MPC One Review

So I picked up a MPC One from a company online and it’s one of the best purchases I’ve made since buying my Reloop Elite mixer. I really enjoy making music/beats with it. I was using MPC 2.0 and Reason 11 on my computer, but I found it hard to sit down in front of my computer and make a beat. I work in IT so I deal with computers too much already as it is. I get sick of them sometimes. With the MPC it eliminates that feeling and I’m right into the music and making beats very quickly. Once you understand the workflow, it’s very easy to get in and out and get what you want down in the sequencer. I’ve been making at least one 8 bar beat that I then use to scratch over in my Serato DJ Pro with my DJ setup. Most days I make more than just one beat. I mostly do hip hop, but I’ve also tried my hand at house music too. I understand the phrasing of house music, so it’s pretty easy for me to get down with that as well. I much prefer to make hip hop/boom bap beats though. The MPC One is very well made and the buttons, knobs, and pads feel great. It’s a very satisfying device to use and I understand why people love the MPC so much. There’s also a MPC Live 2 and MPC X, but they are more expensive. For me, since they all do the same thing, I don’t see the point of spending so much money on the other ones. Everything you could possibly need to make music is on the MPC One. Unless you’re a pro-producer producing tracks for actual artists, I’d say the MPC One is fine for the hobbyist music maker. For a pro-producer I’d say the MPC X would be the best investment with it’s XLR Mic inputs and full fledged studio feel. If you don’t like sitting in front of a computer to make music, or if you just simply find it hard to find the motivation to do so, the MPC One can definitely be the change of pace and workflow you need to start enjoying music production. It really is a lot of fun and very rewarding. I’m already thinking about producing a digital scratch beat album that I can then sell on Amazon or other outlets. A few sites like AgiProDJ, ZZsounds, and Sweetwater will let you pay for items on a payment plan if you can’t afford to drop all that dough on one of the MPCs in one shot. Make the effort to get one if you love music though, it’s well worth it…