Exchange tips and tricks for the Akai MPC4000
User avatar
By retro Thu Sep 16, 2004 5:04 pm
Anyone here use it. Im gonna pic one up in a few hours. Things i should know? Also, a good site for info besides the regulars. I did a google search, and found some good links, but no dedicated forums.


:lol:
User avatar

By Mohammed Thu Sep 16, 2004 5:13 pm
a friend of mine has one,,, He has the 1998 version.

When going from an mpc4k to an machine from the mid 80's its like going from a mercedes to riding a bike with a flat tire :)

ALthough that damn thing sounds damn phat.... Just sample some beat, and it comes out 10 times fatter.
User avatar

By Blue Haze Thu Sep 16, 2004 5:17 pm
Try Drummachines EMU SP1200 AKAI MPC 2000 XL site
User avatar

By retro Thu Sep 16, 2004 5:18 pm
i hear you Mohammed. a friend of mine has one just sittin there. and an sp-808. so im getting em today. he's just giving em to me to use for however lone i want. ill probably wind up keepin em. the 4000 is more than enough for me, but ill play around with the sp. ive a;ways wanted to. maybe ill sample drums, and re-sample into the 4000 or something. or even just use it for drums. i hear great things about the sound, so im curious.
User avatar

By retro Thu Sep 16, 2004 5:19 pm
cool haze. i should post more on this forum. ive been a member for a while now, but dont really post. i do read most of the threads though.
User avatar

By retro Thu Sep 16, 2004 5:25 pm
cool moham. thanks :wink:
User avatar

By kybeats Thu Sep 16, 2004 9:38 pm
aaaaaaaaaah Yes the Sp1200 :lol: :wink:

Image
User avatar
By trupro Thu Sep 16, 2004 10:02 pm
Don't sample the SP. I like to contol mine with my MPC, and give the SP1200 it't own set of channels on the board or to what I'm recording on.
There is no substitute, and you will get a different sound if you sample it a second time.

Also, keep in mind that each output on the SP1200 is monophonic.
That is, whatever sounds you have assigned to an output will cut
eachother off, so plan around that.

Also, the sequencer on the SP1200 has no tracks.
You just keep layering in the sequence. If you got
everything on separate outs tho, that won't matter.
If not, make lots of copies, then subtract the unneeded
sounds from each sequence.

SP+4000 = sickest combo ever. All you need is an s950!
User avatar

By Kalei Fri Sep 17, 2004 3:49 am
I was thinking about just that trupro.... Gettin an sp1200 and just sample shit with it and then use the samples in the 4000. But your saying you loose something from that? It doesnt make sense to me... Could you explain that further? I mean.. if its used like an AD/DA basically to get that old sound and used in a 4000 it should still keep that sound...

Kalei
User avatar

By retro Fri Sep 17, 2004 3:54 am
thanks trupro. ive been playing with it, but need to really sit down. does have a really ill sound though. like nothing else. i remember i resampled some sounds on my 4000 to the sample rate of the sp, and it doesnd even compare. its crazy. how do i post a pic?
User avatar

By Rob Fri Sep 17, 2004 6:32 am
Maybe the 1200 has analog filters that also explains its unique sound? Don't know the machine, but it sure sounds interesting!

By babyface_finsta Fri Sep 17, 2004 2:24 pm
I have one... actually... I've been using the SP1200 since it was greyish/blue... get ready to go thru floppy disk hell, and covering/taping the hole on the hd floppies to make them double density disk... oh yeah... enjoy truncating those samples...

By renegadebliss Fri Sep 17, 2004 3:03 pm
Rob wrote:Maybe the 1200 has analog filters that also explains its unique sound? Don't know the machine, but it sure sounds interesting!


I'm pretty sure it does have analog filters, but that doesn't explain why the 4000 wouldn't
be able to caputure the sound of the sample after it has been proessed by SP1200.

I sample Analog gear all the time into my 4000. Maybe somebody needs to donate me
some nice monitors or something, but the 4000 seems to record the sample fairly accurately.

I don't have a SP1200, but I do have an Akai S-950. I'll have to try some 1 on 1 comparisons
of the s-950 against the MPC4000 that has sampled the S-950.

By babyface_finsta Fri Sep 17, 2004 3:30 pm
Analogue filters... hmmmm... I think you guys might be a little confused with the way the SP works... the SP has filters set per each individual output (Channel Assign along with a Decay/Tuning function)... Channel 1 is your low pass filter for Kicks... and Channel 2 is not as deep of a filter... and so on until you get to Channel 8... thats why the drums sounds so chunky and dirty... when you add the Dynamic Buttons to the mix... it makes the sound unique along with the fact that it's kinda difficult to trucate tight (very little attack and most chops have tails on them) and the sampler being 12 or 16bit (i forget the specs)... anyway, from that point, a lot of outboard compression and eq'ing is used when tracking and mixing with the SP... What I would suggest you do... is sync the MPC with the SP... use the Mpc for long samples and seq, and SP for that Thump (and tweak to likeg... or just mix the 2 together) ... Oh yeah... the swing on the SP is incredible... set it to 71% and program your double time (1/8 note triplets), your bpms will be anywhere around 170 - 20?... and you should have fun... the SP is great, because you have to be creative as shit... you can only sample 2 seconds at a time (10 seconds of total sounds loaded)... so thats why back in the day cats speed up there turn tables to get more sampling time ( and they did this with the Mirages, EPS, 950 etc etc etc... and chipmunk soul was born... )... to make a long story short... cop it... chop with it... and have fun... your beats will def sound a lot more unique than... anyone messing with any MPCs.... except may Primo... :D