1000, 2000xl, 2500

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Re: 1000, 2000xl, 2500

By Minamoto Wed Dec 07, 2011 6:39 pm
Damn, totally forgot the 2500 has 4 MIDI outs and the 8 indies... That's pretty much a deal breaker as far as I'm concerned.

It seems that getting the 2500 is like coppin a 3k, but less awesome, haha.

Also, I had an idea I wanted to run by you guys.

If I found a 3k (that a friend had or something) and did some crucial EQ analysis, do you think I could run a 2500 through an outboard EQ (that was "matched" to the 3k's output) to get the same general sound? I know I wouldn't be able to get the same sound of the AD/DA, but I could get the emphases that the 3k puts on its outs?

Just an idea.
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Re: 1000, 2000xl, 2500

By b.read Wed Dec 07, 2011 6:44 pm
Sure you could...


I don't know about "matching" it exactly, but regardless, most people aren't going to know (or care) that it was made on a 2500 and not a 3000. You know?
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Re: 1000, 2000xl, 2500

By konc3pt Wed Dec 07, 2011 6:45 pm
Minamoto wrote:do you think I could run a 2500 through an outboard EQ (that was "matched" to the 3k's output) to get the same general sound?


there is comparison floatn' somewhere around and hardly anybody got it right...but you can get a 3000 rack if you this concerned...
Last edited by konc3pt on Wed Dec 07, 2011 6:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 1000, 2000xl, 2500

By Funkydrops Wed Dec 07, 2011 6:47 pm
Minamoto wrote:If I found a 3k (that a friend had or something) and did some crucial EQ analysis, do you think I could run a 2500 through an outboard EQ (that was "matched" to the 3k's output) to get the same general sound? I know I wouldn't be able to get the same sound of the AD/DA, but I could get the emphases that the 3k puts on its outs?

Just an idea.


Why don't you just EQ the 2500 outs to you liking, I mean unless they sound OK to your ears?

I find it a bit impossible to have a matching EQ that you can add to get a MPC2.5K to sound as a 3K...

Even if you analyze the SAME sample played by both machines and find the setting to get them the closest you can, those setting WILL NOT SORT THE SAME EFFECT to your next samples!

On the other hand, if you can say what you like sonic-wise, against what you don't... equing the 1000/2500 will lead you to the desired results.
Last edited by Funkydrops on Wed Dec 07, 2011 6:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Re: 1000, 2000xl, 2500

By dtaa pla muk Wed Dec 07, 2011 6:53 pm
i have never, ever heard a beat from any one model of MPC that i thought sounded better because of X mpc used. ever. it is the single most overrated issue when it comes to these machines in my opinion.

if you're worried about AD/DA conversion from the newer MPCs, run your turntable mixer into your computer soundcard first and then route it digitally from your computer to your MPC. this way you have 1 conversion: A-D, and you bypass the mpc's analog inputs altogether. problem solved.

any MPC, no matter how oldschool, is not a magic bullet to make your beats sound better. the sooner you stop worrying about that, the better - sound is physics, not magic.

just consult some of the blind tests done in this forum to show this. you'll see people voting all over the place. they have no idea which machine is which. in fact, in a blind test, the 2000xl was voted as having a (marginally) inferior sound to the 1000/2500 if i recall correctly. but that absolutely does not matter, clearly, as it is used wonderfully by many members of these forums.

Re: 1000, 2000xl, 2500

By Minamoto Thu Dec 08, 2011 4:47 am
I'm not worried about the sound of each individual MPC that much, as I'm not ignorant to the whole "driver behind the wheel" philosophy.

To Nym, thanks for the tip regarding the direct transfer of the sample, that's definitely something to consider.
And in response to the whole "magic bullet" thing -- not exactly sure where that came from, as I never said anything regarding the MPC being magic or proposing that my music would be better off depending on what MPC I had :)

I just know that people talk about the 3k sound as being more different from a 2500 than a 2000 would be -- something that I'm sure DOES have credibility behind it.
I was really seeking clarification as to whether or not the MPC's "sound" was as subjective as the choice in the MPC itself.

Thanks to everyone for all the advice -- I'm going for the 2500 :D
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Re: 1000, 2000xl, 2500

By Askia Shaheed Thu Dec 08, 2011 5:28 am
Nym wrote:any MPC, no matter how oldschool, is not a magic bullet to make your beats sound better. the sooner you stop worrying about that, the better - sound is physics, not magic.

just consult some of the blind tests done in this forum to show this. you'll see people voting all over the place. they have no idea which machine is which. in fact, in a blind test, the 2000xl was voted as having a (marginally) inferior sound to the 1000/2500 if i recall correctly. but that absolutely does not matter, clearly, as it is used wonderfully by many members of these forums.


