This thing rocks

A review of the Akai MPC Live II. Is this everything you need?

[Zhamin]

I constantly come back to this video. Not so much for the Akai review, although it was great, but for his enthusiasm in music and all the great tracks heard throughout. It inspires me to do things even though I personally have no desire to use one of these devices, which is fantastic. I don't typically comment on videos, but felt as though I should considering the amount of times I've watched this video. Thank you for all the years I have graciously been able to listen to your music. Keep doing you.

[Kmoxyy]

Honestly I'd love to see you release an album using, almost entirely, this new piece of tech you got. You look very happy using it like playing an old childhood favorite game, like you mentioned, and small things like that spark enjoyment and therefore creativity in the same vein.

[flippityflurp]

Highlights of my favorite beats/previews:
0:08
0:45
2:21
3:57
5:38
6:02
8:21
8:51
9:15
10:58
12:55
16:30
16:40

[simplenamed]

"Can I make the music I want to by just using this box?" We both know you can do just about anything with sound Pogo. Love the video.

[Onio_Saiyan]

I’m not that much of a creative type, but there’s something about hearing and seeing a passionate person do and talk about what they do is a great feeling.

[middknight]

“Appointment with your creativity” so true

[JADWrity]

Can tell you're enjoying the process when you're tapping on the side of the machine! Seems almost like the hand-designing a building equivalent of the digital music world, gets you into the flow of the creative work.

[Neacail]

"making an appointment with your creativity" i feel like this all the time working from home as a graphic designer. the ipad with the pencil liberated my creative sense when i was able to pick it up and create stuff to an almost finished level on a couch or on the go. devices like this are evolving our creative capabilities. thanks for the awesome vid!

[prospectnyc]

I love my MPC Live 2! I've sampled most of my favorite synth sounds from my hardware and plug in synths, as well loaded up all my favorite drum samples. The portability of this thing makes it so much fun to make music anywhere - bed, couch, car, floor, kitchen, wherever. Yes, there is a bit of prep work to do if you like having your own sounds but the pay off is worth it. It brings out things/ideas in me that likely would not come out when using a computer - even though the sounds are the same. The Q links + filter/FX assignments makes this an amazing performance tool.

[djsoo]

This has been my exact experience with my MPC Live 2 that I bought 6 weeks ago as well. 15-years on Ableton and this has been the hugest breathe of fresh air and completely rejuvenated my love of making music - something that had started waning in recent years.

[FATNINJABABY]

Hard to watch Pogo's videos when he keeps TEASING us with these beats 😭 Hopefully we get a song with'em at some point; until then, I pray 🙏

[Twistededgemedia]

This is exactly the reason I bought one of these, even though I have a dedicated music pc so no email or Facebook etc, the production process slowly became uninspired and stale.

This machine has opened up new doors for me, new styles of music, new workflow and a hands on interaction I never had with a PC.

The PC still has its place for post, but all my ideas are generated on this remarkable machine now.

[janfelixbergmann]

I really hope you are well. I really enjoy your content and hope you return one day. These were some of the best reviews and opinion pieces I have ever seen and the way you shared your talents were so giving. Best wishes.

[Tomato.toothpaste]

I absolutely love hearing how your mind decides to piece your music together. Very beautiful.

[smithsmithy]

I always get excited when I see a Pogo notification!

[ronpaizley]

Glad I found this video again gives me hope with my mpc & with the day job how many times have I said " I'm tired of feeling like I'm making an apppointment with my creativity" & yout tracks are fly as hell !!! Will be following again

[HotelEdenMusic]

Your music is really fun, and your review is inspiring!

[tsuobachi]

I started writing and producing in 1997 on an mpc 2000. 32 seconds of sampling time, no fx, just a sequencer and some sample pads and a step filter. I wrote 11 albums in the first two years. Then I bought more hardware and kept going. Then around 2001 I switched from hardware to computers and something died inside me without my notice. Then in about 2012 I started dabbling in hardware again and I remembered that it used to be fun to make music. Computers had killed the fun. Now I use a hybrid approach. Hardware is a pita in a lot of ways, but it's fun an immediate. Software is great for editing, tracking, mixing, and mastering. That's how I do it now and it works very well. Nice to see you get into hardware as well.

[tcideh]

As usual you have such a creative spirt even in how you describe your experiences.
Its honestly so soothing and insightful to listen to your thoughts and opinions on games, hardware and music.

[newdevonp]

I've been listenin to ya forever man- And i danced to every small bit of music in this, they're all incredible! It's really interesting to hear you talk about your past and get so in-depth to the process- It really engaged me as a viewer to learn more about you and listen. Keep being awesome!