What is "it" about the 60 that everyone wants so bad..?

Astounding. Since I bought a 60 around two weeks ago, I've literally had 50+ offers from folks looking to buy/trade. A few people from this site(This thread is in NO WAY intended as a diss or slight towards those cats).

Everyone's like "Man, I GOTTA have that. I'll give you $xxxx for it. I'll trade you this/that for it."

I gotta admit, some of the trades have been pretty tempting too!!!

Shed some light on this for me, though, why do so many cats want to rock the MPC-60..?

12 bit and really good sequencer. That's why I like it.

The interface is the best out of all the MPC's, because there are less features crammed in and more real estate to have the buttons. And a big scren and armrest don't hurt.

Cats jocc it b/c of the 12-bit thing. There might be something to that b/c the samples sound so dope with no effects (well it says no effects but it sounds like ring modulation 2 me). Roger Linn and that your favorite producer made your favorite record on the MPC60 may have something 2 do with the mystique as well.

What got me was the sequencer and the build-quality. The sequencer is easy and intuitive yet complex. I have used the 2000XL, Motif and Triton and the 60 is the best no question... or the other sequencers could be 2 advanced 4 my brain LOL. MPC60s r almost 20 years old and still going strong. I have never used a 3000 but I'd be interested 2 know if they have the same sequencer. By the time I finish upgrading my 60, I could have purchased a 3000. If u want the other $0.98, let me know. Uno

It's really the upgrade that makes the 60 shine, without it not too many people would still be using it.

Yo, Nino304, I run a 3k le and I would also like to know if/what is the difference between their sequencers.

So he who knows - speak!

Avastyle wrote:Yo, Nino304, I run a 3k le and I would also like to know if/what is the difference between their sequencers.

So he who knows - speak!

No difference between 60's,3K's nore 2K & XL's sequencer... I speak!!!
More info on www.midicase.com

Kilowax: "... I speak!!!"

WORD!

Thank you!

Think there's a difference in the versions of the MPC? Here's a note from one of the experts:

Someone wrote in repsonse to my "no one's going to tell what sequencer you are using":

> Obviously it's true that in the end result no one will be able to tell what sequencer you used, but YOU'LL certainly be able to tell while you're using it. Different sequencers do have a different feel, not so much in "sloppiness", but in how they record your playing with different "swing" settings.

Sevo replied:

There is no "swing" magic in any MPC. Timing-wise, there is no difference between the 2000 and 60/3000 other than the 60/3000 have twice the MIDI outs and hence, less likelyhood MIDI jams. All MPCs are solid 96ppqn MIDI sequencers (as tight as MIDI can be, which is not that much anyway) with a absolutely tight internal drum sequencer with zero delay between multiple simultaneous instruments. There is no particular groove magic going on in any MPC - the swing and note shift features are static, faultless and perform no more magic than their counterparts on any mid-eighties software sequencer. If you are looking for advanced shuffle and humanize functions, you'll have to switch off quantizing and play them by hand - or use a big software sequencer and suffer its sloppy MIDI timing.

Someone also said:

> This isn't too important in electronic dance music where you don't really use a swing setting at all, but for other forms - particularly R&B - it can make a huge difference to the composer. I know for a fact that my Linn 9000 has a different swing feel to any software sequencer I've used, and that's why I still use it today.

Sevo states:

The Linn 9000 has no swing magic either! If you are hearing a difference, it will be the higher mechanical precision rather than any artificial human sloppyness - humanizers are the domain of software sequencers. Or rather were - humanizers (which were the most advertized feature in the early days of Cubase and Logic) seem to be unpopular nowadays, and aren't mentioned at all in current software sequencer publicity. The Linn and MPC have realtime OSes, fully integrated sound generators, and a far, far better timing than software sequencers - even more so as the software sequencers have to pump their data through MIDI, which can't handle two events at once. But they are precise rather than magic. Try it, and plug your Linn into a harddisk recorder and count out the samples between beats - you'll see that the beats are dead on whatever grid you programmed or played rather than performing any swing of their own...

Someone also blurbed:

> I mean, if you play the same pattern using Logic to control a JP-8000 that play using an ARP sequencer to control a 2600 the listener won't care, but the composer will definitely find a difference in how they work.

Sevo's final word:

Different issue - ergonomics and conceptual models certainly shape the way you work. But that will alter the beat you write rather than its timing.

Sevo -- Sevo Stille


From midicase.com

Kilowax..
Thats wierd... 'cause when I sync my 3k with logic and record the 3k track to logic as audio, if I zoom in on every beat (eg the one in each bar) it is NEVER on time.... It's not even the same in each bar...
Maybe this has to do with the sync or logic? anyone?

Peace!

we're off topic deh, aren't we? nuthin to do with seq den ok!

I never use Logic, but:
1) add a blank bar ontop of your song>> allowing your MP to start right on time
2) You have to set your buffer size against latency>> ref to the Logic's manual...
Anyway it's a sync issue...
Can you hear each trck sync on time or not? Are yu sync MTC or whut?

well, IMO, i think "it" is the same reason we dig in those milk crates everyday. it's nostalgia. you know, bringin' thangs back to the day and doin' it proper.

i ain't tryin' to get all this new equipment when i know what was used and how beats sounded back then. i don't want to modify my new equipment to sound like the OG. it's all pretty simple, you need this, this and this and you're straight (60, s950 + keyboard for example). get to banging!

so basically, i think the "it" we're talking about in regards to the 60 is the price (if you're patient you will score one at a decent price), ease of use, and nostalgia. just like rekkids, man.

nothing wrong with someone jocking the realness. they obviously do it for a GOOD reason!

i think the only other machine i would ever consider upgrading to is the 3k. i def. found my home w/ the 60 and its feel.

Kilowax wrote:we're off topic deh, aren't we? nuthin to do with seq den ok!

The all-hardware-sequencers-r-created-equal theory looks good on paper but there r other intangibles that don't reveal themselves when u look at the specs. Another producer i know noticed a slight variance between his 3000 and protools. It was inaudible 2 the ear but u can see it on a computer. That's what i'm talking about. That's the magic of the 60 (my on-topic attempt)....... where's the funkometer when u need it LOL. Kilo good look on dropping all that wisdom. Uno

nino's right, on paper it looks like the same thing, but in use we can hear differences. Computers allow you to do anything, but then you have to pick what you want from everything available, or learn how to set it up. The 60 can do plenty, the sequencer is very capable compared to most other sampler's sequencers, and the fact that it was built to be used as an instrument, and feel like an instrument to a musician/composer (Roger Linn calls us MPC60ists ) Later on the focus was more providing features and implementing them in a way that cuts costs. Some of the most expensive parts to any machine are the controls, buttons, sliders and knobs, those are usually the first to go.

Nino304 wrote:

Kilowax wrote:we're off topic deh, aren't we? nuthin to do with seq den ok!

The all-hardware-sequencers-r-created-equal theory looks good on paper but there r other intangibles that don't reveal themselves when u look at the specs. Another producer i know noticed a slight variance between his 3000 and protools. It was inaudible 2 the ear but u can see it on a computer. That's what i'm talking about. That's the magic of the 60 (my on-topic attempt)....... where's the funkometer when u need it LOL. Kilo good look on dropping all that wisdom. Uno

ooh, yeah I feel ya now Nino304!!
On an other and hand, a producer tht own two 3000, said them collecting dust since he use P-T (setup like the MPC groove).
I'm not saying to go this way (i own P-T along sides MPCs!!), but you can be close to the MP timing...
And except from us, but from the final customer who care???