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When I saw that the Akai released a new pad controller, I immediately came to your channel to hear your thoughts. Was so happy to see you already had a video up. Thanks so much for all the work you put into these videos!
Good to hear your thoughts. Most of reviews doesn't focus on this aspect and that made me always recognize your channel (even finger drumming is not my main instrument). Thank you.
Hey you're welcome! The reason I keep making these videos is exactly that reason. Other reviews don't really test this well for as far as I know, when it actually makes a huge difference :-)
I’ll never trust Akai again personally. I’ve got one amazing MPC that I’ll never sell but I’ve struggled to get a reliably good one of the newer kind after going through a few.
Kinda why I kept my mpc one and didn’t look to buy this and sell… 1.controller mode on mine is better…2. This is a much cheaper alternative yet a gamble 3. I have a currently good unit from akai
Thank you for profound comparison. I received my MPC studio today and first thing I did I set the threshold to 1 (least force). Then I started to play with the device and found that one of the pads does not release after pressing, it stays triggered. Also it triggers sometimes when hitting its neighbors. When I set the threshold on 8 (default), it works OK. I did not have time to find the exact setting at which it starts to malfunction, but wanted to let you know about my first experience
Ah wow... yeah, there we go. This is exactly what I was afraid of. You might want to try to set the treshold to 2 instead of 1. That sometimes already is enough, but that said, this is clearly that thing where different specimens of the same device don't work the same. The most important thing in your personal situation is that you feel like the device responds well to soft touches but also does not have those stuck pads. If you find a setting that does this for you, in a way it doesn't really matter that it's not treshold 1, as long as it plays as you want it to. If you cannot make that happen, I would suggest returning it if possible.
@@TheQuestforGroove well, this pad degraded, so I had to put threshold to 11, which is totally unacceptable. Besides that, after I completed the 1h+ video tutorial, and reading almost the whole manual, I really did not like almost everything in MPC software, comparing to Maschine, except the great slicing mode. So after 3 days of using I wrote to the shop I'm going to return it, luckily Sweetwater provides that option
@@skibaa1 A wise choice. I think in this case a return is the only thing to do. Maschine will almost certainly provide you with a more pleasant experience. Pleasde keep in mind that there are lots of great mikro mk3 device sout there so if you have any doubt about the maschine mikro that you might get now, I would return it (again) and make sure you have a good one. I think 95% of the time it will just be good though.
@@TheQuestforGroove I already have a mikro mk3. I thought MPC studio together with the software would be a comparable alternative to Maschine with some specific pros and cons. But as I said - except the slicing process which is simply sane on MPC and not well thought on the Maschine, especially on the Mikro with the absence of the manual on-the-fly slicing - the rest was undoubtedly worse on the MPC
Hello andrew I had the same thing with mpc one where a hitting the pad would trigger the neighbor pad but that would happen if i hit it too hard on the highest sensitivity setting and pad threshold set to 1 After using it for sometimes, it stopped doing that. Maybe the rubber of the pads broke in for me?
I was going to deep repair my MPC1000 but just saw this one on sale where I live and I am really tempted by the Touch Strip and you say this one doesn't double trigger like the MPD218 ! Thanks I am sold !
I don't use the device in daily life so unfortunately the durability of almost all of the pad controllers I test (except Maschine mk3 because I use that one daily) is beyond the scope of what I can do (without a machine that taps pads millions of times like a professional testing facility)
Thanks post canada, my pads went to the other side of Canada because of a mistake but I finally got it and I really like them so far. Just need to get used to the square pads akai use on their newer MPCs (the MPC1000 pads are rectangles so they are a bit shorter on the Y axis, time to stretch my fingers a bit lol) Having a 1080p screen instead of the screen of the 1000 is a real game changer also but I need to discover were everything is lol !
Thank you for this. I just bought an MPC Studio from Amazon (New). Love it but one of the pads has weak sensitivity so I returned it. I ordered a second and it arrived with the same problems. I'm going to try one last time seeing as though I like the unit but the Maschine Mikro is looking like the way to go. I just hope I can get close to the same functionality using the Mikro with the MPC 2 software. Hopefully I get one at least as good as the one you demoed in your video. Such a shame the makers of the MPC 60 and 3000 have been reduced to this level of quality control.
