Live Performance Using an MPC?

Oh, so Maschine aint good enough huh???
jk

Ill-Green wrote:Oh, so Maschine aint good enough huh???
jk

Haha, man, if I had a decent spec. laptop this thread wouldn't exist. I'd have Maschine already.

Je Hones wrote:I have an iPhone 3GS and a Galaxy Nexus. Would either of these do it? What would that entail, just hooking up the MPD and storing the samples in the phone? I'm not sure I want to go down this route, as I want to feel and hold something, but it is interesting.

Haha. Sounds like you already have what you need. All you need is an adapter like MIDI Mobilzer or iRig MIDI to plug any MIDI controller directly to the iPhone and use an app that allows MIDI IN like Sample Lab, Nanostudio...etc.

Je Hones wrote: I was just wondering how that would help my situation, like what the other dude was on about with sending "MIDI to the synth instead of sampling it all".

[/quote]

what he means is... you could use the synth's voice and control that via midi as well... so he mentioned that seeing as ram was a concern of yours... right? so basically, what ever would be playing off the said synth... would not be loaded into the mpc's ram... as a sample.

back in the day this was very important because ram came in low amounts but none the less at a great cost.. so what people did was use analogue synths like moogs for example.. they dont use ram, they generate the sound in real time in an analogue fashion. well those sounds could be sequenced and triggered via midi... and the very small amounts of ram (ie: sample time) would not be wasted on long synth pad sounds but reserved for small short drum sounds.

emptysea wrote:

Je Hones wrote:I have an iPhone 3GS and a Galaxy Nexus. Would either of these do it? What would that entail, just hooking up the MPD and storing the samples in the phone? I'm not sure I want to go down this route, as I want to feel and hold something, but it is interesting.

Haha. Sounds like you already have what you need. All you need is an adapter like MIDI Mobilzer or iRig MIDI to plug any MIDI controller directly to the iPhone and use an app that allows MIDI IN like Sample Lab, Nanostudio...etc.

That might be a cool thing to do anyway, just as an accessory to whatever I end up buying, or a mobile alternative.

mr_debauch wrote:

Je Hones wrote: I was just wondering how that would help my situation, like what the other dude was on about with sending "MIDI to the synth instead of sampling it all".

what he means is... you could use the synth's voice and control that via midi as well... so he mentioned that seeing as ram was a concern of yours... right? so basically, what ever would be playing off the said synth... would not be loaded into the mpc's ram... as a sample.

back in the day this was very important because ram came in low amounts but none the less at a great cost.. so what people did was use analogue synths like moogs for example.. they dont use ram, they generate the sound in real time in an analogue fashion. well those sounds could be sequenced and triggered via midi... and the very small amounts of ram (ie: sample time) would not be wasted on long synth pad sounds but reserved for small short drum sounds.

What synth are we talking about here? The synth as in the sound, as in a sample, or synth as in synthesiser, as in the device (e.g. Nord, Moog, Arp etc.)? Was he proposing I look into synths instead of the MPC and the SP? If he wasn't then I don't understand where the sound would be coming from.

I get how loading up a synthesiser with MIDI data then playing it through that would drastically reduce RAM use because the synthesiser would be the synth sound, and it wouldn't be in samples, but the MPC isn't a synth is it, nor is the 404? That's why I didn't see how it entered into my situation.

That said though, I do have an old Casio MT400-V synth/keyboard that thinking about it, wouldn't really be relevant because I can't make the same synth sounds on it that I recorded in the DAW, but it might be cool to throw in the mix for other stuff.

yeah I am guessing he was suggesting you look into a synthesizer as well as the mpc maybe? for the future.. or to make other songs.. it wouldn't help you for this track unless you completely recreated it using a different synth for the pads etc..

you got it right about the not using sample time (ram) in the mpc because of it being an external sound source... I am guessing he is just pointing out the use of midi as being also an option?

no the mpc is not a synth, it is a drum machine/sequencer/sampler... though the mpc4000 has synth like parameters that can be used to basically act as a sort of synth. I dont want to distract from your situation though...

