MPC or Atari?

hello all.

i'm new to the MPC stuff. i only just recently got one, an MPC1000 with the latest JJ OS.
i've been using a fair bit of other MIDI equipment for a while. i have a number of akai s-series samplers that i love, and also an atari running master tracks and cubase that i currently use to sequence them.

i've always wanted an mpc, i think they're brilliant. i'm not incredibly fond of using a desktop computer with a huge monitor to make music with. i don't use pc's or mac's anymore to make music, and although midi sequencing on the atari is quite nice, and extremely tight, i was hoping to get rid of that too all in favour of the MPC.

what's the MPC1000 like in regards to sequencing other MIDI instruments as well as using it's own internal sampling?
how does the piano roll grid stuff work in JJ OS? is it easy to use to record in and then edit MIDI sequences? i also use an external midi keyboard to play stuff in.
would i be better off sticking to sequencing everything with the atari instead?

cheers in advance!

louis.

Damn Son! An Atari! Whoa! That's cool as Fk though. I heard Fat Boy Slim (Norman Cook) still uses his Atari to make tracks. Hey... use whatever you are comfortable with.

atari huh? thats impressive, youve got a page or a you tube account where one can listen to this madness in action??? and btw getting a box like the 1000 could and would only help your creativity.... theres so much depth to this machine and others like it, once you get comfortable with it... i highly recommend it.

IMO the 1k with JJ is the best hardware sequencer ever.

The grid works just like you would imagine: use the scroll wheel to go backwards and forwards, and use the pads (or your external MIDI keyboard) for note input. You can select whether the notes input will be of the length played or the length of the step. You can cut/copy/paste individual notes or a range of notes by using the scroll wheel and up/down arrows to select a note or range of notes.

You can adjust the swing and timing shift (moving notes forward or backward with respect to the grid) using the qlink sliders. Change the interval of the grid (1/16, 1/8, 1/8-triplet, etc.) by holding note repeat and turning the scroll wheel. You can zoom in/out. You can assign samples to each pad/lane of the grid without leaving the grid. And lots more.

The grid for MIDI tracks looks different (notes with duration are displayed instead of just dots on a grid) but it essentially operates just the same...

Its fantastic.

Couple of screenshots for you: