Maschine or Akai MPC
 

If you could have one or the other, but not both, which would you choose and why?

If you already have one or the other or both, what do you like about it / them and what would you do different?

I had a MPC500 which was cool at the beginning but going deeper i found it to be very frustrating and limited for what i want.
The biggest problem for me is that it don't have any loop function !!!
If you got a loop you can't use it in a fast way, but you have to record a midi note each time the loop closes !!! The pads are very hard to play, the effects are very limited and the resampling is a struggle. I sold it.

Now i have a Korg PadKontrol with Ableton live, that is a good combination.
Maschine is basically a padkontrol with a software sequencer integrated, so if you are more beat oriented and you don't have any DAW it could be a good choice.
However to me Maschine it's very high priced for what it does, and you have to learn a new software, which is a little time consuming for your workflow.

My advice is if you already use a DAW, buy a pad.

I use FL on the PC and Logic Pro on the Mac, so I'm currently researching how well it works with those DAWs. When I started looking into it, I figured coming from a software company like NI, the software integration would be ideal, but since I've already read at least one guy that said the FX applied to grooves on Maschine are lost when he drags them into Pro Tools (and the realtime FX were one of the things that appealed to me, so I may need to research that a bit more).

Also, I'm very interested in the Akai Max49 as an overall keyboard controller with Akai pads built in, and more importantly the little touch sliders. Just waiting for the reviews to come in to see how it fares (as far as I know it is not released for another month or so).

I dislike all the issues and troubles (and indeed, the amazing flexibility and possibilities) that laptops bring, so I have a hardware-only studio with an MPC1000 running jjos 0S2xl. I find this limiting, but in a creative way. It's great to be able to curl up on the sofa with my headphones on and just poke away at the mpc. I don't think I'd ever get the same feel from a laptop and a controller, there's always wires and configurations and plugins and routing and moving a mouse around and clicking on things. That's not playing music in my mind.

Unless you meant the new MPC Renaissance, the first question is whether you want to work computer-free. If so, the MPC is the choice.

I have owned many MPC's including the 2000 xl & 4000 & still own some MPD24 pads but rarely use them. If I was going to buy one or the other right now I would get the Maschine. Despite the new additions to the mpc range I think the whole concept is a bit long in the tooth now & a bit limiting as to what you can do with it. On the plus side though most of them dont need a computer unlike the Maschine. So I guess it's what you want out of it but the Maschine although a little pricey has way more flexibility & scope & if you can wait a while I guarantee the price will come down or just get the smaller version. Just my 2c.

This would be more of a "fun" gadget for me than anything else. As a former drummer, there's something about the mechanics fo tapping pads that appeals to me, even if all things are obtainable another way... the popularity of Maschine and the fact everyone that has one seems to love it is what got me thinking along this line. Also the fact that the Mikro is so inexpensive. I definately do not want to drop a $1300 for the NPC Renaissance... $350-600 for a curiosity gadget gets my attention.

I definately am not trying to get rid of the computer -- more integration is better for me.

Thanks for all comments so far.

I ended up getting the Maschine (full model, not the Mikro, because I wanted the extra screens and knobs and the shortcuts to things like groups).

Absolutely no regrets or buyers remorse! This is one piece of kit I'm keeping (and no, you don't have to be a hip hop artist to like it). Love the feel of the pads, different from Akai pads but much better for my needs. This thing will get used a lot and is the first piece of gear I've used that rids me of my desire to play an actual drum set, and I've only spent a small amount of time with it (its very easy to learn, no nonsense, and everything including the software just works). What struck me first about it was that as I play, I seem to get the level of expressiveness I was seeking but never got from my old Akai MPD when I mapped samples to it, or those old school Alesis machines. Maybe it's just the drummer in me that loves it because it fills a functional gap in my percussion needs, but every one who owns one seems to love it, so I recommend it if you have even a passing interest in it.

Cool, let us know your future experience of songwring inside a DAW, and how Maschine tracks interacts with it. Have fun!

Damn now I really want one...MPD24 for sale, anyone?