mpc 500 vs the world

have literally just bought a 500 after years of wanting to own an mpc, it was a close call between the sp 404/303 series or the mpc- (i do love that Roland space echo though) couldn't afford 1k just yet

but i am now on the look out for a cheap reel to reel to track out to, to get that classic tape compression warmth then i can sample back into the unit then maybe a s950 too..
all this kit is going for salted just now
i will say one thing that did help me with the decision was this forum, it seems to have a genuine decent vibe to it compared to some of the forums i have encountered
forums dedicated to kit that that is literally bloated with options and features and ways to make it all so easy, auto this and auto that, but people don't seem happy and whine about missing features etc etc, seems like the easier the machines make it for us the less pleasure we get from it and the less appealing the end result is..
rant over
so looking forward to asking some dumb ass questions and getting inside the swing
JJ

i love the 500 man, way more then my1000jjos2xl and my 2000xl..i too wanted a reel to reel for ever and every time i went to goodwill i looked, i looked for almost 2 years then one day i went to a goodwill and BAM!! found one in there for like 10.00 or so

Welcome Digger!!

You will like the 500. It has a beautiful sound than the other MPCs. Very distinct. A tape reel will open new worlds so enjoy.

There used be plenty people downing the little MPC but they the plenty that never touched any gear. Its an MPC just short of 4 pads and a couple features but very powerful for its size. I compare it to my MV so thats saying something.

Ill-Green wrote:Welcome Digger!!

You will like the 500. It has a beautiful sound than the other MPCs. Very distinct. A tape reel will open new worlds so enjoy.

There used be plenty people downing the little MPC but they the plenty that never touched any gear. Its an MPC just short of 4 pads and a couple features but very powerful for its size. I compare it to my MV so thats saying something.

what he said…also it has some features better then other mpcs…like for instance, u can browse for samples on the CF card while playing your sequence, you can't do that on the 1000 also the timing shift feature IMO is nicer then the way its set up in my 1000jjos, mode/pad 10 both work the same nudge the notes…chopping samples by ear is where its at and you will get fast at it the more you do it, its best to do it that way, don't use some chopping program all the time, u will be a pimp if u learn to chop shit by ear… experiment and go through every feature…just play with the damn thing and don't get stuck into one way of making ur beats..experiment is the main thing..

that 404 though......... man, cop a 303 or 404 anyways. Man, yeah fine now you got a solid sequencer... but you need the **** clout those fx offer on the fly.

even ask ill green, yeah, he is a **** don on the 500, but dude still has that 606 and 8800 for a reason.

yeah am going to add in the SP in too,as soon as i see on for the right monies
i used to own an sp808 and the fx were the best thing about it but i felt the mpc should be the starting point..
chopping by feel will be a shock to the system but i have had plenty of practice in the past hopefully it will come back to me
and tbh i like the random looseness it can throw into the mix, with a pc there is too much temptation to nail it sample accurate and pretty soon everything starts to sound lifeless

JJ

If you get an OG 404 with CF reader, then you can hot swap samples between the the 500 on the fly. Sample sounds and add effects on the 404 then chop and sequence on the 500. Its bliss.

Ill-Green wrote:If you get an OG 404 with CF reader, then you can hot swap samples between the the 500 on the fly. Sample sounds and add effects on the 404 then chop and sequence on the 500. Its bliss.

that is all good thanks for that and OG 404 seems a bit cheaper
i have just scored an akai s2000 for real cheap so hoping to get some sounds on disc to sequence with the 500, use it to sample in and out of etc...
it feels good to be excited about hardware again

ok all good, getting used to the workflow, like the compact feel and dont find to be as cheap feeling or limited as people say it is it actually makes maschine mk1 look a little domestic i thought..plus i just chuck it in a bag and offski
some issues with the CF card but reformatted and all good
MPC maid- have chopped and done some programs, getting used to the seq, track, prgrm mindset
time to RTFM i guess but so far so good
even managed to score a sp404 og for cheap so any tips on workflow between the two
beatz workin

All in fairness, but screw the manual. Yeah it can get you from A to B but to fully comprehend the 500, I would recommend the Beatmaking On The MPC500 pdf which you can get on this site. You'll pull more mileage out from your 500 from that book than the manual can. Believe me, I know, spent a month and a half trying to figure it out with manual alone. Had I known about the 500 book, it would've been a week.

Ill-Green wrote:All in fairness, but screw the manual. Yeah it can get you from A to B but to fully comprehend the 500, I would recommend the Beatmaking On The MPC500 pdf which you can get on this site. You'll pull more mileage out from your 500 from that book than the manual can. Believe me, I know, spent a month and a half trying to figure it out with manual alone. Had I known about the 500 book, it would've been a week.

this exactly. i bought that book for my 500 after struggling with it for a few months, and it was a night and day difference.

after i learned the 500, it was pretty much seamless transition to any other mpc too, as that book taught me the basics.
best 40 bucks i spent that was mpc related!

I will get on that thanks
With the 404 cf card swap is anyone doing this hot?
Or do you turn off first
Still trying to figure the bestway to usethem together,
Thanks all
JJ

shit man, i would just sample ur shit back and forth from the 500 to the 404 and back.. i do that a lot. i will sample something I'm working on from my 500 to maschine, or reason, then back to my 500, maybe ill just add an effect to it in maschine and sample it back.. i love sampling "back and forth" ))<>((

yeah i will give back and forth a go too
am not getting the CF card to read between the two machines?
the mpc locks up when i put a sp formatted card in..?
anyone know if this is due to it being 128mb?
i have read 32 and 64 work ok?
JJ

I use a 1gb cf card for swapping. I don't format on either machine just take out and pass into the other. You can hear samples on the card when in MODE>LOAD>SAMPLE. Turn the jogwheel to scroll through a card's sample library and hit PLAY to audition.

And not just those machines, you can hot swap any device as long the capacity of the card can be handled by both machines. You don't put a 16gb into a 512mb max device. It will be hours before you load just a snare.