These MPCs are all completely standalone units – that is, they don’t need to be plugged into a computer, they provide a complete ‘in the box’ workflow all controlled by the large touchscreen UI and a combination of buttons, dials, knobs and pads. Here’s the main screen of the MPC firmware which gives an overview of all the main features of the operating system.

They also all run the exact same internal software with the same features (the only exception is the MPC One does not have Ableton ‘Live Control’ Mode, more about this later). These MPCS all differ in a variety of ways but it’s very important to realise that all three MPCs use the exact same CPU and RAM there is no difference in computing ‘power’ and all three machines have the same memory limits (2GB, but nearly half of this is used by the operating system).

Please note in this article I’m going to assume you’ve already researched and discounted all the other sampler/groovebox options out there and just need help deciding on the best standalone MPC for your specific needs. Times move fast, and now it’s official the original MPC Live is discontinued and replaced with the new MPC Live II, meaning the current Akai MPC line up now consists of three distinct MPCs the entry-level MPC One, the mid-range MPC Live II and the (now three year old) studio workhorse, the MPC X. UPDATED WITH NEW MPC ONE 2.10 INFO! I previously wrote about the new MPC One but at that time the MPC Live II was just a rumour.

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