MPC Key 37, it's Just Right 

Aw man thank you for the kind words! I’m glad you enjoyed the video! And I totally get some creators being jaded about the MPCs at this point but imo the value for this one is insane

I'm so on the fence I have been wanting a machine plus since it dropped then I see this and I too have her the same reviews what do you think about the machine plus if you don't mind me asking

Maybe I sell my One plus too, but no I love that small form factor extremely portable, I rather just attack some keyboard and play keys for when need,. I want 61 keys minimum but also want it portable, call me crazy, but its possible. Unless you have seen the pocket piano that Jesus Molina or Jordan Rudess was showing off. I dreamed these long ago. A full fledged studio yet can be laproped. foldable with battery and speakers. with big screen well implemented bc MPC screen and the OS is badly thought out. Even old groove boxes with small are better managed and easier to use that MPC with all that large space, even some things are too small to read, because the MPX screen was shriked to the Live and the One. well its interesting all these. But computers are still needed, because these things are not there yet as full stand alone, no audio recording 5 minutes max audio is a joke and no great pluginq like traditional VST plugins, if these things could load and use normal computer based VST that will be a dream come true. All am saying is simple; can someone make a fully standalone studio in a box where you need is nothing else except your mics and guitars etc. Why is no one thinking to do that, like you can see people crave standalone music making devices. But these companies get it, they will wait until the people cry hard for feature before they then add it. Well its okay

​@@sunwalla77 i wouldnt pay attention to the reviews unless they come off as they really play with it.. the groups are even worse they spend majority of the time masterbating over what could possibly be added... coming from daws over 10 yrs plus... i been with my live 2 for ovver 6 months.. i was gifted a 2000xl but never used it cuz i didnt have experience with it.. and it was the original specs... wouldnt recommend it.. but the new mpcs... u cant go wroong with any of them really if u play keys get this.. if u sample based get the others.. these boxes are monsters... could parameters be changed? Maybe.. depends how u work.. but be it that i was new to the platform as a whole.. i just went with the flow... best money spent... only way one coulld not like it is if they just prefer something else... but anything u want to do.. u can get done on these.

It’s a really cool device for that sort of setup! And the amp sims and fx are nice for directly plugging in a guitar!

That’s so rad! I love hearing how folks are using this type of gear in different ways

Hell yea dude. You can easily record vocals too, and the vocal plugins are actually sick. I have made entire songs from start to finish with vocals on here. RU-vid won’t let me post a link, but my sc is ‘Akilleus’ and it’s the one with the picture of the Achilles statue- Latest song is “Killer” if you want to hear what vocals from the mpc sound like. I use a dynamic mic with the mpc, and it honestly blows my mind what it’s capable of.

@@MyNameJeff.. Yeah, nice job on the vocals.... will be doing that too.

@@keepriffin Thanks for listening dude. Not trying to sell mixtapes lol, it’s strictly a hobby, but wanted to show you the capabilities. I record guitar, bass, and even electric drums into it. It’s honestly the best piece of gear/most versatile piece of gear I’ve ever owned.

hi, do the drum pads have the option to be set at "full level"?

Thanks for watching! How do you like the X? That’s the only one I haven’t really tried

@@DylanParisMusic The X is a monster I love it. It is a tank though It normally sits in one of 3 places. I do sometimes want the portability of the Live 2. The extra knobs and buttons on the X make workflow a bit more fluid.

get flavor pro 1000%. I use it on everything. Next jura and flex beat. Those are the best ones.

Thank you!

Thank you! And what a good v day gift!

It’s pretty awesome!

Thank you!

Jura is great!

That’s a good combo! And more portable if you don’t need the keys

Oh man, yeah authorizing on the OG One is brutal with the Ethernet requirement

Heck yeah! If you prefer pads the Live 2 or the One are great, and the battery in the Live is super convenient!

