It’s just so damn ugly. No doubt you can do a lot with it, anything really, but I just can’t want such a hideous, junky-looking instrument. Makes the MODX line look like wood-cheeked Prophets.
One man’s ugly prom date is another man’s prom queen.
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For a workstation, I think it’s quite the looker actually.
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She’s going to look so beautiful nestled under my Akai Force, ebony and ivory, midi connected in perfect harmony…
Or maybe side by side, with the keyboard, oh lord…
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I don’t think Akai will ever win a price for beautiful design, but at the same time I also think beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Coming from my screen the MPC Key doesn’t really have a premium instrument, more like a fancy MIDI controller. Maybe in real life that will be a different story though.
You ordered this gigantic truck dashboard, because the MPC-X was too large? Explain your logic! 
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This is why the X is ergonomically more mature in thinking. Knobs per function and tilting screen. I still think thats their flagship.
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I have to agree.
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It is the flagship.
I have a 61 key controller midi out to the X. My space is not very deep…with the MPC IN the KB, I now have room in front of the KB for some modules!
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If i was buying one even being a keyboardist all my life i would choose the X and use an external keyboard if needed.
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100%.
MPC X is what tonnes of pro musicians swear by and some have made fortunes on it.
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nice OP-1 contender for mini-workstation, though this sounds like it might still be a bit of a unit, I like the idea!
Who thinks this would be a better combo for $100 less…
Or this for the same price as just the Live 2 alone?
I’ve been looking at this alternative and weighing up the pros and cons, such as having the 8 assignable faders and 8 assignable knobs, the ability to travel with just the MPC separate from the keyboard, and so on.
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I really like the live 1 format. Smaller than live 2. No need for the speaker.
And easily portable.
The mpc one is really good for the price.
But the pad are smaller which is a problem for me, not impossible but… I like big pad.
And yes with a keyboard it extend the capability.
With the keys you have more plugins and memory. But for me that’s not an issue.
One thing to note is the MPC Key 61 does have twice as much RAM as the One.
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The MPC Keys 61 has the +/- octave buttons in its favor, vs no octave switch buttons on the MPK
Also, 4GB RAM vs 2GB RAM, dedicated SATA bay for SSD expansion, a $499 plugin collection for free, etc.
To be fair, the proposed combo may be a better choice for some people, depending on their individual priorities.
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They are there.
True that about the RAM, the Lives got the drive bay.
I prefer the MPCKeys myself, but the other combos are compelling. I’ll be looking for the MPCKeys for my Force, a combined 16 plug-in tracks standalone, 16 audio tracks, 256 additional midi tracks feeding the plugins internally and outboard gear. Should be fun.
Ah, you’re right - I was looking for them on the left side, and did not expect to find them on the center of the panel.
Another thing I was questioning, since this seems to be in the arranger keyboard category, would it have been wise to put the Force style arranger in this MPC to differentiate it further from the MPC line or would that have been seen as unfair or off putting to MPC users?
Seems a natural feature to have included for the arranger keyboard vibe and premium price.
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