Trying to decide between 1000 / 2500 / 200XL

Hey All !

First of all, I'd like to give props to all of you for a great forum, and for providing a wealth of information to all the noobs
to MPC land.

To give a bit of history, the hard drive on my music machine recently died (no backups, all of my music gone, yes I'm dumb)

Long story short, I'm kind of sick of computers and music for the time being. I've never used or touch a MPC before.

I'm looking for a MPC to handle samples and triggering my hardware synths. I'd prefer a unit with multiple outs, so
I can run external effects etc. (I don't need any more than 4, so the 1000 is fine for that).

It seems that the 1000, 2500, and 2000XL will all serve my purpose (even the 2000 would probably be fine for my needs).

Here are my priorities: (highest first)
----------------------------------------------------------------
* Pad quality
* Midi functionality (grid edit mode, step record, quantize functions, sequence size, etc.)
* Ease of use / workflow / usability / integration with a computer to load samples
* Price

Here are what the prices currently look like in France (roughly)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* 2000XL - Around 450€ with Zip or compact flash reader, 32 megs of RAM, and 8 out card
* 1000 - Around between 550€ and 600€ with 128 MB Ram and JJ OS (used)
* 2500 - 850€, used, no expansions or upgrades

To be honest, I'm leaning towards the 2500 right now, but I'm a bit scared that it will be overkill for what I need. (I don't really need
the effects although they would be nice. Just the 8 outs and the pads seem to be really nice on the 2500 + the ability to use JJos)

Thanks in advance for any insight or advice that anyone can provide !

To cut a long story short, I think the 2500 is probably your best bet. A used 1k may be hard to find with the pad fix, so it would cost another $180 to sort that out. I have had the 2Kxl since it was released and it is a quality machine, with a slightly less clean sound than the newer MPs, but if I had the option to upgrade to something newer then I would.

cooper6581 wrote:
Here are my priorities: (highest first)
----------------------------------------------------------------
* Pad quality
* Midi functionality (grid edit mode, step record, quantize functions, sequence size, etc.)
* Ease of use / workflow / usability / integration with a computer to load samples
* Price

Here are what the prices currently look like in France (roughly)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* 2000XL - Around 450€ with Zip or compact flash reader, 32 megs of RAM, and 8 out card
* 1000 - Around between 550€ and 600€ with 128 MB Ram and JJ OS (used)
* 2500 - 850€, used, no expansions or upgrades

!

Given your priorities i would cop the 2500. It fits perfectly to the "priorities" you stated. With you having multiple hardware synths, the 2500's 4 midi outs will make you . The 1000 would be a close 2nd though (with the pad fix).

2500 to the fullest................. add the jjos & life is in ur hands...truss

i'm moving from a 2500 to a 1000 at the moment cuz i gotta go portable. so right now i'd say save yourself some dough and go with the 1k. i have no complaints on using a 1k in comparison to a 2500. i have a seriously scary intimate relationship with both

Belive me or not, it will take long time, that will make you sure if you made good choice. I would definitely not suggest MPC1K. MPC2KXL does not sound like 2500. 2KXL is really simple in use and it's punchy when 2.5K is digital.

Just curious, what's wrong with the 1k?

I can't say directly what is wrong with 1K, but I never liked it and I never will. Now when I'm on 4K I can say 1K sucks. just my 2 cents.

I Would go with the 2500 just because the pads are superb compared to the 1k

^ apples to apples

not even red delicious to granny smith, we're talking gala and gala

shimmyshimmy wrote:I can't say directly what is wrong with 1K, but I never liked it and I never will. Now when I'm on 4K I can say 1K sucks. just my 2 cents.

lol wtf?

1k rules. i think you suck. no i dunno why i just never liked you.

Nym wrote:^ apples to apples

not even red delicious to granny smith, we're talking gala and gala

People rarely mention the flip up screen on the 2500, but to me it's essential to the way I work, and well worth finding the extra cash for.

he was talking about the pads though.
i agree about the flipscreen - don't need it myself, but i see that others might.

I really love my 1k. Everything in one small box for a good price. Unfortunatelly the cursor button, main button and data wheel died. (I will get it repaired soon)
So last week I bought a brand new 2500. I wanted to buy a brand new one, so I had a 2 year warranty plus the fact that all the pads and buttons won't die on me so quikly.
If u put the 1k and 2500 next to eachother u can really see and feel that the 1k is the cheaper version of the 2500.
With the 2500 u invest in more comfort (bigger workspace, tiltscreen, more outs) and u probably invest in something that probably last longer.
If u work on a budget then the 1k is just fine.

Nym wrote:he was talking about the pads though.
i agree about the flipscreen - don't need it myself, but i see that others might.

The reason I made that comment was because the dude´s #1 priority was the pads.

But then again if you save 500$ I totally agree that its waste of money.