Ur set-ups, how u make it work, and how it afffects ur style

Imac-baught used but will never buy another kind of machine again! Its my first Imac, and its fast, reliable, and even the speakers sound good.
MPC 2000xl-self explanitory.
Numark TT-200 tuirntabe. It was cheep, so I baught it. The needle still holds its own.
Yamah PSR-300Keyboard- sounds are shit, but its great for Chromatic Midi on the MPC.
Yamaha DJX II- Great sounds for electronic feel, great filters, onboard sampler that I can run to the filters. Drums are irreplacable.
Zoom Streetbox SB-246- Again, the drums are DOPE!!! Plus I got it for 25 bucks.
Alesis Multimix-8- Everything is plugged into here for sampling, and recording.
M-Audio Studiophiole AV-40 speakers-They absolutely SUCK on the low end, but the highs and mids are crisp and clear.
Other goodies include- Pre-sonus Firestudio Project-not in use, but will be soon, as I get a new Imac.
Behringer Ultravoice and Behringer Ultragain with new tubes plus M-Audio Luna large diaphram omni-cordoid mic. Great cheep vocal chain that I used to have set up, and will set up again in the near future.
Headphones-Audio-Technica At-40. Low end is O.K. Could sue mroe thump and ride on the boom. Very clear tho, not a bad buy at all for 50 bucks. Labtec Elite 825. Great low end, shit on highs, mid is okay. Olsen PH-500 circa 1966- For general "authentic" vinly listening. Great headphones, but colours EVERYTHING. Wish I could sample the circuitry tho.
Edit- Hopw i make it work? well......I still don't know, wires everywhere to where everything gives sound I guess.
How it affects mys style? I don't know taht one either, but I like to fool around alot with my shit, until I get somethin grungy. If you listin to my beets, I tend to make grungy, dirty, organ filled out of tune music.

I'm completely old school. mpc 2000xl for sequencing. technics 1200 and a behringer mixer for sampling. Roland mc-307 and an old nintendo keyboard (that's right Nintendo) as sound modules. I also use a m-audio keyboard controller for the modules. All into a dps12 with krk's attached.

MPC 2500 & MPC 2000XL
These guys are pretty much the brains of my whole operation. I have the stereo outs of both of these guys running into their own stereo strip on my Mackie mixer. I also have the 8-outs of the 2500 going directly to the 003's 8 analog inputs for multi-tracking. Been using the XL since 01 but haven't used it for the past 2 years since I got the 2500. Both dope and classics IMO!

Gemeni Turntable and Mixer
Got this running into the Mackie mixer and use the aux send on the mixer to send the TT to the MPC's for sampling.

Roland JV 1010 Sound Module
Used to use this as my main module. Now I use it to play back old beats, as well as for some occasional bass sounds. The audio outs of this go to the Mackie mixer.

Cheap Radio Shack Casio Keyboard
This is basically used as a midi controller and nothing more. Triggers sounds on both MPCs as well as soft-synths in the DAW. Used to use it for sounds when I first started making beats. Got some OK sounds on it for what it is.

Emagic Unitor8 8x8 Midi Interface
This makes owning two MPC's very convenient. This device lets me take 1 midi input and send that signal out to up to 8 different sources. Likewise, it can accept the midi outs from 8 different sources and send them all to 1 piece of gear. And it does this without having to disconnect and switch cables. The JV 1010 only has 1 midi in. The 003 only has 1 midi out. The keyboard only has 1 midi out. This baby allows me to sync either MPC to Pro Tools via the 003's single midi out. Let's me control the JV 1010 with either MPC's via the JV 1010's single midi. And it let's me control soft synths in the DAW from both MPC's through one of the 003's midi ins. This was import when I had the Mbox as it only has 1 midi in. But the 003 has two midi ins. Without this 8x8 midi interface, I would have to constantly switch midi cables between all the gear or utilize midi thru's to use the ones I want.

Mackie 1202 VLZ Pro 12 Channel Mixer
This lets me connect all my hardware gears audio outs to one sound source. So I have both MPC's the Roland module, turn table, and PC's onboard sound card output all going into this mixer. Then main output of the mixer goes to the auxillary input of the 003 for tracking into Pro Tools. You cannot directly track to Pro Tools via this input, but there is a button that lets you send this input to inputs 7&8 of the 003 and record it that way. This way bypasses the actual analog 7&8 inputs, but it's better than having to disconnect cables and attach others.

