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Comment by mastazi | Hacker News Reader

I’m currently saving towards an MPC One. I’m glad that Akai went back to making stand-alone MPCs (previously they had switched from stand-alone instruments to models that had to be used while connected to a laptop). I can’t put my finger on why, but making music on a general purpose device like a laptop is just not as enjoyable as with a single purpose device like a stand-alone groovebox or synth.

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I bought a One a few weeks ago. It's now the centrepiece of my setup. You can connect a MIDI-interface via USB and have all your MIDI I/O needs covered.

Could you tell us how you use it?

Some folks I know can't shut up praising this kit (and the Ableton Push) but no one has managed to explain why.

after the very long honeymoon period of desktop digital audio workstations, people are realizing that standalone machines with domain specific physical input interfaces aren't such a bad thing. take the power of a desktop DAW and marry it with the exploratory, jamming capabilities of a synth with lots of knobs and you'll have your answer as to why people are getting excited over these setups. when creativity strikes, i want to just be able turn on my device, hit record and get going. i can't tell you how many times my jam sessions have gotten derailed before they even started because of having to fiddle around on the computer to get it ready to record

I'm still a beginner. And not a producer but a tinkerer and jammer...

It provides MIDI Clock and Start/Stop to my connected hardware if I want to use the included sequencers of those. I also use to sequence mono and poly synths including patch selection via MIDI program change, so I can load the corresponding sounds for my Sequences. Sequences I either program directly on the MPC or record what I play on a MIDI Keyboard connected to the MPC. Misplayed notes I can correct in the grid view on the display.

For the drums I either program drums on the MPC (via included sample kits or samplekits I compilated myself from other sources, or I just start the sequencer of connected drum machines.

Recording is either via Cubase on the PC or via a Zoom recorder I connected right to my mixer.

Not as capable for sure, but I use Koala on iOS and it gives a very similar feeling/workflow to the MPC... it’s $5 and a lot of fun

One is fantastic but you have to be aware of it’s limitations - particularly around network connectivity, something that even OG MPC Live is better at.

Of course if it’s not a factor for you (it’s not for me, I like my One) - then it’s indeed amazing.

I use the MPK mini which just feels unnatural compared to a "real" synth. But of course it is way more flexible and sometimes the right tool for the job.

Probably there is some very minimal latency when using a USB midi device to trigger sounds on a laptop that takes away from the feel of playing a live instrument.

I think it’s not wanting to mess with a laptop while under ‘creative influences’. A standalone device is usually easy to master, the buttons create a limited mental map that can be learned and not given a second thought. On a laptop the enormous possibilities are oftentimes a distraction and the process is less constrained. You probably heard the ‘Less is more’ adage. That is particularly true for the creative process where constraints force the creative process to be more fruitful.

Second, the hardware is usually more responsive

IME (drumming on an Ableton Push) latency around 20ms feels "instant" enough, and even ~80ms is manageable. and afaik that's mostly limited by the soundcard/drivers/cpu speed - you set a low audio buffer size and hope your PC can keep up :) i don't think USB latency really comes into it unless you've got a really garbage port/hub

It must not be enough to matter to anyone at Akai; their new MPCs use USB internally to connect the computer to the pads.

Funny, I'm thinking about selling my MPC Live tonight and going back to the Squarp Pyramid. There's something special at having one tool for one job.

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