mpc + computer: what's your working process?

[preface: i've searched a bunch and couldn't find exactly what i was looking for. if i missed something, please let me know where to look, and apologies!]

so i picked up an mpc1000 a month or so ago and i totally love it. i've been using my laptop for ages with a whole ton of programs and always felt like something felt wrong -- now i actually look forward to spending an entire evening working on music...

anyways, there are some obvious limitations to the mpc, none of which i have a real problem with -- i think limitations are what makes you creative. however, there are definitely times that i feel like i would like to tweak things a little more than i can with just the mpc. things like being able to fine tune midi sequences (adding ghost notes, etc), adding a different selection of effects (i'm not a huge fan of the delay or reverb), adding VST instruments, etc....

so what i'd like to know is: do you use your mpc alongside your computer? and if so, how do you use it? i'm not looking to steal people's secrets, i'm just curious about how people have approached it. as far as i can tell there's a million different ways to do it -- transfer your MIDI sequences to a sequencer and tweak them, or run the MPC with reason as a master, or with reason with a slave, or sample the MPC outputs and sequencer them as audio files. i'm just curious -- how do you do it?

i use reason as a sound module. occasionally i resample reason into the mpc, but mostly just keep it separate.

things like being able to fine tune midi sequences (adding ghost notes, etc),

just add ghost notes within the mpc...why can't you do that? the mpc sequencer is about as fine tuneable as you can get...people have been adding ghost notes in mpcs for like, two decades...

just add ghost notes within the mpc...why can't you do that? the mpc sequencer is about as fine tuneable as you can get...people have been adding ghost notes in mpcs for like, two decades...

oh yeah, i'm not suggesting you can't do this on an mpc -- just i sometimes find it easier to fine tune sequences with a graphical interface. i was just throwing out an example of the top of my head and it wasn't a great one. a better example would be the fl studio formula controller, for example, where you can apply mathematical formulas to your controller or MIDI info, which i'm pretty sure you can't do on an mpc.

anyways, this is all tangential... any more people using computers + mpc in harmony?

i think you'll find that most people here use comps and mpc1000s together, in some way or another. it was like this especially before os 2.1...we had to, if we wanted to chop.

anyway, not to beat a dead horse, but i thoroughly suggest to you and anyone else that they learn to do as much fine tuning from within the mpc sequencer as possible. this is from personal experience. i went from software sequencing to mpc sequencing and i find that doing really in depth microediting on the mpc is faster and more rewarding than a click and drag method.

for instance - here's somethign cool. have you ever experimented with tempo change in the mpc? it's great - you can enter a bunch of tempchange notes at even places to create a higher resolution tempo change - this simulates a gradual change beautifully.

oh yeah, for sure -- in fact i have to say i've really liked the midi sequencing i've seen on the mpc, it's just a matter of finding the tricks! i suppose the midi thing is less what i was interested, just i was wondering how people have decided to use their mpc alongside their comp, since there's a million ways you can do it. i was having a lot of fun last night with reason and the mpc and sequencing everything from reason and just got curious how others did it.

btw, i checked out some of your tracks on your myspace and really liked 'em. bandit is especially awesome.... nice stuff.

thanks buddy. bandit's bassline was created in reason, as well as that little "cry" thing you heard repeated. this is this first track that i started resampling from reason back into my mpc for further sequencing.

Made Flesh i created by midi syncing the mpc and reason, using both sequencers. it works, but i don't recommend this practice. it's incredibly tedious. there are some cool tricks you can do on it, though.

i know a couple of these guys use ableton w/ their mpcs in various stages of production. hopefully they'll shed some light.

Yeah one thing I tried that basically worked was
1. putting together the basics of a song on the mpc
2.using 'sample main outs' to grab digital copies of the various loops I made
3. transferring all the loops over to ableton live
4. using ableton to do the final arrangement/edit and adding fadein/outs, effects, etc.

I like Ableton because you can do a 'freestyle' arrangement of your song by turning the different clips on/off while you record, then touching up what you did (similar to recordable track mutes but a lot more powerful)

Another advantage was that I had some 24-bit loops that originated in the computer anyway, so I didn't need to re-transfer those and I kept the 24-bit quality.

But I also work in the other direction-- pc to mpc. Actually I am learning that may be the most creative technique, cause vsts and reason/live etc. i find are good for coming up with weird isolated little loops and riffs... but then i never get around to using them. Whereas, if i put the loop onto the mpc is becomes so fun to just mess around with it that i will end up adding drums, bassline etc.

Sometimes ill even just shoot a loop onto the mpc 'to save for later' and then when im jamming with my friends ill bust it out and build a song around it. Moments like that is when im glad i got an mpc. (and my friends always drool over it too.)

Antonym wrote:thanks buddy. bandit's bassline was created in reason, as well as that little "cry" thing you heard repeated. this is this first track that i started resampling from reason back into my mpc for further sequencing.

Made Flesh i created by midi syncing the mpc and reason, using both sequencers. it works, but i don't recommend this practice. it's incredibly tedious. there are some cool tricks you can do on it, though.

i know a couple of these guys use ableton w/ their mpcs in various stages of production. hopefully they'll shed some light.

i like to work in layers on the mpc. for example
track one - kick drum
track two - snare
track three - hats
track four - bass loops
track five - keys, etc etc etc etc

once i have constructed the beat i then mute all the tracks except one
i then record that one track on to protools 7
then i record each track individually and sequence it on protools
i find that once i have a finished beat, i can tweak, eq, compress, timestretch far better on my computer.

this mite be a shite way to work but its great for me
just tryin to put somethin back.

i use software as sound modules all the time, but i have never really been happy with the syncing of pc to mp or even the reverse for loops. I can sync it pretty good with audio/midi in nuendo, but i cant get it to sync right with loops in live or reason. even with trying to tweak the midi delay and stuff.

ultra auris wrote:i use software as sound modules all the time, but i have never really been happy with the syncing of pc to mp or even the reverse for loops. I can sync it pretty good with audio/midi in nuendo, but i cant get it to sync right with loops in live or reason. even with trying to tweak the midi delay and stuff.

then just do a rewire for reason into nuendo.

how do you sample reason sounds into the mpc 1000/.

using the mpc's main record ins

setup wise how would i do that i have an mbox 2 can u explain it to me please in terms i can understand like by steps. i would appreciate it . thanks.