An MPC 3000 Rescue Story

I've climbed up the ladder of MPC's. I started out with the 1000, jumped to the 2000xl, and finally fell in love with the sequencer and features of the 3000 shortly after getting it.

I came across this 3000 about two years ago at a pawn shop, it was completely left alone and no one had any idea what the deal was, not even the pawn shop manager.

I know what you're thinking, and yes i bought it off a straight gamble.
I paid $600, I won't even front about the price. So it seems I take it home and it's running 3.11. Start playing around and all is well until I go to save some sounds. no extra ram, it's whatever.

The first issue I notice is that the floppy drive doesn't work. I eventually open her up to look on the inside and i disconnect the floppy drive. after more serious use I notice that there is a slight bit of static/white noise while recording. I tested it with the threshold at 0. it seems it has to do with the MPC.

While I wish in all of this world I had enough money to send my baby off to Forat, life caught up with me a couple weeks ago and I got some legal fees I need to take care of first. There is a local spot around me that I was tipped off about (I live in Orlando).

Before I go take it in, what is the chance of the floppy drive having to do with the slight white noise while recording in? I mean I could maybe work enough scratch for a $100-$150 bill, but I don't want to ship my baby off and not even have the funds to get her back.

What's your guise call?

edit: before i hear a bunch of "go grab the hammer and get your money back!" posts, i fully understood no one knew the condition of this and i pretty much received what i paid for. i'm annoyed with the situation but am not in complete loss. any response is helpful though.

read the mpc3000 section, check out the bible.

read the info here: http://www.mpc3000.com/


find out what floppy drives are compatible with your machine. They shouldn't cost a lot, and it needs to be replaced anyways.

Then, you could maybe do some servicing to the machine on your own... maybe try cleaning the pots (knobs) with contact cleaner spray... make sure all connectors are re-seated and connected properly... etc. Clean the machine up a bit.... it's old, it's been sitting around who knows where for who knows long.

What he said.

Do your research and try some TLC/ routine maintenance before you even consider paying for repairs. Quite often this will remedy minor issues that creep up after non use. I think a good clean of the PCB's and contacts is a good place to start.

Does the static/white noise end up in the sample when you play it back? If so, does it play the same static every time?

On my 60, I've experienced a bit of static during playback of samples.. Very subtle, and not often. I think it has to do with the old memory.

Yes, it does. It occurs every time I record in (even when recording nothing with the thresh at 0)

While the white noise and static isn't overpowering AT ALL, it's just an annoyance that I can very very subtly hear. It's the kind of thing my friends that aren't into musical production or audiophiles would not even recognize.