Does the MPC X SE sound just as good as the Black Lion mod?

Sorry if i was rude. You were / are gonna waste a lot of money on something you dont require. You dont need to mod the unit because you can just plug a different interface into it. Plug your whole rack in and sample through that. Your money would be better spent on periphreal hardware and not invested into the sampler that already has decent freq response through the band. Good luck whatever you decide.

gauging audio quality through youtube?




can this mod make audio sound different coming out of the machine? yeah. it can. is it worth the money for something that your demographic wont even notice? in my opinion I don't think so, and if OP really felt some type of way about this mod, they would have done it without asking random strangers on an anonymous forum to justify it.

Even if I had everything in the world i ever wanted, this would not be something i would get for free.

at the end of the day, the sounds you create on your angels breath lined audio tape and audio cables created with the tears of unicorns, will get compressed, squished and altered for the various streaming outlets your demo will hear your music from. spend the money on something else.

It should be easy to try a different USB audio interface to hear if it makes a difference? Borrow one and test it for a few days. No need to send your MPC anywhere.

To make it clearer for everyone, I'm going to be locked down in a particular studio for a few months, working on four album projects, which will be released on my new vinyl and cassette label. So for the sake of quality and efficiency, I'm keeping it simple with 24 tracks for the music production.

VIRTUAL DRUMS: MPC X (Tracks 01 - 08)
DRUM MACHINE: RD-6/RD-8/RD-9/DrumBrute (Tracks 09 - 16
SAMPLES: S2400 (Tracks 17 - 24)

I'm a drummer who uses an Alesis electronic drum set to trigger virtual drum kits in MPC software such as BFD/ Superior Drummer/Slate Drums/Addictive Drums/MDrummer, etc. I don't want to use an external interface; I want it to come directly from the MPC.

My analog drum machines will also play a pivotal role in the production of this album, as I like to subtly change things up within the song.

For my sample chops and loops, I'm utilizing my S2400 because of its beautiful, crunchy, aliased SP-1200-like vibe.

All of these tracks will be recorded to tape through a Neve 8048 console and outboard gear and then transferred to digital with the Burl B80 Mothership so I can get the very best quality as I will be mixing these records in the box here in my home studio using my Softube Console 1 mixing system.

My overall goal is to give my artists a fresh new Boom Bap sound that deviates from the typical sonic and musical aesthetic currently dominating the radio mix shows and streaming playlists we listen to.

It's very important to me that our records don't sound or feel like everyone else's; I believe that sameism is destroying Boom Bap music, so instead of complaining about it, I'm working to create a solution.

I believe we as artists should sound and feel like ourselves, like how it used to be before corporatism took over rap music...

If you've got the money and inclination... do the mod...

You don't need us knuckleheads to justify it . I haven't heard of a single person getting it... but they're probably busy making beats on their dope MPC X and not posting on forums.

Tracking through a Neve to tape and you need the MPC to give more 'oomph'??

The whole point of Black Lion mods is to CLEAN UP the I/O. Turn up the gain on the console or maybe the Low EQ..

I Say Go For It....Get the Mod....Then Let us know if its a considerable difference. With the Amount of EQ/Effects/Compression jammed in our MPCs, we can easily Replicate any Sonic Difference between the Mod and the Original Converters.

I Say Get It ASAP

Juxx wrote:It's never been confirmed but the Respected TONELAB on youtube did a test and he seems to believe the X-OG and the X Gold and X SE released after 2020 sound a little different.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aHG4EF ... el=TONELAB

The X Black OG was made in 2017 and in 2020 is when the Gold X the live 2 and the One dropped. There is Discussion about Burr Brow converters?

I posted that video & some other by him almost exactly a year ago & they sounded the same:https://www.mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=216225

They won't replace your ADC nor DAC or dramatically change the circuitry to behave in a different way, all will they do is they replace a couple of 5% caps to 1% ones (resistors are 1% already), drop a couple extra decoupling caps on power rails, replace the opamps (maybe but doubt it) and call it a day - that is pretty much it - there is nothing more they physically can do. As someone mentioned before (sry don't want to scroll back to check who was that) they found a "naive" demographic during the "converter wars" and glide on that shit until today (i know they've been doing that longer that that, but still…). If you understand electronics on a basic level, you will understand that what they do won't alter the "sound" in a way end user will care about. That sh**t was would slide 20 years ago during the days of 10%-20% tolerance THT components and dip packaged ICs driven by questionably stable clocks but not today.
Here's the video comparing their "interface" which was built on years of experience in modyfing audio gear - scroll down to 7:40(input) and 9:50(output) to check how does it stack up against most known brands.
At the end of the day that 0.10000000149 extra oomph doesnt matter because the target audience usually don't carry Keysight EXR254A to appeciate it.

