anyone use an MPC?

[Eat Bass]

i just splurged big time lol and randomly bid on an MPC 1000 on ebay. i won it for 400, which is a killer deal because this thing is in amazing shape, has the 128MB max RAM, and comes with the small card and a 80gb hard drive.

but yeah i was wondering if anyone on here uses one? and if so, how do you encorporate it into your work flow? i would like to get more into hip hop and just have a more tactical feel in general which is why i wanted one. but i would also like to try and make some experimental electronic music, dubstep, glitch hop w/e with it.

[fragments]

I love hardware and Im totally not trying to rain on your parade but for 400 I would have gone w a used Machine MKI.

Having owned a hardware sampler and groove box my suggestion would be to either do as much as you can on the MPC then record the audio. Or I'd just do my drums on it and record the parts separately to be mixed in my daw

[Eat Bass]

I love hardware and Im totally not trying to rain on your parade but for 400 I would have gone w a used Machine MKI.

Having owned a hardware sampler and groove box my suggestion would be to either do as much as you can on the MPC then record the audio. Or I'd just do my drums on it and record the parts separately to be mixed in my daw

i considered that, but i dont really want any more software. i want to be able to produce a beat without the computer just for fun. and when i feel like getting a bit more serious, i would like to import it to logic for mixing. whats the best way to go about this? just import each channel as audio?

also, how would i go about hooking this up to my computer and focusrite saffire 6 interface so that i can sample from my computer, and then export back to my computer. i will be doing this until i can afford a turntable. then once i get a turntable will i need a mixer or can i make due with my interface?

[fragments]

I love hardware and Im totally not trying to rain on your parade but for 400 I would have gone w a used Machine MKI.

Having owned a hardware sampler and groove box my suggestion would be to either do as much as you can on the MPC then record the audio. Or I'd just do my drums on it and record the parts separately to be mixed in my daw

i considered that, but i dont really want any more software. i want to be able to produce a beat without the computer just for fun. and when i feel like getting a bit more serious, i would like to import it to logic for mixing. whats the best way to go about this? just import each channel as audio?

also, how would i go about hooking this up to my computer and focusrite saffire 6 interface so that i can sample from my computer, and then export back to my computer. i will be doing this until i can afford a turntable. then once i get a turntable will i need a mixer or can i make due with my interface?

First off, you can turn off your monitor and use Maschine as if it were not connected, but I'll drop that for now : )

I dunno what the exact I/Os are on the MPC you are getting, but basically I'd setup a template in my DAW that has a channel routed to send audio to the MPC and one to receive. That would be easiest. You said the MPC has a harddrive...is that a typical PC harddrive? Can you connect it to your computer in anyway? That'd be easier than recording samples into it.

But yea, with my ESX I either did the whole deal inside the ESX or I recorded each channel as audio. You won't even need the interface between the turntable and the MPC. You can get turntable amps outside a mixer. http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-RIAA-Stereo ... 3cb50f01db <----that's what I use.

You can't use the mic preamps on your interface, you need a proper phono preamp because it does some kind of conversion. I tried using mic preamps for a minute and it doesn't sound right at all. Weird and metallic.

Everything making sense? Happy to give any more advice I can. Using the MPC will be an experience man, enjoy. I'd recommend trying to do whole tunes inside just the MPC just for the experience even if you just do it for yourself. I learned so much doing whole tracks in my ESX.

[Eat Bass]

I love hardware and Im totally not trying to rain on your parade but for 400 I would have gone w a used Machine MKI.

Having owned a hardware sampler and groove box my suggestion would be to either do as much as you can on the MPC then record the audio. Or I'd just do my drums on it and record the parts separately to be mixed in my daw

i considered that, but i dont really want any more software. i want to be able to produce a beat without the computer just for fun. and when i feel like getting a bit more serious, i would like to import it to logic for mixing. whats the best way to go about this? just import each channel as audio?

also, how would i go about hooking this up to my computer and focusrite saffire 6 interface so that i can sample from my computer, and then export back to my computer. i will be doing this until i can afford a turntable. then once i get a turntable will i need a mixer or can i make due with my interface?

First off, you can turn off your monitor and use Maschine as if it were not connected, but I'll drop that for now : )

I dunno what the exact I/Os are on the MPC you are getting, but basically I'd setup a template in my DAW that has a channel routed to send audio to the MPC and one to receive. That would be easiest. You said the MPC has a harddrive...is that a typical PC harddrive? Can you connect it to your computer in anyway? That'd be easier than recording samples into it.

But yea, with my ESX I either did the whole deal inside the ESX or I recorded each channel as audio. You won't even need the interface between the turntable and the MPC. You can get turntable amps outside a mixer. http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-RIAA-Stereo ... 3cb50f01db <----that's what I use.

