4 ms·

Roger Linn reviews MPC Live 2

75 points by brudgers 2y ago

codetrotter 2y ago
Neat! Loved the bit of background story he told too. I used to have an MPC X. Wonderful machine. Will buy one again in the future :)
oidar 2y ago
Roger Linn is such a down to earth, genuine guy. I was one of the first to buy a linnstrument and he has also been so nice every time I've interacted with him.
- zxv 2y ago
  Yeah, Roger is awesome. I bought a linnstrument recently, and he went to great effort to ensure some complicated shipping went flawlessly.
- mkl 2y ago
  I am quite curious about LinnStrument, but hesitant because of the price. How well has it stood up over time?
  - elihu 2y ago
    I don't own a Linnstrument, but I know a couple people who have them and they all seem pretty impressed with it. If you want something less expensive, you might take a look at the Roli Lightpad Block. It's kind of like a miniature Linnstrument. In 5x5 grid mode you get 2 octaves. I find it more fun and usable than the Seaboard Block. I'm a little hesitant to recommend it though, because Roli is awfully controlling. To configure the device you have to use their software (which runs on Mac and Windows only), and it won't talk to the device unless it's registered to you. So if, like myself, you bought it second hand, you have to file a support ticket and have it de-registered from the previous owner before you can register it to yourself and actually use it. (To their credit, the process was pretty quick.) The Linnstrument is the complete opposite -- the device firmware is Apache 2.0 and available on github.
    - LegitShady 2y ago
      as far as I know the lightpad block is no longer in production, so if you want it you have to look around the used market.
  - mikelevins 2y ago
    I got one a year or two ago from Detroit Modular for about $1500. I've been very happy with it. I'm primarily a guitar player with some ability to muddle through on piano on simple parts if I have to. The Linnstrument feels to me like a cross between a guitar and a piano. The notes are all laid out side-by-side like a piano, but in parallel rows like a guitar, and it respnds like a string instrument to wiggling your finger for tremolo or sliding it along the row for portamento. In the default tuning the "strings" are tuned a fourth apart, like the lower 4 strings on a guitar, which helps a guitarist adapt quickly. The sensors are quite sensitive, with very quick response, which makes it feel alive and responsive. It came with access to downloadable content that included MPE instruments for Logic Pro. I've used Logic for years, so I just made a reference project with all the supplied instruments in it and use that as a starting point for new projects that use the Linnstrument. I quite happy with it and don't regret the price paid one bit. Here's a little thing I made with it: https://mic11.net/assets/audio/Ribbon.mp3 https://mic11.net/assets/audio/Ribbon.mp3 I did all the parts on the Linnstrument with Logic and my reference project.
  - atoav 2y ago
    I own one as well. It is stellar for controlling all kind of Blade Runner/Vangelis-style pad sounds and there are some things where nothing compares. E.g. I played a gig last week where each key on the left split was an individual drum loop (e.g. bassdrum beating on one key, snare on another, hihat on yet another) and the pressure controlled the level of each individual loop. This way you can create very organic, reactive, structures with one hand. Another thing it is great at is when you play with multiple fingers into a arppeggiated synth that reacts to the channel pressure and the timbre, as you can still emphazise or de-emphasize single notes within the arpeggio organically. It certainly still holds up for me at least. In a way it has become even better, as MPE support has developed. One thing however is: most synthesizer presets work fine on the Linnstrumment, but you will have to make your own if you're willing to unlock the full potential of the thing, as the emphasis is so much more on pressure than on velocity/envelopes.
- cesaref 2y ago
  Agreed, I had a long chat with him at an audio conference years ago, and I have a LinnStrument 128. One of the very cool things people may not know is the LinnStrument has open firmware under the Apache License, and you can download the source here: https://github.com/rogerlinndesign/linnstrument-firmware https://github.com/rogerlinndesign/linnstrument-firmware So grab an instrument, and start hacking!
ggm 2y ago
Just don't ask him about transputer CPU and canal paths
- hammyhavoc 2y ago
  Tell me more.
  - ggm 2y ago
    https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/rekursiv/7675588 https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/rekursiv/7675588 It's really about Linn Smart Computing, a subsidiary of Ivor Tiefenbrun's slightly unhinged empire.
    - niborgen 2y ago
      Are Robert Linn and Linn Smart Computing related? Can't find any link between them. Maybe they are eponyms?
    - CamperBob2 2y ago
      Doesn't seem like the same Linn. Is it? The Wikipedia article on Roger Linn only talks about his various areas of involvement with the music industry.
chillingeffect 2y ago
I can't fathom how he thinks it's so intuitive. It's taken me months and years and lots of manual-reading, 3rd party manuals and numerous videos to understand what is basically just a daw. Just start from the two buttons: "Main" and "Menu": Main should really be called "editor" and "menu" should be called "main." Good for you if you memorized what functions are behind which button. +5 pts if you can find the hidden multitrack level viewer. Hint: behind the tiny Autobot shield on the sampler page. Quick: what key combo gets you to the track mixer? I believe it depends on what screen you're coming from? It's rarely clear what entity you're saving or loading... is it the effects patch or the song or project or drum program, etc? And oof! How abt that onscreen keyboard?!?! somehow worse response than a 1999 cell phone keyboard?! Needs buddha-like patience. Numerous upgrades over the years and examples within the app of better response, but they can't get an intern to spend a sprint cleaning that up?! Notice how Roger edits out all of the menu traversion... Also the drum program is so massively flexible... high ceiling but also very high floor. The mix of pad/sample editor functions tucked behind menus is like an under water maze. And the MPC Live swaps the drum pads to the left... whereas on the classic MPC 2k they're in the right. Great for lefties tho lol! And the main/menu/record buttons are so big and need so much force it's hard