Is the MPC 1000 for me?

fawn wrote:you should consider an RC20xl or RC50 loop pedal. i do solo singer-songwriter hoo-haw and use an RC20xl with an sp-404 and sh-32 for live performance.

the looper can be triggered w/ yr feet, allowing you to play guitar, or make double fist signs or something as you sing, and trigger stuff underneath.

the sampler (any kind really) will allow you to trigger stuff over top of that.

but yr not relying on either piece of gear for any one song, so between the two, you can build stuff up, tear stuff down, and trigger with yr feet or hands as need be.

something to consider.

I had a look at these machines. How much memory does the sp-404 hold? Do you think it could handle around 20 multitrack songs? By that I mean a drum set, bass, two or three synth parts, and perhaps a vocal part.

It's rather cheaper than an MPC too...
The Boss loopers look great but I don't think I could handle so much stuff live though.
Thanks for the suggestions

v

mikolo wrote:ive seen some rap groups use the instant replay machine for playing backing tracks:

http://www.360systems.com/products_audio.html

the mpc is better if you want to play around "live" with short loops and samples

the instant replay is for playing full backing tracks- but i think you can triggger things from buttons too.

Thahks this looks interesting!

v

dacaumodo wrote:

fawn wrote:you should consider an RC20xl or RC50 loop pedal. i do solo singer-songwriter hoo-haw and use an RC20xl with an sp-404 and sh-32 for live performance.

the looper can be triggered w/ yr feet, allowing you to play guitar, or make double fist signs or something as you sing, and trigger stuff underneath.

the sampler (any kind really) will allow you to trigger stuff over top of that.

but yr not relying on either piece of gear for any one song, so between the two, you can build stuff up, tear stuff down, and trigger with yr feet or hands as need be.

something to consider.

I had a look at these machines. How much memory does the sp-404 hold? Do you think it could handle around 20 multitrack songs? By that I mean a drum set, bass, two or three synth parts, and perhaps a vocal part.

It's rather cheaper than an MPC too...
The Boss loopers look great but I don't think I could handle so much stuff live though.
Thanks for the suggestions

v

One of the things that the sp-404 does offer is tons of storage space. But yr going to max out with a 1 gig card. There's no way to say whether 20 tracks will fit....what if each song is 200 hours long? lol. but you could always just fill a bunch of cards.

Bear in mind that if you use the rc20xl you'll have no midi. the rc50 offers midi, so you could sync stuff with yr sampler.

Yr other option (the one I choose) is to not use midi and just get really good at triggering stuff on the beat, live. it gets sloppy, but so do most audiences.

fawn wrote:

dacaumodo wrote:

fawn wrote:you should consider an RC20xl or RC50 loop pedal. i do solo singer-songwriter hoo-haw and use an RC20xl with an sp-404 and sh-32 for live performance.

the looper can be triggered w/ yr feet, allowing you to play guitar, or make double fist signs or something as you sing, and trigger stuff underneath.

the sampler (any kind really) will allow you to trigger stuff over top of that.

but yr not relying on either piece of gear for any one song, so between the two, you can build stuff up, tear stuff down, and trigger with yr feet or hands as need be.

something to consider.

I had a look at these machines. How much memory does the sp-404 hold? Do you think it could handle around 20 multitrack songs? By that I mean a drum set, bass, two or three synth parts, and perhaps a vocal part.

It's rather cheaper than an MPC too...
The Boss loopers look great but I don't think I could handle so much stuff live though.
Thanks for the suggestions

v

One of the things that the sp-404 does offer is tons of storage space. But yr going to max out with a 1 gig card. There's no way to say whether 20 tracks will fit....what if each song is 200 hours long? lol. but you could always just fill a bunch of cards.

Bear in mind that if you use the rc20xl you'll have no midi. the rc50 offers midi, so you could sync stuff with yr sampler.

Yr other option (the one I choose) is to not use midi and just get really good at triggering stuff on the beat, live. it gets sloppy, but so do most audiences.

Mmh that's interesting. Does the sp-404 stream frmo the card? Or use its RAM? If it streams from the card, 1 gig is rather good. I guess I'd need to try one.

you lose a lot going from an MPC to a roland SP though... the SP samplers don't have touch sensitive pads for example... and the sequencer is rather crappy... they also have the worst time stretching possible [samples start sounding scratchy even when you just change the original BPM by one digit]... only thing they really have going for them is the nice built-in effects... i'd consider these things before making the switch...

crossings wrote:you lose a lot going from an MPC to a roland SP though... the SP samplers don't have touch sensitive pads for example... and the sequencer is rather crappy... they also have the worst time stretching possible [samples start sounding scratchy even when you just change the original BPM by one digit]... only thing they really have going for them is the nice built-in effects... i'd consider these things before making the switch...