You can't use the mic preamps on your interface, you need a proper phono preamp because it does some kind of conversion. I tried using mic preamps for a minute and it doesn't sound right at all. Weird and metallic.

Everything making sense? Happy to give any more advice I can. Using the MPC will be an experience man, enjoy. I'd recommend trying to do whole tunes inside just the MPC just for the experience even if you just do it for yourself. I learned so much doing whole tracks in my ESX.

haha damn you! now you put that seed of doubt in my head. and as soon as i get that im fucking doomed. i want to sell the thing before its even at my door. i buy and sell tons of things. luckily i usually am pretty crafty with selling things im not too worried. but i would like to give the MPC a good solid shot. also, what i meant was, i like the fact that you can produce an entire beat within the MPC and not need a computer, incase say my computer breaks or something i will have something to do. also its nice to be able to just take the MPC to a friends house for a jam session yanno?

i do like the maschine a lot, but honestly im almost trying to limit myself. are all the features really necessary? is the workflow on the MPC quick enough to be productive? the only reason why im liking the maschine is workflow, but im hoping the workflow on the MPC will be okay with me.

also, thanks for the info you have provided, i am only confused with one part...so i need the phono preamp for the turntable, then it goes to my interface, then my mpc? sorry. not sure if i understood that. as i said i've only been all software, so i havent had much experience with hardware. i hooked up my interface and monitors and that was the extent of it.

anyways, sorry for ranting on. and i really appreciate the comments man. you seem like a real chill dude. everytime you have responded to me it has been something useful and positive. i appreciate that. take care bud.

[fragments]

Haha. Go with the MPC! I've never owned an MPC, only used a friends. I've owned an Electribe which is a bit of a different beast, but as far as your questions I think my answers would apply to either box.

If you want to know more about Maschine I can go on for days about it. But I won't now. Tons of people have done amazing work on MPCs, so go for it! Not to mention you get the MPC swing/groove settings and that 12bit sound : )

The phono preamp is needed for a turntable. Turntables need a special preamp. You won't need that to use the MPC with your interface.

Rant all you want. Its nice to have some legit conversations about gear/production instead of the usual bullshit around here. Always trying to be helpful and its really no bother. Spreading knowledge just seems like the right then to do! Just make sure to share some of your sounds with us, man!

There is probably tons of info on MPCs out there. ...not to direct you away from DSF...but the guys who hang out on this sticky thread on IDMforums.com know a ton about gear and quite a few have owned MPCs...any nicely asked questions usually get quick replies: http://www.idmforums.com/showthread.php ... 8&page=259

[Eat Bass]

Haha. Go with the MPC! I've never owned an MPC, only used a friends. I've owned an Electribe which is a bit of a different beast, but as far as your questions I think my answers would apply to either box.

If you want to know more about Maschine I can go on for days about it. But I won't now. Tons of people have done amazing work on MPCs, so go for it! Not to mention you get the MPC swing/groove settings and that 12bit sound : )

The phono preamp is needed for a turntable. Turntables need a special preamp. You won't need that to use the MPC with your interface.

Rant all you want. Its nice to have some legit conversations about gear/production instead of the usual bullshit around here. Always trying to be helpful and its really no bother. Spreading knowledge just seems like the right then to do! Just make sure to share some of your sounds with us, man!

There is probably tons of info on MPCs out there. ...not to direct you away from DSF...but the guys who hang out on this sticky thread on IDMforums.com know a ton about gear and quite a few have owned MPCs...any nicely asked questions usually get quick replies: http://www.idmforums.com/showthread.php ... 8&page=259

you raise some solid points and did a fair job and shuttering away that doubt i had festering lol. im excited to get the mpc and mess around with it. my thoughts are that it will kind of force me to be more involved in the music and less in the tweaking knobs and just getting lost in the software. i think it will be refreshing. who knows if ill end up with maschine down the road or not but hopefully this will be satsifying.

though i will have to do some reading in the mean time to learn how to use this baby and also to learn some effective methods of exporting to logic. ideally, i would like to create the beat or at least the loop within the mpc with some effects and what not, do as much as i can with it in the mpc. then export that to logic for further arrangement, processing, and mixing. ill check out the site you provided and do some research as well. thank you for that.

also, i will be sure to share some of the mpc sounds with you especially but whoever really. i too love sharing knowledge, it makes you feel accomplished somewhat. that you have mastered some aspect and can now help someone else with that.

[SunkLo]

The reason the phono pre sounds different is to compensate for the scratchiness of vinyl. That old trick of cutting it a bit shrill and then turning the highs down on the receiving end, taking the needle scratch along with it.

[outbound]

Nice one! would love to get more hands on my productions like this!

[fragments]

As far as I know with an MPC you can't render the audio of a pattern like in software, it'll have to be recorded live off the outputs into your interfaces inputs in real time. Which will be somewhat time consuming if you want each drum sound as a separate stem.

