Please help a beginner decide to buy a renaissance

Hi all

I am a beginner in the art of beats and would like some help in choosing the ren over the other pieces of kit out there. Is this a good machine to choose for a beginner like me who has no experience on mpc aprt from the impc pro for ipad

martincharlierogers wrote:Hi all

I am a beginner in the art of beats and would like some help in choosing the ren over the other pieces of kit out there. Is this a good machine to choose for a beginner like me who has no experience on mpc aprt from the impc pro for ipad

http://www.akaipro.com/product/mpcrenaissance#downloads

You can download the demo to get a feel for chopping and track structure. What type of music are you trying to do?

I started on the Ren with almost no experience (except for some old school 1987 Steinberg module for C64 computer, so it doesn't really count). The MPC Ren has a pretty steep learning curve, but once you get the MPC philosophy it's a great piece of gear. I would also suggest you try out the demo first.

As for your question regarding comparisons to other similar devices, the only one I tried out at the place I work at, is the Maschine Studio. I'm sure it's also a good piece of gear, but I did not really dig it. Just my opinion though, don't want to talk s*** about something I don't really know.

Consider going with the cheaper Studio first if you are unsure. You can always sell that on if you get the Ren or use as a portable option.

I am into all styles of music but mainly the beat side of hip hop and electro
What is the demo you are talking about ?
Is the mashine an easier piece of kit to use ? I am quite tied to getting an akai but am concerned about how steep a learning curve it is. Do you all have rens and if so how long did it take you to start using and being able to get your ideas down

Is there a renaissance 2 in the pipeline does anyone know as I have seen a few things online and wondered if they are for real

No solid evidence of anything yet. Nothing but rumor and speculation.

I really can't finger drum and have trouble writing drum patterns but is it still possible to write a good drumbeat that swings with the Renaissance ? I just really enjoy the playing of these machines but need to know if most people have some musical background who use these

Yes, you don't have to be a good finger drummer to make a good beat with the Ren. But you will probably find the urge to play the pads as it can be a lot of fun. You can also real-time quantize your notes in, so the Ren will move them to the nearest 16th, 8th or whatever note. And you can overdub playing only one sound at a time through the loop if that helps. It also has step record and grid record functionality. I would also advise getting the Ren if money allows instead of the Studio - I think it would make things a bit easier and it is a solid piece of kit. The Ren is an amazing tool that can open a whole new world to you - I say go for it.

Spoff

What is the best way to learn about drums and the composition of drum tracks a I really struggle to lay a beat down that swings and find it hard to get my ideas down as I want them ? Is there a way of learning drums online that explain the position of hi hats snares and bass drums, apologies for my ignorance but I am very new to this
If anyone can help I would really appreciate it. Also is it that simple to get the beats to swing using the RENs swing function

Are you new to music in general? If not, why don't you listen to your favourite tracks of different genres and listen to their respective drum patterns? You could then try and play them yourself once you have a sampler.

You can get books and tutorials on layering drum sounds and what sort of effects to use but actual drum patterns. They're in every song and vary greatly as I'm sure you know. Youtube has tonnes of tutorial videos which cover drum programming on all sorts of kit, software and hardware.

Are you new to music in general? If not, why don't you listen to your favourite tracks of different genres and listen to their respective drum patterns? You could then try and play them yourself once you have a sampler.

You can get books and tutorials on layering drum sounds and what sort of effects to use but actual drum patterns. They're in every song and vary greatly as I'm sure you know. Youtube has tonnes of tutorial videos which cover drum programming on all sorts of kit, software and hardware.

martincharlierogers wrote:Hi all

I am a beginner in the art of beats and would like some help in choosing the ren over the other pieces of kit out there. Is this a good machine to choose for a beginner like me who has no experience on mpc aprt from the impc pro for ipad

Yeah if you look at the ridiculous prices right now on Ebay(FXck You ARMENS N.Y.) for a MPC or SP1200...

The MPC Ren/Studio are good machines(still bugs to fix) but with the fastest OS updates for any MPC to date!

If you want some other fresh newly served MPC look up Kanamit MPC in US or Jazzcat in Europe!