sp-606

[nowaysj]

Any thoughts on the sp-606?

[darkmatteruk]

suck a dick

[nowaysj]

u yong's boyfriend?

[darkmatteruk]

you making a pass at me?

[nowaysj]

Not if yong has been there first

[tripaddict]

mmmmm roland

*said in a homer simpson voice with the doughnut emphasis on the roland part

[MimikOctopus]

Eh. It's a good machine, a lot of people on FutureProducers seem to have good things to say about it. However, it only has a 4-track sequencer, so you'll really have to polish your sounds and get them production ready if you plan on using the box as a self contained production center. Be prepared to bounce stuff down to free up tracks. It's included software may free you up from those constraints, but if you want to use the box as part of a larger studio, I'm not sure how well it will integrate. And it doesn't seem to be quite as useful as a hardware centerpiece as something like an MPC, the Akai machines seem to be the standard for the sequencer/sampler hardware soultion. Though there is a price difference. I would go to a shop and play with one and see how you like it. Really can't be sure until you get your hands on it for a bit.

[yellowhighlighter]

it really depends on what you want to use it for and what you expect out of the unit.

what exactly is making you look at the roland boxes lately?

[nowaysj]

Was thinking about picking up a 404 on the cheap. Am seeing that the 606 is around the same price, $250.

I just want something to fuck around with, make some beats, away from the computer.

I'd ultimately send the stuff into a daw for further processing.

[MimikOctopus]

Yeah, the thing is that it is pretty limited, and to get the most out of it, it needs to be hooked up to a computer. However, looking at your budget, your options are limited. Though on the used page on Guitar Center there is a number of MPC 500s in the $300 range. The MPC 500 is a bit limited as well, no waveform editing on screen, so you'll have to truncate and cut samples by ear, but this might be a good thing to learn. It has 12 pads as opposed to the normal 16. Also it runs on batteries, which is cool.

[nowaysj]

Is $1,300 for a minty black mpc 5000 too cheap?

[yellowhighlighter]

if you want to just make loops that you will eventually transfer to your computer then an sp404 or sp606 would be fine although you will have to learn to live with the limitations of the machine. the mpc series are more fully fledged sequencers and they don't have the range of in-built fx of the sp boxes (which are really cool). if you still plan to sequence your songs on the computer then i say get one of the sps. but if you want a sampler/sequencer that you can create full songs on away from your computer then get an mpc.

but not an mpc 500 because they are a pain in the face.

[nowaysj]

Just remembered that I have an asr-x pro! Wiped that out last night. The box itself has some issues, but I love working on a hardware box.

I'd like to go as far as possible with a track, then take it to the comp to polish up. The workflow on a box is so different, and me like.

Am liking the mpc 5000 just on specs, never tried one out.

Like the adat out, like the extra fx, like the hard drive, like the extra ram...

[yellowhighlighter]

yeah working outside the computer is different and seeing as how you have an asrx i'm assuming you have experience working with hardware

a lot of people who produce mainly on the computer have this fascination with hardware but find that when they buy that expensive bit of kit they can't get used to the workflow. i sometimes like working my the sp-404 and mpc1000 still but now i'm doing almost 95% of my music on my computer. it's fun to break out the hardware sometimes though.

i would heavily advise against the mpc500 because of it's tiny screen. that means a shitload of menu jumping and it simply isn't as intuitive as something like the mpc1000 (with the jjos the thing is a beast). all that menu jumping can really kill the workflow.

the asrx is nice although i've never owned one i've spent time with some in the past.

using that in conjunction with something like the sp606 might be a cool combo.


but like was previously stated the sp boxes do have sequencer limitations, but you do learn to get over them. check out sp-forums.com if you want to get an idea of what sort of music they are producing (by themselves). plenty of people have uploaded beat-tapes there with music totally done with one of the sp models. it's a cool little community as well. although seeing as how it is pretty much a fan site for the sp series don't expect to get a fair answer if you ask an sp versus mpc related question.

[nowaysj]

Yeah, I'm registered over at the sp forums.

Posted a 606 v 404 thread, but I don't think anyone wanted to hear it!

Check it, I'm thinking about the MPC 5000 that's five thousand, not the 500. The mpk 500 uses the 500 pads, and to me, they are unusable.

I'm actually on the fence between the 2500 and the 5000.

I've heard the 2500 sounds weak, and the job dial's are built ready to fall off.

I've got the asr-x pro, and that thing sounds amazing. Love it's sound. Shit is strong.

Might have to check out the 5000 in a store or something.

[yellowhighlighter]

oops sorry i misread.

what do you mean by the 2500 sounding weak? the mpcs don't really have a strong sound character. although there is the myth that they "colour" up the sound, that is largely untrue and is based on the fact that a lot of older classic tracks were made on the older models and the tracks in question have a real nice sound. so in turn people attribute that sound to the mpc. but tbh i think that is true of a lot of older machines. a lot of people exaggerate the perceived sound character.

the mpcs are really midi sequencers. and that's what they're good at.

as for what model to get the mpc 1000 with the jjos has basically the same functionality as the mpc 2500 (with its jjos). so feature wise they are pretty much even. now the mpc2500 has bigger pads and the mpc1000 uses the smaller pads.

the mpc5000 is nice but i don't know if it would be worth the money. the in-built synth is based on the same engine as the alesis fusion i believe. seeing as how akai and alesis are the same company anyway.

but as far as build quality goes all the "newer" mpc models pretty much suck. although they have improved a bit lately (the older mpc 1000 and mpc2500 models had various hardware problems), the machines aren't built to the quality of the older models.

[deadly_habit]

spends loads less get a real sampler with character and good converters and such
akai or emu rackmount
i sold my sp-202 for loads more than i paid for it and that was last roland desktop i used that had character

[nowaysj]

If I wanted sample play back, I'd just put a scsi hd in the asr-x pro. That thing does sound amazing. Not clean, but amazing.

But I'm looking for more. Me want bang bang.

[deadly_habit]

why waste cash get and mpd-18 or bigger if needed for midi to soft sampler

[nowaysj]

Got a pad Kontrol and kontakt/battery

Don't want to sit at a computer when making music. Okay, the mpc is a computer, but it feels like an instrument. I sit at computer ALL day long. I get a feeling like claustrophobia after about 12 hours at the computer. I have fun when banging out beats. I want more fun.

I know this is ridiculous. Am having a hard time maintaining perspective on this. This started out, hey get a pocket sp-404 for $250 to bash some beats, and is mushrooming into, hey get the top of the line drum machine/sampler --> classic nowaysj.