Post your questions, opinions and reviews of the MPC1000. This forum is for discussion of the OFFICIAL Akai OS (2.1). If you wish to discuss the JJ OS, please use the dedicated JJ OS forum
By Cashby Thu Jun 16, 2011 11:17 pm
Hey guys,

Recently I've been really interested in copping an MPC1000. The 1000 is my favorite MP next to the 3000 and I really have been wanting to cop one for a long time. I've used one before at Guitar Center for awhile and I have my head wrapped around it on a basic level, but I'm really, really fluent with Maschine. I know Maschine completely inside and out.

But, more recently I've really gotten into Reason. And Reason can be used as a sound module with the MP1000 (in fact, that would be my main sound module, if not only because I don't have any outboard synths yet) But it seems as if an MPC1000 with JJ OS and maxed out 128 card, with Reason as a sound module would be just as capable and powerful a creation tool as the Maschine with VST's..but without the crashes, the Maschine update bugs, etc etc etc. The MPC and Reason are both truely tested pieces of creation that are incapabale of crashes and completely trustworthy.

So I ask your opinion..should I invest in an MPC1000 and use it with Reason, the all in one DAW VST program? Or just keep Maschine? The MPC really inspires me. I like feeling the history of the drum machine behind it when I'm using it. I know both get the job done, but I'm just asking what I would lose with the transition.
By dtaa pla muk Fri Jun 17, 2011 2:15 am
pick a setup and go with it.

anything+vstis > the mpc standalone unless you are a 100% sample collage artist.
mpc + daw with vstis > anything else i have experienced if you are a sample collage artist with some compositional inclinations.
By Cashby Fri Jun 17, 2011 2:19 am
Let's say I wanted to use the MPC with Reason..could I rewire Reason into a DAW, but still be able to send MIDI to the MPC from Reason? Or would that not work? Because that would be a pretty much end all workflow set up right there.
By goldslum Fri Jun 17, 2011 4:26 am
save up and keep them both and then make the decision. you'll wanna go back to maschine/vsts for whatever reason in some degree. and vise versa. i'm never selling an mpc again... but i'm sure as hell saving up for a maschine. it's great for the computer world. mpc is just great in general.
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By konc3pt Fri Jun 17, 2011 1:01 pm
last weekend I traded maschine and mpc1000 for mpc 2500 after owning maschine for almost 2yrs...mpc plus any daw will do just as maschine by itself. it is bit redundant to own both, but if you can have both by any means go for it.
maschine comes with nice sound library.

Cashby wrote:Let's say I wanted to use the MPC with Reason..could I rewire Reason into a DAW, but still be able to send MIDI to the MPC from Reason? Or would that not work? Because that would be a pretty much end all workflow set up right there.


you can most certainly do that but in such configuration daw is your middle man...meaning either mpc is your master, daw and reason as slaves or daw is the master while mpc and reason are slaves...I dont see a reason why you would want to send midi signal from reason to mpc while rewired in daw thou..cuz daw takes care of syncing both when set as master, same goes for mpc but in either scenario you would be able to trigger sounds in both daw or reason.
By goldslum Fri Jun 17, 2011 5:32 pm
i don't own maschine yet.. i agree mpc can do pretty much everything maschine can... but i think the point of maschine is the computer integration and how easy it makes having an mpc-style hardware right in your daw. drag and drop midi patterns and audio (sync'd).. multi channels going in to your daw from maschine... mofos on here talk about playing mpc patterns in to your daw one track at a time (because we can't afford expensive audio interfaces).. i mean you guys are not wrong for saying the mpc can ultimately accomplish this stuff somehow... but honestly you're just in denial if you don't agree maschine has the mpc beat in that convenience department. creativity is important to move fast with. maschine trumps mpc (if you ultimately use a daw), but mpc is still an mpc, and a maschine is not. if you travel to different places all the time and need to set up your studio on the go.. you have clients sitting around waiting to hear some stuff... no one is gunna wanna wait for you to configure your midi, load up sounds and programs and search for crap, etc. you'll look as stone age as your mpc. maschine is instant mpc-goodness for your laptop. it's just a convenient mpc for the computer. am i wrong? even for live shows... you can use maschine stand-alone with vsts, have an entire set of hours of material ready to roll. you can't do this with an mpc. and who really wants to set up midi and hardware/computer stuff for every show every night? why you guys wanna make it so hard on yourself? accept the maschine. haha. love the maschine......

