Beginner Equipment Choices

I am looking to become a hobbyist. I am musically inclined (Guitar player, music lover/listener), mechanically and electronically inclined (computer savvy, DIY electronics, soldering, etc.), have a sizable vinyl and digital music collection (500+ Jazz, Rock, Blues, Soul records and 10,000 plus music files and CDs), and am inspired specifically and most intensely by early to mid 90s NY Underground Hip Hop (Premier, PR, Illmatic, Boot Camp, Wu, Gang Starr, etc.).

I am an electrical engineer by trade and have the confidence to take any advice and apply it.

I’m looking for advice on a setup consisting of an MPC unit or Roland MV8800 plus a turntable for sampling and the ability to record live instruments.

I am neophyte when it comes to specific pieces of equipment and would need advice on what is required for what I describe above, including a turntable.

Any suggestions welcome.

do you have a record player? do you have a computer? how serious are you? how much are you willing to spend on a mpc? have any friends that have a mpc maybe check thiers out and see if it’s something you like.

saltmcgault wrote:do you have a record player? do you have a computer? how serious are you? how much are you willing to spend on a mpc? have any friends that have a mpc maybe check thiers out and see if it’s something you like.

I have a record player, but not one of sufficient quality for this application.

I’m approaching this as a hobbyist. In that sense I’m very serious about it as a potential hobby. I am a 35 year old Caucasian electrical engineer with a wife and 2 kids. I have no delusions of grandeur about being the next DJ Premier or Pete Rock! So In the sense of approaching it as a career or anything like that, I’m not serious at all.

I have a computer. Given the right unit in good shape I would be willing to spend upwards of $700.

I don’t know anyone with an interest in this so testing or playing around with a unit is likely out as a source. I am going to start by playing around in iMPC to see if I can get a feel for things.

I appreciate the response.

any MPC you can afford (maybe not the ren, studio, or touch) .. probably the turntable you own is fine, maybe the needle needs to be replaced if it is worn out. Some headphones or speakers or both would be nice.

One of the great aspects of making this type of music is... you are fine taking a "less is more" approach. Using what you have.. this has always been one of the main tips mentioned in these conversations. You don't need to spend 10 grand on old vintage equipment.

Lampdog wrote:First off, WELCOME to the boards!

mpc2500 w/ jjos. A decent audio interface that has enough analog inputs for all your gear.

A decent midi keyboard with 5pin din AND usb.

impc, well everyone here knows how I feel about impc, hate it, despise it.

Search out “tablet apps” thread if your ever inclined to do apps.

For sure. I definitely wasn’t suggesting iMPC as a permenent solution but rather a way, as a beginner, to familiarize myself with the process prior to diving in on a machine.

Appreciate the advice.

I would suggest the MPC Live or X. If anything goes wrong or you decide it’s not for you, simply return it. If your looking into sample based compositions the MPC live/X will work great. No need for old gear, where you maybe fixing and modding more than creating. The goal is to make music, not figure out what archive medium is important. That comes after you have something worth saving.

Big Monk wrote:I am looking to become a hobbyist. I am musically inclined (Guitar player, music lover/listener), mechanically and electronically inclined (computer savvy, DIY electronics, soldering, etc.), have a sizable vinyl and digital music collection (500+ Jazz, Rock, Blues, Soul records and 10,000 plus music files and CDs), and am inspired specifically and most intensely by early to mid 90s NY Underground Hip Hop (Premier, PR, Illmatic, Boot Camp, Wu, Gang Starr, etc.).

I am an electrical engineer by trade and have the confidence to take any advice and apply it.

I’m looking for advice on a setup consisting of an MPC unit or Roland MV8800 plus a turntable for sampling and the ability to record live instruments.

I am neophyte when it comes to specific pieces of equipment and would need advice on what is required for what I describe above, including a turntable.

Any suggestions welcome.

