Trading mpc1000 for fully loaded mpc2000xl

I have owned both the 1000 and the 2000xl and they definitely have different sounds. These machines are how many years apart? 10 years +? Of course the inside components are different and that explains the difference. I had the 1000 for about 6 months, made some cool beats but I was not impressed really. This has been mentioned many times, I felt it was too clear, too detailed, too digital in essence. And so I sold it because in the end I was able to do the same thing in Logic. Some time later I bought the 2000xl after having read so many great things regarding the sound and let me tell you it did not disappoint this time around. No there is no USB and there are less effects and bla bla bla but the sound is... at the risk of sounding cliche... warm, thumping, knocking, booming, gritty etc. And no it wasn't the samples that made the difference because I used the same sound library. The 2000xl really has a soulful sound. And I bet the mpc60 is even sweeter...

Thanks sorinp. That's exactly what I am trying to get across as far as how the MPC 2000XL has a better filter and sampling engine than the MPC 1000. I did just like you and used the same samples, same setup, etc. etc. and hands down the MPC 2000XL sounds punchier and more low end than the MPC 1000. But I stress to the OP and anyone reading...use what works for you and go for what your after. Every producer has their own sound and technique that makes them different from others...this is what works for me.

[quote]The MPC 1000 and the MPC 2500 sampling engine sound too digital and thin to me[/quote]

That's exactly what I am trying to get across as far as how the MPC 2000XL has a better filter and sampling engine than the MPC 1000. I did just like you and used the same samples, same setup, etc. etc. and hands down the MPC 2000XL sounds punchier and more low end than the MPC 1000.

I had the 1000 for about 6 months, made some cool beats but I was not impressed really. This has been mentioned many times, I felt it was too clear, too detailed, too digital in essence. And so I sold it

like other guys out there the 1000 was my first mpc, but I always wanted a more warmer analog sound and found that the beats coming from the old school samplers sounded more "fatter"

I would take a maxed xl over a 1000 any day

FOR ALL THE HATERS: 1000 = 2500 SAMPLING ENGINE

YOU LOOSE

sorinp wrote:And I bet the mpc60 is even sweeter...

that it does, and you never see those for sale locally... as you may have noticed.

The Grublet wrote:FOR ALL THE HATERS: 1000 = 2500 SAMPLING ENGINE

YOU LOOSE

nobody said they were different..this is about mpc1000 vs mpc2000xl

my take on the XL...the sound is ok but only with the eb16 filter eq installed,without the eb16 it´s hard to get the sounds right unless you have a big mixer with eq and the 8outs connected on 8 different channels.

the mpc1000 can sound right if you tweak the eq´s a bit,the problem with this machine is when u filter certain bass sounds you get a nasty digital distortion wich you can do nothing about. the mpc500 and mpc2500 have the same issue.

sorinp wrote:I have owned both the 1000 and the 2000xl and they definitely have different sounds. These machines are how many years apart? 10 years +? Of course the inside components are different and that explains the difference. I had the 1000 for about 6 months, made some cool beats but I was not impressed really. This has been mentioned many times, I felt it was too clear, too detailed, too digital in essence. And so I sold it because in the end I was able to do the same thing in Logic. Some time later I bought the 2000xl after having read so many great things regarding the sound and let me tell you it did not disappoint this time around. No there is no USB and there are less effects and bla bla bla but the sound is... at the risk of sounding cliche... warm, thumping, knocking, booming, gritty etc. And no it wasn't the samples that made the difference because I used the same sound library. The 2000xl really has a soulful sound. And I bet the mpc60 is even sweeter...

thanks for the insight.
I think you've got me leaning towards the 2kxl since the type of sound i want to achieve is the warm "boombap" sound that i find old analog equipment is infamous for... I'm not audiophile with expensive studio equipment I just want to head down to the record store grab some vinyl and craft some RAW soulful instrumentals and when i chop up stuff in my 1000 the sound no matter how much i tweak it (bit grunger compressor Low Pass filter) it just doesn't "Feel" right. and it just occurred to me if ever wanted to use longer sample or any other "upgraded" effects i could just use a DAW ( am i correct?) just a couple of questions.
-what is the max sample time you get with the 2kxl? (keep in mine that the 2kxl I'm trading for has a CF upgrade and the 32MB Ram upgrade)
-does it have auto chop and auto assign pads like the jjos?
-does it have pad cut off or anything similar to that?
-and what are the effects it has with/without the upgraded E-16?
-and any other things to look out/ be ready for when i trade.

Even if it lacks any of these I don't mind working around them, i don't mind limitations I'm just curious to know what I'm losing and what I'm gaining.

thanks brothers

i hope i don't come across as a hater here, but 'sound', in the way it's being talked about currently as a 'grit' or 'warmth', is really not the 2kxl's strength, IMO.

From all the samplers I've used, the 2kxl is one of the most transparent I have ever found (if not the most)...ie what you put in is what you get out.

Maybe it is not as crisp or cold as a newer mpc (very believable, i bet the AD/DA's are cheap crap), but it is definitely not as crunchy or warm as say a mpc60 or EPS.

Also, I will delve slightly into hater territory here and say that the resampling on a 2kxl is some of the weakest I've heard...when you start pitching samples down they don't start developing magical character like they do on an EPS or SP1200....they just sound lower and weaker.