you can also shoot off patterns with one touch of a pad. switch right over and start note repeating a whole nother program.. oh yeah i'm really biting at the nails to figure out how i could possibly get an mpc to emulate all the convenience of a maschine. don't you guys get to a point where you say ok i've learned enough geek stuff i think it'd be more beneficially to simply make music.
Last edited by goldslum on Fri Jun 17, 2011 5:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
By goldslum Fri Jun 17, 2011 5:51 pm
and don't make it such an ultimatum. either way you go you'll miss something about either thing. i've got a 1k and i will never sell it. but it'll compliment the maschine nice. i atleast keep the mpc around because its fun as h3ll and i'm quick like a gun slinger with it. maybe even build drums and samples on the mpc and you can load the .pgm on to maschine.
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By konc3pt Fri Jun 17, 2011 6:06 pm
goldslum wrote:i don't own maschine yet.. i agree mpc can do pretty much everything maschine can... but i think the point of maschine is the computer integration and how easy it makes having an mpc-style hardware right in your daw. drag and drop midi patterns and audio (sync'd).. multi channels going in to your daw from maschine... mofos on here talk about playing mpc patterns in to your daw one track at a time (because we can't afford expensive audio interfaces).. i mean you guys are not wrong for saying the mpc can ultimately accomplish this stuff somehow... but honestly you're just in denial if you don't agree maschine has the mpc beat in that convenience department. creativity is important to move fast with. maschine trumps mpc (if you ultimately use a daw), but mpc is still an mpc, and a maschine is not. if you travel to different places all the time and need to set up your studio on the go.. you have clients sitting around waiting to hear some stuff... no one is gunna wanna wait for you to configure your midi, load up sounds and programs and search for crap, etc. you'll look as stone age as your mpc. maschine is instant mpc-goodness for your laptop. it's just a convenient mpc for the computer. am i wrong? even for live shows... you can use maschine stand-alone with vsts, have an entire set of hours of material ready to roll. you can't do this with an mpc. and who really wants to set up midi and hardware/computer stuff for every show every night? why you guys wanna make it so hard on yourself? accept the maschine. haha. love the maschine......


not sure if you realize you comparing maschine which is a DAW and a controller to just MPC...sure they set it up for you right out the box so all you gotta do is unpack, install and start using...but most cats on here got their rigs already configured to do what they want them to. tracking out one channel at the time because people cant afford expensive interfaces ? Yet they can afford equally expensive maschine ? maschine is sure great piece of kit but it sure dont feel like mpc, feels better than most of the controllers I've tried thou. in what scenario do you have clients sitting around waiting for some stuff ? wouldnt you present your client with a beat already made instead of firing up every piece of equipment to show him how it all works? bit confused here..if you in your studio im assuming everything should be configured already and ready to go ? if you in a commercial studio you got your source files with you on some type of media storage device, thumdrive, cd or hard disk, no ? mpc is instant goodnes for your laptop, I agree. but wouldnt mpd32 with ableton preset already in from the factory and with live running do the same thing ? you can use mpc standalone or with daw such as reaper or live in which you can also hosts vsts. entire set of material ready to roll, well this can be done either way depending how orgranized you are, but maschine does make this probably more convenient. who wants to set up midi and hardware/computer stuff for every show every night? I dunno, who has been doing it to begin with ? and if they did it, probably means it is possible just more cubersome. but again I dont see this as really determining factor to buy the maschine. not to knock down maschine it's cool piece of hardware and software. but it's just a midi controller with software already setup. if you cant take the time to setup your gear properly first time then maybe you shouldnt be messing with mpc and other gear to begin with. or maybe it just got old for you whatever it is.

almost forgot latency, dont be suprised to encounter that once you have good number of virutal tracks going...I think I had about 13 or 15 virutal tracks in live when I started noticing huge latency problem. I mean delay from the time when I hit the pad to when it actually played it was BiG, definately not good looks for a live set...unless everybody is stonned out their mind and need a minute to catch up in this case this probably least noticeable.

so prepare to dish out for super expensive computer to be able to hang with your allin one maschine production and even then Im not sure if it would totally take care of the latency issue.

with mpc I've never noticed any latency when synced up to live regardless how many tracks I was running simultaneously..just saying...they're all music production tools and what's on paper doesnt always work out in real world situations. and product endorsments dont really tell you that
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By mr_debauch Fri Jun 17, 2011 8:07 pm
Nym wrote:i haven't used maschine and i'm curious as to how anything could be easier than 2x 16 channels of incoming midi from my MPC into my DAW.


cause as mentioned above... some people are either too lazy or dont know how to set that up so they buy maschine where they set the controls up for you. At least this is the reasoning I always hear people say when promoting the maschine. they also claim you can turn the computer monitor off while using it... which why I would want to do that with my dual 23 inch screens is beyond me.
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By TYPO Fri Jun 17, 2011 8:18 pm
Nym wrote:i haven't used maschine and i'm curious as to how anything could be easier than 2x 16 channels of incoming midi from my MPC into my DAW.


