Akai MPC X SE // Top 3 Pros & Cons vs MPC Live II, One, Key 61, Studio // XSE Special Edition Review

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TIMELINE:
0:00 Intro
1:00 Similarities
2:40 MPC X vs SE
3:40 Q-Links knobs
7:30 Connectivity
10:05 Battery/speaker
10:30 More buttons
12:25 Screen
13:45 Pads
14:15 Touch strip
14:45 Keys
15:20 Storage
15:50 Pros & cons
18:25 Outro

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NOTE: Occasionally I’ll try out affiliate marketing and include affiliate links. This means that I may earn a commission when you click on or make purchases via affiliate links to stores like Amazon, Sweetwater, Thomann and others. The content of this clip is entirely my opinion, and was not paid for or dictated in any way by the company creating the gear. Without addressing the particulars of products shown here as they might be under NDA, gear shown on this channel may be either sent by the manufacturer, on loan for review or bought at a discount.

[richcolour]

I have a MPC One in retro. Whilst I'd love the X-SE, it essentially does the same thing as my One, but costs three times more.

[bricelory]

I'm a simple man, I see loopop, I click.

[MakeSomething]

I'd pay more than $2500 for an updated song mode! GREAT overview as always.

[zdravkodimitrov]

I wish they went all out, instead of just releasing a relatively minor update. 8gb ram, audio streaming, external monitor connection with mouse support, way faster CPU, and every possible plug in bundled in. I'd rather buy the original X on a blow out sale now.

[connorcarbon]

Akai don't need to put out new products, they need to put out new software (updated, fixed UX, streamlined UI, more intuitive, etc)

[mikebush]

Exactly, after going to an x after using a live or live 2, there's no going back. The 16 q-links are a huge time saver. I'm using my mpcx to sequence external synths and ggd from my laptop.

[MikeMatzke]

This might be my MPC1000 upgrade right here! Been living vintage for SO LONG!

[hugevibez]

Damn that SE model looks sexy as hell, but I feel these MPCs are really just a DAW-in-a-box rather than a DAWless groovebox and I see no benefit over using an actual DAW.

For those that love these devices keep using what works for you though

[ToyKeeper]

Force isn't so much about the 64-pad interface... it's about whether you want an Ableton style workflow (clips + scenes + arranger) or a pattern-based workflow (a.k.a. "sequences", as MPC calls them). I find this workflow difference far more impactful than any other differences between the siblings in Akai's product family. MPC's workflow largely revolves around looping patterns with track mutes and effects, while Force's workflow is more about free-form jamming or composing a song from beginning to end (or both).

Like, on MPC, the user generally builds a single pattern, complete with mixer levels and fx, until it's pretty much done... then maybe copy/pastes that pattern and alters the melody to create a variation or something. Build out the tracks, set the voicing and levels and fx, then at the end maybe copy it and try to work on the melody and note progressions.

On Force, the user generally lays down several sequential clips worth of a melody or chord progressions. Once that is long enough, go back to add other tracks... bass, drums, pads, etc. Mix and match clips while jamming, record good bits, then arrange them into a song. Around the end of that process, maybe fine-tune the voicing, adjust levels and fx, then render it to a .wav.

Basically, MPC is optimized for beat-making, while Force is optimized for song-writing.

[powermix]

MPC one is still the better option price to value. MPC X line is for certain people for sure. great review as always

[iwillnevergetone]

Akai is wild (genius?) for getting all these channels to newly-review essentially their flagship from 2017. brilliant, actually

[eddieleonard]

still good with my 3000. guess i'm old.

[waynewilson]

Great video! covers all I need to know. Am sticking with my Live II.

[joegrant]

Amen to your comments about the Q links. I have an MPC Key 61, and I’d be interested in buying a separate controller simply to have the 16 Q links knobs with the OLED display like the MPC X.

[VEsound]

Thanks for the video, Q-Links with dedicated OLED screens are a true difference and that's why I think the Force is an excellent alternative between the other MPCs and the X (with a specific Ableton Live-like workflow but not always). ❤

[notactuallysean]

10:05 one thing to note is that the mpc one is able to run off of a portable battery and i have mine velcroed to the side so it makes it the smallest portable form factor. and another pro is that you can have multiple portable batteries charged and switch them out as needed unlike the live which has the built in battery and would eventually deteriorate. there's other videos online about it if you want to look into it. ive been running my mpc one with a portable batteries for about 2-3 years now and have had no issues with it

[alchemistrpm]

Excellent breakdown man. You really covered all the hits, and quickly. I’ve never had an X. I can easily see how the 16 encoders would top your list of pros there. But I’ve gotten so used to using the Q Link button on my Live, you can get pretty quick with it. And touching the links for a reminder of which bank your in becomes second nature too - that is just to say that having only 4 qlinks at a time is still way superior to not using them imo. I can’t imagine them not being there on my live, especially in sample edit, but I use them in almost every way. Minor quibble - you didn’t talk about the Live 1, which has some differences (cv, face buttons) and a lot of people still use it. But I understand. Great job

[kashdro]

I used to find that using Q links was a pain on the One but, after a couple beats I use them exactly as much as my MPC X. I got used to reaching out for the Q Link button and capacitive knobs with my pinky finger lol

[TaRiqTheVisionary]

Getting my first MPC this month! Wish my experience luck! I’ve been using Maschine + for a while and looking for more workflows to adapt too just because ❤

[tmtmtmtmtmtmtmtmtm]

I had the MPC X for a year and there were a lot of things I liked about it. The timing and feel was quite good when being used stand-alone. This changed whenever the MPC X was using an external clock. I used the 60, the 3000, and the Linn9000 for many years-- all of which could be clocked externally and had extremely low jitter while being externally clocked. I couldn't recreate this with the MPC X and ultimately ended up selling it.