CharlesRandolph wrote:I would suggest the MPC Live or X. If anything goes wrong or you decide it’s not for you, simply return it. If your looking into sample based compositions the MPC live/X will work great. No need for old gear, where you maybe fixing and modding more than creating. The goal is to make music, not figure out what archive medium is important. That comes after you have something worth saving.

Thank you for the advice. Just to clarify (I think you actually summed up my goal pretty succinctly) : My biggest desire is to have this as a hobby and utilize my large vinyl collection (independent of beat making and yet another hobby).

So I appreciate the advice. The units you quote represent a substantial investment but I will look into them. The MPC Renaissance looked to be more in the price range I was comfortable with as a hobbyist.

Keep in mind too that I am a neophyte here. Don't be afraid to throw advice or equipment recommendations at me and if I state something or quote some equipment that you think is deficient, feel free to let me know.

I don;t know what's good or bad and as I research I'll get a better idea.

Used MPC Live. ( going to be the entry level standard for some years)
If you have a computer and some head phones. You should be fine for while.

Upgrade when you are ready with a Arturia keystep. If you have an iPad there are plenty of apps to use in tandem, as well.

From there you are looking at a lot more professional equipment. Monitors, vsts, maybe different daws, vintage gear, effects.. But the key is you can upgrade once you have an educated idea of what will benefit you and not lay around.

The Ren is fine as well. My only issue with anything used, is there is no tech support when something goes wrong. Plus you don'l know how well someone's has take care of it. I've bought old gear and said smoke free. Opened it up and it look like cyrpress hill,cheech and chong, and method man had a party in side it.

Nevertheless, I know that it's an investment, but as an electrical engineer you know the price of new tools. Heck you could get the limited edition gold version MPC. Not to mention you have lot's of records and turntable and speakers. Therefore you wouldn't need to invest into anything else for a long time.


https://www.guitarcenter.com/Akai-Profe ... ve-Gold.gc

MV8800’s are fairly inexpensive used. Same with MPC 4000’s. Learning curve is probably fairly steep for someone not familiar with them both though.

MPC 2500 with jjos would probably be loads easier to learn and have all the basic features you’d want. Plenty of info on the Live or 2500 or 1000 here on the forums. MPC Tutor has some guides. Live or X will have quickest load and preview times.

That said - an iPad and a few apps plus an interface to accommodate your turntable is pretty flexible. iMPC or BeatMaker 2 or 3 (recommend BeatMaker 2 for simplicity) would also do pretty well.

I also would look into some computer DAW software plus an audio interface for the computer. Laptop running software with audio interface and turntable is a pretty common setup.

MPC’s and turntables are like hand and glove though for hardware sampling.

I have two mv8800’s and love them, but you have to be a little patient with them, get a good manual and bookmark tutorial videos, and they are pretty big and heavy.

CharlesRandolph wrote:Nevertheless, I know that it's an investment, but as an electrical engineer you know the price of new tools. Heck you could get the limited edition gold version MPC. Not to mention you have lot's of records and turntable and speakers. Therefore you wouldn't need to invest into anything else for a long time.

Given my background professionally and understanding (once I get the hang of things in any hobby) that you need to get a handle on the fundamentals, I subscribe to the "buy once, cry once" maxim.

I do have significant vinyl as compared to the average person. My turntable is not that great, as up to this point I have only used it for playback and transfer the vinyl to digital for iTunes.

Right now I am just messing around with iMPC and looking into tapping my cheap turntable into the iPad to get samples off the vinyl. I understand the negative criticism for the iMPC after doing some digging but I am not ready to pull the trigger on hardware just yet, especially considering this is going to be a hobby for me.

It goes without saying but I appreciate the info.

Cockdiesel wrote:From there you are looking at a lot more professional equipment. Monitors, vsts, maybe different daws, vintage gear, effects.. But the key is you can upgrade once you have an educated idea of what will benefit you and not lay around.

Exactly what i'm thinking. Much appreciated.