essential accessories?

i plan on buying a mpc 2500 very soon(been planning for about 10 years now). either way i wanted to know is what else do i need or should be essential to producing.

please be specific including a reason as to why it should be purchased ASAP.

i've tried the search tab but i wasnt getting good results

thanks in advance and i plan to use all the knowledge i gather here and share as well

thanks again

How long is a piece of string?
Only you can decide what 'sound' you want to create as a producer.
I like hardware and analogue synths, as well as dirty, crunchy digital stuff. I own quite a lot of old outboard kit which I have bought over many years to try and get a certain sound. It's all quite personal as to what sound you're after.

Now.. you said "what else do i need or should be essential to producing"..
hmm.. originality and a good set of ears maybe?

Are you asking which kit is good for hip-hop producing?
e.g. Distressor, Neve pre/eq, Avalon amps, SSL desk, DBX 160A, Urei stuff, etc, etc?

My advice is to spend months researching loads of kit for yourself.

Slick Jeronimo wrote:please be specific including a reason as to why it should be purchased ASAP.

This is not going to get you very far. It seems like you want everything laid out for you. You can check spots like tweakheadz to learn how certain gear interacts with other pieces of equipment then determine what works best for you. Sure I can tell you everything I would get but that may not work at all for you.

What u need first is something to monitor the audio comming out of the mpc. Maybe a monitor speaker set. U can also use a Hifi stereo set with a video/line/ aux function.
If u're planning on sampling vinyl i'd suggest to make sure u have a good pre-amp or DJ mixer.
If u're planning to use library samples I'd say buy some additional sounds.
But like Pound said, this really depends on how u want to work.
Anyway, u need a soundsource, whether it's vinyl, library samples or a soundmodule.
U probably also need a recording device. This can be a digital recorder, or ur computer with interface and DAW. But what the best decision would be all depends on u. That's why I also would suggest to do some research on equipment what will suit ur needs best.

Extra RAM, extra CF card or maybe a HD are things u can't go without. Also do some reading on the JJOS. The akai OS is quite poor compared to the JJOS.

my main focus would most likely be sample driven but i wont completely neglect any MIDI. i will eventually learn to use it as the time passes

so as far as i know(excluding mpc):
monitor speakers
dj mixer(i say the mixer cause i found alot of good prices on many different mixers back in ny)
will gather more info on soundsource on the boards, i know i seen something about it earlier
will also look up digital recording including DAW

also plan to look up JJOS. i hear too many negative comments about akai's os

will get the extra ram, cf card and hd if i can get the funding fast enough, but it wont be all at once.

i dont want anything laid out for me, i would just like recommendations or equipment that i just cant live with out based on personal experience.

thank you very much, menco, poundaproblem and jimmie for helping me out.

having a kid a 15 will put alot of shit on hold, finally put myself in a good position to finally get my dream back

When I started making beats with an mpc I ran it through my hifi set. I listened to music on it for over 10 years so I had a reasonable refrence.
I used to mix everything in my mpc, resampled the beat through the main outs and bounced it out thru usb. The first few months will take a lot of time getting familliar with the machine and how to get the basics done. So don't worry u can't afford urself a complete studio set-up yet.

CF cards and Ram chips are quite cheap. Other members can probably tell u where they can be purchased for the best prices.
Check the cf card and Ram sticky's in the mpc 1000 thread

Good luck

Check your PM's homie.

One quick tip from me:

For me, having a soundcard with multiple inputs is really good. Obv it means I can track 8 separate tracks at once into my DAW str8 from the mpc. I usually feed the 8 mpc outs into 8 channels in my analogue mixing desk, do some messing with the eq's, send effects, etc, before I record stems into my DAW. Nothing is set in stone, but being able to record and tweak 8 separate tracks at once is def my thang.

I've pieced together my studio over the past 20 years or so, the best advise I can give you is make sure you buy a few extra cables (instrument, MIDI, power) for whatever you're using... nothing interrupts creativity more than having to drive across town to pick up a cable. Good luck!