Best MPC just in terms of the sequencer.

Not gonna start a poll.

I just want opinions on which MPC has the best sequencer (in terms of timing, resonsiveness, workflow, ease of use, and swing).

I'm considering buying a MPC but just for sequencing MIDI in Ableton Live. I will not be using the onboard sampling or editing functions. I am trying to decide between the MPC 60 and the MPC 1000.

So far this is how I see it: The MPC 1000's upsides are that it is compact, so it fits on my desk. Has more options for editing the sequences.

Downsides: I hate that the pads are tiny and the screen is not a flip type which would mean I would have to lean forward to see whats going on in the MPC. I feel like I'd be paying for functions that I probably won't be using much.

Side note: its so feature rich with JJ OS that I would be able to travel around with it.

MPC 60, has the legendary solid Roger Linn sequencer and the "so-called" legendary swing that everyone raves about. Has nice full-sized MPC pads, as opposed to the lil doodie 1000 pads. Has a nice convenient flip screen. It strengths are in the functions that I am specifically looking for.

Downsides: These things are old, so finding a fully working one with no issues might be a problem. Its huge so it's either gonna eat up space on my desk or I will have to crowd my room up with a stand or a separate table.

Side note: 12-bit sampler. I'm a 12-bit whore (though not totally impressed with the 60's sampler's sounds over other 12-bit machines). 60's are just freakin cool lookin machines.

I'm still not totally sure if I want to break the break just for a midi sequencer. But I've been saving my dough and sold a buncha stuff that I haven't been using which brought up my gear savings to a comfortable point.

So if I decide to buy an MPC to sequence midi, which should it be 60, 1000, or some other suggestions???

if all you need is the seq get the 500

ID go with 1k... USB is a must for me.. so quick and easy ..

wtf are you gonna do with a floppy disk?? and scsi is too damn slow

If you're just after a sequencer, you could get the asq-10 which supposed to be the same sequencer as in the 60...

I will count AWW_NAWW's suggestion as a 1 for the 1000, since the 500 just irritates me. I see your point but for some reason I just find the 500 to be annoying. I might as well spend an extra $100 for the added features and extra pads on the 1000. Thanks for your input

Although USB is convenient, I foresee that I will not be in dire need of this. I do not plan to load samples for editing or triggering on the actual MPC. I simply plan on using the sequencer for triggering samples and vst's in Ableton Live.

To be more specific, I plan on triggering the sounds on my computer over midi with the MPC. I will sync Live with the MPC either through MTC or midi clock and turn Live's quantize functions off. So when I record the midi data in live, I will be able to utilize the MPC's internal clock, swing functions, and note repeat while also having a visual view of the midi data in live (when it is recorded). That way, if I choose to, I can also further edit the midi data or utilize some of Live's quantize and swing functions or manually edit the notes with a mouse.

So samples on the MPC will not be a priority. I probably won't even upgrade the RAM. I will probably just use the USB to upgrade to JJ OS.

I've considered the ASQ-10. It definitely seems exactly like what I need. Except they are so hard to find, and I've heard finding one in perfect working condition with no issues is even more difficult than finding a perfect MPC 60. Plus, I dunno if this is true, but I heard they also use a different screen and backlight which is really expensive to replace and that most ASQ-10s are almost guaranteed to require replacements at this point.

Tohtruck did you bail on the MV?
If not why not use that?
To me the MV or 4K are the only choices for sequencing.
You can downgrade their resolution to make them act like the older MPC's but still have that extra resolution when you need it.

Additional problems;
1k small screen, tight arrangement of controls, no tilt screen (you will probably tilt the unit), may get the old style pads, will have to add JJ OS

60 limited note capacity, will require v3 OS, most are dogged out and will need some repair, screens give an outdated view of info

Yes unfortunately I did bail out on the MV. It was a great unit and a robust machine.

However, I felt it was definitely too much machine for me. I figured I already have a great computer set-up. What software had to offer along with the MV just made for alot of unnecessary overlapping in terms of features.

I would have kept it if I didn't already have a decent computer to work with. So now I'm trying to learn how to rock Ableton Live. But I enjoyed sequencing with the MPC the most because it was so simple easy and smooth.

Yeah I don't mind the small screen of the 1K. Tilt screen would have definitely been preferred. Right now the only thing that is keeping me from buying a 1K is the pad issue. I don't wanna spend $900 for a 1K so I plan on buying used which might greatly diminish my chances of getting the pad fix in them. I don't mind throwing down $30 for JJ OS

As for your comments on the 60, the note capacity limit is not a problem. I highly doubt I will run over 60,000 note capacity sequences. If I do, I can always just record the midi data into Ableton and clear the MPC. Yeah, my big concerns are that they are very old and that 60s are just so freakin huge, it will be another machine that will take up a whole bunch of space.

I'm not really sure what you mean by the screens giving outdated view of info.

Tohtruck wrote: Yeah I don't mind the small screen of the 1K. Tilt screen would have definitely been preferred. Right now the only thing that is keeping me from buying a 1K is the pad issue. I don't wanna spend $900 for a 1K so I plan on buying used which might greatly diminish my chances of getting the pad fix in them. I don't mind throwing down $30 for JJ OS

As for your comments on the 60, the note capacity limit is not a problem. I highly doubt I will run over 60,000 note capacity sequences. If I do, I can always just record the midi data into Ableton and clear the MPC. Yeah, my big concerns are that they are very old and that 60s are just so freakin huge, it will be another machine that will take up a whole bunch of space.