Really good point re the 61 keys for live performance. I do feel a difference with the type of stuff I play on this on, definitely could see how the 61 would be better on stage

​@@DylanParisMusic See, now that I write this/see your response I'm remembering I use a 37-key controller as my top board (Key 61 as bottom/master board)...I could just as easily get the Key 37 and use 61+ controller on the bottom 😂

Hahahaha I don’t wanna feed the gear acquisition syndrome but that would give you 16 plugin tracks?? 👀

@@DylanParisMusic Oh man I was just talking about using the Key 37 on top with a generic 61+MIDI keyboard on bottom (controlling 2nd layer sounds on the Key 37), but both MPC Keys together would be wild. I'm gonna stop thinking about it in the name of my financial well-being haha

I’m not sure! It has a looper mode but I haven’t ever messed with it on any of the mpcs

I think VST control on maschine (specifically with NKS supported plugins) is really smooth and hard to match. But if you don’t need hands on control on the device for 3rd party plugins, controller mode would let you do a lot in one. The arranger / song mode on maschine is better than MPC though

Super fair! I love the One also!

Nice!!

😎🙏

Agreeeed, I want a retro edition of every mpc

While the Force is made by Akai, it isn't technically an MPC. it shares many of the same features but songs are created using the scenes mode on the 64 pads or via an arranger mode. The MPCs are based around building sequences (sections of a beat or song) and then turning those sequences into a full song or beat if you choose. For live performance the Force may be a better choice, but neither of them are tools I would trust on their own for a full performance.

It can only load specific Akai / AIR plugins designed for the standalone MPCs

Thanks for watching! And fair I had the same concern with the color but it’s been alright

I prefer this form factor for sure, although the live 2 battery is nice for portability

Can you use stems as a plug-in in Live ii?

@@joelgonsalves4943 sure, the software is the same on all MPC devices

If you’re okay recording audio or using live audio channels on the MPC you could probably make that combo work!

I have a MODX and a MPC ONE+ but I am too old to figure out how to work them together. I thought it would be simple but not for me. I come up with sequences on mpc and just play along with it on yamaha. Good luck

Hahaha that’s rad, thanks for watching!

Aw man good question! I’d say try one out if you can, I’ve definitely gotten rid of older mpcs for different form factors in the past and didn’t usually regret it but you could end up missing the portability option if you sell the Live 2

It’s pretty solid! If you tilt it too much it would slide, but I’ve used two of these quik lok stands for tons of gear for years. I think one of them might be getting a tiny bit loose but it’s been at least 4 years now I think. I have an affiliate link in the description but there may be better deals on other sites!

Ok thanks Dylan def saw the link here. Gonna make the purchase. Keep bringing that good content!

I think Jura, OPx4, and Fabric XL to a degree are all good for standalone plugins. Compared to desktop DAW VSTs they feel a little budget level? A little worse. But the thing to keep in mind is these are targeting dramatically lower specs than most DAWs these days, and if you combine some of the free effects that come with MPC, or some of the paid ones, they can sound nice! But I’d recommend having realistic expectations for the sound quality given the difference in hardware power. They’re still good enough to make good things with though

@@DylanParisMusic ok thanks for the answer ;)

Heck yeah! Shouts out to Kayla!

🙏🙏🙌😎

Had a feeling you’d dig this one!

@@DylanParisMusicHell yea man, you’re one of the best in the game. I edited my comment before I saw your reply. Op-1 field round two lololol

Hahahaha I hope the field works out for you! It feels like they could make that thing a killer with a few software fixes!

@@DylanParisMusic It’s just… ugh it’s honestly the most beautiful/perfectly compact piece of gear Ive ever seen, and I really did like the synths on there and the sampling capabilities. Literally every opinion I have of it was your review (watched that again to try and talk myself out) it just keeps calling me. Gonna try it with looper pro, we shall see…

Yeah good call out! I did notice that the Ableton control stuff seems missing, not sure what’s going on there. I haven’t messed with connecting Ableton with the Force or MPCs very much, but it would add even more utility to it. I generally just build songs as far as I can on device and then export my stems into Ableton after

It’s a winner!