Presonus Eureka Mono Preamp
This is strictly for vocals. I run my AKG C214 into this via XLR and out to the 003 via S/pdif! I use this for tracking live acoustic guitar as well.

Dgidesign 003 Pro Tools Interface
The gateway for all my external instruments to Pro Tools and to the speakers. I run all my gear through this and out to the Rokit 8's for monitoring. Real convenient, and has a big sound.

KRK Rokit 8 active monitors
Love these babies. Love the low end on these. Doesn't seem exaggerated at all to me. One you learn these babies, your mixes come out exactly how you hear them in the stu. Eventually gonna try some higher end monitors, but these are great for a first pair!

jackoroonie wrote:I'm completely old school. mpc 2000xl for sequencing.

HAHAHAHAHAHA

old school huh?


HAHAHAHAHA

MPC 1000 with 120gb hard drive and drums and samples saved in it. load kits/ sounds in the 1000 mostly


mpc 2kxl midi out to 1000

also have a zip disc full of bass sounds/programs that stays inside the 2kxl to play basslines on the mpk


mpk49 midi out to mpc 2kxl on thru to the 1000 mpk can play the basslines drom the zip disk in the 2kxl or ply sounds from the 1000

.
mpc 2000 classic midi out going into midi input on 2kxl on thru to the 1000

the 2000 can control the 2kxl or the 1000 has floppy so don't really like loading/saving shit in the 2000

a presonus tube pre with a v67 condenser mic is going into audio input of the 2kxl to record quick vocals if/when desired


all stereo outputs from the three mpc's are running into a yamaha 12 channel mixer with krk rockett 8 gen 1's hooked up

An m-audio microtrack stereo recorder captures stereo mixes from the yamaha mixer or if sequencing sounds from the 1000 captures the track with digital cable


rane serato, technics 1210 numark dm06 and vinyl make the scratching happen and ableton live 8 software is loaded on a dell laptop and dell desktop

rode nt 1a mounted on a se reflexion filter captures vocals the gets into ableton through a shure ux2

poundaproblem wrote:I have a very straight forward setup at home.

MPC-1000
Heart of everything. Everything passes through it one way or another. Even composed beats, Ill sample them and sequence them in the 1k.

MMF Turntable
Connects to an MFC-42 then out into the 1k.

MFC-42
TT > in for sampling but its also running through a patchbay so I can run the Motif, Proteus, MPC or any other sound source through it. Makes some real interesting sounds with synths

Proteus 2000 W/expansion
Awesome little module Ive had for YEARS. Super clean (sometimes too clean) Usually I steal synths, bass and highs off of it

Motif ES6
Prior to the 1k this was the heart of everything. Amazing sound, hard hitting drums and great bass sounds. It runs through the patchbay so it can go to the API, or the MFC

Presonus Monitor station
Similar to the big knob, it eliminates the need for a mixer and allows me to monitor on various speakers and different sets of headphones without unplugging 50 different cables

API A2D
Dope pre amp. Digital out which runs directly into PT. This pre is the heart of my sound. Turn the gains up and it gets REAL. Keep them low and the audio is clean. But overall it has that API sound. I have the 1k wired directly to it.

Mbox 2
Simple to the point interface. Not a fan of the analog ins but the SPDIF out of the API to the Digital in on this interface works just fine without a hiccup. I like the fact that what I hear on my monitors is what is actually recording. Obviously Im running PT8 and reason on it. Reason is used just for samples.

Mac Mini
People would be surprised at how large of a project I can mix on this little comp. Between this and the mbox the footprint is TINY. It only has a gig of RAM which is low by todays standard but with a bulk of the work taking place on an external FW drive the machine works fast and without failure. When I'm mixing albums (for clients) I normally have tons of buses, plugins and edits taking place but it let me down yet.

JBL LSR-4326P
These monitors have been the best purchase ever. I have been buying gear since about 93-94. Ive had countless pairs of monitors and these have definitely been my favorite. Primarily because of the room correction feature. And they BUMP!!!

Patchbay
Dont know the brand but I know its a life saver. Just a simple passive patch bay takes all the guess work out and lets me switch ins and outs without having to stop the beat or put down the vaporizer hahaaha

Thats the basics of my setup. I have other pieces of gear and instruments and mic's but this setup is perfect for what I do.

