which mpc?

[The Bastard]

ok so im savin up for an mpc and im not sure which one i want ,the toss up is between the 2000xl and the 1000, from what i hear the 2000xl is real good but im really feeling the 1000's portability ,the price doesnt matter much to be because i can get them both around the same price, so i said if i can get them both for the same price and the 2000xl is more advance i should get that,however i read that the 1000 has a lot of new features that surpass some of the 2000s old features, so im not sure ,anyone wanna give me some advice

 

[Javascript]

The 1000 is just a budget version of the 2000XL, but it has some features whats needed in this time: USB transport and the memory..I think these are the only main important difference. But also the 1000 can not timestretch, but some catz use a wav editor.
I'd rather go for the 2000xl, maybe to learn the basics, and the 2nd hand prices of this moment are not that expensive anymore

 

[The Bastard]

the 1000 cant time stretch whats up with that,thats a simple but important feature

 

[young_keyz]

Time stretch isnt a big deal no more... i have a mpc 2000xl and i can cook a cake faster then the damn thing could time stretch a sample. i use a computer to time stretch my samples now a days. so i wouldnt worry about that.

 

[Loose Cannon]

it looks like the 1000 isn't as portable and/or easy to use on the go as they make it look, if you dont have a laptop.

 

[faint]

i would get a blown 60 2 with the upgrade if not that the 2000xl is a better machine than the 1000

 

[Loose Cannon]

The 60II's run kinda expensive though. I think you guys are lookin between $700-$900 range.

 

[faint]

u can get one for the price u gonna get the 1000 for on ebay

 

[Captain_Rid]

ay wut exactly is the time stretch feature?

 

[Manji]

Damn that MPC 1000 looks like it was designed by the ugly department @ akai.

 

[The Bastard]

time stretch is what it says u have a 3 second sample and u wanna stretch it to 5 seconds ,slow it down, whoever thought of keepin that fuction off the 1000 is an asshole cuz they prolly didnt think about people that didnt have pcs and can just timestretch in there

 

[Medicine Man]

I wouldn't get a MPC at all man. The sample time is a joke!!! Nowdays why would you use a machine that has the same sample time as something from the 80's, when you could get that new rolond sampler that has like 10 minutes of sample time or even the old ASR X Pro that has like 3 or 4 times the amount of memory as a MPC2000XL. Its just a name-MPC. Other samplers work better and out perform the MPC but people think because Premier or RZA say its cool they should get it. And actually most current hit makers like the Beat Minerz still use a SP1200/Akai SU900 combo which is in the stone age(Flinstone Beats)! I think hip-hop producers need to stop thinking that if you use a newer piece of equipment then its not hip-hop. Anyway, enough preach'n, I think you should research what makes each sampler unique, then get the one that suits your needs the best. Also, you should buy one used because its so much cheeper, and most of the time the shit works great.

 

[faint]

whoa flinstones u are buggin i a bunch of machines and to me the sp 1200 is my favorite for the sound and the swing on the drums mpc for its seq 10 mins of time what the hell u planin on sampling some ones whole album u dont need all that time i dont think i ever used more than 10 seconds on a beat what do u need 10 min for thats insane

 

[rise9]

hehe, thats funny. ya too many people think an mpc will make them famous, myself for one. i got the mpc60 because it got that 12 bit grunge drum sound, and i was sick of drum programming in software programs like cubase, it was SLOPPY. or i was sloppy. my mpc got 1.5mb of memory, just enough for a drum kit, but not enough to really experience hardware sampling to its fullest, plus it has no functionality. the box is goin on 15 years old.
i like the hardware feel to creating too. i think to be ready to be in a studio with professional artists, a producer gotta know both sides of the fence, software and hardware. software for sequencing and mixing/mastering, and hardware for the instruments.

 

[faint]

good choice the 60 is the best mpc out the bunch but if u dont got the upgrade get it u wont regret it the 2000 has a good seq not better than the roger linn version but its good but i wouldnt sample on a 2000 personal i dont like the sound i rather 12 bit

 

[Medicine Man]

faint-
On the MPC2000 sample time is crucial because the more sample time means the more beats or songs it can hold at one time. Me and my roomate both use his MPC2000 and constently run out of sample time! And we have the full memory upgrade! Usually there's only enough memory for about 3-4 beats. We can sequence up to 99 songs but only with the samples that it hold, which aren't much. After we transfer the beats to the CPU we can clear out the memory, but we make like 1-2 beats a day, so tranfering beats is really anoyying. But still the SP-1200 is the best sampler ever created. I have a SP-12 and use it sometimes to grit up the sound. But if I was to buy only one sampler to make beats it would be the ASR Pro with full memory plus onboard effects!

