MPC for psychedelic / pop / ambient / drone

Hi guys,

I'm an ambient / psychedelic pop musician in the vein of Animal Collective, Atlas Sound etc... and am looking to get a hardware sampler. Awhile a go I tried out an SP-404, which I loved, and I know a lot in that scene use it.

However, I also know the MPC's are meant to be phenomenal samplers.

What I'm looking for is a sampler I can play like an instrument, something I can really jam on. It needs effects, not loads, but definitely some.

Is the MPC a good range to choose for this kind of music? I know they have a good heritage in hip hop. I appreciate I'm on an MPC forum but please be honest!

Thanks in advance!

The MPC4000 is pretty versatile in that respect. If you got that and a controller keyboard you could make keygroup instruments to play on the keyboard, and also Have drums and other samples in the same box.
Alternatively Get one of the cheaper MPCs (like the MPC2000) and get a cheap rack sampler (like Akai s3000xl or others) to couple it to, to get a similar result.


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Thanks for the reply!

I'd probably be looking at one of the smaller ones for now...equivalent to the sp-404 size, so either 500 or 1000. I guess I'm just asking whether they feel expressive, and tactile to play or whether they are more of a sequencer than live instrument?

The Korg Electribe ESX is also worth a look. It has much less sample memory than modern MPCs and a far less powerful sequencer, but IMHO is easier to use for messing around live, especially when using the FX.

I have both an ESX and an MPC1000, and an old rackmount cd3000xl, they all have different strengths and I haven't figured out what I want to do with them yet!

Pastor-of-Muppets wrote:The Korg Electribe ESX is also worth a look. It has much less sample memory than modern MPCs and a far less powerful sequencer, but IMHO is easier to use for messing around live, especially when using the FX.

I have both an ESX and an MPC1000, and an old rackmount cd3000xl, they all have different strengths and I haven't figured out what I want to do with them yet!

Yeh I've seen those, they are really cool and I'd like one sometime!

I'm actually looking not to sequence so much as just play the samples live, perhaps looping some or something like that? Hence why I ask about the tactility and expressivity of the pads. Does that make sense?

to answer the specific question about feeling tactile ... try to find a store selling them so you can try them out, even if you end up buying elsewhere

I find the mpc great for playing drums on the pads, and the esx great for tweaking and filtering electronic loops, but I haven't mastered either well enough to give a fair assessment - I know I could do a lot more with the mpc1000

they're both very hands on in different ways - either banging pads or twiddling knobs

if you don't need to sequence other pieces of gear and don't need lots of sample time, the esx might work well for you

<--- or there's the Kaoss Pad 3 - only 4 very short sample banks, but it's FUN

Thanks for all the suggestions - it's quite interesting as it will be electronic / acoustic loops im triggering, a lot from African music (e.g. Afro Pop).

I have heard it's great for percussion but although I will do some percussion my main thing will be loops and one shots...

I do feel more comfortable playing a pad type device tho...

Hi,

i do sometimes do drone only stuff, i miss some realtime timestretching on the mpc, but it is great to just loop huge samples and triggering other with the pads.
someone here showed me a way to trigger a midi note and hold it "forever" this made my dronemaking easy on the mpc. Extra outs are nice if you have some external effect untis.
Also had the ESX, but I think for ambient stuff it isnt the real thing

ontherun wrote:Hi,

i do sometimes do drone only stuff, i miss some realtime timestretching on the mpc, but it is great to just loop huge samples and triggering other with the pads.
someone here showed me a way to trigger a midi note and hold it "forever" this made my dronemaking easy on the mpc. Extra outs are nice if you have some external effect untis.
Also had the ESX, but I think for ambient stuff it isnt the real thing

That's good to hear, have you got any up anywhere?

When you say relatime timestretching do you mean on the fly, like ableton?

That's more the kind of thing I'm after, loop samples for 'background' then triggering others.

Which MPC do you have? I have some external effects I could use - do you find the ones on the MPC good enough to use?

That's good to hear, have you got any up anywhere?

if you mean if i have any tracks there, nope. maybe i have to record my stuff some time..

When you say relatime timestretching do you mean on the fly, like ableton?

thats what i meant, there is a jjos that can it, but only in one version and you cant do
any more sequncing when you use that feature

That's more the kind of thing I'm after, loop samples for 'background' then triggering others.

Which MPC do you have? I have some external effects I could use - do you find the ones on the MPC good enough to use?

I have a 1000, the older, beside 4k dont have that much RAM, i have some stretched Samples that are 80MB each, dont think a 2k will hold that.

hey man, if you loved the 404, then you should stick with it.... now if there are some real shortcomings with it, then maybe tell us here and we can let you know if an MPC will fill in those gaps. MPC is real nice, sounds good, mad versatile, but all machines have their strongpoints. and weaknesses

I suggest an mpc or roland MV and a kaoss pad (kp3 or kp2 if possible)

you can grab a roland mv-8000 for like 500 bucks these days... I got one last year for 450 used from the original owner with the VGA expansion and all the original box and manuals and paper work.

so yeah, thats my vote... electribes are cool but if you want pads then get pads.

MPC is not expressive as live instrument. It is best for slow thoughtful composition. You want something more like the SP-404SX or microSAMPLER.

revtor wrote:hey man, if you loved the 404, then you should stick with it.... now if there are some real shortcomings with it, then maybe tell us here and we can let you know if an MPC will fill in those gaps. MPC is real nice, sounds good, mad versatile, but all machines have their strongpoints. and weaknesses

Cool, good advice! I actually stupidly sold my 404 a year and a half ago and am now regretting it!