MPC Live II : Portable powerhouse

There's something really enjoyable about a self contained production unit that works fully standalone and untethered, and this is a very powerful piece of gear. It's also a quite big and heavy piece of gear, but the spacious interface and big pads makes it a joy to use.

It can be a portable sketch pad for beats/stems, the brain of a hardware setup or studio, a controller for your DAW... It's a very short list trying to find anything that matches this in terms of connectivity and versatility.

I would say this has a relatively friendly learning curve, and it's a very complete package. It has some quirks, but overall it's a fantastic machine.

If you are just looking to get into production, or primarily want a studio workhorse, you might prefer the smaller footprint and button layout of the MPC One+ instead.