Watch: playpm creates a makeshift MPC Live 2 with a MacBook and $23
He uses a MacBook Air 2017, two audio interfaces and some adhesive velcro
Playpm is back with another music gear solution for frugal producers. His proposition this time is for music-makers with an MPC Live 2 on their wishlist, a MacBook and $23 to spare.
In his latest episode of GAS Therapy, playpm suggests that a MacBook already has almost all you would need for an MPC-like device: a keyboard serving as ‘pads’ to trigger samples, and the free GarageBand acting as a control interface to assign sounds to their triggers.
All that’s missing is a way to interface external instruments, such as a guitar or microphone, to which playpm suggests velcro, tape and a couple of small audio interfaces – in his case, a Zoom GCE-3 and a PreSonus AudioBox GO.
Explaining the decision to turn his 2017 MacBook Air into an MPC, the YouTuber said he wanted a more functional version of the Teenage Engineering OP-1, which is portable but expensive, and would need to “do more” to earn his money.
With the MacBook he owns already offering more RAM, and much of the same connectivity – USB ports and SD card slots – as an MPC device, playpm posits the conversions as a far more affordable solution to buying an Akai’s MPC One or the MPC Live.
Check out the full episode of GAS Therapy below:
Subscribe to playpm’s channel here for more stellar gear tips.
