Question for those hip hop dudes adding scratches

Support and discussion for all of Akai’s modern standalone MPCs including the MPC X / X SE, MPC Live 1, 2 & 3, MPC One / One+, MPC Key 37/61.
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Re: Question for those hip hop dudes adding scratches

By Lampdog Fri Mar 22, 2019 6:52 am
I haven’t, but if I did, I’d try this.

There was something for knobs on communications devices I used
when I was in Iraq teflon spray lube and worked GREAT! If felt like
it ignored all the moondust floating around I forgot the name.
Moondust is what we called the finely ground sand in the air.
Imagine light brown baby powder that is 3x’s finer than normal.
IT GETS EVERYWHERE.

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Re: Question for those hip hop dudes adding scratches

By 40Beatz Fri Mar 22, 2019 1:31 pm
saltmcgault wrote:have you guys ever lubed up your q-link sliders? lol what do you use?


I spray Contact Cleaner (PowerWash) on each one after I Pull the Knobs off. Spray em, Spin em, and they seem to work better for me.
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Re: Question for those hip hop dudes adding scratches

By Lampdog Fri Mar 22, 2019 3:04 pm
I bought an EMU Turbo Phatt a while back, big data knob was janky, took it apart, used contact cleaner, it was as good as new.
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Re: Question for those hip hop dudes adding scratches

By jongrover Thu Feb 20, 2025 7:35 pm
Not to be a buzz kill these are all very cool solutions, but a lot of turntable scratching is also reversing the sample. It seems most of these solutions involve changing pitch and re-triggering the sample playback in a forward motion at different pitches. A transform scratch for example could also involve cutting on the sample during backwards reverse motion. Do any of the new MPC One, Live, or X have plugins that allow samples to be played forward and reversed? I guess I could just reverse the sample manually and assign forward play and reverse play to two different pads and assign pitch control on a q-link knob to both pads.
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Re: Question for those hip hop dudes adding scratches

By Lampdog Fri Feb 21, 2025 2:18 am
jongrover wrote:Not to be a buzz kill these are all very cool solutions, but a lot of turntable scratching is also reversing the sample. It seems most of these solutions involve changing pitch and re-triggering the sample playback in a forward motion at different pitches. A transform scratch for example could also involve cutting on the sample during backwards reverse motion. Do any of the new MPC One, Live, or X have plugins that allow samples to be played forward and reversed? I guess I could just reverse the sample manually and assign forward play and reverse play to two different pads and assign pitch control on a q-link knob to both pads.

Yes, and you could do that.

Re: Question for those hip hop dudes adding scratches

By Masi Fri Feb 21, 2025 10:53 am
[quote="jongrover"Do any of the new MPC One, Live, or X have plugins that allow samples to be played forward and reversed?[/quote]
Flex Beat allows you to reverse (speeding up or down as well) the audio it is processing.

But it is a live effect, so anything you want to hear reversed must have been played forward in advance. The effects are defined as 1 bar one-shots or loops (16 to choose from). So you need to know where within the bar you want the reversal to happen.

It is a plain copy of Gross Beat of FL Studio without some of the more advanced features.
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Re: Question for those hip hop dudes adding scratches

By Ultros Fri Feb 21, 2025 4:44 pm
I do the same as 40 beats. turntables > mixer > mpc > new audio layer. easiest way to get the desired output (if you own all the gear already).

My opinion: The mpc really shines if you use it to sample what you are doing with records or turntables in general. Like beat juggling or playing doubles, constructing the song on the turntables and sampling it in. Get a lot of character that way. If you have an mpc, it's only half a hip hop rig. There's alot of mpc folks trying to do the ny boombap thing but their construction methods are all whacky and despite it hitting with style it flat out lacks the explosive character of the dj beating up the records that formulate the beat. For a better comparison, imagine if dave mustaine or van halen didnt play the guitar and it was all synthesized, quantized and had no unique blemishes? it would sound really really cheesy. Just like beats brickwalled to hell by chopping. Originally the dj used to keep a beat going for the MC.. thats what the MPC came in handy for.. to snag those recordings and formulate the beat but for some reason folks abandon the decks for chops and programs and now they sound bored. Confused as to why the sound like dj shadow rather than dj premier.

Re: Question for those hip hop dudes adding scratches

By Delphinus Thu Mar 06, 2025 7:38 pm
Just a heads up for those that might be interested. Headache sounds has pre-orders open for the Wow machine turntable dropping next month for about $250USD. It even spins. I'm not a fan of the crossfader placement as a right handed scratcher myself, this seems more aimed at lefty's. I guess you could spin the unit around a bit.

https://www.headachesound.com/woworder

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RelTHEo ... llWPi9Ut0w

I do own the SC1000 MKii from Portablism, but it doesn't spin and feels kinda awkward if you don't have a background in cuts, but definitely usable and comes stock with a innofader, which is very solid and never dies.

https://portablismgear.com/sc1000/devic ... 00mk2.html

Overall, the best you're gonna get is a real direct drive turntable and a solid scratch mixer. There are some tricks you can do with an MPC to mimic scratching, but it's not nearly as malleable and you can forget about more advanced stuff like crabs or chirps.
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