Researching a book on the MPC60 - Thoughts?

Well for now working on the premise that it would be independently researched, authored, funded and published. Therefore 100% unofficial in true 'indie' spirit.

Any input from the development team would be the icing on the proverbial cake.

szr wrote: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

Well I can understand why the SP1200 book wasn't released as a PDF, or as a Kindle type joint. Keeping the product in physical form retains the rarity and value it contains, thereby maintaining demand. If they release more in future, buyers who missed out previously would be ready and waiting to cop that. We all know how pdf's get around the block for free...people wouldn't pay for MPC's if they didn't have to.

Anyone else repling to this thread, tell me the one thing you really want to find in such a book that hasnt already been mentioned???

Great idea. I have read and loved the Sp1200 book and would love to see an MPC60 book in the same vein. It would be a good idea to have a "Tips and Tricks" section which discussed different methods of using swing and production techniques. Maybe even gear some of the interview questions towards this. I would love to see an interview with DJ Premier.

chaseaston wrote:I would love to see an interview with DJ Premier.

Premo has told his side of the story many times before, in many interviews. It's all out there in the public domain so you wouldn't learn anything new unless he's changed the story.

I think the content should be less about 'superstar producers' and more about rank and file producers and enthusiasts from around the world, and their love affair with the machine. Of course no book would be complete without some info on who made hits with the machine back in the day. More shine to upcoming 'underground' producers, with a respectful nod to the past.

Having said all that, an exclusive interview with Premo would be dope if it were possible (and free).

IMHO Clint, anyone that turns you down for a free interview if this book moves forward is a ****.

do an interview with producer ayatollah he bleeds the 60/60II ever project hes put out was done on it.

crate king 1 wrote:do an interview with producer ayatollah he bleeds the 60/60II ever project hes put out was done on it.

also, he is rocking a 60ii that is MASHED up lol... that jog wheel is sitting in the case and the top surface is almost flush with the case.. haha...

When looking for info on the Linn MIDI Studio, this guys name came up in a lot of searches, he was involved in the redesign of the Linn 9000 after initial design problems, designed the Linn Sequencer and Linn MIDI Studio, then when on to consulting work that included designing instruments for Akai, Forat, and 360 Systems.

I would look into whether he was also involved with the MPC60 design, after being heavily involved in the Linn Sequencer and Linn MIDI Studio, I wouldn't be surprised if he was working on the MPC60 at Akai as well.

Steve Alcorn...
http://www.alcorn.com/library/resumes/steve/index.html

In 1985 he became Vice President of Engineering and later Chief Operating Officer for Linn Electronics, the inventors of the digital drum machine. He reshaped the engineering department and assembled a team to work on the problem-plagued Linn 9000 drum machine, and designed the Linn Sequencer and Linn Drum Midi Studio.

In 1986 he founded Alcorn McBride & Associates, predecessor to Alcorn McBride Inc. The company initially concentrated on providing engineering services to the music industry, designing products for Akai, 360 Systems and Forat Electronics.

clint246clint wrote:

szr wrote:We all know how pdf's get around the block for free...people wouldn't pay for MPC's if they didn't have to.

I feel the book itself is clearly more suited to being a hard copy, but that said, don't let the idea of piracy dictate your choices. Fact is it would take someone an afternoon to scan the hard copy and the pdf would be out there regardless. You also have to accept that the type of person who just downloads pirated copies is generally not the type who would buy a book anyway.

I'd say the hard cover is a must for this type of book, but an ebook version in the future would also be widely appreciated.

Totally. Having it on my iPad would be the truth. Sell it in newsstand and have access to 100s of millions of iOS users around the world. I would buy the hard copy and the digital.

^ i received word from the publisher couple days ago that a hard copy reprint isn't likely to happen but a digital ipad version is definitely in the works, could be a while though as they've had some major internal issues..

daftmunk wrote:^ i received word from the publisher couple days ago that a hard copy reprint isn't likely to happen but a digital ipad version is definitely in the works, could be a while though as they've had some major internal issues..

I take it you're talking about the SP1200 book here?

@mpc-tutor

You're right about the scanning and piracy issues. But break-even on the physical publication is the prime consideration. An ebook version is an option that will always remain open as rights to the publication will be retained by the author.

I don't think anyone has upped a scanned copy of the SP1200 or Behind the Beats books. There seems to be an unwritten rule among those who have paid for copies to preserve the exclusivity and value of the books, and respect the authors for the work they put into it. This is a good thing which can only be applauded.

I'm not sure how long the SP1200 took to produce, but the Behind the Beats book took 4 years to complete. Raph actually travelled abroad to conduct the interviews and take the photographs for BTB himself, truly a labour of love. Problem is, both these books went to publishers, a situation I hope to avoid. Book publishing deals share many parallels to the 'old' record industry, which is great for best selling authors but not so for the little guy. For a project like this, self-publishing is really the way to go.

Both these books are now 'collectors items', and don't come up very often. I'm unable to decide whether this is a good or bad thing. Perhaps it's both, but for different reasons. I'd only be interested in snagging hard copies of both, but I refuse to pay three times the original price. So far as writing the book is concerned, I've started and this is gonna be some journey.

I posted in the Yahoo MPC60 group about this project and linked to this thread so look forward to receiving feedback from elmacaco and some of the other seasoned MPC60 owners over there.

clint246clint wrote:
I take it you're talking about the SP1200 book here?

yup.. a final print edition was supposed to be made but it's been axed so their looking to make an ipad version which i think is good.. sadly though as you point out the author it seems has no control over any of this..

fyi new roger linn interview:

http://bboytechreport.com/2012/11/02/in ... oger-linn/

interesting views on nukai & linndrum ii is still on the roadmap

daftmunk wrote:fyi new roger linn interview:

http://bboytechreport.com/2012/11/02/in ... oger-linn/

interesting views on nukai & linndrum ii is still on the roadmap

There was a thread about this interview in OT a week or so ago, posted by MPC-Tutor.