Didn't realize how similar our setups were... change the TT to an old Technic, the Proteus and Motif to a Juno G, and the mac mini to an imac and take away the monitor station, patchbay, and MFC-42 but add a Fatso and it's the same

Well- Almost!

MPC1k with JJ2XL - the heart of my setup. I do most of my sampling and chopping, and all of my sequencing on this. I use it along with certain plugins (below) for designing my own custom drum sounds,

ASR-10- This is my sample synthesizer. I use it basically to make playable instruments out of 'found sounds' (vinyl samples, etc.). I don't use it for chopping samples or for drums. What I like to do is find a soundbed or isolated instrument note I like on a record (or in my itunes), filter it, loop it using the synthesize loop function, and then play around with the transwave features and other modulation features as well as effects. Also use it as an effects module with my 1k when I wanna rock out without my laptop.

Numark TT200 - for sampling from vinyl of course. No DJ skills here....

Stanton DJF-1 - as a TT preamp, for pre-filtering samples, also for filtering my 1k or ASR outputs. Its a dual 4-pole (24dB) with both resonant lowpass and highpass filters, which can be chained in serial (for bandpass or normal lowpass/highpass functions) or parallel for band reject configurations. Love this piece!

Ableton Live 8 with Akai APC40 - Basically I use it to complement all the shortcomings of my 1k. I use it as a sound module, effects unit, MIDI editing, sample mangling and sound design, tracking out, arranging my tracks, recording vocals, etc.

MOTU 828mkII with Black Lion Audio Mod - soundcard (obviously) as well as my mixer.

Plugins:
Kontakt is my main sound module. I got it loaded with thousands of samples. Went thru a lot of keyboards and sound modules (software and hardware) before I finally settled on Kontakt. Battery I use mostly for acoustic drums and percussion - I use them as the basis for layering and designing my own drum samples. I also use Korg Legacy (analog and digital) and RP Predator when I need some analog or old school 80s/90s digital type sounds, and AraldFX DKS Pro and IL Drumaxx for designing my own drum sounds. Sonalksis, PSP, Tritone Digital, and Acusticaudio Nebula are my go-to effects units.

Other Software:
Iced Audio audiofinder - this program is a Godsend for anybody that uses samples. Database features for managing and tagging samples, chopping out parts of a mp3 for later use in my MPC, processing samples with plugin effects, and sound browsing/organizing. This is by far the best utility app for audio and music production. Audiofile Engineering Wave Editor for when I need it (which is rarely since I can do pretty much anything I can think of in my 1k, Ableton, Audiofinder, or Kontakt). Also been playing with Melodyne Editor demo - you can process samples up to 10 seconds long with the demo version, which is perfect for my needs.

Basically my workflow is that the main part of the beatmaking happens in the 1k. I might start with sounds/samples from my 1k hard drive, or the computer (itunes, Ableton, Kontakt etc.) or I might start with vinyl. But all the samples and sounds go into either the 1k for chopping and sequencing, or into the ASR for sound design. As I move along in the process, I track out into Ableton and use its features to twist up samples and loops, arrange the beat, create intros, drops and breaks, etc. Basically I use Live to finish off the beat by adding all the variation and making the track less static. Or I might end up with something totally different than what I started off with...

jaem wrote:

jackoroonie wrote:I'm completely old school. mpc 2000xl for sequencing.

HAHAHAHAHAHA

old school huh?


HAHAHAHAHA

relax, he said oldschool... not born in the '60s.

jackoroonie wrote: old nintendo keyboard (that's right Nintendo)

cool, do you still have the game with it? are you mic-ing it?

Here goes my list. After reading it, I realize how much of a problem I have!!
MPC 1K
Main sequencer/sampler of my setup. All analog ins and outs are connected to a patchbay(DBX PB48). All MIDI ins and outs are connected to a MIDI patchbay (MOTU MTP AV, older serial version, no usb!)

Akai s900
I haven't gotten around to learn how to create programs on this thing yet, so right now, I use it to sample and then use the playback button to resample to the 1K. I gotta read that manual!!!

Electronix Filter Factory
2 channel analog filter. I use it to pin point samples basically. I used it to create a cool wah effect on a track too. I use it rather than the onboard filters of the MPC. I have this connected to the MIDI patch bay as well.

Aphex 109
2 channel stereo, or 4 channel mono parametric EQ. I basically use it in similar fashion as the Filter Factory. Lately though I have been bouncing vocals through it. Sounds nice.