Thanks for sharing. I think you're right! I have to admit that I sometimes have a student who gets a Maschine Mikro and also has to send it back, but that seemed to always work out in the end with a good unit.
Haven't found a sampler yet that could do what I wanted in all honesty. I tested the Maschine+ and the Novation Circuit Tracks... both really didn't work well for my playing style. I doubt that the SP-404 will be any different in that sense.
@@TheQuestforGroove The new one has 17 velocity sensitive pads (that odd number is because of a substitution pad to trigger the last thing you hit over again, so you can do rolls manually), a dedicated roll button that'll *automatically* do rolls based off your parameters like 1/64th 1/16th 1/8th etc, it has skipback recording so you can record something fun you played back, has a lot of deep pattern editing/sequencing tools, and a bunch of effects. Mix and effects busses, USB audio capability, 32x polyphony, 32 effects, and utility tools like bias adjustment, projects that change out your entire SP, so you can have one workspace for your live sets, one for messing around, one for a specific track you're working on, etc. And it's standalone. Really you won't really 'get' an SP without seeing someone using one extensively, it feels limited but it's very intuitive and systematic. I'm not actually a proper proper musician at all, but I've been around them forever doing visual work, and I know a lot of production ins and outs. There's something magic about the SP in particular that lends a lot of musicality to it. No real menu diving or apeing a DAW. Other samplers feel clunky, like features added to a midi controller, like it's a workstation with pads. An SP feels like a toy, it's fun to play with, you find yourself bouncing audio to it and resampling and throwing stuff you just heard off the radio on because of the effects alone, just to see what it's like, or chopping and augmenting a sample with more beats. A lot of people bought it as an effects box and wound up playing on it, and I hesitated to buy one because I've never actually played with a sampler of my own before for more than say a month, but they've gotten rid of a lot of the pain points and weirdnesses from the earlier models. I've thought for years that you could contribute so much to the SP community. You should take a second glance at it, try it out with someone who uses it a lot well, I think it makes a lot of sense for what you're doing now that it has velocity sensitive pads.
I had use mpc live2 and mpc one. Like he said, pad quaility is very unstable. Akai mpc have double triggering issue when you playing. and pad sensitivy is very unqualifed. I bought mpc live2 and another mpc live2 then mpc one. But those models gave a same experience to me. Finally I sold all mpc and got mpd 218. Mpd218? yeah It's suck like others.
just for info my mpd226 double trigger all the time even at the less sensitive setting its been 7 years now or so and since day one it double trigger, only fix that i found was to completely remove the 5 screws that hold the circuit board under the pads
They are. I've had multiple Maschine MK3s, one MPC Live and 2 MPC Xs. The first X was close to the MK3, but the other one and the Live weren't in the same league. Just stick to Maschine MK3. It's worth spending a little extra. Just buy one used. There's so many of them available it's quite easy to get one at a reasonable price in perfect working order.
My old MPD-226 still works better than Maschine MK3. Yes, it’s less sensitive, but the curve / dynamic range is much better. I’m able to play expressive drum rolls. I’m trying out 3rd maschine mk3 at the moment and it’s still no match. I wish Akai pads were more sensitive, but their dynamic range is more important to me.
Yeah it's partially a personal choice. However, there is also a chance that you have a relatively good controller because I did play some akai devices that were truly bad to the point they felt unplayable. I now have a couple of mpd218s that are actually more than sensitive enough and if you have one of those and you like the curve / dynamic range they're a steal for that low price.
@@TheQuestforGroove Thanks for your response. Yes, my MPD-226 is from first year they started making them. It’s fairly sensitive, but not like Maschine. I even replaced the sensor sheet in it, just out of curiosity. It made only a tiny difference. Slightly better and more consistent sensitivity throughout all pads. Also I mentioned it before, Maschine curve in midi mode is messed up compared to its curve in regular software mode. They are very different. Using in software mode is much improved but still not nearly as expressive for drum rolls as MPD. I wonder if that will change the longer I use it.
I'm still happy with my machine mikro for finger drumming. I do suspect though, that the other funcitons availalbe, like with the machine mikro, only fully works with the manufactures own software. i.e. in Midi mode you can only use the pads for finger druming, launching sounds or mapping to something specific in your DAW. Good comparision, but I won't be buying one.
