Anyone do their entire mix inside the MPC?

sucks for whoever has to mix it or not really mix it because its 2 tracked.

well this track is all MPC... sure it isn't the same as some of my computer based stuff... but that was the main point of doing it all in the box. There is even a part where the snare hits a bunch of times and there is some phasing glitch but I kept it because sometimes those little imperfections add something.

I dunno, but this one didn't have too much going on in the realm of mixing and overproduction... it is very simple.

mr_debauch wrote:well this track is all MPC... sure it isn't the same as some of my computer based stuff... but that was the main point of doing it all in the box. There is even a part where the snare hits a bunch of times and there is some phasing glitch but I kept it because sometimes those little imperfections add something.

I dunno, but this one didn't have too much going on in the realm of mixing and overproduction... it is very simple.

Sounds good...basically ready for an emcee. I gotta ask you this though....if a engineer wanted all tracks to mix this how easy would it be to get them to him? This one one of the reasons I like tracking to DAW because when you need to work within the project later...everything is ready, just have to open up your DAW.


Also to the guys who prefer to mix in the MPC you guys can always track to DAW without any processing and get the same sound....and if the need arises later to process an element of the project everything is already in the DAW.

in 15 minutes I could pop that through the 8 outs of the classic into (for example's sake) audacity and have that exported as 8 separate waves... lets see.. you got the snare, kick, crash, hat, choir samples, orchestral samples, and a few other things that I cant remember at the moment so it is about 8 different things. (and this would be tracked in via the motu)

or the alternative is to use the wave file (two track) I have on my computer already that I used to upload onto soundcloud.

lastly which I forgot to mention is... you could track it out one thing at a time via the stereo outputs so you wind up with 8 stereo tracks.

ultra auris wrote:sucks for whoever has to mix it or not really mix it because its 2 tracked.

You're assuming its not mixed properly in the box, which despite what anyone says can be done

Upright wrote: Also to the guys who prefer to mix in the MPC you guys can always track to DAW without any processing and get the same sound....and if the need arises later to process an element of the project everything is already in the DAW.

The Point is to stay away from the DAW as long as possible for me, I get distracted at the computer. That will probably change once I get this Studio Live from Presonus, but clicking a mouse for extended periods becomes a pain in the ass for me and I lose focus

^^^^

I agree about the whole concept of trying to stay away from the computer as long as possible. When I'm using my MPC I'm having fun. I get lost in it. It's like it's my favorite toy. Then I get to the computer part and I'm like ugghh, and everything s l o w s d o w n.

mr_debauch, I see what you mean by getting it down quick with the 8 outs. That is definitely a good route to take. If I had an interface that had more outs I would consider this, but currently I have a Duet 2, and am at a max of two channels though. A lot of times I have stuff that contains more than eight elements to it. I guess my whole take on this is that I really want to see how well I can get it all down ITB, and hopefully improve my over all current in making music.

i read an article on araabMUZIK where he was saying he mixed and mastered his beats all in the MPC. he said he don't use pro tools, logic, etc...

i was wondering how he did that, had to put some thought into it. he is just putting his finished beat in song mode, then resampling in back into 2500. you got the effects in the 2500, plus the master effects (Compression & EQ). when you resample the whole beat back into the 2500, you get a high quality 16 bit 44.1 .wav file. you can plug your 2500 into your computer via usb, then just drag and drop the .wav beat onto it. i tried this method. when you resample the beat back into the 2500 you can set the monitor to on or off. i did it both ways. with the monitor off the highs are a little brighter, with it on the highs are a little less. i also did it without messing around with the master effects.

so you can do a beat in the 2500, and resample it back in, then just drag and drop the .wav onto your computer. whole beats mixed and mastered in the 2500. it does sound good doing it this way. the beat def bangs. i gotta mess around with the master effects next. with some practice you can get some bangn mixes.

this is good if your in a studio and bang a beat out on the 2500 and an mc just wants a stereo mix of it on the spot.

here's the article if you want to check it out...
http://hiphopgame.ihiphop.com/index2.ph ... araabmuzik

If you’re making 11 beats a day, does the quality ever get compromised for quantity?

"Nah, never. Every beat is pretty much always just like the last one, crazy. Every beat is always just crazy with different sounds and different melodies and different tempos. The quality of my beats, I have the ear for EQing and just messing around with the mixes and stuff like that. Everything I do is on the MPC. I don’t mix down on a Pro Tools or on any other program like other people do. Everything is all done on the MP and exported out. That’s why a lot of people always ask me why do my beats always bang and sound the way they do? That’s because I know how to mix and I have the ear for all of that. I’ve been doing it for awhile and a lot of people always want to try and have that same sound that I do but you can’t. It’s the way I EQ the beats. I do it a certain way. It’s not just levels. It’s a lot of numbers I put into the machine to make it sound the way they do. It’s like the ingredients to make a Big Mac. A lot of people want to know but they can’t know about the secret sauce. They can’t tell you."

