Exchange tips and tricks for the Akai MPC4000
By sleestack Thu Feb 24, 2005 6:23 am
Im debating whether to get an mpc4000 or an mpc1000 and a tc fireworx box. What things might I be missing out on if I go for the later choice?Or gaining. Are the effects in the mpc4000 really good? Comparable to the tc fireworx? Thanks
By renegadebliss Thu Feb 24, 2005 5:42 pm
sleestack wrote: Are the effects in the mpc4000 really good? Comparable to the tc fireworx?




NO, the MPC 4K effects are NOT comparable to the Fireworks. TC Electronics specializes
in High End Effects. I haven't heard the Fireworks myself, but have heard other of their
products and you are NOT going to get the same algorhythms on the 4000 as you will
get on the TC. Now you're best bet is to get the TC Fireworks and the MPC 4000.


I mean are you only looking for effects? As their is a HUGE difference between the
MPC 4000 and the MPC 1000.


Do you need a full fledged sampler, or you fine with Phrase Sampler/Drum Machine sampler?

Do you have a lot of external gear that will benefit from the additonal Midi Outputs.

Do you use ADAT inputs?

Do you use a LOT of samples and need much more then 128M of RAM?

Do you need to be able to phyisically manipulate the sound while it is playing ?


All releveant questions towards your choice of gear.


Dave

By sleestack Thu Feb 24, 2005 7:22 pm
What do you mean phyisically manipulate the sound while it is playing..I guess I could read the manual, but..

I also want to be able to select a portion of audio and send that selection to outboard effects. Then have it sampled linearly with changes back into the mpc. Like applying an effect (with tails, if wanted) in an audio program. I'm not sure how I'd do that in the 1k or 4k.


I have ext gear, but I planned on building of layers in the mpc. Maybe get like
5 things going put it into the mpc. Then record more on top.

full fledged sampler; like do I want to have gigasamples and full fledged intruments like pianos? No. sequences sampled in will probably be how it's done.

Thanks again

By renegadebliss Thu Feb 24, 2005 10:11 pm
[quote="sleestack"]What do you mean phyisically manipulate the sound while it is playing..I guess I could read the manual, but..
/quote]


What I mean here, is to have the Filter Cutoff, or Filter Resonance, or the Envelopes
able to be manipulated in Real Time while the Audio is playing.

I could be wrong, check on the MPC 1000 forum, but I don't believe that you can
have the Filter Changed while the Audio is playing. With the 4000, you can assign
let's say Filter Cutoff to Q-Link knob 1 and start tweaking the filter changes.


Dave

By renegadebliss Thu Feb 24, 2005 10:14 pm
sleestack wrote:
I also want to be able to select a portion of audio and send that selection to outboard effects. Then have it sampled linearly with changes back into the mpc. Like applying an effect (with tails, if wanted) in an audio program. I'm not sure how I'd do that in the 1k or 4k.


I know the 4000 has the ability to Record/Sample while the Sequencer is playing. So you
can do what you are speaking, where you would have the sequencer playing and
have the output go to your external FX and then route that back into the INs on the
4000 and have it sample what the MPC is playing through the FX processor.
Then you would have a new Sample with the external FX applied.

Probably can do that on the 1000, but will have to ask on the 1000 forum , if it can
sample external sounds while the Sequencer is playing.

By sleestack Thu Feb 24, 2005 11:30 pm
I could also control cutoffs w/ midi cc on the fireworx, though. right?
I guess I'm limited to the number of physical outs.

What I meant about processing audio; If I had a bass line phrase and I wanted to add a vocoder effect to the third note. I select it and that note goes through the 5 Out. Then goes through the vocoder and back into the mpc. Everything in the bassline except the 3rd note is unaffected.


How do programs like pro tools effect audio selections with outboard gear?

By Altopiano Fri Feb 25, 2005 12:22 am
sleestack wrote:I could also control cutoffs w/ midi cc on the fireworx, though. right?

not sure wheter i got all your questions - cutoff on the 4k? yes - you gotta map the 4k cutoff in the modulation matrix to the cc number the fireworx is sendin out ...
or you wanna control a cutoff on the tc? if so then yes too ... apart the tc isnt up too - but it looks quite midicapable ....

I guess I'm limited to the number of physical outs.

on the 4k? ... 2 outs are (too) little imo for the 4k ... most users either end up gettin either the 8 outs or the adat expansion ... however the thing below you should be able to do even with 2 outs on the 4k ...

What I meant about processing audio; If I had a bass line phrase and I wanted to add a vocoder effect to the third note. I select it and that note goes through the 5 Out. Then goes through the vocoder and back into the mpc. Everything in the bassline except the 3rd note is unaffected.

yes - to do so i would send the regular bass out of out 5 and the 3rd note on out 6 (on a different track and program which is basically only a copy of the other) apply the vocoder and sample whteva ... both together or only the vocodered one ... not sure whether the mpc1000 is able to bang out and sample in at the same time ... i think you best do a search it in the mpc 1000 forum ... its surely covered there ... hth