Considering an MPC

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Re: Considering an MPC

By mr_debauch Mon Apr 12, 2010 5:08 am
Doglamp wrote:
Disco.Infiltrator wrote:That's the thing, I feel like software my not fit my style (whatever that means) as well. That's why I'm considering an MPC. I've been trying software, not feeling it, thinking about an MPC. Maybe I just suck at making music, but I think it'd be worth trying.


“...I don't have to update my shit; I just have to update my brain.” - Flying Lotus

"I think Maschine is a really great tool for producers who want to throw their MPCs in the garbage." - Flying Lotus



yo I know a dude who did the tech work for one of his shows (did the sound and all that) and apparently FL sounds not too great live. Apparently the tech dude had to fight with FL's levels the entire show because he kept trying to crank it higher and kept tweaking his bass up untill it started getting muddy and distorting...

but besides that the show was apparently bad ass.
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Re: Considering an MPC

By Menco Mon Apr 12, 2010 10:07 am
U already kinda answered ur own question.

Just get one.


If (but I think that will not be the case) you don't like the mpc u can always sell it after a month. Maybe u lose $100 in a worst case scenario. But at least u'll be a 100% sure the mpc is not ur thing. U already know composing with software is not ur thing, so what else will it be?
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Re: Considering an MPC

By Pastor-of-Muppets Mon Apr 12, 2010 10:21 am
Disco.Infiltrator wrote:Buy the pad upgrade kit from akai ( if it isn't MPC1000BK-N)


Not necessarily - some BK models come with new pads, and some blue+red models have already been upgraded. Rather than worrying about which model it is, worry about if it has new-style pads: you will need the pad upgrade if it doesn't have new pads.


Disco.Infiltrator wrote:So then what does it store on the HD? And I think the CF is just for transporting it's memory, right?


I don't know what you mean by transporting memory.

hopefully mr_debauch explained that already.

HD and CF are both for saving stuff to be remembered after you turn the power off, the difference between HD and CF is you can remove the CF to plug it into other devices (e.g. a cardreader on your computer) and that an HD will usually be bigger than a CF card (because it would be pretty pointless installing a hard drive that was smaller than the CF card!)

Disco.Infiltrator wrote:Can you use the USB to directly transfer files to any of the three storage places (RAM, CF or HD)?


you can use USB to transfer to CF or HD, not RAM. once a sample/program/sequence/whatever is saved on the CF or HD you can load it into RAM using the mpc's LOAD function

RAM is the space available for the data you're working with. HD is the space for saving/storing things you aren't working with right now. this is exactly the same concept as RAM vs HD as on a computer, although most people seem to struggle with that difference too

as explained at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_memory - RAM is volatile memory, HD is non-volatile
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Re: Considering an MPC

By wudsiba Mon Apr 12, 2010 2:27 pm
Just buy one off of ebay that has everything your looking for. Pad upgrade and memory expansions should be in the description. If not, you have to asume they don't have them. You can find some damn good deals on these things if your patient.
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Re: Considering an MPC

By emptysea Mon Apr 12, 2010 3:08 pm
Disco.Infiltrator wrote:That's the thing, I feel like software my not fit my style (whatever that means) as well. That's why I'm considering an MPC. I've been trying software, not feeling it, thinking about an MPC.

Which would be another reason to try Maschine. It does not feel like using software because of the dedicated hardware controller which works like a MPC but without the limitations of standalone hardware. You don't need to be using a mouse or even look at the computer screen while making beats with Maschine.

MPC is limited to 128MB Ram which means that is the total size of the samples you can work with at once. Maschine does not have this limitation at all since you can access all of your sounds at once.
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Re: Considering an MPC

By mr_debauch Mon Apr 12, 2010 5:40 pm
yeah but in this case the guy doesn't like software... messing with sound cards... all that other shit. he wants to turn it on and get to work.


man, you dont even know if his computer can support maschine. you dont even know if the guy has a soundcard that wont click once he loads a few samples and tried sequencing them.

the dude said he doesn't want computer software... that means he doesn't want computer software.
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Re: Considering an MPC

By emptysea Mon Apr 12, 2010 6:06 pm
boxcutter butta wrote:if someone is considering a maschine they wouldn't be coming to the MPC forums

By the way, many MPC users don't find out what Maschine is and what it actually does or that they might actually like it better, until people show it to them.