Thanks for sharing. Yes, some mikro's have problems. Unfortunately there do not seem to be pad controllers that never have a bad unit amongst them. I think that with the maschine mikro the chance of getting a good one is pretty high, but not 100%. If there was another controller that would clearly be more reliable I would immediately share, but so far for every controller I like, there are people who get a bad unit.
It's always an estimate, but it's combination of trying out multiple devices and getting feedback from other users I recommended it to. The only way to be sure would be to get a huge sample size of like a 1000 units which is clearly not feasible. Luckily in a lot of places in the world you can get your money back if a device doesn't work as it should, which is basically the way to deal with this if you're unlucky. No other real way to be 100% sure.
Great video! I have a Launchpad X and an MPD218 and the Launchpad X is better and more capable, but the MPD218 is still ok. Most videos on the Maschine Mikro explain a workflow using Maschine software, sometimes integrated with Logic or Ableton. I’m curious about using the NI Mikro as a control surface in Logic - skip the Maschine software. The MPD218 lacked DAW controls and doesn’t work as a control surface. The Novation Launchpad X does have DAW controls for Ableton and Logic. I expect “studio” devices to do more. Have you considered a comparison of the MPC Studio versus NI Maschine Mikro from a DAW controller perspective?
Hey Jeffy, thanks! I'm all about finger drumming so DAW control isn't really in my sights as something I want to talk about, also since I just use a keyboard and mouse for that and that seems to work very well for me :-) I'm not the right guy to give other people advice about it.
@@towerrunner4675 yep. You can certainly do that. I’ve assigned CC messages to do basic transport controls and other things, but it’s all a manual setup. Most newer pad devices have a control surface definition for Logic that automatically gives you basic DAW control and Logics Smart Controls for their VSTs and Plugins, but there’s nothing for the MPD218 out of the box. It’s not a big deal and the MPC Editor is pretty good, so you can do almost anything you want.
@@JeffyG Yeah, custom Ableton mappings are only stored for a specific project, not globally. I think I have to write my own "MIDI remote script" to solve that issue. On MPC (Beats) custom mappings stay active for every new project. I don't think that Logic buttons will become popular, because they are not part of the MIDI standard.
PS: There are some proprietary MIDI standards, like HUI, Logic Control and (as a result of those two) MCU. Your Launchpad X probably uses one of those protocols, but the MPD218 doesn't.
Anyone know why pad threshold and sensitivity is greyed out for me? I know I’m a few years late but I have the Akai mini plus and the pads aren’t as responsive.
Hi I have Akai mpc studio drums and I have problems. The problem is that I can't hear any sound from the laptop, I try to hit the button but I can't hear any sound from the laptop. And Questions: How can I reset the akai mpc studio To get back As new. Best wishes.
I'm working on a fix for MPD218 double triggers. I use a micro controller and a USB host module (both available for around 30€). The USB host receives MIDI data from MPD218, then it goes to the micro controller, who filters the double trigger events. Finally the micro controller emulates a USB device, which is connected to the PC (DAW). I already fixed the pad sensitivity. This part is doable by anyone: Put a couple of stickers (office labels) on the contact foil, which is located between the pads and the PCB.
@@TheQuestforGroove Currently I only have the MC (ESP32-S2 WOOR). It's detected as a USB-MIDI device on my PC. The USB host module is on its way from China to Germany. I keep you up-to-date about my progress. I hope the coding isn't too much effort, because both USB controllers (MC and host) support MIDI mode, so I only have to deal with MIDI data.
