whats the point in buying an audio interface if he doesn't even know how to use any of the gear?
if anything, the only thing you'd really need are headphones (or speakers). plug em into your computer, figure out logic and how to hook up the midi controller and produce sounds with logic. plug the headphones into your mpc, figure out how to use the mpc. once you get past the basics, then start worrying about purchasing more gear.
yes, folks are right, eventually you will need an audio interface.....but immediately? i'd say no, unless you're a rapper and want to record vocals and learn that right away, or you are already banging out beats and want to take them to the next level.
as beach mentioned, with the mpc, you don't need one, there are ways to not need interface. with logic, everything is inside the computer/daw so you'd only need an interface if you are recording vocals or gear that can't be transfered digitally.
1.you have enough to get started.
2. you may not like any of it so don't waste time investing money until you know more.
3.read the manual, scour youtube for tutorials. get the basics of things first. learn what you already have.
this is just my 2 cents....not trying to be too blunt about it all, but believe me, you got more than alot of folks do! and alot of those folks make some banging shit with less.
plus, until you know what you have and how to use it, there is no sense in dropping any money; you might change your mind, change your direction, or whatever.....plus the more you know about your gear, how to use it, the easier it will be later to choose a quality audio interface.
why did your friend get rid of his gear???
is he a good resource to learn from? ask your friend alot of questions, he might have enough knowledge to really get you banging out some beats. Focus on learning, and dont give up!
okay: not to make this post huge.....but here is where i would start:
you already have some good gear so decide what your focus is and where you want to start learning. do you wan't to make beats? or are you a vocalist who wants to record vocals and make beats second? or a musician who wants to play ontop of some beats?
read that tweakheadz link given above. learn terminology and what things are for, this will help you put the whole picture together of what you need to do.
If making beats is your primary focus, I'd start by learning about the mpc and decide if you like it. there is plenty of knowledge in this forum and on youtube. focus on that. if eventually you'd like to use logic to make beats, or incorporate both into your setup...learning from scratch on the mpc first I think will have a more rewarding impact on your beats. once you get a solid grasp on that, then id move onto the other gear.
if you want to focus on recording vocals and dabble with beats....i'd start with logic and focus on topics like "recording, mixing with logic pro".
regardless of style of music, you always gonna need some banging drums, and some tutorials to get you started.check out mpc-samples.com for some good mpc tutorials and drum sounds. search the web for free drum kits to put into your mpc.
search for obvious terms like "recording rap vocals logic pro" or "making beats mpc2500". hang around this forum, search and read alot, and don't be afraid to ask stupid questions!
some useful sites:
futureproducers.com
gearslutz.com
http://tweakheadz.com/mpc-samples.com
http://studio-central.com/phpbb/index.phphttp://www.youtube.com/user/supreme7ghttp://www.youtube.com/user/BlackTuezdaypm me i can hook you up with some drums.
peace