I agree with you 110%! But this won't stop the crowd that talks about the magic fairy dust that the MPC 4000 (and its 24 bits) and the ASR-10 (effects) provides. :lol:
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Re: 1000, 2000xl, 2500

By konc3pt Thu Dec 08, 2011 2:06 pm
Askia Shaheed wrote:! But this won't stop the crowd that talks about the magic fairy dust that the MPC 4000 (and its 24 bits) provides. :lol:


??? ??

Re: 1000, 2000xl, 2500

By Minamoto Thu Dec 08, 2011 3:36 pm
Wait a second -- wouldn't the MPC still be converting the digital to audio? You would just be using a different A-D (the sound card), right?
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Re: 1000, 2000xl, 2500

By MPCWeapon1 Thu Dec 08, 2011 4:12 pm
konc3pt wrote:
Askia Shaheed wrote:! But this won't stop the crowd that talks about the magic fairy dust that the MPC 4000 (and its 24 bits) provides. :lol:


??? ??

I know...There's a lot more to the MPC 4000 besides its 24/96 capability. I wouldn't even compare that to another MPC. The 4k is the truth.

Re: 1000, 2000xl, 2500

By dtaa pla muk Thu Dec 08, 2011 8:23 pm
Minamoto wrote:Wait a second -- wouldn't the MPC still be converting the digital to audio? You would just be using a different A-D (the sound card), right?


is this in reference to my post?

if so, here's how it works.

vinyl=>turntable=>ttmixer=>soundcard analog input=>spdif output of soundcard=>spdif input of mpc=>spdif output of mpc=>spdif input of soundcard=>analog output of sound to your monitors

i have bolded the only conversion stages.
the 2nd stage doesn't influence the actual recorded wavs on your computer, as it's simply your monitoring.

regarding your question, the MPC will not be "converting the digital to audio" (or analog sound, if i understand you correctly). it's just acting as a big, digital audio calculator. this puts all the weight of AD/DA on your soundcard, which often has quite good converters. even lower end stuff like my M-audio Delta66 sounds functionally identical to the source to my ears (in my untreated room, or on my cans).

but hey, some of my favorite songs from my album were sampled via my mpc1000's analog inputs from a goddamn Numark PT01 portable turntable. in the end it hardly matters.

And in response to the whole "magic bullet" thing -- not exactly sure where that came from, as I never said anything regarding the MPC being magic or proposing that my music would be better off depending on what MPC I had


yeah that's more of a general issue type of thing as opposed to being directed at you specifically, despite my use of the pronoun "you" haha
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Re: 1000, 2000xl, 2500

By Askia Shaheed Thu Dec 08, 2011 10:31 pm
MPCWeapon1 wrote:
konc3pt wrote:
Askia Shaheed wrote:! But this won't stop the crowd that talks about the magic fairy dust that the MPC 4000 (and its 24 bits) provides. :lol:


??? ??

I know...There's a lot more to the MPC 4000 besides its 24/96 capability. I wouldn't even compare that to another MPC. The 4k is the truth.

Such as?

Re: 1000, 2000xl, 2500

By Minamoto Thu Dec 08, 2011 10:39 pm
Ahhhh, now it makes beautiful sense! I also now realize what SPDIF is capable of :)

I will definitely try that at some time, but I think the AD/DA of the MPC will probably be fine. I've never been one to look for musical perfection -- this is one reason I honestly hate my workflow on Logic, or any DAW honestly. Too much room to get distracted, to tweak something that probably didn't matter, or to adjust a knob you didn't know about, etc. etc.

I know the MPC has a lot of tweakability as well, but the interface seems to be much more interactive with its host.

And in all honesty, as I was saying before about the AD/DA being fine on the MPC -- I would feel like I was cheating the MPC, lol. I don't have the golden ears that those million dollar producer's have, and will never be interested in those types of details.

I just want a big beautiful box that I can have fun with. I like to have a friendship with my equipment (and to bring Logic back up, that shit feels like it's my manager at a job).
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Re: 1000, 2000xl, 2500

By Lampdog Fri Dec 09, 2011 12:32 am
imo
Nym wrote:in the end it hardly matters.
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