Total Newbie! Reason or MPC1000

Hi all. Totally new to the music production thing & was thinking of purchasing an MPC (Prob a 1000) & was just looking for some advice.

Have started using Reason to have a tinker around with & it looks to be a bit too involved for my liking. As i say i'm totally new to the idea of producing my own stuff so no doubt if i spend a bit longer i'd get a better feel for it.

I was wondering if you guys could advise if you think the MPC is a more user friendly way to go for a beginner?

Edit: Any advice on music production software better suited to a beginner would be appreciated too...Thanks

im new to the mpc 1000 but as far as sampling goes id say start on reason like i did then you will know the process into samplingthen when you get the mpc all you will need to learn is how to use it not sampling in general.

really it depends what u can afford and what you wanna get out of it. personally id go with the mpc, but others will argue with that.

I would advise u to try fruity loops to get the basics of beatmaking before buying the MPC;)

Jaytim3 wrote:I would advise u to try fruity loops to get the basics of beatmaking before buying the MPC;)

good point thats how i started but not with fruity loops. before u buy any software try some demo's

Your considered lucky to own an MPC.

However with many bugs in each flawed system.

Best to go with Reason or Fruity Loops.

A MPC just plays a .wav sample. Ranging any time (depending on internal memory? [dont remeber])

Fruity Loops or Reason can load a .wav sample just the same accept you get to see visually how its load and where. Unlike the MPC

With everything that is avail these days, I would find a DAW (Reason, Friuty Loops, Cubase) that suits you. Basically find one that you can get a round and feel comfortable using. Then invest in a MIDI controller. If you are still helll bent on trying an MPC, get the MPK49 as your controller and go from there. The MPK gives you all the feel of a MIDI controller and the basic feel of the MPC because of the pads and knobs...

You may be extremely content with this setup, but then again, you may still want to go get a MPC. The best part is, that you will already have a basic understanding of the MPC if you go the route I am describing. The MPK is less than half the price of a new MPC 1000.

Take baby steps, there is no sense in spending mega bucks on a setup you may/may not like or use...


You have started out right, by asking questions, and also by trying what is available to you now. Most of my stuff is done on my MPC1000, but I wish I knew how to use DAW's, because I think they can really streamline your production techniques... Good luck on your search for the right setup for YOU...

There's no easy answer to your question and unfortunately, if you are like many of us, you'll probably make some choices which in the short run may seem like a waste of time and money. Fortunately, if you're interested in this as a longtime hobby, nearly all of your experience will help in some fashion. If could do it over, I'd have made a hell of a lot more music by now if I'd started with a simple drum machine.

I was raised on PCs and I almost agree with the "go DAW" advice because that's how I started, but with one exception. I don't recommend Reason if you're not familiar with either making music in a DAW or hardware.

I've used every version of Reason (and Rebirth before that) and I love it, but in my opinion, Reason is a beast to get a handle on if you aren't a hardware junkie. It's taken me years, partly because I've had to learn the music side, but also because Reason is built with a hardware metaphor in mind. Imagine being a total newb to making music and being let loose in a studio filled with racks containing several tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment. Imagine having to route the cables between devices and programming different and sometimes very abstracted interfaces (like editing curves in the Matrix). That's Reason. If you're looking to slam out some beats, you can get very overwhelmed very quickly.

I've also had an MPC 500 for almost two years and have really had trouble wrapping my head around it as well (especially the file system). And my samples were never really that great, so it was hard to get inspired. So the MPC sat.

It wasn't until recently that I purchased an AKAI SR20 that I realized how much fun I was having just making beats without thinking about the mechanics and quirks of the device. I made a bunch of cool beats from some ideas I'd had floating around in my head, and then realized those beats I'd crafted on the SR20 could be even better had I implemented them on my MPC with different samples (the keyboard sounds in the SR20 kind of suck).