@@DylanParisMusic (I'm hype for the video.) i wished for a mpc with 37 keys for a long time, i would've hoped it had a battery and minikeys with a way smaller footprint; an akai answer to the op-1 if you will. Now they just made something shorter that does even less than the key 61 (RAM) and they will most likely put out a live mini without keys (hopefully 25 mini keys...) they missed big time in delivering in those two machines in my opinion. I dream of the ultimate portable all in one studio. They would have to add more and better in's and out's aswell... i have yet to see a company really innovating in that niche and it's sad because i would pay good money for that...

@MusicGearMeta man I agree a truly portable battery powered small MPC would be so cool, not sure how you’d do it without shrinking the screen but I could see a mini Live working

@@DylanParisMusic Id love a mini Calculator screen like the 500. It's hard to get away from blue light these days.

@DylanParisMusic

affiliate link in description! Gear stands: amzn.to/3ah26tv

Good call out! The 61 comes with a lot of them, the 37 comes with a voucher for one premium one, and includes the free ones that work on all the mpcs like Tubesynth, Bass Synth, Drum Synth, Electric, and Hype

🙏🔥😎

Super cool!

Not a fan of the red to be honest, I'd rather have it in another colour.

Fair call out! Would be cool to see a real arranger on here for folks who want it!

Word! Yeah the push 3 existing at the same time would have made things tricky but high school me would never have been able to afford that (probably not this one either though hahahaah)

I have a working relationship with zZounds as an affiliate. They reached out to me after I’d been doing weekly videos for a few years and had a decent amount of channel views and subscribers

@@DylanParisMusic Ohhhh ok, gotcha. 👍🏾

Oooh that’s cool! I didn’t know that thanks for sharing!

Super fair! Live 2 is still a really solid option and definitely the most portable

Fair! I didn’t hit too many walls compared to the 61 but I haven’t tried to hit walls I just make stuff the way I usually do

I dream of an NI Kontrol Maschine hybrid with enough power to run all of Komplete in standalone

@@DylanParisMusic Yes Exactly!

I’m nearly 100 percent sure they do

Fair! I don’t feel the ram difference in regular use so far, but it is weird they keep making new mpcs with just 2 gigs

Lol this is exactly what I’m holding out for. Next edition, more ram, Retro color way.

This is a Quik Lok laptop stand, I made a video about it last week and there's a link in the description of this video I think. You can't screw into it though as it is metal, and i'm also not sure you should screw into the MPC itself, but a velcro solution might work?

@@DylanParisMusic thanks matey, do you still use the keys 37 or did you sell it?

It’s probably overkill for logic, I don’t know if the controls can do transport stuff or not, you can load the software as a plugin I think but i wouldn’t recommend this just for daw control

Thank you! 🙏😎

hahaha that works

That’s cool!

Gear stand is a quik lok laptop stand, affiliate link in the description!

I export all my stuff as audio stems and finish songs in Ableton but you can use the MPC daw as well if you prefer

I haven’t ever really messed with it so I might not be the best person to show it off

I think it’s like the others but not sure

@@DylanParisMusic yup.. nobody is sure and it's weird, i mean why hide it?

You really don't need anything above 48K 24bit for a device like this to be honest, but I presume this will be 44.1 like other MPC's.

@@billB101 yup, 96 is just a quality seal on a box, so to speak. 48 is a studio standart. I mean serious studio (not a bunch of guys with Ableton laptops calling themselves a record label)). And 44.1 is a...let's say it's a home production level, good for DAW production. And 16 bit is a no go at all. But still we can only guess.

@@djkanyon16 bit is fine for sampling to be honest. Not sure why you'd say it was a no go. 96K is overkill, you don't need it for a device like this.

