MPC2000xl - No computer

ive recently bought an MPC 2000xl,
im pretty comfortable with all the features so far & have sampled & recorded all kinds of sequences
& also know how to arrange in song mode mainly hip-hop, boom-bap style material.

only gear i have is an MPC 2000XL (no-8 outs)
and some headphones,(very minimal)
i also sample straight from my cell phone since i dont own a turntable yet,
sampling from RIGHT RECORD IN & switching from left to right each time i sample(not sure if thats proper)
i also am running everything in caveman mode (NO COMPUTER),
so my question is. what would you guys reccomend me getting for recording full tracks? without a computer?
what are my options, im already aware that i need a turntable & mixer, but what exactly would u reccomend for a full set up?
analog track recorder?
what cables?
what mixer?

please dont criticize me for lack of knowledge, im new to this & would really appreciate serious answers.

thank you

Do you want to keep your "no computer" setup or do you want to get a computer?

Even before that though, since it seems that you are ready to record your beats, I'd suggest the 8 outs. After that, you have to answer the question above.

yes of course i will get my computer fixed, but im not sure when, im kind of on a budget right now though.
will i absolutely need 8 outs?
i just want to record some full tracks & arrange them with a track recorder/mixer since doing it through the MPC itself is a really tedious.

mmeebly wrote:yes of course i will get my computer fixed, but im not sure when, im kind of on a budget right now though.
will i absolutely need 8 outs?
i just want to record some full tracks & arrange them with a track recorder/mixer since doing it through the MPC itself is a really tedious.

Well if you want to talk tedious, depending on how you want to record your beats, soloing tracks on your 2000XL and recording them one by one into any recorder, is tedious as hell. Of course you can do it, but the 8 outs will make your life much easier. If your computer has a DAW, then all you need is an audio interface. I have the Scarlett 18i6. It has 8 analog ins. It's basically perfect on a budget for tracking out beats from an MPC. If you are on a really tight budget and don't want to get the 8 outs either, then you'll need an interface that has only 2 ins. Focusrite makes one of those as well. If your computer doesn't have a DAW or it isn't up to the billing then,
the only other thing I would suggest is a hardware multitrack recorder with a CD burner so that you could at least take your music somewhere with you. An old Korg would fit the bill. A multitrack recorder is a mixer so you'll kill two birds with that. If you want to go that route. There are a lot of options here. Depends on your budget, needs, wants.

Just echoing waht MaZe posted really here.

With no 8 outs you'd be looking at having to solo individual parts and then record those one by one in multiple passes. Some don't mind the extra work/time that takes others get the 8 outs to streamline the process.

If it's going to a no computer set up you might want to look at a standalone multi-track recording box. Most of those combine the recorder and mixer like MaZe mentioned.

Here's a relatively inexpensive one that has some decent USB 2.0 computer integration but will also operate fully standalone.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/6 ... order.html

Those type of machines used to be more common, so there's no shortage of them on ebay, craigslist and those type of marketplaces.

Here's a nice overview of these type of recorders in general, should help you plot out what you might want to do.

http://tweakheadz.com/multi-track-recorders/

Metatron72 wrote:Just echoing waht MaZe posted really here.

With no 8 outs you'd be looking at having to solo individual parts and then record those one by one in multiple passes. Some don't mind the extra work/time that takes others get the 8 outs to streamline the process.

If it's going to a no computer set up you might want to look at a standalone multi-track recording box. Most of those combine the recorder and mixer like MaZe mentioned.

Here's a relatively inexpensive one that has some decent USB 2.0 computer integration but will also operate fully standalone.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/6 ... order.html

Those type of machines used to be more common, so there's no shortage of them on ebay, craigslist and those type of marketplaces.

Here's a nice overview of these type of recorders in general, should help you plot out what you might want to do.

http://tweakheadz.com/multi-track-recorders/

I was going to suggest the Zoom as well. I've heard good things. Only reason I didnt is because you'll need a computer to transfer the mix to when it's done. If you get your computer back, the Zoom is a great option or the Korg D888. If you aren't going to get your computer back or if you can't get to a computer to transfer your mixes from the Zoom/Korg, you'll need something that burns CDs (like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Roland-VS-1880- ... 4ac529f116 or this http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROLAND-24BIT-DI ... 5af1d296d3) so you can at least listen to them in anything that plays CDs.

And like Metatron72 said, damn near everyone uses a computer to record, or even make for that matter, beats nowadays so getting a used but good condition multitrack recorder at a really good price should not be hard.

mmeebly wrote:caveman mode

Wow, thanks guys, i appreciate all the help,
ill definitely put it to great use.

Yeah MaZe I was typing right when you posted, I neglected to consider the cheaper Zoom has no CD burner. I'm so entrenched in using PC/Mac to multi-track any outboard gear I have I haven't even thought about digital recorders existence for years until this thread.

But if you don't want to use a computer there's certainly options. I'm wondering if mmeebly is leaning toward the outboard recorder style due to preference or is it solely because his computer is down? I wonder because once you hit a certain price tier for one of these recorders you might be in the same expenditure range as a workable 500-$600 PC. But a decent interface would be likely added in that scenario, so I suppose it could be slightly cheaper to find a recorder with PCM CD burning included.

Metatron72 wrote:I haven't even thought about digital recorders existence for years until this thread.

I JUST bought a DPS24. HA!

Now, if I could find space for it....

I only ever looked at the DPS series for the one model you can gut the LCD out of and put in an XL. I just ending up buying another mint XL for $400. I have a lot of space but too much stuff taking up the space. I almost could use a pair of roller skates to get around the room at this point it's all so spread over multiple tables.

just get 1 pair of 1/4" to RCA cables, a cassette deck from a garage sale / thrift store, and some cheap cassette tape.

done.
and elevating caveman style

thanks guys

Fix your computer, record into it.

mmeebly wrote:@ Tapedeck

what if i were to buy something like this?

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/el ... 18714.html

could i just buy 1/4 to RCA cables & record straight to tape from this?
what about editing tracks on tape?

what about editing tracks on tape? do you have any idea what you're looking for? that link is to an old 70's cassette deck stereo system... not a multi-track cassette recorder.

i mean you can record to anything i guess, but what kind of "editing" are you expecting from that?