to get the timing right. I don't even like pressing undo bc it feels like shifting my 88 Cabriolet with its worn synchro on 1st gear. Switching between tools in the piano roll editor and sample editor is so tedious... It requires infinite patience compared to bandlab, cool edit pro, audacity, reaper, and flstudio. One mode for zoom, one for select, one for delete, one more to add notes...etc. No page has both save and load on it. Save is actually a disk so it's not clear if it saves or loads. "Load" is actually labelled "browser." The file system layout tries to be both abstract and literal with "Places" and probably useful shortcuts but i can't always see how to simply traverse up one folder... which I often need to do bc I go too low bc of the bad response time of the screen-to-folder traversal. Randomly an annoying modal "save progress window" blocks my flow. The hierarchy of "tracks," sequences, and programs is tricky to remember. It took me weeks before I realized it will never simply show more than one audio track waveform at a time. So lining things up across tracks is way harder than necessary. In short, I hate this machine even though I want to love it so badly. I think it rewards deep hyperfocus and committment over spontaneity and flexibility. I only use it for its excellent fx chain. Probably a good choice if you can only have one machine and dedicate a monk-like existence to it. I find it sus that Roger mentions none of the above criticisms. We're conditioned to respect soft-spoken elderly heroes like him, but it reeks of submarining by the struggling InMusic organization. Just listen to him gush about the features...I mean what are the stakes here for Roger? Is he on any kind of time or monetary budget for studio customers? Or is he simply validating how well others have kept his original ideas intact? Plus he only records a few bars of a loop... no serious editing, song-making , or sample-editing. Not to mention the role of reciprocity in persuasion. Sure he can say anything he pleases, but they gave him a nice fancy unit for free. He's psychologically bound to return the favor. Anyway lots of people do love this machine, especially those fond of the rest of the series. It's just certainly not for me.
elihu 2y ago
I assume he must be using the Linnstrument in MIDI 1.0 mode; I don't think the MPC supports MPE. It would be really cool if it did, though. (A friend of mine has been working on a fork of the Linnstrument firmware to add native support for other tuning systems besides 12-tone equal temperament. The main motivation is to be able to use 41 EDO. It would be pretty amazing to be able to use that seamlessly with an MPC.)
speed_spread 2y ago
Roger Linn is a nice guy but this is a puff piece for the MPC. It's not a baaad machine but there sure is a lot to be said about it's idiosyncrasies and I don't think they're all Roger's design. It sounds like he did whatever was needed to get the money Akai owed him from 30 years ago. Also, the Linnstrument is cool, it's more unique and interesting than the MPC.
- hammyhavoc 2y ago
  You're missing the forest for the trees here—the MPC changed the music landscape in terms of being a groovebox-sampler. The Linnstrument has yet to change the face of music, no matter how cool it is. It's difficult to understate how important the MPC is in music history.
- khazhoux 2y ago
  I don't understand the logic. He posted to say he really likes the device -- as simple as that. How is that a puff piece? Should he have shat on it? I mean, I like my MPC Live 1...
  - speed_spread 2y ago
    What I meant to say is that I felt his review was superficial and without insight. He had nothing but good words and mostly described the various functions of the unit as if reading them from the spec sheet, noting those that he introduced himself in the OG MPC. It's not uninteresting material but it feels more like an endorsement than an actual review. The MPC Live is a great machine, but it does require serious investment (like any complex groovebox) to internalize it's operation and become proficient with. It would have been interesting to hear Mr. Linn expand on the various design choices he made that still persist in the new units and maybe add a bit of product history, anecdotes, etc. Which could be done while preserving the "objectivity".
    - khazhoux 2y ago
      Sure, I hear you. But I do think "puff piece" is wrong word. That would usually mean a piece that purposely avoids the negative, usually with some marketing or PR agenda. Here, I think Linn was happily surprised by what he found, and gave that positive reaction in a short video. He never claimed it was an exhaustive review, but just his initial impression. Even the title is "Roger Linn tries out a new Akai MPC." So he tried it, knocked out a little beat, and liked it.
jdefr89 2y ago
Awesome. I produce all my beats on the MPC2 Live. I go by the moniker h3xadecible. If anyone’s interested I have a beatstars https://www.beatstars.com/h3xadecibel https://www.beatstars.com/h3xadecibel
jawngee 2y ago
My first drum machine was a LinnDrum LM-2. I still use my samples from it. The guy is a legend.
misterbishop 2y ago
If you make any kind of music, you should try a modern MPC. It's like the 8-track recorder of the 21st century.
- 999900000999 2y ago
  Depends on what exactly you want to do. I prefer Maschine which is functionally very close, but aside from the Maschine + requires a computer. My basic workflow is to find my samples, Maschine locates them on my PC automatically more or less. Then I do my arrangement, and upload to SoundCloud or YouTube. Having a separate device means I need to copy the samples over, and then copy the finished track back to my PC. I actually had an MPC Touch, which is basically a controller that acts as an MPC Live when connected to a computer. I didn't really like the workflow. I respect the MPC for what it did for music, but we have plenty of options now. Figure out what works best for you. This video is really neat though. Very cool to see the original creator still at home with the latest model.
  - brudgers 2y ago
    For standalone use (I hesitate to call it "dawless") the MPC probably offers more bang for the buck than Push or Maschine modulo existing commitment to either of them on the computer. The Linn video came across my feed because I've been on Youtube learning about MPC's. I plan to buy one as a hardware sampler and for me they're still value for money without considering sequencing and CV. With the caveat that making music with a PC based DAW has zero appeal to me.
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75 points by brudgers 2y ago