I guess it boils down to the guy saying "maybe you could get a synth to do melodies or pad sounds... and you could control that with the mpc"

emptysea's got a good point, what fan boys we can be

yeah, if you want to get up and running quick, and play long samples, the iOS android stuff should help you do that the fastest and the cheapest.

unless you absolutely need portability, and that's only size wise as the 1000 doesnt run on batteries, for playing, the slightly bigger pads on the 2500 do make a difference so do have a look at those as well, youd be surprised at the deals that can be had on them.

yeah what he meant with the MIDI is that the mpc has MIDI out so instead of sampling the synth's audio, you send midi to the synth, we're assuming you're using a hardware synth, instead of replaying a massive audio sample.

Yeah, I got confused somewhere along the line and thought he was presenting another method of doing things within the setup we've been talking about, not suggesting other stuff. It's something to think about if I got the MPC though. Expanding the setup etc.

Thanks for mentioning the 2500-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/akai-mpc-2500 ... 887wt_1163

Shiiiiit. Although that is kind of pushing my price range. It will probably go for more than £500, plus it's £25 postage. Are there any more notable advantages other than the pad quality?

I was actually thinking of buying fat pads for the MPC if I got it anyway. I like the cushioned feel they look like they have.

^ none other than the pads, extra outputs (ie: it has 8 mono outputs you could route sounds through if you wanna record using an 8 in card.. the 1000 has less), tilt screen is nice too.... other then that the cpu and system are identical pretty much... even the various OSs and 3rd party OSs are the same on both (correct me if i'm wrong)

I see. Do you think replacing the default MPC pads with fat pads would increase their quality or are they really just a subjective preference of texture type of thing?

Je Hones wrote:I see. Do you think replacing the default MPC pads with fat pads would increase their quality or are they really just a subjective preference of texture type of thing?

they claim it increases the sensitivity, it technically should be true since they thickened the underneath of the pads so they make better contact with the sensor sheet... the thickness does seem like a great idea as well (it looks like it would be great on the fingers).. but I never tried them. I have been following the review threads talking about them and 95% of them have positive reviews...

so combine that with the subjective opinion that they look absolutely bad ass!


just be aware.. if the first gen pad/sensor setup has not been changed to the fixed version ... the fat pads I dont believe will work.. as the original 1000 design is set up in a way where each pad is separate on the old design.

Yeah, it was the comfort that appealed to me. I'm definitely going to ensure it's the newer MPC1000 I'm buying too, or if it's used, ensure it's fixed.

Once again, thank you for all your help. I'll report back when I make my mind up.

alright, good luck.. also, we have a "your music" section. Post up a few tracks.. it doesn't matter what you used to produce the work.

yeah the 2500 internally is the same as the 1000. akais and jj's os are the same as well.

you could definitely get used to the pads on the 1000,... probably alot faster than the sp-404

no idea about the fat pads, but they do look nice. i dont think they're really necessary as the regular pads work fine. but yeah, maybe during my next bout of writers block when i have cash burning a hole in my pocket i'll spring for em

compared to japan, that ebay price looks alright actually. wouldnt put much stock into the included samples though or that **** up flight case

but a 1000 will get the job done too.

have fun shopping!

^Haha, yeah, I was never buying into any auction for the samples the MPC comes with.

I'm actually discussing an MPC1000 deal with a few people on eBay at the minute. It's between a used one that's currently at £320 with 2 days left, and a new one currently at £480 but with the option to make them a deal, with 22 days left. I contacted the seller and they said they wouldn't accept anything less than £450, but I could buy it now instead of waiting out the auction. My eBay account was lucky enough to get the 10% discount too, so that would bring them both down a decent chunk. The used one comes with the 128 RAM installed as well as JJ-OS, but both are the newer generation MPC1000-BK.

mr_debauch wrote:alright, good luck.. also, we have a "your music" section. Post up a few tracks.. it doesn't matter what you used to produce the work.

Yeah, I will do. Cheers.