May buy MPC (No experiance)

Any replies helping would be great/interesting!

Basically i've been into Hip Hop for a while. (Can't Rap)
But love beats and would love to start making my own for others to use eventually... I have never used an mpc before, so not to sure if it'd be worth putting a few hundred £'s into something i know little about.
I'm sure i'd learn along the way with the help of youtube/internet also, but i'd like to know people with experience with the machine's point of view on me just buying one to learn etc...
I already have abelton live 8 but not really competent with the program, i'd rather work with hardware than stare into a computer screen constantly...
What do people recommend me buying? I quite like the look and idea of buying the 2000xl or 1000.

Cheers!

i used to play on the computer only... i didn't like the results, especially on hiphop. i tried the mpc and i can't go back...
i don't even know why but it's more fun and i prefer my mpc's joints over the macbook's ones any of the week, even if i still play on ableton live a lot cause of an electro house project i have with a friend.
my two penny is to go for the 1000!
you'll love it!

Well if you've bought Ableton you've already forked out a couple of hundred so if I was you I'd learn it. There's a lot of principles you can take from software to hardware and visa versa.

In regards to the MPC, read up on each model and compare features. Then decide which one suits your needs. Out of the two you have mentioned I would say the 1000 simply because it has USB compatibility and more modern storage mediums (CF Cards) that are cheaply available. However the build quality isn't fantastic and that's something you have to consider, there will always be pros and cons to hardware. Particularly second hand.

I don't own a 2000XL so I can't comment but I am aware that the screens can be a problem but other than that I would say the older range are probably more substantial.

I think you should also read up on the workflow of the MPC. It isn't an overly visual/linear thing like your average DAW, and there is a definite learning curve. Most of it is VERY logical but it's understanding how.

One thing I would highly recommend if you do invest in an MPC, is the relevant eBook available on this website. They are ESSENTIAL and come with lots of useful samples.

Good luck and welcome to the forums.

glasgowchamp wrote:...
What do people recommend me buying? I quite like the look and idea of buying the 2000xl or 1000.

I guess many people wouldn't admit, but to me, look is very important as well.
I own MPC-2000XL, I think part of the reason I like it is that because of the feel and look of the machine (MPC-3000 and MPC-60 looks better, however.) I have basic soldering skill, so although the XL was in the bad shape and dirty, I managed to replace most of the tact switches and rotary switch, and linear fader. I also installed IDE CF reader (up to 1GB CF card can be used, not hot-swappable, but I have ) as well.
If you are familiar with fixing electronics, getting used MPC-2000XL (you can't buy it new anyway) is not a bad choice.
MPC-1000 seems to be right machine to you though, it is small (portability should be thought as MPC-1000's greatest strength) and JJOS is still actively developed, considering MPC-1000 is quite old machine (released in 2005), it is just amazing. One thing I don't like about 1000 is that Akai omitted 10 digit keys, but you may not care about it, like many other numbers are happy with MPC-1000.
(Of the topic) I like Electibe ES1 too, I kind of bought by mistake (I didn't realize it can do 808 style step sequencing only) but it's so intuitive to use, and it is great for making hip hop beats, I don't know why it's been ignored by hip hop beatmakers. It is great for simple sample chop and almost loop kind of beats. With Electribe ESX, I think baseline (chromaticly assigned sample) is easy to make (ES1's weakness.)
I still feel intimidated by DAW software, so I've never made beats using computers, I feel stupid. I guess there are no definite "best" choice.

scoobylol wrote:Well if you've bought Ableton you've already forked out a couple of hundred so if I was you I'd learn it. There's a lot of principles you can take from software to hardware and visa versa.

Good luck and welcome to the forums.

Great advice! Don't get sucked into the easy money pit that is audio production. Less is truly more in these endeavors!

Best of luck

get the 1000 put jjos on it, at least the free version, max out the ram, learn it, love it and it will love you back.

scoobylol wrote:Well if you've bought Ableton you've already forked out a couple of hundred so if I was you I'd learn it. There's a lot of principles you can take from software to hardware and visa versa.

Good luck and welcome to the forums.

Firstly, thanks everyone for replying! But i think i'm best sitting and learning the basics at least from abelton live, and take it from there and buy a mpc later in the new year... Maybe even buy a mpd26 or 18 after all this christmas rush etc and see how i get on with that.
Cheers!

An MPD is just a MIDI controller, it won't give you any of the same workflow as an MPC other than the fact you're tapping pads.

It's definitely a good idea to learn Ableton first as you've bought it, but remember an MPC can work standalone and as a MIDI controller. Best of both worlds.

scoobylol wrote:An MPD is just a MIDI controller, it won't give you any of the same workflow as an MPC other than the fact you're tapping pads.

It's definitely a good idea to learn Ableton first as you've bought it, but remember an MPC can work standalone and as a MIDI controller. Best of both worlds.

I wouldn't know about the work flow on either yet, just been messing about with abelton getting a feel... I like the idea of working on a mpc rather than sat at a computer. The reason i mentioned about buying a mpd is that mostly what i see people on youtube videos using them aswel as a keyboard. The vibe i've got from watching these videos is they're better controllers etc.

Thanks for replying, hope everybody has a good christmas!

In my experience, for me anyways, I make totally different style beats on the pc in a DAW then the type of beats I make on my mpc's. It's all about the type of music you wanna make, what you're comfortable with and preference. A lot guys around here use software and make great music, and the same for those that use hardware. Its like women, what I like and what somebody else like can be totally different. mess with ableton for a bit, and if there is a music store nearby go and mess with a mpc just to get the feel, you probably wont get far in the store because you don't really now what your doing yet with the mpc, but it should give you a taste enough to see if its the route you truly wanna go.

But either way don't shy away from buying a mpc because you never used one, we all started from where you are at on point or another. Best of luck to whatever you decide to go.

why did you buy ableton instead of going mpc route in first place ?