Advantage or disadvantage....

Okay, Ima throw open a tread that has been going back and forth between me and my boy for some time now.  
What is the best setup for Hip Hop producers to use?  And before anybody says this or that, keep one thing in mind...this is about opinions & preferences, there are no "right" or "wrong" ways to approach this.
My feeling is this:  For sequencing, the MPC (model whatever) is the tightest piece of hardware you'll find at todays prices.  I know some people live and die by the Mac for the above mentioned and that's cool, especially in a professional studio setup. But for what WE do, is there anything better.  Two turntables, a mixer and an MPC, vintage material ish!  My boy on the other hand swears by software sequencer's and would not give up his Mac for love nor money.  I've experienced both arenas so can appreciate the benefits of Mac/PC over MPC and MPC over Mac/PC.  But being the producer I am, I swear by my MPC.  There's too much baggage associated with PC sequencing.[/color]

finish your tracks in protools.
slave protools to your MPC track in all your parts and finish there, it's very hard to finish a track fully on an MPC. I've been doing this and it's the best way to do final edits mutes etc. I am a computer animator by trade so I prefer to write without a computer screen and a #### line moving across it but once the creative stuff's done i'm miles faster dumping it all into the computer. There is true recall on every mix aswell which if you use a desk a couple of synths a compressor and your MP there isn't, what's more, digi 001 works out cheaper and you'll get a great sound.

lex[/color]

incidentally i'm using logic at the moment to mix and edit in but i'm going back to protools now.

lex[/color]

hmm, I gotta agree with the thread-starter on this one, I have a pretty "elaborate" setup as far as a home studio for a guy like me goes (i dj, and I dj for $$$ so most of my music budget goes to records, and the beat making stuff comes second).  I think that is the key, most peeps who dj (in my xperience) prefer a smaller limited setup, bc it can allow them to make beats and still be a DJ.  peeps who dont really dj, prefer larger more elaborate setups, I assume its for the same reason as me, limited budget and basically 2 hobbies/jobs beatmaking and djing as opposed to the plain beatmakers (note I aint dissing, just what I've seen in my xperience, one way is no way better then the other)

But, I have a pretty good store of equipment, and I find that I use my MPC, mixer and decks, and my ASR-10 keyboard and not much else most of the time.  I am seriosuly considering getting rid of some of my gear since I dont really use it, once u get into it, the mpc is a really nice canvas to paint on, best sequencer, hands down, no pc/mac can fade it. period.  
I really believe (now anyway) in mastering one peice of gear at a time, once its mastred then start to integrate other gear u have with it, but thats just me and what's good for the goose aint always good for the gander.
pete rock bangs an mpc only and he makes some of the hottest beats i've ever heard.[/color]

I feel you both on that production wise.  I use PT 001 and it's simply for recording...  I make beats on my MPC and do all the presequencing there, then I retrack on PT 001.  I don't know if I'm doing things the slowest way or not, but I resequence my beats on protools 'so I can do little things with the beats like effects, compression, EQ etc...  I think of my MPC as a band and track the drums, samples, and what have you as if I was recording an actually group on PT.  But then again the beats I don't use for recording just stay sequenced on my MPC, and the beats that I record vocals get track down on PT.  I use my MPC strictly for production and PT for recording - more or less.  But nowadays I'm trying to tweak my samples a little bit more putting fx on PT and shove them back into my MPC.  I find when I sequence with PT it sounds different than if I did it on the MPC.. I prefer the MPC 'cause it's like an instrument with all the lovely pads to bang on!

peace[/color]

...oh yeah, I feel you on mastering the equipment first, 'cause buying gear can be just as addicting as nicotene.  Sometimes having options are good, but it also can ruin your production (if you don't take time to master your equip first that is).  I look at it like the pioneers did it back in the day - records and a 10 sec. sampler, they didn't need all these plug ins and software to make dope tracks.  Also I approach digging for vinyl the same way...you can buy all the dopest breaks, drums, rarities, and it ain't nothing if you don't listen to ALL them from to beginning to end or having them collecting dust.  Knowing your records is just as important as knowing your gear.  

Simplicity is the key.

Peace[/color]

All you really need as far as gear  is one nice preamp to warm up the sound before recording....i use a JoeMeek VCQ1, I cant recommend it enough for the price, nicer than the HHB Fatman IMO. Maybe one day I'll get a nice Avalon...[/color]

pete rock uses an SP (famously)
and an s950 (main ingredient sleeve)

lex[/color]

the mpc is kiling on all other sequencers handsdown it is ill easy and straight to the point. i use the mp and then record it to pro tools till 001 babbaged out on me some ish its not compatible , all i need is a mpc with pro tools to record in and i am set   when i can get a pro tools firestation[/color]

Reading the reply's it seems to me that most headz feel the MPC more than any other piece of equipment they have.
I'm feeling the point about mastering one item and then moving onto another and then incorporating.  I think sometimes you can get caught up in the hype of having equipment that you don't really need.  Its kinda like a upgrade thing.... I used to by all the music magazines and read them from front to back and on the strength of a reviewers article, would convince myself that in order for me to progress and move to the next stage I needed to have it.
Experience and money wasted has taught me that the key to success is putting in work and a love for what you do.  Working full time that I do, my weekends and vacations are as precious as life itself.  I even had to lay it down and say to my girl that for a six month period the only thing I was going to be focusing on was production....but I digress!
I'm seriously thinking about selling the equipment I don't use as my man bccrgrz said, you have to check it in a way the "pioneers" did back in the day.  10 seconds of sample time should be enough to be going on all creative.  Its what you do with that 10 seconds that counts...Yall keep the faith....There aint no substitute for keeping it right....[/color]