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By mprdrums Sat Sep 15, 2007 12:11 am
For MPC 4000, 2500, 60 II, 3000, 2000XL users. Who uses the 8 outputs and who uses the two main outputs? What's the advantages of either approach? Like for instance, how do you go about layering tracks if you don't use 8 outs, and how do you layer stuff if you use the two mains? Which way is better if you're working with a mixing board?
I want to get the MPC 4000 but I wanna know if I should get the 8 output expander.

By BeatznBooze Sat Sep 15, 2007 2:44 am
8 outs is obviously more convenient when tracking. You can track out 10 individual tracks simultaneously instead of just 2 using the stereo outputs.

Layering is different tho, you don't really need the 8 outs for layering stuff.

By mprdrums Sat Sep 15, 2007 9:55 am
Thanks.
But how do you track out 10 individual tracks simultaneously if you only have 8 individual outs? And are you saying that there is no advantage to having 8 outs when you want to layer something?
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By McSmooth Sat Sep 15, 2007 10:26 am
^ There are 8 individual outs and 2 main outs, assign accordingly to get 10. The nice thing about the 4000 is that you have the option to do 10 outs digitally through ADAT and SPDIF.

You can layers sounds internally, so there is no need to track them seperately unless you plan to process them on seperate channels. That brings up another reason why people use the 8 outs. Some perfer to mix their outs on a mixer instead of internally. This allows you to easily add EQ and effects to only certain parts and not the entire mix. You can run out of bandwidth in the digital domain pretty quickly at 16 bit, so this can help if you do a lot of tracks that rely heavily on the MPC.

By mprdrums Sat Sep 15, 2007 6:35 pm
^
Thanks! Great reply. That's kind of the answer that I was looking for. Does anyone else have anything to add? I'm just trying to get a consensus.