About using the mpc1k as my exclusive (almost) live tool.

Do not read if you don't want to read a noob post. Fair warning.

I will soon own a mpc1000, and was in the process of grabbing a shiny new yamaha aw16g along with it, but money troubles arose, as they so often do, and I am forced to instead purchase only the mpc. I am looking for a general analysis of this approach from some current mpc-users:

For performing live, I was originally going to use recorded material, as I am writing a lot of layered, multi-timbral synth stuff (yammy dx200, korg ms2k and em1, and a damn k5000s if i can EVER find one), guitar lines, and plan to use my ms2k as a vocoder live... this would give me the benefit of not having to worry about my tracks while on the mic, ect, not to mention the cheesy vocoder-choir stuff I like to do.

However, now that I will be using only the mpc, I am wondering about this possibility: sampling all my phrases and sequences and just using the mpc (and the korg for live vocoder), along with maybe a compressor to add a lil sum sum. Assuming I max it out at 128MB, do you think I will run into much trouble with multiple long, evolving pad-type samples and extensive vocoder phrasing... i.e. long-duration samples, often approaching linear-track-level lengths? (ok that length is exaggeration, but you get the point. Lots of big samples.)

Also, will I be able to save "mixes" on the mpc itself, or will I be limited to saving only the sequences themselves and having to adjust their levels and parameters manually after loading them up? I am ignorant about the extent of information the CF cards will save from the mpc... if just sequences and samples or more...

I know I will be losing some overall polish and relying on perhaps more than a fair share of resampling and thus less oomph (pure speculation based on my assumptions about resampling), but I am looking for a rough estimation of the likelihood of being able to reliably compose and perform using a PC-less, no-recorder environment for live hip-hop and synth-pop performances. Oh, and no mixer consequently, as I was just planning on using the aw16g's :/

Just looking for general comments on the internal eq's effectiveness and things I might want to look out for in the absence of other production conveniences like a PC, ect.. Thanks in advance for even reading, and I am sorry for not presenting a more informed, articulate post. Kinda fumbling around with what I am even trying to ask

I use a 2000xl live and I'd say you need at least a mixer. Just get something with 8 channels like a behringer for $80 because youre going to need something to tweak levels on the fly and doing that on a tiny little screen on stage is going to be tricky

Ah thanks for the info denzel! So I will indeed not be able to save mix info. A shame, but it's kinda what I expected. This will of course mean I will have to resample everything until I have only 6 sequences to run out to a mixer, I suppose, but no biggie there.

Thanks again

Resampling will be fine if you do it internally, so you should get a pretty good sound there.

With careful use of samples you should be able to do a whole set no problem.

The EFX on the mpc are pretty good and you can get some nice sounds out of them.

One very helpful tool for live use is NEXT SEQ and TRACK MUTE screens. So you can make up short (or long) loops or phrases and change between them using the NEXT SEQ screen, or mute parts in and out using the TRACK MUTE screen. Both are fast and easy to use.

I would second a small behringer or similar for live use.

You have 6 ouputs but the internal mixer has 64 channels, one for every pad. So you can adjust all your samples on 64 pads and then submix them into the 6 outputs.

I heard that the resample takes quite a bit of time, but being that you're preparing all your stuff at home and bringing it to play live and not record live then I assume this won't be a problem for you. I think 128 MB would definitley be enough for you. You can get a 1 gig media card and save all your stuff, and load as much as you can into the machine, if you need to load a different program and sounds or a sequence, I am sure it will load super quick since it's so fast...

You've all been a great help... thanks again for the info and advice. Picking up that behringer mixer for sure