Having said all that, the 2kxl is an incredible machine. The workflow and the sequencer cannot be beat. But saying it has an old school sound I just cannot agree with (98 really wasn't that long ago). You also must consider you are likely going to hear what you want to hear, know what I mean?

to answer yer questions:
- max sample time like ~3 minutes
- yes it has autochop and auto assign
- dont know what you mean pad cut off if you mean mute one pad from another (like open closed hh) then yes
- the effects are very basic, lowpass slightly resonant filter, basic sample functions like reverse and trim, timestretch (takes a long time), and volume + attack and decay envelopes...you'd be amazed how far these can get you
- id look out for unresponsive pads, a bad screen, blown outputs, and scratchy pots

nogginj wrote:i hope i don't come across as a hater here, but 'sound', in the way it's being talked about currently as a 'grit' or 'warmth', is really not the 2kxl's strength, IMO.

From all the samplers I've used, the 2kxl is one of the most transparent I have ever found (if not the most)...ie what you put in is what you get out.

Maybe it is not as crisp or cold as a newer mpc (very believable, i bet the AD/DA's are cheap ****), but it is definitely not as crunchy or warm as say a mpc60 or EPS.

Also, I will delve slightly into hater territory here and say that the resampling on a 2kxl is some of the weakest I've heard...when you start pitching samples down they don't start developing magical character like they do on an EPS or SP1200....they just sound lower and weaker.

Having said all that, the 2kxl is an incredible machine. The workflow and the sequencer cannot be beat. But saying it has an old school sound I just cannot agree with (98 really wasn't that long ago). You also must consider you are likely going to hear what you want to hear, know what I mean?

to answer yer questions:
- max sample time like ~3 minutes
- yes it has autochop and auto assign
- dont know what you mean pad cut off if you mean mute one pad from another (like open closed hh) then yes
- the effects are very basic, lowpass slightly resonant filter, basic sample functions like reverse and trim, timestretch (takes a long time), and volume + attack and decay envelopes...you'd be amazed how far these can get you
- id look out for unresponsive pads, a bad screen, blown outputs, and scratchy pots

Don't worry about your comments bro, I appreciate some straight forward insight on this subject. I only refer to the 2kxl sound being warm and such from what people have said and I've heard personally to be honest I have never ran both machine's together so i would not know if the sound myth is true or not. (someone should make a video really going in depth on this subject you know) I think I'm gonna meet up with the guy and test out both machines and see if i should trade. that being said out of curiosity when it came down to it what is your choice out of the two.
-a some what maxed out 1000
or
-a fully maxed out 2000xl
both being used to chop record and being run along side with ableton live a midi controller, finishing touches etc.

Yes I agree the 2000XL has a much better 'sound' than the 1000. I would decribe the sound as punchy and warm as oppose to the thin sounding new akai series.

A lot of noobs will not understand why MPC Heads keep referring to the 'special sound' of the XL, also the eb16 is a good sounding effects card, the standard 1000 effecst are terrible especially the reverb

I depends how youre gonna use the machine, the restriction of memory and less features will definately make you think harder about the samples and workflow but that can also be an advantage.

jazzbee wrote:eb16 is a good sounding effects card,

okay, you're going too far with that statement.... the eb16 is among the worst effects I have ever heard. okay I dont have a 1000 so i cant comment there.... but the eb16 while it adds a bit to the machine is not that great even on the occasion that it is even usable (filters aside).

mr_debauch wrote:okay, you're going too far with that statement.... the eb16 is among the worst effects I have ever heard. okay I dont have a 1000 so i cant comment there.... but the eb16 while it adds a bit to the machine is not that great even on the occasion that it is even usable (filters aside).

+1


The effects in the newer machines are much more useable. The 'better sound' of the XL is purely subjective too.

After having that sound for 10 years I was glad to discover the 2500 has a much more neutral sound to it.

to answer your question I would go 2kxl over 1000 any day but that's because that's what I've been using and I like it being a more substantial /customisable piece of gear...i also use it with other midi hardware often.

think about this:
pre 2000 - MPC = MIDI production center
post 2000 - MPC = MUSIC production center

the mpc was a sequencer first, and very limited DRUM sampler second.

now they are pushed as all in one workstation type things.

the old MPCs are professional studio tools...they are meant to do very specific things very well. As such, you need to put a lot more work into them, but in the end you have greater control over the results.

the newer mpcs are definitely emulations of these old tools, with a ton of 'value added' thrown in. I think they are just completely different machines...I mean you can load entire songs as drum sounds.

Of course what made the new mpcs so WILDLY popular was people who were putting in lots of ingenuity to eek every ounce of performance out of the old 'sequencer first, sampler second' mpcs to make it a very personal workstation.
Point is, if I had an mpc1000 I would probably use it basically as I use a 2kxl...and it would be inferior in that regards. Still, there's a lot of power to be exploited that people are going to eventually use on those new ones, and you can, to an extent, just use a new one like an old one.

I have the 1000 and the reverb is totally crap,
IMO the reverb on the xl is much more useable as are the other effects.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions

On my 2KXL I find the EB-16 reverbs quite good personally. I use them mostly for the snares, claps, and sometimes kicks. Since I also use Logic I will obviously choose a better quality plug-in reverb for the main vocals or what not but, for drums, the EB-16 is perfect. Plenty of classic beats were done on the 2KXL with the EB-16, they went hand in hand since they're from the same era.

My two canadian cents eh

sorinp wrote:On my 2KXL I find the EB-16 reverbs quite good personally. I use them mostly for the snares, claps, and sometimes kicks. Since I also use Logic I will obviously choose a better quality plug-in reverb for the main vocals or what not but, for drums, the EB-16 is perfect. Plenty of classic beats were done on the 2KXL with the EB-16, they went hand in hand since they're from the same era.

My two canadian cents eh

actually you know what I did like was the distortion simply for making custom sounds similar in fashion to how davinci does the snare cut looping trick... adding distortion to that with the eb16 was fun.... I just wasn't a fan of the reverb on most things I tried it on.