting as a centrepiece for a sample and MIDI-based studio, so I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them.Then there’s those 16 Q-Links which give you immediate hands on control of essential parameters which dynamically change depending on the screen you are currently using (you can also manually configure these to suit your exact needs). And the little OLED display above each dial lets you know exactly what that currently assigned parameter is. You’ll have to decide what type of inputs you’ll need from an MPC, but if you know you’ll be needing lots of varied I/O, you’re probably going to find life is easier grabbing an X or MPC Key. It has a range of CV/Gate outputs as well as line-level inputs, so you can connect the unit with your modular synthesizers.