So I've spent the last month or so digging deep learning the MPC AND crafting quality keyboard and percussion samples from devices in Reason. Just recently I've started "playing" my MPC without really thinking about the mechanics of how it works.

So, sorry for the long-ass post with no real answer, but I emphathize with your question a lot.

On a final note; I remember reading an interview with Kieran Hebden from Four Tet and he talked about how he used to do most of his early work in an old copy of Cool Edit. It was a pretty simple tool, but he'd create really complex arrangements with these great glitches by clicking his mouse randomly in Cool Edit while an audio clip played. He was basically explointing a bug in Cool Edit, but he was also "playing" the application.

I sometimes wish I'd started with a really simple tool that would allow me to ignore the technical aspects of learning the application and focus on just playing music. In fact, the reason I thought of that story is that one night I found myself having a blast with the SR20 and realized I was creating similar glitches and audio artifacts. It was a hell of a lot of fun.

Good luck.

SHWELL wrote:With everything that is avail these days, I would find a DAW (Reason, Friuty Loops, Cubase) that suits you. Basically find one that you can get a round and feel comfortable using. Then invest in a MIDI controller. If you are still helll bent on trying an MPC, get the MPK49 as your controller and go from there. The MPK gives you all the feel of a MIDI controller and the basic feel of the MPC because of the pads and knobs...

You may be extremely content with this setup, but then again, you may still want to go get a MPC. The best part is, that you will already have a basic understanding of the MPC if you go the route I am describing. The MPK is less than half the price of a new MPC 1000.

Take baby steps, there is no sense in spending mega bucks on a setup you may/may not like or use...


You have started out right, by asking questions, and also by trying what is available to you now. Most of my stuff is done on my MPC1000, but I wish I knew how to use DAW's, because I think they can really streamline your production techniques... Good luck on your search for the right setup for YOU...

Ignore my post. What he said is great advice and a lot less confusing than my own.

Cool, i've downloaded Fruity Loops 8 (it's the XXL Producer's Edition, anyone know what the difference is?)

I'll have a go with that for a while then. Was hoping that the MPC would be a little simpler for making beats (get sample...use sample...create arrangements....done) than on a software package.

RollandButter wrote:Was hoping that the MPC would be a little simpler for making beats (get sample...use sample...create arrangements....done) than on a software package.

Nah dude it sounds simple in theory but you have to learn how to make the machine do it. Its all done on a small screen as well. You should go use one before you buy it. People have the wrong perception of MPC's, they seem to think you turn it on and away you go....nope, takes ages of practice.

henoi wrote:

RollandButter wrote: I don't recommend Reason if you're not familiar with either making music in a DAW or hardware.

True. Reason is complicated if your new to beatmakin'.

RollandButter wrote:Cool, i've downloaded Fruity Loops 8 (it's the XXL Producer's Edition, anyone know what the difference is?)

I'll have a go with that for a while then. Was hoping that the MPC would be a little simpler for making beats (get sample...use sample...create arrangements....done) than on a software package.

i think the producers edition is the bigger program. more expensive. the mpc is simpler for making beats. the only hard part is finding your style and your gonna have to do that with whatever you choose to go with.

RollandButter wrote:Cool, i've downloaded Fruity Loops 8 (it's the XXL Producer's Edition, anyone know what the difference is?)

I'll have a go with that for a while then. Was hoping that the MPC would be a little simpler for making beats (get sample...use sample...create arrangements....done) than on a software package.

The fruity product line is kind of complex, but fun to pour over (imo). The link below exists on the main FL Studio Page and shows the differences between the versions. I don't know if they still offer the "buy once, get access to all future upgrades offer", but it is worth it. They offer a lot of value and used to offer reasonably-priced upgrades when you were ready for more.

http://flstudio.image-line.com/documents/features.html

I'm pretty much 100% software these days, but I came up with the MPC and i'd say get the 1k if you can afford it. Yeah you have to work at your sound and style but it's worth it in the long run.