I have the X SE and the Key 61 and I can confidently say there is absolutely no difference in sound quality compared to the X. I considered the Black Lion mod myself for my SE but honestly I personally don't need it but I do want it. I dont track out to external gear so to justify that kind of purchase for me is null and void. I totally understand why you are considering it. Either way you are good to go.

Yeahhh.... I dunnnnooo guyys.. I think the Grey Paint and More Ram does something to the Swing. I think someone GottTtaaa Test that Swing yoo.

BDRAKE wrote:I have the X SE and the Key 61 and I can confidently say there is absolutely no difference in sound quality compared to the X. I considered the Black Lion mod myself for my SE but honestly I personally don't need it but I do want it. I dont track out to external gear so to justify that kind of purchase for me is null and void. I totally understand why you are considering it. Either way, you are good to go.

Thank you for your sincere and reasonable take.

I decided not to do the Black Lion mod or invest in the MPC X SE.

I am, however, reconsidering an idea I had a very long time ago: I would buy a used Tascam MSR-24 or Fostex G24S open reel multitrack recorder and build four 500 series lunchbox racks filled with an assortment of Neve, SSL, API, and Chandler modules.

Although these are not 2-inch tape machines and will possibly cost me a little bit more, this gear would be mine rather than paying another studio owner. I remembered that I would have a lot more control and could do more album projects beyond the planned four we're currently working on.

I also believe in doing it yourself, so this discussion, despite a few negative comments, has inspired a new frame of thinking. It's just a matter of making more space in my home studio, meaning something must be moved out.

Anyway, back to work on this new dope beat I go.

Once again, thanks...

BKLYN wrote:

BDRAKE wrote:I have the X SE and the Key 61 and I can confidently say there is absolutely no difference in sound quality compared to the X. I considered the Black Lion mod myself for my SE but honestly I personally don't need it but I do want it. I dont track out to external gear so to justify that kind of purchase for me is null and void. I totally understand why you are considering it. Either way, you are good to go.

Thank you for your sincere and reasonable take.

I decided not to do the Black Lion mod or invest in the MPC X SE.

I am, however, reconsidering an idea I had a very long time ago: I would buy a used Tascam MSR-24 or Fostex G24S open reel multitrack recorder and build four 500 series lunchbox racks filled with an assortment of Neve, SSL, API, and Chandler modules.

Although these are not 2-inch tape machines and will possibly cost me a little bit more, this gear would be mine rather than paying another studio owner. I remembered that I would have a lot more control and could do more album projects beyond the planned four we're currently working on.

I also believe in doing it yourself, so this discussion, despite a few negative comments, has inspired a new frame of thinking. It's just a matter of making more space in my home studio, meaning something must be moved out.

Anyway, back to work on this new dope beat I go.

Once again, thanks...

Yes there is a difference in sound between MPC x o.g and MPCx se. Black lion had to use different components for the mods So they charge a little bit more for the Mpcx se model. Because they have different components from the original MPCX.

all the MODERN units do not sound the same. I have all of them. They absolutely sound different.
I have The mod on my unit MPC X.

I AM QUICKSTIRKE209

Now let me try describing in words what it sounds like. Based off what you're going for. The mod wouldn't help. This mod helps with clarity and more separation. It doesn't bring more omph. But it does make your unit alot louder Volume wise.

Also, they change (add on) a external clock which is not not included with the original stock units. makes it a lot smoother but yet snapper sounding. (More dynamic Transients)

https://soundcloud.com/black-lion-audio/trap-stock?utm_source=clipboard&utm_campaign=wtshare&utm_medium=widget&utm_content=https%253A%252F%252Fsoundcloud.com%252Fblack-lion-audio%252Ftrap-stock

I think my SE sounds a tough different then my live 2 retro. It is hard to tell if it is not just in my head though.. not enough to matter. Maybe a touch better though I think. Everything just comes out a touch crisper out of the SE.

Why ask the question if you think you have the answer or reject the answers of others? Go forth and do it.

I doubt you’ll get a double-blind tested answer if that’s what you’re looking for. You’re going to get perspectives. Some you disagree with.

Do it and then tell us.