Yeah I have a feeling that someday they’re gonna have to do a full generational break but that really comes down to if they decide to make standalone plugins that don’t work on these ones

I’m not sure! I’ve never tried to use multiple mpcs connected to a single pc, if that works I could see the studio and this working at the same time, might be overkill though

@@DylanParisMusic👍🏽

The first MPC I had I didn’t click with, sold it and got another a year later. Even that one I ended up selling and eventually got a Live 2. It did end up clicking, but all of that is to say it’s a pretty dense workflow at first. Honestly if you’ve got other gear that’s working for you, I’d focus on that. There’s always an excuse we look for to buy gear but if it’s not the right fit that’s totally okay too!

@@DylanParisMusic You know, I actually had a similar process with the Prophet 08. Got one, sold it, got it again. My second one clicked with me and it's my favorite synth honestly. You're totally right about using what I've got, man. I did a good job putting a stop to my GAS for the last 8 months or so of 2023 and got a lot more done. I got tempted with Push 3, then buckled down and starting gettin the most out of my Push 2 and home studio. Words of wisdom for real haha.

Learned this in the comments of the vid! Super neat

You might dig the 61 more in this case? But it also sounds like as a power user you may need more than any MPC can offer right now

@DylanParisMusic yeah debated that, but the price and size. Currently I'm using an MPC Live 2 alongside an MV8000 to power my 40 hardware synths and modular. We will see! I still might downgrade. I wanted to get rid of my MV8k because of it's age, but the sequencer is far better imo, and allows for more patterns in a song. That's why I usually lose ram due to long patterns to compensate.

100 percent, I went from not a fan to really loving it pretty quick

@@DylanParisMusic Does it come with stems, or do you have to purchase it?

@joelgonsalves4943 I don’t think it comes with stems, and stems also isn’t available on standalone yet I think

I hope they do more colors for sure!

This is an interesting question! I’ve never tried this with the 61 or the 37

@@DylanParisMusic I found out about key groups lol🤔 interesting I never new about this I'm not a keyboard type. I almost sent it back until I got word on that it was a pain trying it watching videos I was in a rush. but I got it somewhat so far it's cool. Cool enough to ditch my live🤣 thanks for the reply fam

Yeah the shape might be rough for that depending on the tray under a desk

A battery would be cool! If they find a way to make a smaller version that has a battery and fits in a backpack, they’d sell millions

@DylanParisMusic yeah that would be epic! I think that could actually draw younger kids away from FL studio into mpc if it's packaged and priced right also.

Thank you 🙏😎

I want them to do a retro for every MPC they make honestly

The se color scheme is what I was hoping for when I saw the leaks. I was hoping this wasn’t the only option.

Not a fan of the red either but, as a maschine head since 2012… My live 2 (especially now after plug ins and updates) makes maschine obsolete to me. Sold my plus recently because ni is a dying company and abandoned their plus (their flagship product 😂) Akai is not behind bro, but I hate the red color as well.

I talk about it a bit too but yeah it’s interesting how long they’ve kept the same specs and ui / software, mostly just adding plugins. I think there’s pros and cons but i definitely get where you’re coming from on this!

Yeah my only concern is that people think it's a workstation keyboard when a workstation has a 16 track sequencer and the mpc keyboard 37 has only a 8track sequencer I'm just saying

I would say with key groups though pretty sure you can have way more than 8 tracks. The 8 plugin tracks limit is a bummer but key groups and autosampling open up a lot of possibilities

​@@DylanParisMusic Agreed. I use a Key 61 as my main stage keyboard for my agency band, which means a lot of sounds in an effort to match/approximate the record. A few core sounds on plugins, and a LOT of keygroups, especially for synth sounds. For a lot of those keygroups, I use single-cycle waveforms for the samples, which are shared across the keygroups and thus take up almost no RAM; I can have essentially as many synth sounds as I want on a project, and of course if I wanted to sequence stuff on them I could.

