Some Helpful Info Please Guys (And Gals)

Hello people, Im new to this site and was wondering if I could get some info on the MPC2000XL before I get one.

First off, Im a DJ of 6 years or so and want to make the natural step up into making beats (mostly Hip-Hop...Influences being DJ Premier, DJ Shadow, Pete Rock, Marley Marl, Rza....The Usual Suspects lol). The set up I currently have is 2 Technics 1210's, Technics DJ mixer, Amp, Speakers, Laptop (pretty powerful) & Scratch Live. I want to build a little home studio and was wondering what is the basic setup, hardware and software, I would need to start making beats. I want to get an MPC 2000XL but was wondering if there are anything else I should be investing in. I hear a lot of good thigs about the Ensoniq AR-10 for sampling because you can chop the sample up a lot more without losing memory but would the MPC provide ample memory for me (dont wanna run before I can walk). Would I need a mixing board or would a software program such as Pro Tools do the same thing?. If I wanted to get some emcees or singers in my room to lay down some vocals is there a specific way to set up the mic and any helpful info on anything I need to get the right sound on the vocals (positioning of the mic, equipment needed, any additional software needed etc). I have a few friends who play the Bass Guitar & Piano respectively and was wondering if I could sample some bassline's and Piano riffs directly into the MPC, and also could I then edit the sound of them in Pro Tools (add a bit of warmth to the sample if it sounds flat-not really sure you will get what Im saying here). Also, I have a lot of records that I have earmarked for sampling but would like to know if you can actually sample directly off an MP3 (probably wont use this as I like the dusty sound of the vynil records but just checking). Are there any specific or good ways to make my final mix..what would I be looking to do in order to call my beat "finished". I know it seems Im asking a lot and when I actually have the equipment (in about 3 weeks) I will find out more while Im using it, its just I have these nagging questions in my head...thanks in advance for any replies guys...cheers.

DJ Alkemy.

Oh yeah, just incase any of you guys are looking for cuts in the choruses of your records..here are a few links of me on the 1's and 2's...pretty old clips now but there OK.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w9l6bmC6DE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFaMR4xRz2Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeIWqeT4ZZs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p7DcI5sPkY

??...No One...Please?

Hey man, I’m in the same boat as u. I just started djing with scratch live about 10 months ago. But I picked me up a 2000xl a few days ago. It’s bloody awesome. I would recommend building your studio bit by bit. Get each piece of equipment and get well into each piece before you move on. I got a similar set up to u + an mpc. My next steps are Good quality sound card, Better cables, Midi keyboard, Equaliser, mic and new speakers. To me this seems like the logical approach.

first off,that is a shitload of questions,,lol..

it all depends on your prefrence to as how you want to go about making beats...im an old schooler,,i use my mpc to lay out everything and then i record directly into my comp via,imix,audacity,or whatever u want..

i use my comp for altering my samples and i use my decks for finding my samples..i also rap,,,so my mic is placed in my bathroom wich is right off my bedroom(where all equip is located)..i use 2 sets of phones and 2 mics so i can comunicate back and forth from "studio" to "mic booth" (just kill one mic when recording)

and like skinny g said,,get use to your equpment before you move on or you could end up frustrated at all of it,you dont want that!!

and with a decent mic and recording program,you can definetly make all your own samples and yes you can alter them in any fasion you wish with the proper program,,,im sure pro-tools does all of that!!

to sample off an mp3,,you need to chop it down and convert it into a wav file then u can use whatever....

sorry if my post isd all out of wack,i have to keep going back to read yours,,lol hope this helps and cant wait to hear some of your stuff!!!!