How does the MPC differ from reason?

Obviously it differs alot, but ive only used reason, im pretty new to producing, but my friend has an mpc 2500 and is selling it im debating whether or not to buy it because i love samples a lot more than synth sounds, i feel like reason sounds sort of artificial at times and the sampler takes a long time to operate with. So basically how does the MPC generally work? Do you build songs on the mpc and edit it chronologically or is there a program u load it onto on the computer? Can u put a sample at every pitch that there is room on the pad for as you can with the nn-xt? How do you apply affects like echo and reverb? And are their hi pass and lo pass filters?

How do you load a sample onto the mpc, do you need to download it and put it in the memory or do you just hook an aux cable up to a radio or comp and record the clip from there?

Also it is to my understanding that the mpc doesnt really play synths or basslines so would i have to buy some sort of keyboard to do that with and how would I put the sounds from the MPC and keyboard together?

They differ a lot compared to reason, you make your beats by patterns, one is the intro, verse, chorus, bridge, etc. If your friend is selling his ask him if you can try it out, i could type all day about it, but hands would be the best for you! Go on you tube and punch up mpc 2500, pretty much all your info will be there. And to save you from much ridicule by asking mad questions on here, Read the manual. you can get that from the akai professional site! Be-Easy

Yeah just try it out. Ask if you can borrow it for a few weeks, because the MPC is not easy. You have to put in the work. But it's much more fun and satisfying.

I may be suggesting here, but unless your friend needs money, I think I know the REASON(get it ) why he's selling the 2500.

The MPC can do all those things and more 'in the box' without any computer at all.

It is essentially a SAMPLER and a SEQUENCER with INTERNAL FX.

You can use the pads to play basslines and other instruments, a midi keyboard makes this easier.

You get samples into the MPC by SAMPLING (recording) them, just connect some cables from your sound source to the MPC inputs or plug in a mic. With some MPC's you can transfer samples from a computer using COMPACT FLASH cards and/ or a dedicated computer program such as AKSYS which can send samples to and from an MPC4000 over USB. Different MPC's use particular programs for this so check within the 2500 forums, most are free or very cheap.

Get your friend to show you how it works before you shell out the money, the MPC workflow does't suit everyone.

clint246clint wrote:The MPC can do all those things and more 'in the box' without any computer at all.

It is essentially a SAMPLER and a SEQUENCER with INTERNAL FX.

You can use the pads to play basslines and other instruments, a midi keyboard makes this easier.

You get samples into the MPC by SAMPLING (recording) them, just connect some cables from your sound source to the MPC inputs or plug in a mic. With some MPC's you can transfer samples from a computer using COMPACT FLASH cards and/ or a dedicated computer program such as AKSYS which can send samples to and from an MPC4000 over USB. Different MPC's use particular programs for this so check within the 2500 forums, most are free or very cheap.

Get your friend to show you how it works before you shell out the money, the MPC workflow does't suit everyone.

So let me get this straight. I can records sounds directly from my speakers that would be hooked up to my laptop and manipulate those sounds with the mpc providing it is wired to my mpc? And I could hook my keyboard up via midi to the mpc and play a bassline or synth at every pitch spread throughout my 88 keys that i would first sample into the mpc?

yep.

Alright good looks. I will try to make this my last question until i have watched many tutorials and experimented with it, but when i sample a bass, will it be as simple as reason where i stretch the zones it controls and every pitch will be spread out or will I have to do a lot of manual adjusting to set the pitches perfect.

Also wheres a good place to find good clean basses and synths to sample like the ones found in the reason subtractor or am i just going to have to sample them from a song and use the filters?

if you use only one sample to make a program which stretches across all 88 keys it might sound very artificial - this is why instrument programs often consist of mulitisamples so every sample has to be pitched up and down for only a few keys.

to make instrument programs the mpc 2500 got the ability to make autochromatic programs with one of the os updates - just look if the os is one of the latest versions 1.23 or 1.24 (if you use the alternative jj os please look into the documentation of that to see if the function is there as well).

if you have reason you can use all .wav samples of the factory libraries on the mpc as well and you can always export sounds you made with subtractor to wav files. just experiment a little, but making good sounding multisample programs is not beginner stuff.

peace, jo