Yeah this one feels like the right trade offs for the price for me, if it’s not for others that’s totally fair too but I think it’s a good option

I didn’t know that before people commented on this video somehow! That’s pretty cool

Agreed! It’s weird right? It definitely seems like enough when you’re using it but on paper it’s crazy low for 2024

@DylanParisMusic It certainly doesn't seem like enough when you start loading multiple instances of plugins, like Fabric XL, or keygroups with a lot of samples.

@@coldskoolbeatzdo you actually own one and did you encounter problems or are you assuming

nah, I don't own an MPC Key 37. I only own an MPC One and a Live 2.🤷🏾‍♂But don't take my word for it.@@thelevelbeyondhuman

@@coldskoolbeatz fair enough it’s just that I’ve watched multiple people now who apparently both a Key 37 and an MPC one as well as other MPCs say their devices with 2gb of RAM has never been an issue and they’ve never maxed it out

It’s a super fair thing to point out! And it’s why I always make sure to say if something was free cause of course that may change how I experience it!

@@DylanParisMusic True however it is a RU-vid rules requirement to make any paid or free promotional content known.

@HOLLASOUNDS that’s also true but this was not a paid promotion this is just free gear I can borrow. ZZounds doesn’t ask me to shout them out and doesn’t ask for any specific videos to be made. When sponsors pay for a video or a manufacturer sends me gear directly in exchange for specific videos I definitely make sure to note that too

@@DylanParisMusic Getting free gear is classed same as paid promotion in RU-vid guidlines, but a well made video anyway.

@HOLLASOUNDS interesting! And thank you! I always thought paid promotion for gear was if a company sent you gear explicitly to make specific videos with it. ZZounds sends me stuff either way whether I make videos or not and doesn’t care if I shout them out or not

I feel like they gotta make a middle option for the keys someday, a white one would be siiiick

What limitations are you hitting as a keyboardist with the ram?

I would love new gear to be excited about but every NAMM it’s miss after miss.

Yeah I was wondering if they’d go in that direction too but it seems like they’re focused on building a lot of different SKUs for different types of producers and not making one single new device that makes their other ones outdated. I think the Push 3 standalone is what would happen if a company goes all in on power and it’s pretty rad! But there’s a lot to like at this price with the key 37 imo too

@@DylanParisMusic Key 37 is just so close to what i hope they would release... i dont see akai doing it... Imagine a Mpk mini plus + a mpc 500, with a discreet carry bag allowing you to really be mobile with it... at the same time it would be too big, too noticeable. Op-1 field is the perfect form factor but so limited and 3300$CAD for something your supposed to carry on the field?? not in the urban field; thats antithetical ... HUGH... The closest i've got is Korg microkey air 25 bluetooth midi keyboard with my iphone, ive been rolling with that for a couple years.

@@DylanParisMusic Or why not just put bluetooth midi and batteries in the mpk mini plus?? Such a miss, there is really a hole for that in the controller market.

I spend like 3 minutes talking about the plugins and how I recommend buying them on sale

Did you watch dude? Right at the start he said he bought it lol

@@DylanParisMusic Exactly, buy them on sale (sounds plugins) and the finally on the end the key 37 will cost the same as key 61, or even more. Then people will end up with lower specs keyboard than key 61, I think this is a dirty move from akai, which should be mentioned in ever review. Just do quick calculations how much the key 37 will cost you on the end, compared with key 61, out from the box 🫡

@@MyNameJeff.. Exactly, buy them on sale (sounds plugins) and finally on the end the key 37 will cost the same as key 61, or even more. Then people will end up with lower specs keyboard than key 61, I think this is a dirty move from akai, which should be mentioned in ever review. Just do quick calculations how much the key 37 will cost you on the end, compared with key 61, with all the sounds 61 has out from the box 🫡 Read carefully, you didn’t get the point.

@@DylanParisMusicGreat video and really nice track at the end Dylan…Only thing is as the commenter said you can only have one plug in at a time, so bummer if you’re using it as a stand alone..MPC 61bmakes way more sense if one can afford it..Also I saw a guy at the Newkirk Plaza train station in Brooklyn that looked exactly like you yesterday, lol

My bad