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  • Electronic Musician

    MPC One & MPC Live II

    Jul 21, 2020 6 minutes
    By Si Truss

    Si Truss is the Editor of Electronic Musician and Future Music magazines

    Akai Professional

    $699/$1199 akaipro.com

    Strengths

    + The most comprehensive laptopfree music makers on the market right now

    + CV outputs on both are a great addition

    + The Live II’s built-in speaker sounds surprisingly meaty

    Limitations

    - Software workflow is still a touch on the convoluted side

    Back in 2017, Akai made something of a U-turn with its iconic MPC range. Following several laptop-reliant iterations – MIDI controllers designed for bespoke software, effectively equivalents to NI Maschine – the company released a pair of MPCs that once again took things out-of-the-box with built-in CPUs that allowed them to operate as completely standalone, DAW-rivaling production tools.

    The behemoth-like MPC X was the flagship, but the MPC Live was the standout. Equipped with a rechargeable battery for completely wireless operation, the Live really nailed the balance between self-sufficiency and versatility – stripped back enough to allow

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