This has really confused me.Is Maschine midi learn?Pre set channels?What is better than 32 ready to be controlled midi channels?Obvious no hardware in this set up.
By Cashby Fri Jun 17, 2011 11:41 pm
If you have any questions about Maschine if you're looking into it, feel free to ask me I've learned it inside and out..literally.

NI advertises the Maschine to feel like the MPC, calling it an MPC-killer..and while certain functions are faster done, and more intuitive than certain actions of those of the MPC, i.e. changing the pitch of samples and volumes immediately which isn't difficult anyway..both ways of working are quick if you just know your workstation well, so that whole "Maschine is quicker" arguement is sort of invalid. Though all the real-time workflow features are really nice.

The MPC is irreplaceable by a Midi Controller. I've used all sorts of midi controllers but none emulate the feeling of sitting down at an MP, putting on some headphones and banging out on an INSTRUMENT..not a controller. The MPC feels like an instrument, not a computer. And that is important while making music.

The Maschine is basically, like somebody said, a controller with a software (which I might add, is decent, but is still in it's developing stages and 1.6 is only a BETA..and it has a LONG way to go..) designed to it, and vice-versa. An MPD and Ableton achieves 10x more, but is more overwhelming creatively than the Maschine. However, the problem with the Maschine is that it is kind of creatively underwhelming..

I'm probably going to buy an MPC1000 on craigslist with 128 memory and new pads for $600 and download the JJOS afterwards..I still have an APC to sell and I might just sell Maschine and keep the library. The library that comes with it is amazing.
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By Metatron72 Sat Jun 18, 2011 3:40 am
konc3pt wrote:last weekend I traded maschine and mpc1000 for mpc 2500 after owning maschine for almost 2yrs...mpc plus any daw will do just as maschine by itself. it is bit redundant to own both, but if you can have both by any means go for it.
maschine comes with nice sound library.

Cashby wrote:Let's say I wanted to use the MPC with Reason..could I rewire Reason into a DAW, but still be able to send MIDI to the MPC from Reason? Or would that not work? Because that would be a pretty much end all workflow set up right there.


you can most certainly do that but in such configuration daw is your middle man...meaning either mpc is your master, daw and reason as slaves or daw is the master while mpc and reason are slaves...I dont see a reason why you would want to send midi signal from reason to mpc while rewired in daw thou..cuz daw takes care of syncing both when set as master, same goes for mpc but in either scenario you would be able to trigger sounds in both daw or reason.


The setup konc3pt is describing is actually the only way that could work. Reason on it's own does not send MIDI out, ReWire through a DAW is the only way.

On a side note, konc3pt you mentioned your interface/latency issues with Maschine. I've lurked on this forum for a while and I see similar statements from members all the time. What kind of interfaces are guys on here using? I say that because every computer I've had for the last 6 years, combined with relatively inexpensive interfaces ($99-$350) have never done worse than 128 samples/3.6ms latency. I used to even get 88 samples/2.7ms with a $25 SoundBlaster coupled with the ASIO4All driver on a single core pc. Obviously I have no means to measure it but I'd bet an MPC's latency (it does exist even if you don't perceive it) is in the range of 1.5-2.0ms. 1.6ms is not a huge difference. Also are guys on this forum (PC users) properly tweaking their computers for low latency audio? You don't have to do as much as in the XP days but the lower the amount of services in Task Manager the more you can maximize the efficiency of you ASIO stream. Also there's still some wifi adapters that will interfere with ASIO, although it's not as bad as it used to be.

Cashby as far as your decision goes you win with either of these setups. I'm a terrible gear whore so I'm guilty of the redundancy that konc3pt mentioned, but I do own all of things you're considering. The stability of Reason you mentioned is a wonderful thing, I've never had it crash or freeze in 6 and a half years. Take something like Live (which I love) that crashes literally every 3rd time you use it, and you appreciate Reason all the more. Like someone mentioned already, maybe you should keep Maschine while getting accustomed to a 1000 and decide later. It's by no means necessary for me to have Maschine and the MPC(s) sitting next to each other, but it's really nice to have the option depending on time constraints or mood.

When you get the 1000 Cashby be sure to get a set of the Fat Pads from MPCstuff. I put them in last week and the triggering and sensitivity is now on par with my 2000XL.