Virtual MPC

Is there any software that emulates an MPC? One that can be used in conjunction w/ an MPD or trigger finger? If there is, it would really be useful to know about so that i can use my laptop as an MPC!

What about a sequencer program, they are everywhere.

Hit the pads, sequence with the software and make music.

Browse through hitsquad.com for sequencer software and see what's what.

Yo, dont even front, you know you want an MPC, even if you gotta run up into guitar center strapped with a pair of gats and a machete to get one, you better do it...these pads are like orgasms for the hands.

stick with the real thing! there are more to mpc's than the pads.

peezies right, the mpc has filters, delays, and is a perfect sequencer...not to mention song mode...forget the software bull, I got my MPC2000 for 685 off of ebay...go ahead and spring for it.

zkarssli wrote:Is there any software that emulates an MPC? One that can be used in conjunction w/ an MPD or trigger finger? If there is, it would really be useful to know about so that i can use my laptop as an MPC!

Hi, before I moved up to my MPC 4000, I used to use for about 1 1/2 years a program that runs on Linux called "seq24", it is an emulator of the MPC style of sequencing. It was a fairly
cool program and I enjoyed it much, while I was saving up for my MPC 4000.

If your a Linux man, then I would suggest you give it a run.


http://www.filter24.org/seq24/


Here's some screen shots:

http://www.filter24.org/seq24/shots.html


You use your Computer Keyboard, or a remote Pad/Keyboard to Mute/Unmute the various
tracks that are running.

One of the nice things about it, is that it has the MPC style of Sequencing, but Rob Buse the author has made it so that different Tracks can have different Track Lengths. We've been onto Akai for almost 2 years now to address this in the MPC 4000, but it's still not there.

The other cool thing about it, is that all the different songs tracks are available at once.
So I can be on Song 1 and messing around with the Track Mute's and then go into Song 2 and turn on couple of it's track mutes off, so that they are going at the same time, and seque
out of the old song into the new song..neat feature, kind of similiar to the MPC's Simul Play function, expect that you can use more then 1 Song/Sequence and have access to their individual Track Mute's


A nice Tutorial/Article on it is here:

http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/8304

Doesn't take too much power, since it's just a sequencer. I was using a 400 mhz Wintel that I had bought for $200, so it was a fairly cheap sequencing solution.

Happy Music Making,


Dave

zkarssli: i very nearly went down to software route trying to find a worthy mpc replacement.. for a while i was using ableton live and an mpd16, but still wasn’t satisfied.. Before making the move to an 2kxl (never looked back) i looked into getting a copy of fxspansion's GURU which was reviewed in sound on sound as the closet virtual sampler/sequencer to the mpc, so maybe give that a go..

http://fxpansion.com/product-guru-main.php

but in all honesty i spent an age looking for a virtual mpc setup but it isn’t gonna happen..the mpc forces you to use you ears (and therefore your music) and not rely on a flashy interface, i love the way i don’t have to turn on my pc to write music.. get yourself the real thing.

the mpc forces you to use you ears (and therefore your music) and not rely on a flashy interface

what does this statement mean? sounds like allot of BS to me. do you think you can dig a better hole with an invisible shovel than a real one?

back to the post - it depends on how powerful your computer is, if your computer is not that powerful live5 and propellerheads reason 3.0 or native instruments battery 2 or native instruments intakt. if you have a powerful computer live5 and native instruments kontakt 2 (comes with 15 gig of samples).

a computer + mpd16 + software >= mpc (all models)

the bottome line here is that you can do more with software and it is cheaper than hardware.

you will hear people say "that the mpc sequencer is so tight" but when i listen to sequenced music i cant tell if the sequencer is a mpc, cubase, live, reason, traktion, sonar, logic , band in the box, acid, etc.

you will also hear people say "when the computer crashes i loose all my music" well mpc(s) crashes too.

the bottom line, it is a personal preference whether hardware or software. i personal like software over hardware.

if you are looking for a replacment for the mpc look at live5 ($450), reason($450), intakt($250), battery($250) or kontakt 2 (which i think is hot, $450).

beats, with sample from external sources (vinyl) = mpc
beats with instruments "from scratch" = pc

beats, with sample from external sources (vinyl) = mpc

why?

-connect your turntable(s) to your soundcard
-record your vinyl into live5
-import your sample(s) into kontakt 2

kontakt 2 is a classic sampler, real-time pitch shifter, time-stretching, drum looper and slicer(maps the hits across your keyboard). kontakt also has 30 filters and effects. plus, reads all the major sample formats.

by the way, live5 can pitch shift, time-stretch and loop your sample(s). by the way live5 imports mp3 file too.

mpc is a great product but it has seen it day.

mwalker: totally agree with it all being personal preference..so by my comment on the mpc forcing you to concentrate on the music i only meant that i normally find myself getting sucked into the visual element of software sequencing and not focusing on what i’m hearing.. don’t you find it a little distracting at times? i find that i have to turn off my computer screen when playing back mixes/songs otherwise my eyes kinda guide my ears. i compare using my mpc to playing the guitar or other traditional instruments,,theres the whole limitations thing which just works for me..

no bs intended

"if you are looking for a replacment for the mpc look at live5 ($450), reason($450), intakt($250), battery($250) or kontakt 2 (which i think is hot, $450)."

