Share your knowledge on these two classic MPCs
By Clint Tue Oct 23, 2012 11:22 pm
There was a book about the SP1200 a year or so ago, sold out faster than a rat up a drainpipe so I still haven't seen a copy. No pdf has been made available to my knowledge which is fair enough for obvious reasons. Arguably there are more MPC60 users than SP1200 users, and the machine has achieved equally cult status among beatsmiths and producers worldwide across many genres. So wouldn't it be great if we had a similar book for our coffee tables and labs? But what would you like to see inside such a book?

I may even author such a book myself as a 12-18 month side project. I've never written a book before and don't know a thing about publishing so I'll be looking into self-publishing scenarios. I'm willing to give it serious consideration at this point. So what was good or bad about the 'SP-1200: The Art And The Science' and what sections/ chapters would a book about the mighty MPC60 ideally contain?

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If you have relevant knowledge, copy material or other contribution to make towards a book project please contact me at [email protected]. You can also use this email address to be added to the project mailing list and receive updates.

Clint
By szr Tue Oct 23, 2012 11:43 pm
Pack in as much hardcore tech info as possible..

Sound engine differences/similarities vs s900/950

Preemphasis

Legendary swing...

Lots of in depth interviews with the akai team...

Info about what the competitors where up to in the same timeline...

I was always curious about things like note repeat and which seq had it first.. sp12?
....anyway a list of mpc60 firsts would be interesting...and what they borrowed/improved on from prev. seqs/samples.

List of famous songs which ft. the 60.... how it shaped music, interviews with the old skool musos who used them if possible.

Interviews with people who still use them... list of reasons why they're still used...

Would be nice it's avail as a pdf to do the environment a favour... and so it doesn't disappear after the print run is over.. as on the sp book
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By Coz Wed Oct 24, 2012 1:16 am
A section on UK producers would be good. :nod:

Everyone on Grand Central Records used the 60... Rae & Christian, Aim, Mr Scruff etc.
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By crossings Wed Oct 24, 2012 2:19 am
i think a book that focuses on all the classic MPC models would do better than a book that focuses on a single model... it would be a very ambitious project though... like a full on MPC Encyclopedia or something. full of history, nice pics & tips. i'd buy that. i wouldn't buy a book about strictly the mpc60 though. but that's just me.
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By mr_debauch Wed Oct 24, 2012 3:10 am
I think the mpc60 deserves a dedicated book...

A mention of how 16 levels hit the music scene... what it did to bring out sound and workflow... that feature was quite the trick on the 60 to get a variation in sound.


I would love to see/have a book like that. The pics must be high res though...


I wonder if roger and mike would contribute something to the book... Also, a section with forat might be great... which would include some talk of the old linn stuff that came before the 60.

It would be cool to track down that one prototype 60 mentioned in mike's thread. More pics of that would be stellar!

yes, the sound engine of the s900/950, but also maybe some stuff on the s612/x7000... maybe even the s1000... obviously not full chapters, but some info that would create the scenery for what akai was doing at the time.

I dont have the sp1200 book, so I am not sure what kind of stuff was in that book that made it a full book... probably producer interviews?
By master-ceo Wed Oct 24, 2012 4:05 am
Compile all the info in this forum and put it together. From floppy to cf, 2.12 to 3.10. An interview from Roger Linn, Mike Roberts and Forat would be cool, but compiled info already out there would be just as good. I would even holler at the cool guys from VST for info.

I think it's a good idea and it could turn out real dope. It'll be like the bible thread in book form, but way better. 60 heads would have to have it, especially 60 newbs.

Matrixsynth has a dope high res 60 picture collection on his blog. I could help you out with some pictures I collected over the years too.
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By mr_debauch Wed Oct 24, 2012 4:14 am
master-ceo wrote:Compile all the info in this forum and put it together. From floppy to cf, 2.12 to 3.10.


man, from 2.05 I believe it was... that one only has like 5 options to choose in the sounds menu haha...
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By SimonInAustralia Wed Oct 24, 2012 7:09 am
szr wrote:I was always curious about things like note repeat and which seq had it first.. sp12?
....anyway a list of mpc60 firsts would be interesting...and what they borrowed/improved on from prev. seqs/samples.

The repeat button was on the Linn 9000 which was released in 1984, the SP12 was not released until 1985, so the Linn repeat button pre-dates the SP12 at least. It is also on the Linn Sequencer and LinnDrum midistudio.

The LinnDrum midistudio looks like the true predecessor to the MPC, they moved from the 6x3 pad layout of the Linn 9000 to the familiar 4x4 pad layout with the LinnDrum midistudio prototype, and the remote pad surface seems to have the Akai cream colour, along with the MPC style layout of pads/transport/controls/etc., just before Linn went broke...
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The Linn 9000, Linn Sequencer, LinnDrum midistudio, and Akai ADR15 would represent the refinement of Linn's previous ideas/products into the MPC design, possibly with the sampled drum idea coming from the replaceable ROM sound chips in the LinnDrum.

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By Clint Wed Oct 24, 2012 12:02 pm
crossings wrote:i think a book that focuses on all the classic MPC models would do better than a book that focuses on a single model... it would be a very ambitious project though... like a full on MPC Encyclopedia or something. full of history, nice pics & tips.



Very ambitious, and costly to produce.

To me, only the Linn models are collectors items at this point.

More colour photos = higher production and sale costs.

The numbers need to add up otherwise it simply won't happen.
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By wudsiba Wed Oct 24, 2012 3:24 pm
This is really an underdeveloped area. I love to see the old ads, reviews, anything that deals with these machines. If it's the MPC, I would think you would have to at least build up to the 3000. I've never had the chance to touch one, but it seems like the gold standard. You could also go all the way to the 1000 with an entire chapter devoted to JJ and any other odd third party contributions. 60/3000 sample downloads for the 1000 on ebay for example... There was a thread on here a few weeks ago from a guy who was part of marketing the original Mp60. I imagine that thread is what started you in this direction, if not, you need to get in touch with that guy.. If you can find the link. That was one of my favourite threads on here in a long time. I'd buy it. I'd look at the pictures. I'd even read it. Probably several times over.
By m56p87 Wed Oct 24, 2012 4:35 pm
For me personally. I would ONLY buy it if it was about the 60 and mabye the 3000 because its such a staple. I would buy a book about Roger linns MPC's but nothing else. I don't give a **** about nukais development of shit or JJOS. The big thing for me would be to throw in information nobody knew, when I saw linn speak a few weeks ago my mind was blown by all the tiny bits of info I would never have heard from anyone else. Like why the pad sensors are 4 x 4, and how the linn drum was never intended to have replaceable Roms. Take your time, and make that shit mind blowing. I can imagine people coming out the fuggin' wood work to help you and tell you cool shit.

Clint, my madre is a proffessional book writer ,mostly non fiction. I don't know how much you already know but if you need any info on doing a book like this hit me up. She does this shit daily.

Bottom line I don't need to know what he have to today (with the Ren and JJOS), I'm more interested in how we got here.
By master-ceo Wed Oct 24, 2012 5:17 pm
Damn! Some real nice pictures I never seen. Linn Rack sequencer?? Are you kidding me!? Dope shit!