MPC Live II vs One; Speaker test; MPC 2.8 tutorial and review
Added 2020-05-14 14:09:10 +0000 UTC
Hi!
Akai sent over the MPC Live II for review - the main differences are that it has a built-in soundbar/speaker, CV/Gate outputs and more buttons, but as usual, there are a few more details - all of which are covered in the "vs" portion of my video.
The real news of the past week, however, is the 2.8 firmware update, which applies to the entire MPC range.
This update almost feels like it's "personal" - they seemed to go after almost all my "cons" and take them out... obviously, they're just listening to users, but it's certainly nice to have a company consistently add substantial value to hardware products, and also fix what's needed, not just "tick the box" on new features.
The CPU and RAM are the same though, so rather than make the old one obsolete, this is just a "Speaker bundle/CV Gate", though they are discontinuing the Live MK1, making the options either an MPC One, MPC Live II, or a used Live MK1. Of course, there's the higher-end MPCX, but that's quite a beast, not portable, and substantially more expensive.
It's also interesting to see what the future holds for Force in this context. Time will tell.
Anyway, if you're interested in what's new in MPC 2.8 and how LIVE II compares - this is the video for you.
All my best,
Ziv