I think there are a lot of benefits to using a real piece of hardware for anyone that has worked solely in the box. You'll probably have frustrations, but what you'll gain through the trouble shooting will be worth more than the 400 dollars you paid for the MPC.

And what you say about getting away from the endless tweaking is really true. A fun, intuitive piece of hardware can teach us how to really get in touch with our music and ignore the infinite possibilities of the DAW for once. I love that the modern DAW gives the average user access to process of making professionally polished piece of music in their bedroom. But some days I wish I could straight up trade all my software and my computer to get all my hardware back.

Not just you, but several other people have me thinking maybe its time to get back to doing more work on just hardware even if I can't afford all the compressors and EQs and whatnot to polish it ;p

In fact, anyone want to buy all my software?

[Sharmaji]

I owned an mpc1k for a few years and did a lot of work with it. A couple of entirely in-the-MPC songs and remixes, and a ton of programmed patterns for other songs, which i'd then dump (stem by stem), into logic.

Was definitely fun for creating patterns. not much fun for creating songs. miserable for chopping loops and sample editing in general.

logic and the MPC didn't like to live together in terms of MIDI sync when it came to anything beyond basic midi clock. I had less of a problem-- ie, sometimes logic WOULD hear the swing settings--than other folks did.

ultimately loading sounds into any sampler software and using that inside software was much, much easier.

from what i remember, the filters sound nice and the FX had the proper "digital" sound to them.

it's a fun tool, but not efficient enough for me.

[Eat Bass]

Shamaraji, i hear you man. i think it is going to be a bit more difficult to use the MPC and less efficient than say the maschine, or just using Kontakt. but is it fairly straight forward to bounce each individual track to logic with the swing settings?

however, im kind of thinking what fragments just said. i want to be limited in order to provoke creativity. like i said before, maybe i will get maschine eventually in the future. but i cant get the MKII for 400 bucks anyway and its always nice to have an MPC laying around for fun or to jam at a friends, or for live use, without a laptop.

i guess im sort of trying to justify my position, but these points are valid right? i still do have that devil on my shoulder saying, "you should have got the maschine, it has endless possibilities, and a faster workflow. but then i already have kontakt and an mpk49 i can use for that. i dont really need anymore power than that...

[fragments]

Let me put it this way EatBass. I sold my ESX to purchase Maschine. I fucking LOVE Maschine...its the least hype piece of gear to come out of the MIDI controller market in years. Its a beast.

However, I totally regret selling my ESX. Fact is I just couldn't have both. In the end I was looking for a solid production tool and the ESX wasn't quite that for a variety of reasons. But as far as flipping the "on" switch and jumping right into fun the ESX is like no other piece of gear I've ever owned.

Its hard to guess what you might get out of the MPC you purchased. Don't doubt yourself, don't get into the mindset that its not going to work for you. Explore it carefully and with joy. Maybe you sell it. Maybe you keep it around for inspiration and to record some beats onto cassette because its fucking fun. Maybe you find it to be a missing link for you.

Just in general people get way too bent out of shape in a variety of ways. Based on the post people make on the music forums I visit I feel like I'm one of the only people that does this because they are in love with the process and make music because it makes them happy. I get some people want to make a career of it and maybe that means they need a different mindset, but I don't believe that.

The more you fill you mind with "what ifs" before you even sit down with it the worse off your gonna be. My suggestion would be not to spend one more minute worrying until you've spent some serious time with the MPC.

[Sharmaji]

sigh....

here's what matters:

work fast. FAST. your ideas deserve that level of commitment.

Set yourself a 3 hour limit to write, program, and get a rough mix of a tune done. and I mean like 90% DONE. so that when you come back to it, all you have to work on is some transitions, mixing, tweaks, maybe layering, etc-- but the intial ideas are there.

If the MPC/machine/ESX/a new lava lamp for the studio/seamless account etc will help you get a full song done in 3 hours, great. If not, then it's a waste of time and money.

and that pretty much goes for all bits of gear-- hardware, software, even stands. Besides being a conversation piece, my spring reverb sounds great and I can print 2 bars worth of snare 'verb in like 35 seconds on a tune. take that, loop it, and i've got an integral part of the ssound of a song done, committed to. Thus, it's a worthwhile investment. I just bought a floor guitar stand because i was wasting minutes in a session going back and forth to the other room to get the tele or the les paul; just keep one in the room, ready to go, always. worthwhile.

[Huts]

Set yourself a 3 hour limit to write, program, and get a rough mix of a tune done. and I mean like 90% DONE. so that when you come back to it, all you have to work on is some transitions, mixing, tweaks, maybe layering, etc-- but the intial ideas are there.

