New to the MPC production world? Got a music production question that's not really specific to any particular MPC? Try your luck here and get help from our experienced members.
By kubrick Mon Mar 06, 2023 6:45 pm
Hi there,

I am returning to music production after a few years break. Previously I used Cubase and Reaper, and also some hardware sequencers. My question is, is EDM type music more suited to being produced on a pc based DAW, or would an MPC be as capable?

I need quick workflow, easy sampling and sample mangling, and good arranging tools/visual representations. I don't know what the synth engine is like on MPCs but a good synth engine would be a bonus.

I'm looking at the MPC One in particular.

Thanks for any advice you can give.
By Patientrichard Mon Mar 06, 2023 8:44 pm
The obvious answer is that it's a sampler, so it can do any genre you like.

The less jerky answer is that it's great for any style of music, and before edm was a thing, house and techno was produced on mpc for years.

I play a lot of techno and also play live, and the mpc is really good for my needs. It's great for drums and really shines here.

It's perfectly capable producing full tracks in the box and with the plethora of export options, is a really good partner for the daw of your choice.

My current live set up is the mpc live mk2, octatrack mk2, and the syntakt and I can go from deep dubby techno, to atonal heavier stuff with ease using this set up.

The mpc comes with lots of programs and demos for edm so check a few of those out to see if it's the sort of thing you're into.

Cheers
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By Telefunky Mon Mar 06, 2023 8:52 pm
kubrick wrote:Hi there,
... I need quick workflow, easy sampling and sample mangling, and good arranging tools/visual representations. I don't know what the synth engine is like on MPCs but a good synth engine would be a bonus.
I'm looking at the MPC One in particular...

If you consider Psytrance (as an EDM flavor) any current MPC is helplessly underpowered.
As Ambient spells „reverb“, the same applies. Neither Valhalla nor Relab available.
On my ancient DAW I can‘t bang in beats, but that‘s about it. Everything else is faster, even sampling and sample mangle. Doing it on the fly on a couple if tmp tracks.

So why do I have a MPC then ? :hmmm:
It‘s about the flow in workflow, not necessarily more efficient, but more focussed on particular ideas. In the end it‘s thrown into the DAW anyway.
Ymmv, though :smoker:
By kubrick Mon Mar 06, 2023 10:08 pm
Telefunky wrote:If you consider Psytrance (as an EDM flavor) any current MPC is helplessly underpowered


Thanks for your comment. Can you be more specific in exactly where it is underpowered for this genre?
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By Telefunky Tue Mar 07, 2023 12:51 am
The chipsets (SOCs) in MPCs aren‘t exactly number crunchers and some software simply doesn‘t exist for these chips. Like reverbs by the 2 companies mentioned, which I consider essential regarding quality.

https://polyversemusic.com/artists/infected-mushroom/
The main developer behind Polyverse has supplied software for IM for years, so there‘s proof in records. You just can‘t do mixes like that on a MPC. :popcorn:

https://polyversemusic.com/products/supermodal/
Imho that‘s a step beyond the usual vintage VA stuff in both audio quality and creativity aspects and it will challenge the CPU.

As mentioned in the other answer: the MPC is a great companion to your preferred DAW... but it‘s not the DAW ... at least not yet (even if ads seem to suggest this). :mrgreen:
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By Telefunky Wed Mar 08, 2023 12:24 am
Yes, it‘s just a viewpoint. Don‘t take any of this for granted. :wink:
In plain theory (almost) anything in audio is possible on surprisingly low powered devices.
I (still) have an iPad One, a Two, atm using an Air One, while my Air Two entertains the lady of the house :mrgreen:

On the other end of the extreme I have 2 systems with dedicated DSP boards (one Sharc, the other M56k based) and imh ears that (supposedly outdated) stuff makes a significant difference in many cases.

Development quality matters, sound processing and user interface should be considered equally, which unfortunately isn‘t always the case.