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 Saksol Mon May 29, 2023 8:39 am
I've been making music for years but never owned a MPC. This year I bought a Digitakt and I love it but I find it limiting especially when it comes to slicing samples into individual notes, I can do this in my DAW but it's a joy-less faff! I'm a massive DJ Shadow fan and I'm worshiping at the temple of J Dilla at the moment so I really want a MPC but which one? I love the new MPC X SD but that is out of my budget range but the MPC X I've seen go for £800 so I can reach that but lots of others are on the second hand market for much less?. I'm looking to make low fi dub and instrumental hip hop. I want to slice up a sample and just use single notes and I'll probably arrange in my DAW for mastering. I saw an old MPC2000 going in a cash converters but I can't afford the servicing, does anyone have advice?
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By Telefunky Tue May 30, 2023 12:42 pm
For a „classic“ approach the 2000XL with 8 channel output expansion is still affordable in reasonable condition.

I had the same question some time ago and dipped my feet into MPC waters by a dead cheap (silver) MPC Studio ($150), which fortunately came with the original DVD.
The software back then was called „Essentials 1.4“ and it fakes a 2000XL quite well, if you ignore all the new VST and similar stuff. Which sucks anyway in that version.

You can download and install MPC Software 2 (dunno the latest version that still supports Studio, but the download site will tell you), to get an impression of the current MPCs and their new „portable DAW“ mode of operation.

In my case the new software didn‘t click with me, so it would have been a 2000XL as standalone unit (it‘s more convenient than the 2000).
(it actually became a fully expanded MPC 4000, but that was more for the tech nerd in me and because it was a local pickup for a very good price)
The 4K is a completely different beast and I wouldn‘t suggest it for your project at all, it has a full layer of complexity on top of the MPC features... :hmmm:

ps: get a machine with output expansion installed, these things are very expensive if bought separately. It will ease the DAW job tremendously.
By Saksol Tue May 30, 2023 6:18 pm
Thank you, but isn't the 2000xl behind on slicing/chopping and re-arranging the sample steps? With the Digitakt you can record your mix via a usb into a computer and it separates the tracks into 8 mono high quality files without fx and one stereo file with fx, for DAW import. I'd probably prefer if the MPC could also do something similar, has anyone had experience with this? What are the mastering possibilities of the more recent MPC's and what would others recommend if I said I had no interest in using the midi side?
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By Telefunky Tue May 30, 2023 7:03 pm
The 2000XL is the closest thing to the „Dilla approach“ (imho), assuming you don‘t want to spend a fortune on a MPC 3000. ;)
Of course recent MPCs have better (or more sophisticated) slicing and chopping features.

It depends a lot of your personal style (workflow), which you probably haven‘t developed yet.
I monitor through my DAW anyway (and also use DAW fx instead of onboard), so I can track anytime what‘s passing output 1-8. Realtime mode doesn‘t bother me.

I can‘t comment on render/stems (export to DAW) on newer machines because I never used it.
Probably there are features to exchange full projects with the desktop version of the software. But rendering can be tricky (depending on track content), while printing via single outs is always identical to what you hear.
By Saksol Fri Jun 02, 2023 7:35 am
Thank you, Telefunky, respect.....
I guess my concern with an original MPC is down to servicing, fixing, life span. Watching Tinez & Digs I think I need the machine inspires me, the machine I want to go back to, that a can't stop thinking what if, can I & will this. So I guess I'll start with a 2000 and try an X. Cheers
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By Telefunky Fri Jun 02, 2023 11:48 am
Yes, servicing is a serious concern in case you can‘t diy.
(I have a lot of gear older than 20 years, so got an oscilloscope, soldering/desoldering tools, some measurement gear, etc, so it was worth the investment of about $1k)

But you can at least peek at the „new MPC style“ for free by Akai‘s Beats which is a free download. Of course it’s lacking the control hardware/touchscreen, but you get some impression of features/workflow.

There are comparison videos of MPC2000 versus 2000XL, there are significant differences.
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By Menco Sat Jun 03, 2023 6:56 pm
Just get any MPC. Since you already have some experience with music production none of them should be extremely hard to learn for you. The older machines are cool, but finding one with the proper upgrades and servicing can be challenging. With the 2KXL you also have to look for one with the USB/CF Card upgrade unless you don't mind using floppies.

Personally I would get a newer machine(X/Live/One). At it's core it still does everything an older MPC does chopping-wise and more, and offers a lot of great workflow perks. Also easier to find one in a healthy condition. If you really like the MPC workflow and want to go more old school you can always swap it for an older machine. MPC's don't lose their value quickly, so with a miss-buy you can always sell it for roughly the same price.
By joegrant413 Sat Jun 03, 2023 8:45 pm
I am not a keyboardist really, but my first MPC has been the Key 61. I really like it. You can do about anything with it, including hook up a mic and a guitar or bass.