If the MPC/machine/ESX/a new lava lamp for the studio/seamless account etc will help you get a full song done in 3 hours, great. If not, then it's a waste of time and money.

A bit off topic I guess, but this is a nice thing to hear someone else say. It makes me feel a little less guilty for not utilizing all of the random hand-me-down pieces of equipment I've amassed and sticking to simply a keyboard and samples.

[Eat Bass]

Let me put it this way EatBass. I sold my ESX to purchase Maschine. I fucking LOVE Maschine...its the least hype piece of gear to come out of the MIDI controller market in years. Its a beast.

However, I totally regret selling my ESX. Fact is I just couldn't have both. In the end I was looking for a solid production tool and the ESX wasn't quite that for a variety of reasons. But as far as flipping the "on" switch and jumping right into fun the ESX is like no other piece of gear I've ever owned.

Its hard to guess what you might get out of the MPC you purchased. Don't doubt yourself, don't get into the mindset that its not going to work for you. Explore it carefully and with joy. Maybe you sell it. Maybe you keep it around for inspiration and to record some beats onto cassette because its fucking fun. Maybe you find it to be a missing link for you.

Just in general people get way too bent out of shape in a variety of ways. Based on the post people make on the music forums I visit I feel like I'm one of the only people that does this because they are in love with the process and make music because it makes them happy. I get some people want to make a career of it and maybe that means they need a different mindset, but I don't believe that.

The more you fill you mind with "what ifs" before you even sit down with it the worse off your gonna be. My suggestion would be not to spend one more minute worrying until you've spent some serious time with the MPC.

wise words. im in the "fun" mindset you are. im not trying to make a career out of it, i just enjoy it.

@shamaraji: idk if its just me but im thinking i will actually be able to bang out tune, or at least the basis for a tune quicker on the MPC, than in logic. only because as i said the limitations in the MPC will leave me focusing more on the track and not endlessly tweaking knobs and mixing to taste. that will be done after.

and i definitely see your point from a production stand point where in order to get that creative flow you need to work quickly or it's gone, but im not counting seconds here. the MPC may or may not be a faster way for me to lay down ideas, but i sure think it will be fun at the very least. plus, my friends play guitar and drums and stuff i think it would be a ton of fun to jam with them on the MPC and make some experimental shit.

[Eat Bass]

for instance, this guy nails the basis for a track REAL quick. that workflow looks dope to me. i know that will take a while to get to but...

[fragments]

sigh....

here's what matters:

work fast. FAST. your ideas deserve that level of commitment.

Set yourself a 3 hour limit to write, program, and get a rough mix of a tune done. and I mean like 90% DONE. so that when you come back to it, all you have to work on is some transitions, mixing, tweaks, maybe layering, etc-- but the intial ideas are there.

If the MPC/machine/ESX/a new lava lamp for the studio/seamless account etc will help you get a full song done in 3 hours, great. If not, then it's a waste of time and money.

and that pretty much goes for all bits of gear-- hardware, software, even stands. Besides being a conversation piece, my spring reverb sounds great and I can print 2 bars worth of snare 'verb in like 35 seconds on a tune. take that, loop it, and i've got an integral part of the ssound of a song done, committed to. Thus, it's a worthwhile investment. I just bought a floor guitar stand because i was wasting minutes in a session going back and forth to the other room to get the tele or the les paul; just keep one in the room, ready to go, always. worthwhile.

This is pretty much spot on. I wasn't writing in favor of farting around endlessly (though sometimes honestly I do like to just fart around and not really get anything done). Its taken almost all the not so many years I've been at this to figure out working fast and committing to ideas quickly is pretty much the only way to get solid tune made.

[p12]

Im on Logic 9 and use the mpc. Pretty much have 4 mono cables (the out and ins) and if needed I just re-plug em to the 4 outs, so I have more mixing capabilities.
It's possible to sync with a midi cable, but ussualy I don't even bother. The tempo should match as well (so 140 bpm is 140 no matter what ).

Ussually i actually sample from the tv... nat geo wild, politics and movies. Sometime I sample at my friends from his vinyl collection.
I ussually don't finish the whole tune in the mpc like DNAE, I use it more for sampling and jamming, but once you get a hang of the workflow you'll make beats like it was the pc (np).

And yeah, it's prob a good idea to get a template running both in the mpc and input channels in logic. If you need any infor i recommend mpc-forums.com

[Sharmaji]

This is pretty much spot on. I wasn't writing in favor of farting around endlessly (though sometimes honestly I do like to just fart around and not really get anything done). Its taken almost all the not so many years I've been at this to figure out working fast and committing to ideas quickly is pretty much the only way to get solid tune made.

This plays into it to-- if the muse is on vacation, then you should spend time designing sounds, experimenting with anything and everything, sampling sounds, etc.

and when she does show up to work, BLAM! it's on.