Well in the end I went with an mpc1000. Just ordered it yesterday. I like this machine, however "limited" it might be compared to a computer-based solution. I only need limited interaction with the "playback" because I don't do instrumental music, so in a way, Ableton Live would be a little overkill for me (I have it).

I also found that using the "nex seq" mode rather than the song mode, I had more live control on a song's structure, while at the same time not having so much to do with my hands really. Just hit the right button before the end of the current sequence.

I still need to explore a few functions, but I've come to the conclusion that the limitations may well be more productive/exciting than frustrating.

Plus, the MPC is way cool

What would be nice is to be able to work in two modes at the same time, for instance, in "next seq" mode, be able to play programs with the pads without having to get back to "Main" window. Perhaps it is possible?

Anyway thanks for the thoughts and perspectives guys, it is really appreciated. I guess in a few days I'll be actually part of this community of users.

best

vim

crossings wrote:you lose a lot going from an MPC to a roland SP though... the SP samplers don't have touch sensitive pads for example... and the sequencer is rather crappy... they also have the worst time stretching possible [samples start sounding scratchy even when you just change the original BPM by one digit]... only thing they really have going for them is the nice built-in effects... i'd consider these things before making the switch...

I'm an SP- fan, and I fully agree with everything you've said. I like the intuitive flow on my sp's more than my 1000, but the 1000 offers way more 'professional' options.

It looks like they could be complementary machines too. Can the sp be set to MIDI slave mode?

get a laptop with a controller or just buy two 1000's

i have an sp-303 and love it... but i mainly only use it for the effects. so what i end up doing is running a pair of the MPC1000s outputs through it as an effects unit... they make a great combo, but as far as having a single dedicated sample sequencer it would be foolish to not pick the MPC over the SP series... that was my only point.

dude, you need ableton live 8

though if you really really love the mpc 1000, you can get it too and use as a midi controller to trigger the scenes in live 8 and use for production when not performing

ableton live 8 can be used to make beats, to record whole songs, vocals and all, deejay with it pretty much everything you can think of, you can do with ableton live 8

add your mpc 1000 pads triggering your scenes/ (samples or songs) and your a beast live or studio

get a free 14 day trial (fully functional ) and try it out (has built in tutorials too)
http://www.ableton.com/downloads

Thanks for the tips
Yeah I've got Live LE 7 and it's a great piece of software. But I was looking for an alternative (more reliable and sturdy, for one) to a laptop in a live situation.

I was afraid the MPC's features would be insufficient for my needs but now I don't think they are. I need to get more familiar with the beast though, but it's fairly intuitive.

dacaumodo wrote:Thanks for the tips
Yeah I've got Live LE 7 and it's a great piece of software. But I was looking for an alternative (more reliable and sturdy, for one) to a laptop in a live situation.

I was afraid the MPC's features would be insufficient for my needs but now I don't think they are. I need to get more familiar with the beast though, but it's fairly intuitive.

oh, well I know ableton live 8 is reliable and paired with an AKAI APC 40 IS NUTZ but I understand you not having faith in a laptop I just saw a study that said most new laptops will go bad within first 3 years just from poorly built components, it is like the lower and lower laptop prices are making them about as replaceable as a cellphone

So...dacaumodo....
How are you doing with the MPC1000??????
I am in a similar position..I play guitar as a solo acoustic guy and also do Rock guitar in another band...I want a spontaneous machine to help with drums on the fly and to get drum parts done in the studio..kinda similar functionalty to what you need...
so how has it worked out?
GtrGeorge

OK my answer comes a bit late maybe but I thought I'd report on my experience.

The MPC has been very good to me so far. I've got a bout Ten songs chopped into sequences and that I load into the memory, and they I play them with the song mode. The only downside is I can't switch to and back from sequence mode but by choosing to put some sequences on "Hold", I almost achieve what I wanted, that is to say, adapt the overall structure to the response of the audience.

Hafway through the show we take a short break (playing guitars, speaking to the audience, etc) while we load the second project that contains the sequences for the remaining songs. This second half of the set isn't finished yet but I'd say I can have a good one and half hour show like this.

One excellent point is how good the MPC sounds - I've compared it with live us of a laptop, with a good soundcard, and the MPC wins in clarity and punch. This may also be due to the fact that I'm stripping songs down to the essentials because of memory limitations, but again it's a useful exercise.

Actually I didn't need the MPC for the studio, as I'm happy to use a computer there.

dc