Making music with a netbook?

Just buy an MPC 500. I bought mine for $350. About the same price as a netbook? If portability is the main factor, how could you overlook an actual portable MPC?

because for your money you're getting much, much more value out of a ul20a than you would an MPC500. sequencing, sampling, you name it.

"because for MORE OF your money you're getting much, much more THEORETICAL value out of a ul20a than you would an MPC500. CRAPPY sequencing, CRAPPY sampling, UNRELIABLE you name it. AND YOU THEN NEED A $100+ SOUNDCARD"

;]

not trying to attack you, i respect that opinion, but i think with a little thought it aint that easy.

seriously...the laptop/netbook mentioned is way more money than an MPC 500, not designed to anything the MPC does, you'd still need more hardware to make it run, so I think saying it's 'much more value' is a bit off.

netbook vs mpc500 is a very tough call, but as far as reliability and out-of-the-box functionality, the mpc wins every time.

Plus I've walked the 'oh I'll use an old computer and enjoy the limitations' route, and it aint half as fun as vintage gear. you just get sick of waiting for things to load, then get pissed off when things crash. A computer is rarely about 'limitations' because you can always push it and push it until it explodes in your face.

no attack, don't sweat it i don't take this place serious (how could i? listen to some of these cats!!)

"it ain't that easy" <- agreed. but it shouldn't be. this isn't paint by numbers!

way more money? yo ul20as retailin for 530 usd like i got mine? mpc500s goin for what...someone said 350 (i think that's a rare and lucky deal and probably not the standard).

the value is not theoretical. DAW software costs a can of beans but anybody serious these days is gonna get one anyway...reaper is 40 dollars right now? done. drumsampler? plenty of bangin drum samplers that do the job (better than higher end mpc models, even).

sequencing (edit, this whole paragraph depends on the music dude's making. if it's like...monophonic pgm chopped sample boom bap, this probably doesn't apply, but if we're doing ANY midi module sequencing here, read this) - any daw's sequencing is gonna beat a 2 line step mpc500 step edit with no competition unless you're the type of dude who likes to turn off all the lights and doodle in the dark. editing any type of drum track's gotta be a PITA on the 500 unless you're using diff. tracks for each drum sound, which is unfortunate. the depth of detail in a DAW sequencer is going to clobber a 500 anyday - and i say this with zero love for DAW MIDI sequencing, as it's obnoxious compared to mpc1000 jjo2xl. i'd say the same thing comparing sequencing on an SPx0x compared to DAW - daw's gonna give you more control and options. more room to grow.

out of the box functionality, mpc wins. yes. but out of the box functionality is overrated. better to know how to build your own workflow and kick some ASS rather than rely on someone else (especially wack ass akai bankrolled developers) to make sure you can work out of the box.

waiting for things to load? i don't think that applies in 2011. my DAW and my ul20a load shit way faster than my 1k loads project folders. MPCs are snails, yo. very weak CPUs they have in there. not bashing, but a spade is a spade.

extra hardware - true, but again it's a necessary step somewhere along the lines in a "serious" instrumentalist's history of purchases. go on ebay and scope out an old m-audio quattro. recording quality's dandy, got a nice midi in/out, and the latency's good enough to run a live show off of. you can scoop them up for real cheap these days, too. gonna also need a midi controller of some sort, too.

cost of ul20a w/ all the extras? gonna add up to around the 650 range if you're frugal. yes, that's about the price of a 1k, but you're gonna want all this sh!t anyway at some point

mpc500's great for some stuff but seems real easy to outgrow quick as soon as your needs go beyond boom bap. this is of course with ZERO hurt intended to the people who are making awesome beats on their 500s.

edit - just more and more to say - reliability. these are akai mpcs we're talkin about...history of pretty hairy bugs we've got on our shoulders usin these machines. lotta daws these days only really crash when you've got a funky vst causing trouble. i wouldn't say my daw setup is any less stable than the mpcs i've used.

*blah blah im too wordy*

i think you got good points but just saying, from experience, a computers bigger numbers and supposed power isn't always what you expect or what works. 'a spade is a spade'...my desktop from 2000 has a better cpu, etc than my mpc but that doesnt make me use it. less is more sometimes, dig?

wait, $550 is not a netbook I dont think... that would be a laptop no? I thought netbooks were in the 150-350 range.... maybe there are high end ones these days?

yeah, the lines are blurring between netbooks and notebooks

I have one of the very first netbooks, which is unambiguously a netbook - I know this because it's so weak and feeble!

Pastor-of-Muppets wrote:yeah, the lines are blurring between netbooks and notebooks

I have one of the very first netbooks, which is unambiguously a netbook - I know this because it's so weak and feeble!

yeah, youtube... the forums, and online poker. maybe some emulators for the nintendo.

mr_debauch wrote:wait, $550 is not a netbook I dont think... that would be a laptop no? I thought netbooks were in the 150-350 range.... maybe there are high end ones these days?

I got a friend who built a 13" laptop that kills, of course he spent like 1500 or so on it. it is seriously just as powerful as anything, probably better cause of what he put in it.

I dont think small, powerful, portable is the problem. its the price that is.