New to the MPC production world? Got a music production question that's not really specific to any particular MPC? Try your luck here and get help from our experienced members.
By junior Fri Mar 11, 2011 2:41 pm
jsut a few questions before i get my mpc 100
1. can i plug a guitar into the back and sample 1-8 bars worth of music?
2. can i plug pretty much any 1 1/4" instrument into the back and sample?
3. can i record vocals in logic 9, chop it up, and bring it into the mpc and assign it to pads and tap out a beats?
4. can i record any instrument with logic and do the same?
5.can i produce an entire beat with the mpc and import it to logic, and it be ready to go for recording the vocals?
User avatar
By dabmeister Fri Mar 11, 2011 2:44 pm
Jr., where on earth can you find a mpc 100? :?

But to answer your question.....yes, you can do all of what you're asking on basically any mpc except for the model 100.
User avatar
By damien907 Wed Mar 23, 2011 4:06 am
you can also midi up your mpc to logic and use logic as the sound source if you were so inclined.
User avatar
By nogginj Wed Mar 23, 2011 8:38 pm
All of these require much more detail but per your request...
1. can i plug a guitar into the back and sample 1-8 bars worth of music?
2. can i plug pretty much any 1 1/4" instrument into the back and sample?
3. can i record vocals in logic 9, chop it up, and bring it into the mpc and assign it to pads and tap out a beats?
4. can i record any instrument with logic and do the same?
5.can i produce an entire beat with the mpc and import it to logic, and it be ready to go for recording the vocals?

no.
yes (ps. its 1/4").
yes.
yes.
yes.

details:
1. no. guitar is too quiet. you need a preamp or something similar. call this 'maybe', cause it might work (poorly).
2. yes. as long as it's 'line level' which is loud enough (see above).
3. yes. you'd have to export wavs with logic.
4. yes. why would any instrument be different than vocals? :\
5. yes. but you don't 'import' into logic...its recording software, so you have to record into it.
User avatar
By dabmeister Wed Mar 23, 2011 9:04 pm
These days you'll find a lot of guitars that do have built in pre's such as electric acoustics. These will send a line level signal hot enough that you don't need an amp.

My buddy plays one occasionally when he feels the need to strum out chords for us keyboardist every now & then. :)

Now as far as an all electric is concerned, using it without some sort of external pre...like nog said, you'll have a hard time getting a hot enough signal to make a dent in whatever you were trying to do in the first place.

You could also use an active direct box in place of a preamp. It's supposed to boost the signal of an electric guitar to levels appropriate for sampling.
By junior Sun Apr 10, 2011 3:29 pm
i dont play guitar and i really dont know anything about them as far as hookups and stuff. but when i asked my friend who plays guitar about line level and what not, he said that a pedal will do the same job as a preamp and it makes it significantly louder. is this true?
User avatar
By krush777 Mon Apr 11, 2011 3:39 am
nogginj wrote:not true.
depends on the pedal.


+1 And using a preamp will usually sound better and give you more tonal control.
By junior Mon Apr 11, 2011 12:52 pm
ok, and considering that i have a preamp or a guitar that gives off line level sound, how would i connect the guitar to the mpc, cause theres only one wire and two jacks (L and R). is there a setting on the mpc that makes the recording stereo out of either the L or R jack? or do i buy a splitter?
User avatar
By dabmeister Mon Apr 11, 2011 1:58 pm
junior wrote:ok, and considering that i have a preamp or a guitar that gives off line level sound, how would i connect the guitar to the mpc, cause theres only one wire and two jacks (L and R). is there a setting on the mpc that makes the recording stereo out of either the L or R jack? or do i buy a splitter?


If you ever notice on instruments & gear that deals with stereo connections, they'll give you the option of using it for monaural purposes as well.

This will come in the form of using the "Left" input or connection by default. Then comes the process of taking that recorded source and panning it within a mix, which is another whole ballgame that you'll learn as you go along.
User avatar
By nogginj Mon Apr 11, 2011 10:22 pm
yea but in the case of an mpc, it's not either particular jack...you select which jack to record from while sampling.

at least that's how it is on my xl.

if you missed it, you plug your guitar into either input then select which one to use while sampling.

read the manual already. ;p
By junior Tue Apr 12, 2011 2:35 am
ha, i would read the manual if i had one, ill be buying my mpc 1000 soon. im just trying to figure out if the machine will be able to do everything i need it to before i buy it
User avatar
By Jungleman Tue Apr 12, 2011 5:21 am
junior wrote:ha, i would read the manual if i had one, ill be buying my mpc 1000 soon. im just trying to figure out if the machine will be able to do everything i need it to before i buy it


Well, do you really know what you need? I certainly didn't, before I got my MPC. Thought I'd be able to sample some loops and hits, both real instruments and records, and sequence them, but didn't know much more.

Then I read the manual
http://www.akaipro.com/mpc1000
And I read the Beat Making on the MPC book
http://www.mpc-samples.com/product.php/ ... e-mpc1000/
And I read the Stan Steez manual, while on JJ OS1
viewtopic.php?f=25&t=76675
And I'm still reading the JJ OS XL manual
http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~mpc1000/os2xl/manual.htm
And I'm still learning every day.