MPC Virgin

Hi all, I am considering buying a MPC4000. It will be my first MPC sampler ever. I love the look of it and it sounds pretty wicked according to the reviews I've read. Before I get my cheque book out I need to hear some opinions on what the learning curve is like on it bearing in mind I haven't used an MPC before. Will I be pulling my hair out for months and end up putting it on EBay or will it be my new best friend in no time at all?

Cheers!

I was in your shoes two weeks ago until sweetwater sound shipped me mine. I'll be honest there is a huge learning curve. The guys at akai told me this is a different animal from the other older mpc series. But, to be real after a two weeks I'm still making alot of mistakes and screwing up alot but, man, I can tell the difference in the feel, swing, and pucnh of my tracks. I was recording and sequencing in Digital Performer, but, now my MPC will be the brians of my setup! Its a phonemenal peice of gear.

I won't lie though you are really going to have to be patient with this beast and to me the manual sucks. This a great forum to ask questions.

When you first begin to make tracks, my suggestion is to work on things that you don"t mind losing because just learning how to save everything in the learning process is a ****. But, over time and repetition you get better. I'm still learning.

But now I see the potential in this thing and will definitely take my tracks to the next level. You will not go wrong with this one. Previous MPC users think its too complicated but since I've never worked with one before I don"t know any different. Plus, this thing alot more than any other drum machine sampler on the market. To me this thing is a high end sampler/PC, than just a drum machine.

if you don´t have any experience with sampling and stuff at all, think about it. as cvere has already pointed out, the learning curve is steep, and by that i do not mean two weeks steep. i have it for five month now and i´m still learning something new almost every day. when you start, take five samples, no more, and dive into it. max your ram out, as there are performance issues when getting serious. be prepared for repeated frustration.
if you been making music before, this machine will take it to a new level.
but it`s not going to happen fast. after five years of making music on a pc and five months on the mpc i`ll never look back. just about everything grooves better, sounds better, is better. but to make the beast do what you want it to will not be an issue of two weeks.
good luck an` keep `em coming.

Thanks for your replys guys. I understand that it will take time to master this monster piece of gear but it sounds like it'll be worth it. I don't mind trawling through manuals as I've done this on my other bits of kit. My Boss SP505 sampler got me into the idea of using something like this but it just isn't good enough for me. I still found myself going back to Reason for my drums. I've had enough of staring at a computer screen to make music.

I've just bought an album by a guy called Prefuse 73 and he does all his stuff using MPC's. Check it out, it'll grow on you. The album's called "One Word Extinguisher" on Warp Records. Funky and fu*ked up.

it took me about 12 months to suss it all out

But I expect to be using the machine for many years more than that.....

Wookieboy wrote:Hi all, I am considering buying a MPC4000. It will be my first MPC sampler ever. I love the look of it and it sounds pretty wicked according to the reviews I've read. Before I get my cheque book out I need to hear some opinions on what the learning curve is like on it bearing in mind I haven't used an MPC before. Will I be pulling my hair out for months and end up putting it on EBay or will it be my new best friend in no time at all?

Cheers!

i would really start with the other series if i was a newbie to prodcution. The 4000 is a beast and really has alot of stuff that will be like brickwalls when u are learning. The 2000xl is a real nice machine, the 1000 is sick too. if u plan on using a pc i would go with the 1000. but if u need a more standalone machine get the 2kxl off ebay. I have one and i love it. Its very intuitive and is pretty easy to learn. The 4k has alot of advanced sampling features that will really take u a year or two to understand, so headaches galor

Wookieboy wrote:Hi all, I am considering buying a MPC4000. It will be my first MPC sampler ever. I love the look of it and it sounds pretty wicked according to the reviews I've read. Before I get my cheque book out I need to hear some opinions on what the learning curve is like on it bearing in mind I haven't used an MPC before. Will I be pulling my hair out for months and end up putting it on EBay or will it be my new best friend in no time at all?

Cheers!

that depends in what you are looking for. you might want to compare both the Roland mv8000 and mpc4000.

You´re right tho.. the 4000 looks sweet and sounds amazing. Everything you put in sounds even more fat! But the mv can do much more in terms of sequencing. the 4000 has not an extended midi sequencer, its like working with an old, dated sequencer with lots of sampling features.

the learning curve is pretty easy allthought the manual sucks big time.. But you can always come here and ask for help off course. some of us might help you

This is a BH nugget dug up out the archives to answer some of the questions that newbie`s on the board might ask about. There is alot of information even going back to 03. Alot of users have since left the board but there is alot of gold nuggets to be dug up if one just search a bit. Great that the current users are still adding on some new info too.

If you see the know it is a BH nugget.

You àre crazy ..

ikke wrote:You àre crazy ..

ikkie ever since you cried about selling the 4k and getting a mv8 you been coming at me like I`m the one reason you don`t know how to use your gear. I don`t work for Akai and I don`t make decisions for lazy people either. If you are jealous, envious, or just plain stupid take your little ignorant comments somewhere else. Too much baby talk and laziness to basic questions. Like when reneganade answered your post on the monophonic legato in programs which by the way is in the 4k newbie bible sticky.

You are quick to attack for no reason except you as I see your picture on mv post a middleaged, tired looking, unimaginative, bitter, and lazy slob.

Basicaly **** you buddy.

Many of posts are the same, they are repetitive, and sometimes basic. It like a cycle of new comers asking info that they couldn`t find which is why maybe alot of the more experienced users left is seems. This board has 100s of users in the past 3 yrs at the most. You have been on the board since Jan 2004 and you still to lazy to check the previous posts? Get a life and grow up you bum !!!!!!!!!

Aren`t you too old to be asking basic shit since you are a so called expert or you just a wannabe who wants to be held by the hand and spoon fed. Pick up a book then you wouldn`t have to nag and worried the one that at least make efforts and read.

Reading wont kill ya Mr I dont have time to read no manual or at least study reason and trasfer the knowledge but laziness will.

I like to speak my thoughts and help others but for you I`ll let you dig your own hole thru your own ignorance.


MV calling ya Bakayaro

The best thing about getting an MPC is it's pretty much a standard so there's alot of tutorials and great forums like this to ask for help on.

If it's your first MPC why not start off with a 1K?
Of course it depends on what gear your stepping up from.

i feel you, see for 5 years all iwas using was old sampling keyboards and software, and i got so sick of it, so finnaly last tuesday i got a mpc1000, and im in love, i can already tell ill be spending many years with this beast, people complain about the lack of trim options on it, but after choping on a ensoniq eps16+ its a breeze, i can already fly through this thing, myh work flow is so much fasterm i kjust love the mp

my mpc is a virgin, as far as i know.
but that zip drive looks like its been ****. should i be worried?