MPC1000 sometimes disparaged in favor of MPC60, MPC3000 etc.

I decided to post this here because imho JJOS nowadays is almost a prerequisite for using the MPC1000 ...

So recently I have come across whole threads in other forums where it is argued that the MPC1000 and 2500 are almost "toys" compared to the older MPC's including the R. Linn designed products: (but not only in GS)

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/electro ... -hell.html

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/electro ... ption.html

The older machines (60, 3000, 4000, etc..) are touted by their owners for their "creamy" sound, "groovy", "sweet" swing, superior clock timing (not sure what this involves, but things like ppq resolution get mentioned), great sounding AD/DA converters, magnificent ergonomy, even better look !!! ... ALL OF THAT COMPARED to the poor "toyish" disfavored MPC1000 (and sometimes even the 2500).

This gushing is almost annoying because as an owner of a MPC1000/JJOS2XL I am days in days out trying to learn and get the best out of my machine, and truth is I am far from having understood all it can do.

So basically what is the validity of these arguments ? Is it true that "serious" or "quality" work on the MPC is not really done on the newer MPC (1000, 2500) ??

Or is it just gear snobbism/fetishism

Hi,
That's the man behind the machine the most important factor.
We could debate forever about what you mentioned above.
In my opinion the best is to know all the possibilities of your equipment and change if you feel frustrated.
Otherwise it is a waste of time that leads to buying and buying a lot of gear and then you realize you didn't need it.
PEAce

MPC60/3000 sound better.

MPC1000/25000 with JJOS have much more advanced features.

JJOS is said to degrade timing, external MIDI especially.

Serious/quality work can be done on any MPC, it is up to you to do it.

Don't get annoyed, just use it and enjoy it, doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, especially on gearslutz, someone there is always going to hate what you like, who cares, really.

gearslutz is for intellectuals, who DO NOTHING and just like to maw maw maw over gear like some serious batty boys. they are all jealous of anyone who actually accomplishes anything with any gear. none of them are interested in reality. they only wish to recreate what their heroes did 30 years ago or more and arent interested in truth. they are stuck on GAS. truly THE peanut gallery if there was ever one

Of course there's a some truth to it.
The 1k was released with a lot of intentional limitation in the software then the ugly bad pad design showed up.
The old pad design was a proven aspect that should have never been changed.

The combination of missing basic features and lack pf QC on those original pads quickly established the 1k as being an inferior product.

The 2500 put many of the missing features back but basically brought it up to the level of a MPC2000xl Studio Plus so it was no where near what the 4k had been.

Both the 1k and 2500 were released at a time when music had began to transition sound wise.
They were geared more toward being able to sample in and get a cleaner sound that was somewhat closer to the original sound.
People were getting heavy into the fix it in the mix mentality compared to previously achieving the sound on the front.

All in all the 1k and 2500 were destined to be the 2 worse MPCs ever released.

Thanks to some scandalous dealing with the old Akai Japan in steps JJ.
He debugged the major issues that were making the 1k a nightmare then began to redevelop and add features.
Akai raped user for the pad kit and the 1k finally became a MPC to contend with.
JJ ported the software to the 2500 as well so it became even more desirable than the 1k because of the hardware differences.

Now the real reason for the bad reputation?
Lots of people only dealt with the Akai OS, the bad pads or never understood what methods to give them the more grimey sound etc.

Truth be told every MPC has some little quirk that can make it undesirable to a particular user.
JJ OS has been a real love hate for me since he would have to drop things from time to time to add things but it's really the polyphony that I hate.

Currently the only MPCs I even keep connected are the Ren and 4k.
Sometimes I like to grab the blue 2kxl not really sure why.
Never hardly ever work on the 3k or 60s since they are just missing too many features I'm now accustom to.