Great River MP-2NV
2 channel mic pre. I have run the MS2000 throughh the hi-z input, but mostly record vocals through it

Digi 002
Connected to the MIDI patch bay, as well as all outs and in connected to the analog patch bay. Pro Tools is used strictly for recording and mixing. The only thing I do in the box is EQ and a little fx. Some delay via audio suite, and reverb sends. Other than that everything else is routed out from PT to something external.

TC Electronics m100[/u/]
A digital reverb and delay unit. Sounds better than the packaged plugins in Pro Tools.

[u]ART Pro VLA
2 channel tube leveling amp. I don't particularly like this so i don't use it much. It's actually up on Craigslist right now.

Teac Tascam 80-8
1/2" 8 track tape deck. Just got it and haven't even used it yet, but I plan on bouncing mixes to it, and recording some live ish with it when I get a mixer.

Shure M67
4 channel mic mixer used as a mic pre for my mic. Sounds smooth, but I have to be careful with the gain because it records really hot. Apparently, there is a mod for it, but circuit boards and soldering is not my thing.

2 dbx PB48 patchbays
One is setup with a combination of normalled and denormalled bays, while the other one is all denormalled. I am in the market for another one so that I can connect the tape deck and my future mixer.

Shure SM7b
My main mic. I chose this one because it had a reputation as a work horse, and I have a decent setup, but condensers pick up the fricking bird out side of my house. This one blocks out most of the room noise and doesn't pick up anything from outside. I got to be honest, it's not for EVERY voice, but it is pretty versatile and works for the majority of the people I have recorded. I also plan on using as a kick drum mic.

Vinyl Cleaning

Play on the Technics 1200 with an Ortofon Concord Gold Stylus through an Apogee Duet
or insert CD

Straight into logic

Export to Recycle

Chop chop

Back to logic

Time stretch in Logic

May chop chop again

Put into ESX24

Play on MPD18 or LPK25

Vocals also through Duet with Rhodes Mic

(Previous set up includes 2x MPK 49, 2x MPC 2500, NS-10's w/ Bryston B2, Fantom X6, Sony C800 but simplicity is blissful)

gear i got:
mpc2500
motif xs6
motu 828mk3
dell laptop
reaper
yamaha msp monitors
numark ttx turntable
shure white label needle
shit load of records

gear im getting rid of:
motif xs6
motu 828mk3
dell laptop
reaper
yamaha msp monitors


Use to use motif xs6 for basslines and sprinkles on sample based beats, but ive sampled bass patches into mpc, now i only use mpc and dont even use the keys, use pads to lay down basslines with chromatic pgm. Use to track out into reaper, now I'm resampling inside mpc2500 in song mode by muting tracks, dragging resampled/rendered tracks to computer, dragging into reaper, mixing. not even using monitors cause been working late at night using cheap ass headphones. dell laptop (not even year old) sucks. buying a mac with the money i get from my motif. Getting rid of motu 828mk3 so that i can get a smaller interface-probably that protools usb dongle just so i can mix with protools......dont need to track shit out, its all done inside mpc. or maybe the apogee duet.

no future plans for other gear. got all i need with mpc2500 + jjos + vinyl + skillz.

my workflow:

1.dig up some good shit
2.find song/sample that inspires me, sample entire song into mpc (use to sample just part i needed, but have had to go back and get more cause i needed another part or forgot the sample and needed to know sample)
3.chop and mangle sample, using jjos ND chop mostly (sometimes ill chop destructively-depends on sample) - mangle using filters,eq, effects - stereo to mono, bit crush, pitch, etc. - chopping process starts wtih figuring out sample bpm and pitch
4.lay down samples over basic drum pattern (most recent drums i have loaded up)
5.redo drums, find drums that match sample, from library or vinyl, lay down new drums usually no quantize.
6.figure out bassnotes that match sample
7.lay down bass line
8.tweak track until it sounds like i want
9.organize song, i.e. get sounds seperated on individual tracks, build song in song mode
10.resample tracks in song mode
11.drag takes to computer via usb mode
12.drag takes into reaper
13.mix
14.render
15.snap necks

Logic pro 8

MPC 1000

Headphones

THE END

TheRiot wrote:Logic pro 8

MPC 1000

Headphones

THE END

Yo how'd you install Logic Pro 8 on the MPC 1000?!