2k, 3K Boards vs the 4K board

Lately i have been going back and forth to the 2K and 3K forums in search of tips and tricks making the music. The 4K board tips aren`t coming like before. Maybe I feel that the other users 2K and 3K have more experience making the music to share the tips. I feel that the 4k is the same as the others just a few more additions and features (full sampler), but at first I was reading too much into the technical side and not really understanding the process of making great beats. Whether it is a MPC 60 or a 1k , and S950 or a Z8 the beat making process should be the same. The advances of each machine making the processing easier and more convenient. But the real problem isn`t really the techincal parts of the 4K sometimes it is not knowing the process of making the music using the machines. Case in point, simi play since the MPC 60 this feature is very useful for creating the structure of a song in real time while the MPC60 is playing. For example, while the sequence containing the1st verse is playing, you could enter the sequence number contain the chorus, which will starting playing once the verse sequence is finished. Then, you might enter the sequence number containing the second verse, which will start playing once the chorus sequence has finished. This process may be continued infinitely. With the bigger screen and dedicated buttons on the 4k similar to the 3K the process is easier than before. I feel that these 60, 3K, 2k, and 950 thru S6000 veterans can teach the 4k users alot about the process of making music without all the drama of technical issues. It seems alot about lack of experience on the process of making music than bugs on the akai 4k on this forum as of late. On this forum music first and the tools are just part of the process not just the whole process. Last case in point, about the filter settings in the program The upper section the Freq (frequency) field:
This is the cutoff frequency of the lowpass filter specified as an
arbitrary value from 0 (about 70 Hz) to 100 (filter completely out). For LFOs DEPTH: This sets the amount of LFO sweep. 0 = no effect with modulation depth
increasing with higher numeric values. With any value higher than 1, the LFO
effect will be n permanent part of the sound.
RATE: This sets the speed of the LFO pitch sweep. 0 = very slow and the LFO
rate gets faster as you increase the settings (note: the ranges of 30-45 are
recommended for typical vibrato effects).
DELAY: ,This sets the time it takes for the LFO to fade in with its effect.
This is particularly useful for natural vibrato effects if yuu are not able
to use the modulation wheel.
DESYNC: There are no less than 8 LFO's in the S950, one for each voice. When
DESYNC Is ON, these LFO's run slightly out of phase with each other allowing
you to create more natural ensemble vibrato effects. With DESYNC OFF, the
LFO's are phase locked and so produce LFO effects more like those found on
synthesizers that normally only have one LFO to affect all voices.
DESYNC is switched on or off using the ON and OFF buttons.
The next page, Page 14, is also to do with the LFO and looks like this:
>14 LFO DEPTH #Aftertouch *Mod wheel
IKG# 0 50
where # is the current keygroup selection.
This page allows you to add vibrato and other LFO effects over and above
those set in the DEPTH field on Page 13 using aftertouch (if your keyboard
generates it, of course) and/or the modulation wheel. The display shown is
the default and so will not require much, if any editing. As you would
assume, higher values on either of these parameters increases the amount of
effect either aftertouch or the mod wheel will have on the introduction of
LFO effects.
The next page allows you to control tone over the keyboard range as well as
turn the keyboard off and looks like this:
>15 *Key-filter ;Const pitch *One-shot
*KG# 50 OFF OFF
where, once again, # !s the current keygroup selection.
KEY-FILTER is similar to the 'keyboard track' control available on every
analogue synthesizer and this allows you to vary the tonal balance across the
keyboard. This can be useful when using certain samples that 'screech' in the
upper reaches of their range or samples that are noisy when played a few
octaves down. By setting a higher key-filter setting, the sound will get
mellower further up the keyboard. A setting of 00 has no effect on the sound.
The default is 50 and can usually be left.The main thing is to tune your ear to the sound you want their really isn`t a set valve to use. Also the mastering process adds polish to the music. Lets get back to the music making process of making beats. More music making tips. It`s the man or woman using the tools to get the job done that counts.

Beatmaking on the MPC 2k is a start.

i own a mpc2000xl.

Ive been browsing the 4000 forums. And i agree. Just technical info. Im actually considering a trade up; but it is still debateable for me.

I would like all the features of the mpc4000, like the filters, multis, usb, cd,etc.

But then i am for some reason reluctant to take the plunge. If i do.......i plan on keeping both machines until i feel comfortable with the switch as i dont want to stop the beat make process.

from a 2xl stand point, the 4000 looks as if all its bells and whistles would hinder the process at least from the start.

But i guess my point is.......its not the machine. All my best beats are done on the 2xl alone....and i have lots of gear......my best beats use only the mpc.

I try to use my ears, not my brain

As a user of both the 2K and the 4K, I would agree with the general consensus here: The music is the most important thing. My recommendation if you've been using the 2K is to get to the point where you know all of the 2K's functions on the 4K before you mess with the additional functions offered on the 4K. This will ensure that your musical process is hindered for a VERY short time only. The 4K is basically the same beast; things are just in different places sometimes. If you fully understand the functionality of the 2K, transferring this understanding to the 4K is a piece of cake. Then the real rewards of using the 4K become yours, in time.

My 2 cents.

Small tip for those working with the zone filters/start/ tune sections with big monitors try tweaking through headphones first to the get a feel for the sound you want and by using the ext parameters in qlink set the filter to ext note 1 to add a timed modulation as the filter plays another with your sequence. The EXT note is similar to using the MFC Filter Module to those users familiar with the 2XL Studio verison. The 4K that alot of separate gear setup from the previous MPCs, S950-3K, S6000 setup and combine them into one. So a hell of alot of tips from these boards can be applied to the 4k.