Neat! Loved the bit of background story he told too. I used to have an MPC X. Wonderful machine. Will buy one again in the future :)

oidar 2y ago

Roger Linn is such a down to earth, genuine guy. I was one of the first to buy a linnstrument and he has also been so nice every time I've interacted with him.

zxv 2y ago
Yeah, Roger is awesome. I bought a linnstrument recently, and he went to great effort to ensure some complicated shipping went flawlessly.
mkl 2y ago
I am quite curious about LinnStrument, but hesitant because of the price. How well has it stood up over time?
- elihu 2y ago
  I don't own a Linnstrument, but I know a couple people who have them and they all seem pretty impressed with it. If you want something less expensive, you might take a look at the Roli Lightpad Block. It's kind of like a miniature Linnstrument. In 5x5 grid mode you get 2 octaves. I find it more fun and usable than the Seaboard Block. I'm a little hesitant to recommend it though, because Roli is awfully controlling. To configure the device you have to use their software (which runs on Mac and Windows only), and it won't talk to the device unless it's registered to you. So if, like myself, you bought it second hand, you have to file a support ticket and have it de-registered from the previous owner before you can register it to yourself and actually use it. (To their credit, the process was pretty quick.) The Linnstrument is the complete opposite -- the device firmware is Apache 2.0 and available on github.
  - LegitShady 2y ago
    as far as I know the lightpad block is no longer in production, so if you want it you have to look around the used market.
- mikelevins 2y ago
  I got one a year or two ago from Detroit Modular for about $1500. I've been very happy with it. I'm primarily a guitar player with some ability to muddle through on piano on simple parts if I have to. The Linnstrument feels to me like a cross between a guitar and a piano. The notes are all laid out side-by-side like a piano, but in parallel rows like a guitar, and it respnds like a string instrument to wiggling your finger for tremolo or sliding it along the row for portamento. In the default tuning the "strings" are tuned a fourth apart, like the lower 4 strings on a guitar, which helps a guitarist adapt quickly. The sensors are quite sensitive, with very quick response, which makes it feel alive and responsive. It came with access to downloadable content that included MPE instruments for Logic Pro. I've used Logic for years, so I just made a reference project with all the supplied instruments in it and use that as a starting point for new projects that use the Linnstrument. I quite happy with it and don't regret the price paid one bit. Here's a little thing I made with it: https://mic11.net/assets/audio/Ribbon.mp3 https://mic11.net/assets/audio/Ribbon.mp3 I did all the parts on the Linnstrument with Logic and my reference project.
- atoav 2y ago
  I own one as well. It is stellar for controlling all kind of Blade Runner/Vangelis-style pad sounds and there are some things where nothing compares. E.g. I played a gig last week where each key on the left split was an individual drum loop (e.g. bassdrum beating on one key, snare on another, hihat on yet another) and the pressure controlled the level of each individual loop. This way you can create very organic, reactive, structures with one hand. Another thing it is great at is when you play with multiple fingers into a arppeggiated synth that reacts to the channel pressure and the timbre, as you can still emphazise or de-emphasize single notes within the arpeggio organically. It certainly still holds up for me at least. In a way it has become even better, as MPE support has developed. One thing however is: most synthesizer presets work fine on the Linnstrumment, but you will have to make your own if you're willing to unlock the full potential of the thing, as the emphasis is so much more on pressure than on velocity/envelopes.
cesaref 2y ago
Agreed, I had a long chat with him at an audio conference years ago, and I have a LinnStrument 128. One of the very cool things people may not know is the LinnStrument has open firmware under the Apache License, and you can download the source here: https://github.com/rogerlinndesign/linnstrument-firmware https://github.com/rogerlinndesign/linnstrument-firmware So grab an instrument, and start hacking!