I'm not really sure what you mean by the screens giving outdated view of info.

Too bad about the MV, I would take the 4k or MV over using a computer any day.
I don't mind recording to the computer but using it for creation is not the way for me.

Contact Akai and ask them about the Pads and whether a new unit will come with them or be offered free of charge.

The 60 has a problem with MIDI overflow, so controlling software with it can be a path of headache.

The screen on the 60/3000 give a limited and somewhat non-function screen view based on modern needs and habits.
It doesn't show you the info you may desire or need to see.

Yeah there's a whole big thing about Akai and their pads with the 1000s. It seems some of them have the new pads some don't. They make customers pay for the pad fix if they do not have the new pads. It seems like a whole headache I don't wanna involve myself with.

I'm not aware of this "midi overflow" issue. I was just hoping to use the MPC sequencer with the computer and software as a big rack, sampler, and mixing station.

The 60's screen seems to provide all the basic information that I need just for sequencing. Not the same depth as the MV obviously. But MV provided much more than just the basic info that I need to sequence.

Controller info can cause the 60 to choke and freeze up.
The screen on the 60/3k is limited even when compared to the 2000.
Both of these aspects are related to then time in which they were designed and built.

Also I would go for a 3k not 60.
The 3k has features that the 60 can never have plus sounds better.
People can talk all they want about the sound of the 60 but using the filters on the 3k with it's higher output level will hit like the 60 dreams it could.
The 60 will get you because you will have to have the V3.10e OS, would probably also want the SCSI and RAM as well as pay more to get a clean unit.
The same or close to amount of money will get you a good 3k.
I have owned the 60, 60II and 3k, there is no comparison.

What controller info are you talking about?

The screen of the Roger Linn OS is not much different even in comparison to the MPC 2500. In terms of the pertinent information, they both display the same thing.

Aside from Rohan's Vallixi upgrade, for the most part don't the 60 and the 3K share the same features with 3.1OS?

Again, I only plain on using the MPC as a midi sequencer to sequence vst's in Ableton Live. So the sampler and internal sound generator is not at all important to me. Therefore RAM upgrade is not a priority either. Likewise, I won't even be saving anything on the MPC so SCSI is not a necessity either.

Would this "MIDI overflow" issue be a concern if I am just using the MPC as a midi sequencer?

I never had any issues sequencing on my fully upgraded 60II. Don't believe the hype.

D

boomspot wrote:I never had any issues sequencing on my fully upgraded 60II. Don't believe the hype.

D

OK so go to the 60 forum and ask how many people have seen what happens to the 60 when you send it a lot of MIDI or have gotten the overflow error.

Sovereign, now I think I know what you're talking about. I thought you meant some kind of midi sync problem with the 60, that's why I intially misunderstood.

I have seen this glitch before! This dude I know briefly owned an upgraded 60. He showed me this glitch. He basically turned up the tempo and programmed a very heavy sequence (basically doing not repeat on every pad at the 60's smallest quantize value) with numerous midi notes (he was basically trying to overload the processor on purpose to demonstrate this).

After you "overload" the sequencer with too many drum hits (he was triggering the 60's sampler) at a very high tempo it eventually just starts to get messy throws off the timing and quantize and randomly spits out the hits. Also, it cuases the cursor to jump around randomly all over the main screen.

I'm not completely sure why this happens, I believe it is because the old processor in the 60 is a bit slow to keep up with ridiculously intricate sequences at a high tempo.

Nonetheless it is still a very minor problem and dude had to really program a fairly heavy sequence (beyond what I would find practical) in order to cause this glitch. I even found it kind of amusing, it could be used like a glitch midi effect because of its randomness (but I probably wouldn't anyway).

I think this is a very minor issue as I can always just record the midi, that i've already recorded (while sequencing) on the 60, into Ableton Live (with Live's quantize off). And then just delete the midi track on the 60. Basically bouncing the midi into the DAW to avoid overloading the 60's processor.

Specifically now, i would like to know if anyone has run into any issues while using their MPC (either 60 or 1000) as a midi sequencer to sequence vst's through a DAW. I'm wondering if anyone ever experiences any noticeable drift between their DAW and the MPC.

Right now I am liking the idea of using the MPC as a central midi brain to control Live (which would act like a hefty synth rack, sampler, fx unit, visual midi editor, song arranger, and mixing station). I feel as though if the 60 and Live can sync well with the 60 as the master , I would end up with a set-up that kills the 1000 but with the classic sequencer and groove of the 60).

Sorry for rambling.

Actually what I'm talking about is when you use a 60 to send and recieve MIDI for constructing a SEQ it would actually stop freeze and give a error message.
It was caused by having too much infomation not notes.
Been so long since I had either of my 60's can't remember the actual message.
You would have to filter the MIDI stream to keep it from happening which to me lessens the control of something like LIVE.
Since you are talking about using it to control LIVE it seemed relevent to mention this problem.
The 3k was rumoured to do it also but I never saw mine do it.
Seems like the 60 CPU speed was the culprit and would cause a bottle neck when trying to pass notes as well as modulated data.