 

[faint]

i hear u i dont use my 2000 to sample i use it for seq ill sample on the 950 then trigger with the 2000 and do drums with the sp or if i feel like usein the 60 ill use that to sample alsowhen i got the 200 i got it with the 3.5 so i can save one song on each disk i dont like savin on the zip but i got it there for when othas come to the studio

 

[Haterade]

Hey man-

There are ups and downs to every MPC out there, even the 4000. (If you can afford it, it's the shit... God, it's the shit...)

Here's the real deal on them:

Mpc 60: Nice gritty sound, (still not an SP 1200) only 26 sec of sample time when fully expanded (if you can even find the sample ram now.) Get the OS upgrade, don't fuck with the SCSI update, shit's worthless and the floppy aint that slow.

Mpc 3000: Every major hit you've probably heard in hiphop has had drums coming from one of these for a reason. 16 bit, but the A/D on this thing still is RAW. Makes a 2000 sound like a toy. Comes with the 8 outs, and has a built echo mixer. (So does the 60!) The 4 MIDI outputs makes it really the hub of your sequencing enviroment. Plus it can hold twice the amount of ram than a 2000. (Try 6 minutes of stereo sampling...) Until the 4000 came around, this was the big daddy, and shit, you can still pay $1800 for a USED one...

Mpc 2000: Very nice alternative, especially if you're buying second hand. Waveform editing was added to make chopping samples faster, but you gotta load the OS everytime. (Get a ZIP drive homie!) Can hold 99 sequences in memory, but you only have 1 program per sequence. You have to add the 8 outs, but you do get 3 mins of stereo sampling when blown out. (also, only 2 midi outs... wtf???)

Mpc 2000xl: Even nicer still, but just not a 3000. Still only has the 2 midi outs, but the flip screen is back, timestretch is there (I don't know what you guys are talking about, you must be trying to stretch like 30 sec. samples or something or not have enough ram, mine never took too long....), and the ability to run 4 programs simultaneously for beats. You only get 64 sequences & tracks now, and you still gotta buy the 8 outs. Probably the MPC you'd get if you have $700-$1000.

Mpc 1000: Although I haven't used one personally, the lowdown I've been hearing is that they sound even more plastic than the 2000xl, now putting in the ASR-X category. (C'mon, you guys with those boxes know what I'm talking about- rubbery ass basketball kick drums and weak D/A converters!) It does give you effects, but honestly Akai effects are not something to write home about. It does give you 2 sliders now for manipulation, but still, it's the sound that matters, right?

Mpc 4000: Ok, first off, I'm going to say this: It ain't for your average mu'fucka. You really gotta understand A LOT about sampling to take advantage of this thing. People swear up and down everyday that there's thousands of "bugs" in it because they expect Mpc 2000 operation, and it's more of a rack sampler. I have a S5000 so I'm right at home with the purple guy. Some quick specs:

-Reads EVERY Akai sound. (From S950 up- that INCLUDES the MPC 60)
-24/96 operation. 29 minutes sample time @ that sample rate in mono; 14 in stereo.
-6 Q links
-128 sequences, 128 tracks in each sequence with 3 types of sequencing. (Yes, you can now edit velocity, duration, etc.. in a drum roll fashion)
-The sequencer has the feel of the 3000. Now you'll be touching the pads of it more than your girl's ass...
-Built in effects, twenty-fucking-one filter types, turntable preamp, and XLR ins/outs.

Now, with that said, if you never make ONE dope beat from it, the sheer size of it alone will get you pussy in the studio. (If it doesn't, you probably couldn't get none anyway... HAHAHAHAHAHA)

 

[Formant024]

Still only has the 2 midi outs

What do you mean by only ? If a midi setup would get any bigger in order for you to need 4 outs then midi thru the mpc from any s/w platform instead. Besides, when talking that amount of gear, a mpc4k would not be the best all-in-one-solution to build your studio around, not with the money you're spending.

 

[Haterade]

Originally posted by Formant024
...when talking that amount of gear, a mpc4k would not be the best all-in-one-solution to build your studio around, not with the money you're spending.

Like I said man, it's not for your average customer- If you like the feel of your software sequencer then no, the 4000 is probably not for you; It's also not best for people who are trying to build a smaller home studio enviroment- I couldn't justify $2500 on a single peice of gear in that context.

Also, most people never really get into the sequencing "tricks" of an MPC- you can make it much more dynamic than a comuter sequencer.
Also, hardware peices just sound better than completely digital solutions- My Reason patches sound a lot better resampled on my hardware sampler.

Trust me, you can easily have a setup that warrants 4 midi outs- think 2 MPC's (A 60 and a 2000xl), 2 midi capable synths (Turbo Phat and Juno) and an effect processor- a job easily handled by one of the MPC's.

Another upside to the MPC is lasting power- I use vintage synths in my work all the time, and if it wasn't built well, it won't survive 20-40 years- let's see you try to find a peice of software that will read a file from a computer 10 years it's successor! The MPC is not going to become obsolete any day now!