ggm 2y ago

Just don't ask him about transputer CPU and canal paths

hammyhavoc 2y ago
Tell me more.
- ggm 2y ago
  https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/rekursiv/7675588 https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/rekursiv/7675588 It's really about Linn Smart Computing, a subsidiary of Ivor Tiefenbrun's slightly unhinged empire.
  - niborgen 2y ago
    Are Robert Linn and Linn Smart Computing related? Can't find any link between them. Maybe they are eponyms?
  - CamperBob2 2y ago
    Doesn't seem like the same Linn. Is it? The Wikipedia article on Roger Linn only talks about his various areas of involvement with the music industry.

chillingeffect 2y ago

I can't fathom how he thinks it's so intuitive. It's taken me months and years and lots of manual-reading, 3rd party manuals and numerous videos to understand what is basically just a daw. Just start from the two buttons: "Main" and "Menu": Main should really be called "editor" and "menu" should be called "main." Good for you if you memorized what functions are behind which button. +5 pts if you can find the hidden multitrack level viewer. Hint: behind the tiny Autobot shield on the sampler page. Quick: what key combo gets you to the track mixer? I believe it depends on what screen you're coming from? It's rarely clear what entity you're saving or loading... is it the effects patch or the song or project or drum program, etc? And oof! How abt that onscreen keyboard?!?! somehow worse response than a 1999 cell phone keyboard?! Needs buddha-like patience. Numerous upgrades over the years and examples within the app of better response, but they can't get an intern to spend a sprint cleaning that up?! Notice how Roger edits out all of the menu traversion... Also the drum program is so massively flexible... high ceiling but also very high floor. The mix of pad/sample editor functions tucked behind menus is like an under water maze. And the MPC Live swaps the drum pads to the left... whereas on the classic MPC 2k they're in the right. Great for lefties tho lol! And the main/menu/record buttons are so big and need so much force it's hard to get the timing right. I don't even like pressing undo bc it feels like shifting my 88 Cabriolet with its worn synchro on 1st gear. Switching between tools in the piano roll editor and sample editor is so tedious... It requires infinite patience compared to bandlab, cool edit pro, audacity, reaper, and flstudio. One mode for zoom, one for select, one for delete, one more to add notes...etc. No page has both save and load on it. Save is actually a disk so it's not clear if it saves or loads. "Load" is actually labelled "browser." The file system layout tries to be both abstract and literal with "Places" and probably useful shortcuts but i can't always see how to simply traverse up one folder... which I often need to do bc I go too low bc of the bad response time of the screen-to-folder traversal. Randomly an annoying modal "save progress window" blocks my flow. The hierarchy of "tracks," sequences, and programs is tricky to remember. It took me weeks before I realized it will never simply show more than one audio track waveform at a time. So lining things up across tracks is way harder than necessary. In short, I hate this machine even though I want to love it so badly. I think it rewards deep hyperfocus and committment over spontaneity and flexibility. I only use it for its excellent fx chain. Probably a good choice if you can only have one machine and dedicate a monk-like existence to it. I find it sus that Roger mentions none of the above criticisms. We're conditioned to respect soft-spoken elderly heroes like him, but it reeks of submarining by the struggling InMusic organization. Just listen to him gush about the features...I mean what are the stakes here for Roger? Is he on any kind of time or monetary budget for studio customers? Or is he simply validating how well others have kept his original ideas intact? Plus he only records a few bars of a loop... no serious editing, song-making , or sample-editing. Not to mention the role of reciprocity in persuasion. Sure he can say anything he pleases, but they gave him a nice fancy unit for free. He's psychologically bound to return the favor. Anyway lots of people do love this machine, especially those fond of the rest of the series. It's just certainly not for me.