Cicatrix wrote:^^^^

I agree about the whole concept of trying to stay away from the computer as long as possible. When I'm using my MPC I'm having fun. I get lost in it. It's like it's my favorite toy. Then I get to the computer part and I'm like ugghh, and everything s l o w s d o w n.

mr_debauch, I see what you mean by getting it down quick with the 8 outs. That is definitely a good route to take. If I had an interface that had more outs I would consider this, but currently I have a Duet 2, and am at a max of two channels though. A lot of times I have stuff that contains more than eight elements to it. I guess my whole take on this is that I really want to see how well I can get it all down ITB, and hopefully improve my over all current in making music.

track mutes are your friend.. mute everything except for track one.. two track the song out into the duet... then mute that and unmute track 2... then 3, then 4... etc... you already have a great interface... so tracking out individual tracks is still an option. 8 outs is great for lazyness and quickness but not mandatory to get the job done.

use midi beat clock and solo's for the tracks. even easier if you want to track it out.

that's how i do it when i track out to pro tools.

mr_debauch wrote:track mutes are your friend..

I rarely use song mode and multiple sequences, I just track mute the hell outta everything, gives you flexibility to come up with different drops, layers, and possible bridges I may have missed.

not to mention when working with an MC on the project it gives you the option to place each section where it needs to be to suit the vocals.. good tip ark.

song mode with midi beat clock, track solo's and pro tools is where it's at.

that way you have all your sounds separated, you can work in the grid mode to change the arrangement for an mc and you can fly other sounds in, if needed for extra layers, intros, hooks, etc...

i do like this method of making and mixing the beat in the mpc 2500 tho. it's simple and the quality bangs. def good for a quick fix.

Does taking all the outs into a mixer, adding outboard fx & synths - then recording the results back into the MPC still count as mixing inside the MPC.

It seems to work better like that than using a DAW. Its like your hands are still on the music rather than on a mouse. You kind of feel the music this way, once in a DAW you begin to think the music & it becomes a bit procrastinated.

One thing I use the DAW for is to use a brickwall limiter & stereo eq on the imported MPC mixdown. If I had an outboard boxes for that then the computer would be used just to make a CD.

I kind of like the sound of the mixed track when recorded by the MPC than recording the mixer into the DAW. Probably there's no noticeable sonic difference, but it comes with an added feeling of achievement.

nod records wrote:i read an article on araabMUZIK where he was saying he mixed and mastered his beats all in the MPC. he said he don't use pro tools, logic, etc...

i was wondering how he did that, had to put some thought into it. he is just putting his finished beat in song mode, then resampling in back into 2500. you got the effects in the 2500, plus the master effects (Compression & EQ). when you resample the whole beat back into the 2500, you get a high quality 16 bit 44.1 .wav file. you can plug your 2500 into your computer via usb, then just drag and drop the .wav beat onto it. i tried this method. when you resample the beat back into the 2500 you can set the monitor to on or off. i did it both ways. with the monitor off the highs are a little brighter, with it on the highs are a little less. i also did it without messing around with the master effects.

so you can do a beat in the 2500, and resample it back in, then just drag and drop the .wav onto your computer. whole beats mixed and mastered in the 2500. it does sound good doing it this way. the beat def bangs. i gotta mess around with the master effects next. with some practice you can get some bangn mixes.

this is good if your in a studio and bang a beat out on the 2500 and an mc just wants a stereo mix of it on the spot.

here's the article if you want to check it out...
http://hiphopgame.ihiphop.com/index2.ph ... araabmuzik

If you’re making 11 beats a day, does the quality ever get compromised for quantity?

"Nah, never. Every beat is pretty much always just like the last one, crazy. Every beat is always just crazy with different sounds and different melodies and different tempos. The quality of my beats, I have the ear for EQing and just messing around with the mixes and stuff like that. Everything I do is on the MPC. I don’t mix down on a Pro Tools or on any other program like other people do. Everything is all done on the MP and exported out. That’s why a lot of people always ask me why do my beats always bang and sound the way they do? That’s because I know how to mix and I have the ear for all of that. I’ve been doing it for awhile and a lot of people always want to try and have that same sound that I do but you can’t. It’s the way I EQ the beats. I do it a certain way. It’s not just levels. It’s a lot of numbers I put into the machine to make it sound the way they do. It’s like the ingredients to make a Big Mac. A lot of people want to know but they can’t know about the secret sauce. They can’t tell you."

Thanks for taking the time to post this. Never really thought about resampling the whole beat in the MPC, and then just dropping it in the lappy USB. I think that is definitely a great route to go about getting beats done. I know what you mean about having a certain sound with how one may choose to go about composing their stuff.
I have been doing the one stereo track tracking out method, and the resampling method you brought up for a few beats now, and I can say the whole process feels more organic to me which I really like.

LZ Roberts wrote:Does taking all the outs into a mixer, adding outboard fx & synths - then recording the results back into the MPC still count as mixing inside the MPC.

It seems to work better like that than using a DAW. Its like your hands are still on the music rather than on a mouse. You kind of feel the music this way, once in a DAW you begin to think the music & it becomes a bit procrastinated.

One thing I use the DAW for is to use a brickwall limiter & stereo eq on the imported MPC mixdown. If I had an outboard boxes for that then the computer would be used just to make a CD.

I kind of like the sound of the mixed track when recorded by the MPC than recording the mixer into the DAW. Probably there's no noticeable sonic difference, but it comes with an added feeling of achievement.

Not really mixing in the box cause you're mixing with a mixer, but I that's still effective way. Everyone has there own way or quarks about doing it, I never judge or care how others do it unless I'm not happy with something and want to learn a new aspect