I think you may have left out a few things:
Computer ($500 to $5000?)
Audio I/O ($100-$2000)
Midi I/O ($39-$390)
Time it takes to install the drivers (??)
Time it takes to install the software (??)
Time it takes on phone support with software company ( ??)
Time it takes on phone support with Audio I/O company after the Software company told you it was not their problem (??)
Time it takes on phone with Dell after the Audio I/O company told it was not their problem (??)
Time it takes you to re-install windows after third blue screen(???)
Which reminds me: cost of Windows operating system ($179 upgrade or $299 full version).
Time it takes you to tweak the crap out of Windows in order to get more than X number tracks with Y number of effects (???)


As a side note, I do not buy this "with powerful enough hardware you can do it" argument I comonly see. I heard the same argument 10 years ago and I suspect I will hear it tens years from now. In comparison, The MPC2000XL plays back 32 voices ("tracks" in PC terms) with 4 effects, filters, tuning and envelopes on a 16 MHz processor. Computers that are 50 times faster can have problems delivering that volume of content.

No, I am not always an anti-computer person. I have a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from a State University. I am currently enrolled as a Masters Candidate in Software Engineering. Sure you can do/write/perform music on a computer. I make my living by doing the seemingly impossible on a computer (and even write audio related software), but when it comes to music, nothing beats the simplicity, ease-of-use, support and compatibility of dedicated hardware. If computers were half as good as everyone claims they are, then Roland, Akai, and Korg should have went out of business long ago.

yo mpc3000, did you ever work for merrill lynch/consultant in jacksonville, fl?

back to the post - it depends on how powerful your computer is, if your computer is not that powerful live5 and propellerheads reason 3.0 or native instruments battery 2 or native instruments intakt. if you have a powerful computer live5 and native instruments kontakt 2 (comes with 15 gig of samples).

well, my prices assume that you do own a computer already.

about the computer issues i have owned 386, 486, p4 1.5, p4 2.6 (with a gig of ram) and now a p4 3.4 (with 2 gig) and most of the compatible problems i had with the 386 i do not have with my new p4 3.4. never called support for computer/hardware/software with a compatible problems for my last 3 machines. i always buy top of the line hp machines configured to my likings but the 386 and 486 were gateway and i did have allot of problems with those machines. the soundcard was attached to the motherboard, so there were conflicts when connect my motu midi interface.

there is only one driver and that is for my soundcard (echo indigo i/o). my controller is m-audio pro 88 no drivers required. no driver required for firewire hd (lacie 160 gig).

i go to the start menu, then run msconfig and stop all the background services i do not need.

If computers were half as good as everyone claims they are, then Roland, Akai, and Korg should have went out of business long ago.

well, if you could review thier balance sheet i would bet there roe (return on equity) is not what it was 10 years ago (percentage wise). you must agree with that. Roland, Akai and Korg are not the companies they once were. i do own roland (r5, u220), akai (mpc2000, s2000, s01) and korg (m3r) and they all got the job done and nicely i may add.

remember when roland use to come out with a new product almost monthly?

the bottom line, it is a personal preference whether hardware or software. i personal like software over hardware.

therefore, my preference "today" is software. there was a time when my pecking order was "God" "Jesus" "MPC/Hardware" "Family" but not today "Software" has replaced "MPC/Hardware" and "Family" comes before "Software".

i know the MPC is the industry standard but so was abestos.

a little resume info too.

at merrill lynch i work on a MIS data warehouse on a unix platform (AIX box with 12 nodes, multi processor) using UDB (we started off on Imformix). i have used C Shell, PERL, SED, AWK, C, C+/+, SQL, etc . on the mainframe i have used cobol, PL/1, Rexx, jcl, procs, dfsort, db2, BMC/BMC plus, etc. so, i do have a little computer background also (i use to design databases). double major math/comp sci (under grad) morgan state un and a masters in finance from nyu.

again, perference is the key here.

p.s. i was just replying to the virtual mpc post but added a little of my own opinions/experences. no flames or arguments here.

i know the MPC is the industry standard but so was abestos.


Yo cannot compare the Two asbestos is poisonous

what does this statement mean? sounds like allot of BS to me. do you think you can dig a better hole with an invisible shovel than a real one?

I think when it comes to senses, the less you use one, the more the other will be enhanced so Not BS, sensible. When I used Cubase things got a lot clearer listening to yer stuff with the screen switched off (there was a function that did that)