The Sequencer

hi.
im trying to follow the posts in this forum since its start. i dont own an mpc1000 yet but im saving up some money to get one in near future. the thing is; forums are generally made for problems,, i mean to solve the problems rather than cheering each other about how powerful the machine is.. but in the last 2-3 weeks i started to suspect about the sequencer in mpc1k. There are many (yes maybe a little exaggeration here) posts about the disabilites of the sequencer, expecially the posts that compare it other mpcs.

I've sold my rm1x to buy an mpc1000 but i started to doubt if it can fulfil its place totaly. I've never seen an mpc.. and have no idea about the structure of the sequencer even if i've read the manual.

Actually even if i say that the sequencer is the most important thing for me to buy an mpc, i'll use its sampler altough i have another hardware sampler.. and also the usb port and size is the thing that made my chocie over mpc2000..

Anyway, simply: is the sequencer powerful enough to revolutionize the way i make music..

thank you.

dandondelyus_ wrote:
Anyway, simply: is the sequencer powerful enough to revolutionize the way i make music..

Depends on how you make your music and how capable you are.

do you like hardware or software???

'revolutionize'???

a big word...for such a stupid question.

well...no sequencer...not matter how powerful can revolutionize your music.

you have to put in the work.

if you are lookin for something very powerful, not hands on, but more indepth, with a big screen, on a pc or mac, then you should look towards a software sequencer like cubase, etc.

but...if you are a hands on person and prefer hardware, then the mpc is great, quite flexible, has a tight sequencer, and is rock solid.

Roopesh wrote:
'revolutionize'???

a big word...for such a stupid question.

Roopesh - give it a rest with the insults.

Some people complain about the sequencer but for me its much better than Logic or Pro-Tools, very fast and intuitive for laying out beats, samples etc.

I have been a gear freak (software & hardware) for a while but have come to realize that its how you do stuff rather than the equip.

mpc1000 has more than enough tricks and things you can do with the sequencer to make some crazy stuff.

I was having a jam today and showing some people the mpc and made about 5 or 6 wicked beats very quickly. They were very surprised how fast you can do things. Also 16 levels function, EFX, Pad Banks, Mute and NEXT SEQ mode give you a lot of real time flexibility.

Maybe read the manual and then spend a day in a music store playing around with one.....that should give you a good idea of the limitations and strengths of it.

Cheers

The MPC 1000 sequencer and Rm1x sequencer are very different. All the job functions to change your sequences afterwards like "modify velocity", "modify gate time" etc. you won't find on the mpc and there's no "grid groove function".
I like the MPC 1000 very much for it's logical structure, and the easy way you can program your beats and stuff. If you're used to experiment with your sequences after you've recorded them this is not your machine, get the Rm1x back.

i used DP for about 5 years prior to getting an mpc 1000. im totally a master on DP, i know it inside and out. i think it goes without saying that DP's sequencer is more powerful than the mpc's. but i still like making music on the mpc more. why?

- there's less stuff to mess with. when im recording something on the mpc, i have to focus more on playing it correctly becuase i cant mess with it in such overwhelming detail post-recording. in DP you can let it go on forever and ever and ever...and it doesnt always translate into better music. sometimes it does tho

- when im recording something with the mpc, im using my ears more than my eyes. this is really really important. to me, things come together much more solidly becuase im hearing everything in much greater detail. there's no CRT noise at 16khz blasting my brain 12 hours a day, my eyes are free to look wherever they want (except for looking at the mpc screen occasionally ), and they're not looking at a totally bright 17" display, it just overloads the brain. for me, when using a computer it means i dont listen as deeply. i suspect most people are the same way.

- for the once in a while that im trying to drop something, that is simply too complex to do quickly on the mpc, there is always the computer! there's no reason why i cant throw a sample into Peak for a quicker, more detailed sample edit. or sequence something really crazy in DP and export the midi file to the mpc (the mpc opens standard midi files, which im sure you all knew, right? it's really easy too)

there's lots of things that make the mpc very worthwhile as a sequencer. i dont look at an mpc as the same kind of tool as something like DP or cubase or whatevr u use. they're just different. it's like blowing glass with a machine or it being done by a real person. one is only better than the other in a certain situation.

a client was here and we did a drum track in like 20 minutes on my mpc that would have taken us 2 days in DP (with Battery or whatever we'd be using otherwise). and it was awesome! now he's telling me he cant wait to come around again and use "that akai thing" again.

im more like a tracker guy. i dont like any big software like cubase, logic, sonar but using ztracker.. (a midi tracker)

i dont have any access to any music store to try out the machine in here. it'll be like a gamble for me. thats why im asking stupid questions.

thank you for your replies.

It is fast……..simple……..and effective. My software gives me more options and greater control but most of the time I like working within hardware or software limitations that I know completely. I can barely keep up with the revisions of SX and learning the latest changes or bugs every six months is not helping me in the production of music. The MPC1k allows me to get ideas down before they evaporate into the ether. The only other thing that comes close is Reason. For me, more options do not always make for better music.

Rob

Akai's Sequencers are way better than any computer sequencer (and I have Logic 6) The 1000's sequencer is super dope - Depending on how you do your thing it's not missing anything - You can use a software program for sequencing parts (with VST's etc) - bounce the parts down to a .wav then put the whole thing together on the MPC - it's easy, especially with the USB thing

I think the MPC can replace the RM1x, but i think the step-sequencing is easier on the RM1x than on the MPC because the X0X system is far easier to program than selecting the time and then play a note.

I own both machines and they work perfectly together. I use the RM1x for synths and fx and i use the MPC for drums and samples. But i cannot say that the MPC has replaced my RM1x, i need both, and can't do without them!!!

dear dandondelyus, ...
the best thing for me is this fysical thing... u actually drum your drums.
y' know what i mean?! you feel it? these pads are great. it's more about music physically than programming drums on your computer...there's no energy in that... and i have to go with tiger vomitt and 52ft buddha.... they are right about more options not nescessarily meaning better music....

it's a real intuitive machine, great for live performance.
the only thing is, and i really HATE it.... the sequencer only syncs with MIDI-clock..... this means NO midi-time-code... it won't tell f.e. Pro Tools or any other programm anything about the location you're in (when working on a song with audio).... I don't like this and i still hope someone will tell me i'm wrong about this, or that i shouldn't mind because of some reasons i'd buy.... :
but, save up your money and buy this thing... you won't regret it.