For the most part liking or disliking the Numark MPCs is personal preference, just remember the 1k and 2500 were unfortunate because many jumped ship on them early and never came back.
In other words they never experienced using them with paid versions of the JJ OS.

which IMHO makes this an almost entirely different machine and worth the time for decent portable jamming. suitable for shows because of their size and interface and stability (wont crash), and if you dont mind 16 bit sampling with decent basic voice architecture, this might be the one for you! of course you can also use it to trigger better samplers or synths so to me its a moderately capable workhorse just waiting to be used the right way. thats the challenge, to use it the right way.

to be honest i am frustrated with some of the hardware limitations and amazed by the capabilities added by jj, so you might say its a love hate thing. im definitely still looking for a better solution. i may have some GAS but it is the one luxury in my life. the 1000/2500 + jj has stood the cut a few times now.

JJ has made the best operating systems ever for a crap product..Even if you want to use it as just
a controller it does circles around that Nukai shit.

TYPO wrote:JJ has made the best operating systems ever for a crap product..Even if you want to use it as just
a controller it does circles around that Nukai shit.

Seems like many people have forgotten what the original blue 1k was like pre-JJ OS and with the original pads.
I run into dudes all the time that say "the Akai OS is fine, I don't want to use that fake bootleg one."

JJ saved 2 Akai products that were not going to fair well.

i useda 60 for many years, now I use a 1000 with 2xl. dont have the patience for the 60 anymore and haven't really used it since I got the 1000. 60 sounds better and is a classy machine all around, and yeah it pounds, but its not for me now. I can do so much with JJ in the best MPC interface I have experienced that it's no contest. but I can see people preferring the 60/3000 for the sound and simplicity.

The 1000 sound is fine but nothing special, the emax sounds way better than the 60 or 950 but lacks the mpc interface.

Mine controls a lot of external gear and I have no timing problems, having a 60 right there that I used for years I never felt a need to use it instead of the 1000 which slid right in and did everything the 60 did and more.

The 60 sound also pushes you to use the external outputs through a mixer. the stereo out is good but it retains its punch that way, most dont use their 1000's in this way and it would make it sound better or at least be a more fair comparison, still the 60/3000 will win soundwise, the trade offs aren't worth it to me.
A lot of people use the mpc very basically so the jj isn't a big deal to some. You can do a lot with just a 60 so the akai os on the 1000 isn't exactly worse, but since we have the JJ we can see how bad it is, even the ren feels clunky to me like a 3000.

Since I like getting deep into the machine JJ gives such a great interface to work with sound in the MPC format is perfect. I used to have other machines with the 60 to do what i can do with just the 1000 now, the sounds that come out of this thing are endless.

Lampdog wrote:

313 studio tricks wrote:they only wish to recreate what their heroes did 30 years ago or more

There are many here who do the same thing.

hey if the shoe fits

im not saying i dont try to fit in musically, but to walk in the footsteps already laid out makes you a follower and i personally appreciate musical leaders. i attempt to bring something different to my music. not saying i get too far but i know it when i hear it. of course if you love jungle you may try to make something that sounds appropriate mixed with your hero's song. i get it.

but some people are like:



and they aint bad. i dont claim to be anything im not

elmacaco wrote:i useda 60 for many years, now I use a 1000 with 2xl. dont have the patience for the 60 anymore

It's crazy since it's not like you want to get rid of the 60 you just see the advantages of the JJ OS.

elmacaco wrote:
even the ren feels clunky to me

The biggest reason why I like the Ren is VSTs within a MPC environment.
It gives me access to my VSTi and VST effects or quick back and forth to any computer software
Maschine has VSTs but it's just not the same type of workflow.
Funny part is I still can use Maschine easier than I can use the MPC Studio.

The last stuff I really did on the 1k was enjoyable to do but had it not been for been able to mix stuff down to Audio Tracks I wouldn't have pulled it of.

What people now know as the 1k/2500 is really a different place from where it was and it's those complaints that built much of the opinions you hear.

converter wrote:is it just gear snobbism/fetishism

Purism my friend, purism..

vintage stuff has it s own charisma. often less is musically more....

i like the 1k, jjos, the workflow is very good! the sound might not be as gritty and rough as the older mpc s but it rocks on stage, way better than any pc and laptop.

quick question. Just want to ask 1 thing, it IS the stereo/headphone out that everyone uses vs the dual outs in the back on the 2500 and 1000?

Also, "el macaco" how do you use the 2kxl with your 1000?