I have all 3 devices. Latest being the mpc studio for its ribbon controller and note repeat and i can honestly say i am shocked. The mpc studio CANNOT be used as a stand alone assignable midi controller. In order to remap the drumpads chromatically, you have to use the vst mpc plugin as a wrapper and put it in midi control mode, load a project template with the drum keymap saved in the project. Unlike the mpd218 you can save with the editor your cc remaps to the chip eg program 5 on the mpd218. You cant do that on the mpc studio! I contacted akai about it and they said it cannot be used like that. So i am returning. In another question neither of these devices do note repeat in ableton when used as a midi controller. Note repeat is essential for creating trap hi hat repeats 1/16, 1/32 yet none of them including maschine can be used in standalone mode to do this. Maybe mpd218 can but that doesnt have a ribbon controller to alter note repeat values. I had a bit of success using an arpeggiator in front of a drum rack in ableton then cc mapping the ribbon controller to control 1/16, 1/32 1/64 etc but its not as fluid as using mpc vst software to do it. I actually prefer maschine drum kits to mpc expansions. I dont like manually dragging and dropping wave samples into mpc its clunky and time consuming. Loading mpc 2 software vst as a plugin wrapper takes up unnecessary cpu cycles when i don’t actually want to use the $300 free mpc 2 software. I dont get on with it to be honest. I am now leaning towards waiting for an akai stand alone pad controller like akai mpc one but with a ribbon controller and can use note repeat in midi control mode. Nektar and novation have already made note repeat possible in midi control mode keyboards so why cant it be done with pad controllers?
It can be iplemented easily, but manufacturers dont want to. The problem is that these devices are meant to get you on board with an eco system so they can sell you their software expansion packs. A bit like how game consoles are relatively cheap because the money is made selling the games. I did use the device in midi mode by the way. The pads don't light up and it appears to be dead, but if I hit a pad it does trigger a midi sound. I have not tried changing the notes or anything... that's probably impossible without the software.
Hi Robert, I really like your videos and your finger drumming beginner course. I’m trying to setup using your recommended 4x4 pad layout using Cubasis, BM3, DigiStix and PreSonus Atom and some other iPad apps. The problem is trying to setup the correct mapping of the Atom pads based on your layout guide in the beginner course. Have you any suggestions (and recommended iPad apps) to help do this?
Hey Frank, I personally don't have much experience with mobile ipad setups, but what I can tell you is that the Atom is one of the few devices that does not allow you to change the notes the pads send out. That makes using it for a mobile rig at least a little harder, because otherwise you'd be able to figure out which note is for example the kick drum in BM3 (usually something like C1) and then just change the two pads on the bottom of the atom to C1. They should then trigger the kick. But because you cannot change which notes are assigned to which pads, this option is unavailable and the only way you can get the right sound assigned to the right pad is by changing it inside the software. So BM3 has to have an option where you can change the note that's assigned to a kick sound, and a snare, and a hi hat. If you can change that it should be possible to get this thing working.
Haha, insider tip: It's cut out of the ending of this long jam song that I also posted as a video on this channel a long time ago: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ljznb_8sQaI.html
Yeah, honestly that might be a pretty good move. A used white Pad Kontrol. I own one and the Maschine mikro mk3 is better, but if you want to find something around $100 the Pad Kontrol is probably a good one to keep your eye on.
wait what! are you using it in some sort of midi mode?? i was told it did not work. that would be cool. btw been waiting for you to cover this one man. thanx.
Yeah midi mode works. I just plugged it in, no mpc software running and the device will work as a midi controller. The only thing is the pad lights don't light up at all. That only works when also running mpc software. Om top of that the device has a midi out port, so you can also send midi data through a midi cable to any other device as well.
@@TheQuestforGroove Thanks for getting back this fast. Sounds great. Now we only would have to figure out how we could control the button lights from MPC Studio as well. I assume it will not look to nice with all lights turned off
No it was not for sale anymore when I started finger drumming and testing controllers! I heard people talk about it a couple of times though. People who have the mpc element seem very happy with it!
Hey! Which one seems to integrate with DAW’s and software better. Like battery for instance. I had a Maschine Mk3 but I personally was unimpressed about having to put it in midi mode and then essentially loose the best things about the maschine. I was considering the Presonus Atom because I use studio one to produce and it seems like it might plug and play best. But I also loved how finger drumming felt on my Mk3. As you can tell I’m very conflicted 😅
I'd say they're about equal. So they mainly function with the software that comes with it and they both also work in midi standalone mode. I think the midi standalone of the maschine is better than the one of the mpc studio. The mpc studio for example doesnt even have the pads light up in midi mode without the software running.
@@SpyderBlackOfficial hey Sam, thanks the for the response, yeah I think I’m going to get it. Just seems less stress getting it to integrate with presonus. Thanks for letting me know.