Case in point, check out this comment on this Maschine youtube video, which also gives you a glimpse of its workflow:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLAHH5RG79I
"ansiaaa666: I've just bought my Maschine and played a bit with it last night... I'm already in love with this thing!
I come from the old school and I couldn't find any software that would be able to replace my beloved MPC's... untill I tried the Maschine!
I've just now seen this vid of yours on the NI website and I wish I saw it before, cos I wouldn't have waited so long to buy the Maschine..."
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Re: Considering an MPC

By Menco Mon Apr 12, 2010 7:35 pm
I don't really care what other people say about the mashine.
All I know is that I need a computer with it to compose beats with and that I don't have the option to split the sounds on a mixing board. So that's why mashine would be a no go for me. Accept that not every mpc user will automatically like mashine
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Re: Considering an MPC

By Doglamp Mon Apr 12, 2010 7:38 pm
Quoting Debauch.

"Messing with soundcards."

You will need it when you track out.

"You don't even know if his computer can support maschine. You dont even know if the guy has a soundcard that wont click once he loads a few samples and tried sequencing them."

C'mon, be real, most modern day set ups can handle that with ease.

"The dude said he doesn't want computer software."

Nope, D.I:

1. Thinks Live / Logic lacks live / jamming potential.
2. Thinks MPC seems more like an instrument.
3. Thinks working with an MPC will be less complicated.
4. Is looking for pads.
5. Is looking for a dedicated unit.

1. Live is way more capable than the MPC for this purpose.
2. Total nonsense.
3. Nonsense again.
4-5.It's down to the MPD and Maschine. MPD's pads are rigid, and Maschine is definitely more 'dedicated' in feel.

I'm not even a religious Maschine crusader *cough* empty *cough*, but using process of elimination the Maschine is what this guy's looking for. Go to other "production" forums and ask this same question, otherwise you're just:

Image
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Re: Considering an MPC

By mr_debauch Mon Apr 12, 2010 10:42 pm
yeah but if you got a crap sound card... you got a crap sound card. often the result is clicking or latency... probably that isn't his case and he has a relatively new computer... however what do we know. but when someone asks for a recommendation or thoughts on hardware and people are suggesting software programs... what kind of help is that?


man I agree with your words on ableton and all that, personally I use a lot of software... but it didn't seem like that was the road he wanted to take. Anyways the shit is subjective... you can make beats on all the above.
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Re: Considering an MPC

By Doglamp Mon Apr 12, 2010 10:54 pm
"yeah but if you got a crap sound card... you got a crap sound card. often the result is clicking or latency..."

    Almost all dedicated sound cards don't have those problems. The only way you can experience that is if you have a PC without ASIO drivers for your card.

"but when someone asks for a recommendation or thoughts on hardware and people are suggesting software programs... what kind of help is that?"

    How would it be helpful to just talk about hardware? Ha. :D
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Re: Considering an MPC

By emptysea Mon Apr 12, 2010 11:00 pm
mr_debauch wrote:but when someone asks for a recommendation or thoughts on hardware and people are suggesting software programs... what kind of help is that?

Because it would be ignorant or disingenuous to think of Maschine as a "software program" as what most people perceive as such. Maschine is a hybrid of software and hardware and nothing like it has existed before. The bottom line is that it works and feels more like using standalone hardware like MPC to the user compared to using a software with a mouse and a generic non-dedicated midi controller.
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Re: Considering an MPC

By mr_debauch Tue Apr 13, 2010 1:43 am
emptysea wrote:
mr_debauch wrote:but when someone asks for a recommendation or thoughts on hardware and people are suggesting software programs... what kind of help is that?

Because it would be ignorant or disingenuous to think of Maschine as a "software program" as what most people perceive as such. Maschine is a hybrid of software and hardware and nothing like it has existed before. The bottom line is that it works and feels more like using standalone hardware like MPC to the user compared to using a software with a mouse and a generic non-dedicated midi controller.



bla bla bla salesman... you have nothing new to say. now you are in denial that it is software to the point you dont even want people calling it software. Fact is.. maschine is 100% software.. stop playing yourself.
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Re: Considering an MPC

By mr_debauch Tue Apr 13, 2010 1:48 am
[quote="Doglamp"]"yeah but if you got a crap sound card... you got a crap sound card. often the result is clicking or latency..."

    Almost all dedicated sound cards don't have those problems. The only way you can experience that is if you have a PC without ASIO drivers for your card.

yeah keyword is dedicated sound card. but that is absolutely not the case and is not true when it comes to stock sound cards that come with the computer. Sure some are better than others but often even with asio drivers you get clicking unless you put the buffer time high. That is fact... It has happened to me on one of my machines. I got an external card (stereo out interface) and we're all good for the most part.
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Re: Considering an MPC

By mr_debauch Tue Apr 13, 2010 1:52 am
Doglamp wrote:
    How would it be helpful to just talk about hardware? Ha. :D



okay so you tell the guy what he really wants after saying he didn't want software... personally I know what you mean, because software has it's percs (it's potentially free for example)
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