elihu 2y ago

I assume he must be using the Linnstrument in MIDI 1.0 mode; I don't think the MPC supports MPE. It would be really cool if it did, though. (A friend of mine has been working on a fork of the Linnstrument firmware to add native support for other tuning systems besides 12-tone equal temperament. The main motivation is to be able to use 41 EDO. It would be pretty amazing to be able to use that seamlessly with an MPC.)

speed_spread 2y ago

Roger Linn is a nice guy but this is a puff piece for the MPC. It's not a baaad machine but there sure is a lot to be said about it's idiosyncrasies and I don't think they're all Roger's design. It sounds like he did whatever was needed to get the money Akai owed him from 30 years ago. Also, the Linnstrument is cool, it's more unique and interesting than the MPC.

hammyhavoc 2y ago
You're missing the forest for the trees here—the MPC changed the music landscape in terms of being a groovebox-sampler. The Linnstrument has yet to change the face of music, no matter how cool it is. It's difficult to understate how important the MPC is in music history.
khazhoux 2y ago
I don't understand the logic. He posted to say he really likes the device -- as simple as that. How is that a puff piece? Should he have shat on it? I mean, I like my MPC Live 1...
- speed_spread 2y ago
  What I meant to say is that I felt his review was superficial and without insight. He had nothing but good words and mostly described the various functions of the unit as if reading them from the spec sheet, noting those that he introduced himself in the OG MPC. It's not uninteresting material but it feels more like an endorsement than an actual review. The MPC Live is a great machine, but it does require serious investment (like any complex groovebox) to internalize it's operation and become proficient with. It would have been interesting to hear Mr. Linn expand on the various design choices he made that still persist in the new units and maybe add a bit of product history, anecdotes, etc. Which could be done while preserving the "objectivity".
  - khazhoux 2y ago
    Sure, I hear you. But I do think "puff piece" is wrong word. That would usually mean a piece that purposely avoids the negative, usually with some marketing or PR agenda. Here, I think Linn was happily surprised by what he found, and gave that positive reaction in a short video. He never claimed it was an exhaustive review, but just his initial impression. Even the title is "Roger Linn tries out a new Akai MPC." So he tried it, knocked out a little beat, and liked it.

jdefr89 2y ago

Awesome. I produce all my beats on the MPC2 Live. I go by the moniker h3xadecible. If anyone’s interested I have a beatstars https://www.beatstars.com/h3xadecibel https://www.beatstars.com/h3xadecibel

jawngee 2y ago

My first drum machine was a LinnDrum LM-2. I still use my samples from it. The guy is a legend.

misterbishop 2y ago

If you make any kind of music, you should try a modern MPC. It's like the 8-track recorder of the 21st century.

999900000999 2y ago
Depends on what exactly you want to do. I prefer Maschine which is functionally very close, but aside from the Maschine + requires a computer. My basic workflow is to find my samples, Maschine locates them on my PC automatically more or less. Then I do my arrangement, and upload to SoundCloud or YouTube. Having a separate device means I need to copy the samples over, and then copy the finished track back to my PC. I actually had an MPC Touch, which is basically a controller that acts as an MPC Live when connected to a computer. I didn't really like the workflow. I respect the MPC for what it did for music, but we have plenty of options now. Figure out what works best for you. This video is really neat though. Very cool to see the original creator still at home with the latest model.
- brudgers 2y ago
  For standalone use (I hesitate to call it "dawless") the MPC probably offers more bang for the buck than Push or Maschine modulo existing commitment to either of them on the computer. The Linn video came across my feed because I've been on Youtube learning about MPC's. I plan to buy one as a hardware sampler and for me they're still value for money without considering sequencing and CV. With the caveat that making music with a PC based DAW has zero appeal to me.

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