Hi.. I have a question.. I tried to use a bluetooth headset to practice on my MPD218, and somehow i gut some sound delay issues.. Its just me, or is a way around it? Also how can i connect the device to a studio speaker.. I use an IPad mini 6.. Thank you… Sandor
Hey Sandor, in my experience most bluetooth devices use a buffer in order to provide for a smooth streaming experience. This buffer will always cause a delay. There are wireless sets that do not have a delay, but those come from the pro live performance segment. Which means they'll be more expensive.
Velocity and computer speed are not linked! That said, a slow processor can cause other things like latency and crackling and popping but, any modern computer from the last 5 years is more than fast enough nowadays.
In my experience there are big differences between the Akai devices, as I also say later on in the video. I have mpd218s that are completely horrible compared to my mikro mk3s and I have a couple of them who are actually pretty damn good. The reason I'm always hesitant to recommend Akai is exactly this reason of varying quality of the pads and I do say that as well in this video... SO I understand where you're coming from but I can assure you what I'm saying is not BS.
Btw is the launchpad pro mk3 more sensitive then mpc studio 2 ? I'm looking for the most sensitive pads. Just for reference, i know how maschine mk3 pads feel. Cheers and thanks.
Probably a Maschine mikro mk3. If you want the long story with me explaining my recommendations and top picks, you can watch this video from earlier this year >> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yO27H_Cq7bM.html
No I have not. All of the stuff that device can do (and what you pay for) is stuff I do not use. If I would get a device with more pads for fingerdrumming I can recommend the Launchpad pro mk3 or Ableton push 2!
I actually do not know. In most cases you can set an upper limit and a lower limit, but the problem is that with this device I cannot check anymore because I decided to not keep it around after playing it for a while.
I think the MPC studio 2 wins over the Maschine Mikro 3 because of its connectivity. I can use THE MPC studio has a controller to my hardwares synths without being connected to a pc .
Yeah, the midi out ports are nice, but my guess is you still need some usb connection to power the device right? Maybe just a usb hub is enough though... haven't tested that.
Right now I think the mikro mk3 is the best value for money compared to any other device out there. I don't think they will release a mk4 any time soon. With the Maschine mk3 they first released the big one and the mikro a year later, so my guess is before you see a mikro mk4 you're at least to years in the future and probably more!
I would get the mikro over the Mpc and I’m an Mpc fanboy. The lighter playing style on maschine has also helped me play more subtle things. Especially drum software where there’s multilayers to the snares and kicks. Those pads help you develop better drumming habits especially if you want to get into scrumming. MPC has a nice swing engine but I noticed the pads do require more breaking in out of the box. When I bought my maschine mark iii there was very little breaking in I needed to do
I was also thinking the Nektar Aura since I am a digital performer user. It seems like most midi pad controllers are end of life right now and have been out for 4-6 years. I am contemplating a workstation with transport controls, pads & faders. I would love full daw integration but I do not think the key beds will feel as nice as my old tank from 2003 my Roland mp500-bw digital piano. I don’t want to be tied to a specific system since I have tons of VSTs and the Maschine MK3s have been around for a while.
In this video I don't use the software. Just the device plugged in with usb. It's a little weird because without the software the lights inside the pads do not work so it looks like the device is not working but when you hit a pad it does send midi information to the computer.
so far the controls are in the software so it will respond to midi but there no where to save midi templates you have to have the mpc software open to get full control hope abelton makes it a preferred device instead of piggybacking on akai force driver and as mpc one owner it cannot even be tethered to this which is akai's own hardware shame
@@TheQuestforGroove I bought it used at 270 usd...so I guess I actually got a great price. When I posted the first comment I didn't check the price of the studio yet. It's like I got the keys for free.
Tbh ur rant on quality control was super weird because if you got to wait a couple years and buy a couple more before youre comfortable making judgement like...lol... insanity
Well, I would have to do that for everybody else ofcourse. Which is what I have been doing over the past couple of years and yes that is pretty insane... buying all these controllers all the time... but I gladly do it to help push the finger drumming thing forward. There really is no other way right? Because Akai will always say that the pads are awesome. Whether you can believe them after years of varying quality will take a couple of years of them consistently delivering quality again.
