mpc 2500 vs a PC???????

strange question this but here we go
Just got my hands on a second hand 2500 today, i must say i found the manual completely useless and bought the tutorial from this site which i must say is awesome and a life saver!(thanks)

i've been making tunes since 1990 i first started out on cubase with a basic emu esi32 sampler and midi keyboard. Over the years I progressed to using cubase vst, halion 2(vst software sampler)recycle and sound forge. its a powerful setup and one i've produced many albums on. the main thing about the PC apart from the visual advantage is its quick to edit and sequence samples, editing is done in soundforge,chopping in recycle and sequencing and sample playback in cubase/halion.
i've only had the 2500 for one day and i am impressed but it seems like i have taken a step back 10 years learning an external sampler again. maybe i'll get faster at using it but it seems quite time consuming compared to PC editing.

have people here found an advantage using a 2500 to rather than producing on a PC? (apart from it being a portable studio)
so far i've found that banging pads to play drums is far better then using drums spread out on a midi keyboard!

i know all the hip hop big names still use MPCs so there must be something about it. i'm interesting in making dirty hip hop intrumentals which up till now has been done on the PC but i feel they lack that classic hip hop sound/feel which maybe the mpc can only produce??


any advice would be appreciated, sorry if its an odd question.

Sample chopping is a lot more stream lined with the jjos. Its worth getting for this as well as many other workflow improvements e.g. global program editing.

mpc is faster. I record most of my sounds in the mpc now instead of transferring to CF..

All I can say is get JJOS and rtm.

thanks guys
just installed JJos 3.09
much much slicker OS, fast too, chopping is ace, although i have a divide option but no combine? can't find it

havent used free jj for a while, but on the others if you extend the region beyond the next slice point, it will automatically combine them

so it does
MANY THANKS!!!

keltech wrote:
have people here found an advantage using a 2500 to rather than producing on a PC? (apart from it being a portable studio)
so far i've found that banging pads to play drums is far better then using drums spread out on a midi keyboard!

i know all the hip hop big names still use MPCs so there must be something about it. i'm interesting in making dirty hip hop intrumentals which up till now has been done on the PC but i feel they lack that classic hip hop sound/feel which maybe the mpc can only produce??

Because it's a dedicated music production tool u can create a fast and straight forward workflow with it to lay down beats quikly. It combines a good sampler (some models better then others) with a reliable and easy to use sequencer. Tapping out drums with the pads is way better then playing keys, and everyone who will disagree probably uses their mpc in combination with a midi keyboard. And if ur bored with sampling u can also use it in combination with tons of other samplers, soundmodules, daw's and vst's.
So u can also use it in multiple ways. And don't forget a lot of people just prefer hardware. All these things together gives working with the mpc that extra 'feel'.

its a great sampler, really loving it especially the JJOS that makes a massive difference! not really getting to grips with the sequencer yet, i'm so used to using a visual mixer where i can rapidly cut and past bars. think i might hook the mpc up to cubase so i can get on with making a tune

I just bought a MPC...I plan to track the beats I make on the MPC into Pro Tools with MIDI beat clock and all that good shit...but really Im going to use my MPC as a MIDI controller to control Pro Tools Instruments and VST's, I will make the drums on the MPC for that classic feel and then use the Pro Tools VST's to lay instrument tracks over the drums, so it just really depends on how you wanna make use of your MPC, I dont even have mine yet but I realize the unlimited potential and use for the MPC

keltech wrote:i know all the hip hop big names still use MPCs so there must be something about it. i'm interesting in making dirty hip hop intrumentals which up till now has been done on the PC but i feel they lack that classic hip hop sound/feel which maybe the mpc can only produce??

man, it comes down to preference, many things are quicker on a computer and daw
and you CAN get the classic hip hop feel from pc/software too

in computer software getting the feel you can use groove quantize swing templates made from all the old skool machines, and for sound bit redux if ya need 12 bit.


an mpc is basically a dedicated little computer with an os made strictly for music making, combined with a midi controller and soundcard/audio interface A/D converters all in one box. and since you don't use an mpc's computer for anything but the mpc, that is why you only need the 16mb to 128 mb of ram istead of the multi gigs ram on a pc or mac.

but for real it is personal preference and what you are use to

for me my mind is jus rapped around software production im strugglin with my decision to purcash but its mine now i think i jus want the experience of the mpc i thought i could get with the mpk but ive had the mpk for wat like 3 yrs and honestly i still over work my wrist wit the mouse. i think the irony really is the progress of software (MASCHINE MAY BE THE DEATH OF THE MPC) NOT TO MENTION FL STUDIOS, RECYCLE AND ALL THE MPC EMULATORS.
So i definitly feel you on the step backwards

i started this thread a few months ago i was abit worried it was a step backwards
i've been using software to make tunes since i started on the amiga a500 in 1990, progressed on to PC and midi with cubase in 1995. its good for drum&bass etc.. been using the mpc for a few months now for hip hop and must admit i love it!!!
forces you to do things in certains ways which give the tunes a certain feel and sound. software has its place for mastering and adding a few extra bits and speed but at the moment i'm prefering the mpc. making sounds purely by ear then being influenced by visuals makes a different to me. the mpc's strength is making beats

keltech wrote:making sounds purely by ear then being influenced by visuals makes a different to me. the mpc's strength is making beats

Aaahhhh....
Feels great don't it?

keltech wrote:strange question this but here we go
Just got my hands on a second hand 2500 today, i must say i found the manual completely useless and bought the tutorial from this site which i must say is awesome and a life saver!(thanks)

i've been making tunes since 1990 i first started out on cubase with a basic emu esi32 sampler and midi keyboard. Over the years I progressed to using cubase vst, halion 2(vst software sampler)recycle and sound forge. its a powerful setup and one i've produced many albums on. the main thing about the PC apart from the visual advantage is its quick to edit and sequence samples, editing is done in soundforge,chopping in recycle and sequencing and sample playback in cubase/halion.
i've only had the 2500 for one day and i am impressed but it seems like i have taken a step back 10 years learning an external sampler again. maybe i'll get faster at using it but it seems quite time consuming compared to PC editing.

have people here found an advantage using a 2500 to rather than producing on a PC? (apart from it being a portable studio)
so far i've found that banging pads to play drums is far better then using drums spread out on a midi keyboard!

i know all the hip hop big names still use MPCs so there must be something about it. i'm interesting in making dirty hip hop intrumentals which up till now has been done on the PC but i feel they lack that classic hip hop sound/feel which maybe the mpc can only produce??


any advice would be appreciated, sorry if its an odd question.

I use Logic and Reason as well as an MPC..MPC's by far the superior sequencer, the swing is incomparable, and the sound is more crisp and clear to me. The software makes your music sound in a box.There's effects and plug ins you can use to overcome that, but why bother wasting time making my software sound like an MPC?