a few questions about the 500

before i start id like to say that ive read almost every topic in the mpc 500 forum as well as numerous topics in the other forums too. i just want to ask a question to users before i buy this unit. while many see the 500 as the cheap portable MPC it still is a lot of money for me.

all i use currently is a turntable, Boss SP-303, Korg PadKontrol and a tape deck.

the beats i make are very hip-hop inspired. but they are instrumental hip-hop. i like the 303 because everything flows very well with the machine. it really has an amazing workflow for my personal style of production.

as i said i make instrumental hip-hop with the most emphasis being placed on the drums. i play all my drums and bass notes live and then add vocal stabs afterwards. this is the way ive been making tracks.

i am wondering about a few features on the MPC 500.

ok ive read a lot of posts about bugs and stuff but how bad are they really?
are they work stopping?

i would also like to use the 500 in this way. have the audio from my 303 go into the 500. can i play samples on the 303 and 500 and have the 500 record EVERYTHING?

i know the 1000 kills the 500 in terms of bang for your buck but tbh i wouldn't use the majority of the features that the 1000 JJOS has. i like my production style to be kind of "copy and paste".

i would have read the manual but most of the time i use the internet i have to use a dial-up connection.

anyway thanks for your time in reading this.

I'd recommend you to do the following: take your SP-303 to the nearest guitar/music store where they sell MPCs and ask them to give it a try. Nobody will object, I think. Then, you can ask how it works and, if you're lucky and shop-assistants are not close-minded guitarists (bassists, keyboardists, etc.) who're technologically and musically stuck somewhere in the early 70-s, they will show you basic features of MPC. After trying it you can make a decision.

You can, of course, record your live performances into MPC (that's what a sampler is for). Then you can either use its sample editing features, or save your samples and export them into a PC via USB and edit them using sound-editing software, then load them back into MPC. Moreover, you can then use MPC as a live tool, as well. And you can re-sample its output directly, and... Well, there is a lot you can do with it, actually )))

Speaking of bugs, well, that's difficult to say. The current OS version 1.13 seems quite stable to me, as I never experienced any data losses or other work stopping problems, using my MPC. If it stalls, you can always reboot it and start anew (well, just remember to backup your projects regularly to PC hard-drive or to memory card).