Itching for an MPC1000
Brown Hornet
long time (2+ years). I usually use the Fruity Loops for the beats.
The sample pads are really addicting for constructing drum beats.
It's so refreshing to construct drums without colouring in boxes. :)
But the thing that annoyed me about the SP303 was that it takes a
while to load samples on the memory card and it's not as quick and on-
the-fly as the fruity loops is.
So the MPC1000 seems like a best of both worlds. Hook it up via USB
and the samples can be loaded quickly. There's also a lot of
resources on it.
Hmmm. Just thinking.
haroon
> So the MPC1000 seems like a best of both worlds. Hook it up via USB
> and the samples can be loaded quickly. There's also a lot of
> resources on it.
USB is a pain. I just have a CF card reader for my computer and move
stuff back and forth with that.
Usually though, I sample right on the MPC and merely backup my projects
to my computer from the CF. I was a pretty full blown Reason user, but
I'm sort of shied away from it -- in fact, I haven't opened it once in
the two months or so I've had my 500.
There's a program called REX2MPC that coverts Recycle files to MPC .PGM
files. I ran all the drums I chopped in the past year or two years
with Recycle and have them on my MPC now. The lack of Chop Shop on the
500 can be compensated for if you have Recycle . . . and frankly
editing your chops on a 20" widescreen display beats the 1000's LCD any
day.
If you're getting the 1000 the general consensus is that Akai's
official OS sucks. Seems mandatory for anyone who purchases one to get
JJOS, that puts the 1000 pretty much on par with the 2500 except for
all the multiple outs.
I'm sequencing everything on the MPC now. I own Logic but have been
recording stuff into Garageband since the MPC is in charge of
everything now. This is one of my favorite purchases ever, mind you --
I grew up with hardware samplers and feel at home. I dunno about the
new generation of Fruity Loop kids. I'm making a beat (or two) every
other day now, when with Reason I'd be lucky to do two a month. I just
hated Reason's workflow, and I can't imagine Fruity Loops' is much
better. If I want to try different sounds, acapellas, or scratches
over a beat I'm working on I just throw the record on the turntable and
see how it sounds with a sequence running. I couldn't even do that in
Reason without a lot of hassle. Adding in this little mini mixing
board was worth it.
Anyway -- only thing I miss from Reason is the point and click
sequencer. You could *really* delve into complex editing with Reason's
sequencer and make changes in real time. It was also cool when Rewired
into a DAW with say, an acapella. You could really work on minute
changes in the track to match the vocals, or play with effects in real
time The real time automation was nice as well.
Roland's MV8800 looks very interesting to me. I hear a lot of people
complain about it but I think they just come from the MPC and don't
want to sit down with the manual for a week or so. It really seems to
be the bridge between the benefits of software packages like Reason and
Fruit Loops and hardware such as the MPC. The price isn't so bad
either when you compare it to say -- the MPC 5000 (which is getting
shat on by many).
I wouldn't get rid of the SP-303 though. Since Madlib and Dilla used
it the thing is turning into a hot item. You should be able to fetch a
nice price for it in a few years.
suntzu
i'll just make a(nother) plug for ableton and a midi controller... the
akai one that's modeled after the MPC looks nice, and i have a korg
padkontrol that i'm very happy with. i find it really easy to just load
up samples and chop them up whenever i want to try out ideas.
i also have a 303, but i really never use it for sequencing or chopping
up samples anymore, because i find ableton way easier for that. i do
use it as an external effects box though, because i really like its
filter and its tape echo.
i've never used reason as a sampler at all, mostly because i never found
it terribly intuitive. i do really like the reason synths though, so i
typically rewire it to ableton and use midi clips in there to play
reason instruments. i've kind of been thinking about getting a small
cheap keyboard so i can play reason's synths/drums without editing midi
notes on a grid.
a friend of mine has the MV-8800 and loves it.