MPC Classic (Really Though)

First I want to say I commend with a medal of honor those who are efficient with this machine. Damu the Fudgemunk, you're my absolute beat making hero.

Since I've had this machine for almost a year now, it has been passed back and forth between various locations like makeshift storage spots. First of all the thing is damn gigantic, I live in a very small project living room with my grandmother, not exactly producer paradise.

So six month's later I lugged this heavy cash register type object over to my brother's house -who is a DJ that owns a decent mixer and tables- and gear this big bad boy up. Ready to sample ready to beast out of speakers with real sound.

So I got my throw back dollar vinyls with dust on em and I'm ready to rape some samples. I get my cuts, and of course they aren't perfect. So I pop open the sample editor and realize the intricate precision and patience you must require to make something practical of the beige and gray scramble presented in front of you. But I'm like screw it I'll try it...

So I'm like let me lay something on the drums, I got these ass drum kit sample presets on zip I bought from this akai dealer, because I don't know how the hell somebody chops drum breaks on this contraption. First off, the metronome is shot, I pressed shift other, threw the tap tempo into 4, all them tips. It's lower than the center of the earth, I couldn't hear it if I tapped on a silent pad too hard. Second, when I record stuff no matter how precise my strikes are it sounds so lagged.

Don't get me wrong, I love this machine, but for reasons you wouldn't. I don't press play, I don't sequence, I don't make songs. I just program and bang out hard drum rythms, or bug out over something. I got nice with it , I'm about to you tube my drum video's. I can hit the pads nice, I just can't record or sample worth nothing.

So I am going to buy a 1000 but in the meantime I'm still trying hard to sample and record on this machine because it's a challenge, and I might just keep it because it's my favorite instrument to play. So here are the specific things I need help on in order to further bond with my old but lovable machinery.

-How do I fix this damn metronome, I know how to play to 4/4 I've done it with ease on other crappier machines, I played bass, and I'm an MC most importantly. I have rythm, but something is just off about it and like I said I pressed shift+other and changed it to 4.

-I know nobody likes to give away their samples or styles but what are some good drum breaks I could use just to get some decent sounding drums on my machine. Also how would I go about chopping these breaks in a precise manner that would sound good on my pads on this classic interface.

-Some tips on the Filter Effects would be nice, I know decay fades the end of the sample, and attack affects the beginning. I know you can filter low pass, all of that... What are some good presets for snares, hats, or drums?

-Whats the best way to go about cutting up samples, I already know the classic velocity auto chop... I'm talking about accurate chops, what am I aiming for... whats the best way to cut samples and make them comfortable on my pads, how should I filter them.

-In general, I know the basics, I pressed open window on everything already, the instruction manual is redundant... I want to know the intracisies of the machine. Tell me something I can't read about in every tip website.

For a digital pro that's been cut off from the digital and led to analog by sheer curiosity, help a brother out...

Thanks. but like I said that's all info I'm straight on already. It's just hard cutting accurately to get a sound that lives right on the machine.

i think your main mistake was expecting to know how to work everything without learning any of it. There's a lot to come to terms with for someone who hasn't used any mpc before so you gotta hang in there.

The lagging thing is probably caused by badly chopped samples

classic as is the MPC60?

mumkai wrote:classic as is the MPC60?

no.. classic is used to differenciate the regular 2000 (2000 classic) from the 2000xl

Fung45 wrote:That thing in Shift+Other "Tap Averaging" that you're changing to 4 is for your tap tempo button an has nothing to with time signature. It's more like the 'resolution' of your tap tempo button, higher numbers being more precise.(manual pg 158) Time signature is in Main Screen tsig:4/4

Don Flako wrote:Thanks. but like I said that's all info I'm straight on already.

Don Flako wrote:How do I fix this damn metronome... ...I pressed shift+other and changed it to 4.

Alright, so I got drunk and high last night, sat down with the thing at like 4 a.m and I managed to cut drums off a break, and cut some piano keys out of a symphony, and I made a beat that's simple but I'm proud of it. I'm just not used to the limitations of a machine because I'm so used to a computer where the possibilities are endless and always changing. I guess it's like the reason I always purchased a PC over a video game console, I always enjoyed the fact that I can modify and expand on the game consistently, where as a system your limited to what you purchased in the box for reliability and a natural feel.

Don't get me wrong, I definitely enjoy using it, and I love the feel, I just wish I there was more things I could do with it. It's just getting me excited and prepared for the 1000 though, and the steep learning curve is entertaining.

-Double Post-

Don Flako wrote:Alright, so I got drunk and high last night,...

For some reason this seemed funny since it got posted twice...

Don't get discouraged -- it takes time and work to get used to working with MPC hardware. If you've owned it for a year but haven't used it a whole lot due to your situation, it's going to take some practice to get familiar and to make quality beats. If you really want to use the MPC as a tool to make your music, you're going to have to pay the piper and put in the hours.

If you're a self-paced learner, check out some of the info on mpc-tutor.com and mpc-samples.com -- there are some well written tutorials and ebooks there. Good luck.

Dont waste your time with a 1000 until you have mastered the 2000...

Thats my plan, even though I'm straight up dying for some auto chop, time stretching, and better filter FX. The fact that I can USB into a computer with ease is just the icing for me, especially since I rap too so a wav. file self owned beat directly loaded into a studio computer with minimal annoyance is more than i can ask for.

1)Auto chop.....Cmon man, half of the creative force behind the mp is experimenting with your chops!
2)If Im not mistaken, the 2000 has timestretching (maybe only on the xl?)
3)The 4 filters on the 1000 are still trumped by the 1 filter on the 2000

The usb might be nice, but you cant transfer whole sequences as .wav files (Again, I may be mistaken) Because the mp saves them as .all or .seq files. Only SAMPLES can be easily transferred via USB.....

Like I said before, MASTER the 2k before "upgrading"

Only the XL timestretch, if I wasn't looking for something portable that I can throw in a book bag and connect to any computer easily because I'm constantly moving with my stuff, I would upgrade to the XL out of respect for the 2000 build. They don't even have an tutorials or barely any tips or videos teaching you the classic, everything is geared toward the XL. It's basically just me learning this by scratch.

While I have much respect for the model, and infinite respect for the people who work with the model, my directions are ordered as a MC first and a Producer second. I just want to make crisp orginal beats for myself made with fresh samples that I can easily manipulate.