MPC-1000,Good First Peace of Equipment?

Can someone tell me if the MPC-1000 is the right first peace of equipment to buy for someone who literally is just beginning to want to make their own beats? If not, is there the right first peace or peaces of equipment. I know a lot of you prob have a preference or favorite brand but if possible please un-biasly let me know of any info on hardware for a beginner.

If you've got a PC or MAC already, it's defintely good, cause it's got everything you need...sequencer, samples, and effects. The PC makes it better when you hit the point of editing smaples.

Otherwise, you can get some used gear for cheap (like an emu sp1200, or emu command station).

good luck.

the way i look at it, any piece of equipment is good to start out on. Even the 4000. So that if you learn the big stuff first, then you dont have to keep learnin the big stuff. Everytime your gonna upgrade to something bigger or more complicated, your gonna have to learn the new machine. If its in your budget, then you should get the 4000. You know what i mean?? Then you wont have to keep on learnin new machines unless you end up going towards a bigger and better machine if one ever coems out.

What is your musical background? Not to pry but do you have any keyboard skills, or any other instrument? If you are starting without keyboard skills I would say MPC or a loop composition software such as acid, or something like FL or Reason. I think without a pc and audio editor such as SF or Wavelab, the 1k is a little limited. First piece of gear, something that keeps you interested in making music. I would have to say the MPC fits that bill. What else a rompler, reason, and as many sound sources as you can get to. My only knock on the 1k for an only instrument is its limited ability to keymap samples. The best thing about the 1k is it will sound like anything you feed it. I take samples out of everything I have so I can cart them around and work up compositions. Oh and on to my soapbox, buy the best speakers you can. You will only be as good as what you can hear.

Rob

if you have a music background, i.e. play keyboards, guitars, etc...

then go for an mpc, keyboards, modules, speakers, etc...the list goes on...but u may not need it all.

But if u are just scratching the surface, then i'de personally say go for an all in one keyboard work station like the Korg Triton Le.

Why???

its damn nice keayboard, lovely sounds, you can by a sampler kit for your own sampling of drums too.

but this is all down to your budget.

you see i only think of an mpc from drums, nothing else.
for instrumentation i always turn to my logic audio setup.

if you have a hardware preference, then the choice is yours depending on your budget.

the MPC = mo sounds, not a real keyboard, it only has pads, a real drum machine...thats it.

the Korg Triton Worksation = over 1000 multi sampled patches of sounds, hundreds of drum kits, nice sequencer, 16 part multamb...etc.

but there are more options...if you are considering Non-Hardware.

like a full blown computer setup...with a pro end soft sequencer.

or a PC with FL Studio 4 for doing Beats on, which is a great starting point as you are not limited to drum sounds. you add the .wavs in. all for $100 or so.

you need to decide on your budget.

MPC = No Sounds.

also as a rule of thumb...

dont spend into thing you wont use afterwards.

so build up slowly, 1 thing after another.

most newbs always buy aload of gear as i once did, and then you realise that 14 channel analog mixer was uneccesary, or the sample cds aint getting used, etc.

buy what you need.

yeh dont buy a bunch of stuff to make it look like a studio and then u dont really know how to use any of the stuff. Do research before u buy....read manuals so u can be familiar with the gear yuo buying

Any MPC would not be bad to start out on, but it's better to get a nice new modern one because you have a warranty, manual, and it's updated features like you can download the new OS and you have graphic waveform editing. Anyone who doesn't have previous MPC experience or music hardware experience might find the MPC4000 a bit overcomplicated and harder to navigate around. You should definitely give the mpc1000 a good look, or even a used 2000 or 2000xl. Hope that helps you decide.

Toecutter wrote:Any MPC would not be bad to start out on, but it's better to get a nice new modern one because you have a warranty, manual, and it's updated features like you can download the new OS and you have graphic waveform editing. Anyone who doesn't have previous MPC experience or music hardware experience might find the MPC4000 a bit overcomplicated and harder to navigate around. You should definitely give the mpc1000 a good look, or even a used 2000 or 2000xl. Hope that helps you decide.

i agree, go to a store and take a look at both.

I am about to purchase my first MPC, i cant quite decide between the mpc1000 or a second hand mpc2000xl, i have noted a few of you discussing the fact that AKAI will probably release an mpc1000XL which will clear out all the bugs, so i am a bit tentative about the 1000 although i cant see any major short comings compared to the 2000xl other than its tried and tasted and that i could get one cheaper second hand. I have a reasonably computer and recording setup, the kind of music im making incorporates a lot of low quality, but long, analogue samples, that used to jam up the mpc2000 so i figure the expanded memory on the mpc1000 might be useful. Anyone got some useful insights suggestions over which will suit me better? i dont do live performances at this stage so thats not really a concern.