thinkin about trading my 3000 for an sp1200

watup all,
Do you think this would be a bad move?? I mean ive never used an sp1200 but my favorite beats seem to be made on it and since i use the 3000 for mainly drums, would the sp1200 take its place as far as being my main beat box? would i be hurtin for the mpc's features or would my mac's sequencer (dp 4.5) plus some modules, tables and a mixer be a good fit with the sp? LEt me know what you think cause I'm seriously considering doing this. peace

denzekiel wrote:watup all,
Do you think this would be a bad move?? I mean ive never used an sp1200 but my favorite beats seem to be made on it and since i use the 3000 for mainly drums, would the sp1200 take its place as far as being my main beat box? would i be hurtin for the mpc's features or would my mac's sequencer (dp 4.5) plus some modules, tables and a mixer be a good fit with the sp? LEt me know what you think cause I'm seriously considering doing this. peace

You make Hip Hop or R&B?? If So this REALLY a Bad Idea, Esp.if you plan to be Sequencing Keyboards or using MIDI Extensively.If your a hobbist, it's still a bad Idea because The Sp1200 isn't worth more that 900 dollars USD,unless it been Modified heavily. You can geat a least 1400.00 for a MPC 3k. Try to get an EMU Emax,it's got more flexible Analog filters than the SP and a higher Sample Rate and there going for only about $200.00 USD!

well its a reissue and dude said its mint condtion but yeah I'm not too sure. I guess I just want my beats to have that sound y'know. But I guess an emax or s950 might be a better way to go? Thanks peace

If you use the 3000 only for drums and nothing more, then do it. Dont regret later tho.

bad trade, sell it and but an sp for 800-900 and keep the change for repairs.

I feel you on that, if the 3000 isn't controlling any other gear midiwise then you can do the swap, but I say get a 950 as it's cheap and easier to get into than the emax and mess with it, or find a guy local who will let you try it out for awhile before makin the switch.

Maybe this dude will let you **** with it, ask him how much cash he wants for it instead of a straight trade cuz you'd be losing on that trade. you can find sp's much cheaper, even on ebay.

yeah I thought about it (and just banged out a nice beat on the 3000) and yeah it would be kinda foolish move considering I never even f-d with one. I just want to get the right machine for the sound I'm looking for. Ive had the 2000xl, then the 1000, then the 3000 and I like this one the best but... I aint exactly getting any younger and I cant keep looking for my instrument . I aint tryin to be a gear ho but you know how it is. I need the drums to be flat and punchy but full and thick too. i just need something easy to learn and use to keep the creative flow going. I never thought I would spend this much time with a machine

D-

It depends on what vibe your looking for. The sound & sequencer, coupled with certain limitations of the SP make it truely unique. Often replicated, never duplicated. It's a fair trade I think.. the prices cats are throwing out are way off base. SP-1200's fetch $1,100.00 all day if you want to EBay'em up. MPC 3000's have dropped signifently in value, $1,100-1,300 is the avergae going rate. So hypothetically, you could potentially pocket a few extra if you sold the 3000 for cash, but if you wanna bypass the bullsh*t, and just get a machine for a machine it's fair trade. The 3000 is a hard machine, i like the build, sound, sequencer is nice and stable... Plenty of sample time. It's cool. Vintage too you know? The SP is just more sloppy sounding, easier to use, and has drums that can't be fronted on. Filters are cool on both machines.. nothing to write home about, but they do some interesting things when used right. Big plus of the SP is being able to cut off any sound by sending it out the same output. Gives you mad natural drums.

Chill,
GS-

Check ya PM btw.

no love from the 3000 for you

I gota lota respect for the 3k actually. I don't think ether machine is better, they're simply different. If he's looking for a different flavor though, the SP is it.. it's definately a polar opposite of the tightness of the mpc (groove wise), and sound quality wise.

Ultimately... The 3000 and SP1200 combined would be the kick-ass setup; the MPC for longer samples, 16bit quality and for sequencing synths, plus the SP for THAT sound on drums and other short samples. Think about it. There are always SPs on eBay; how long would it take you to save up for one? Maybe dump something else you don't really use much? You'd need a good reason to get rid of an MPC3000 IMO.

Failing that; an emax will give you the same sound, and you won't have to sell the 3000. An s950 will NOT give you that sound, but a tasty 12bit sound nonetheless. Either option will keep you comfortable for less than $200, until you save up for the SP.

I just don't get it.
Everytime someone mentions the SP the Emax comes up, as well as all these alternatives.
It's just not like that.
It's just as bad as I keep running into cats that are sequencing their SP from the MPC
The SP is a total aspect; it's the sound, the features and the interface that makes that box happen.
If you seq the SP from the MPC I can understand why you woulld feel the Emax is comparable, but for guys like myself it ain't gon happen.
The SP makes you do things and come up with thing the MPC just can't grab, but's it's cool because the MPC does the same to the SP.
The grooves you do on the MPC you can't do on the SP so it doesn't make one better or worse.
Here's the problem you will have to deal with, most SP users who are thorough learned the SP first then added the MPC.
Going from the MPC to the SP can slow your curve or cause you not to go deep enough to feel the strength of the box. It's really different from working on the MPC.

denzekiel, my advise would be forget about who used what and try to figure what up with you and the 3000.
It could be that the 3000 just isn't your box but I don't think that's the problem because you have already tried an XL, 1000 and 3000.
Gotta ask how long did you keep the XL? The 1000? How long have you had the 3000? In other words how deep into the machines did you get before you passed them on?
The value is based on how important the unit is to your needs not wha they sell for.
MPC3000 aren't hard to find i the $950 -1050 range even locally at places like GC, so don't get caught up in the numbers.
If you stick with the 3000 or go with the SP just be dedicated to going deep on the unit.

Hey EL, where's that wall

The 60, 3000, 2000, 1000, 4000, SP, Logic, ASR-10........etc all are capable of doing some crazy sh*t you just have to go deep enough to understand and feel what it can do.
Download the manual get familiar with the SP, then go to dudes house and try it out to see if it inspires you and if you feel the box.
Don't expect it to be smooth and clean to operate like the 3000, but don't think it's bad just because it isn't.

thanks for the advice yeah im still thinking. i guess I only had each machine for like a year before getting something else but Im just looking to step up my game and produce some serious music this year. Maybe I'm just too impatient.

[quote="ntalec"]
[b][i]Hey EL, where's that wall [/i][/b]
quote]

I think I left it at your place

Yeah man, essentially my advice too, check out the SP somewhere, maybe do a temporary swap with dude if he's local, but I would suggest selling it and buying an SP outright before just trading, 3000 still go for good money if you have them taken care of. Lo Pass is talking like he's the guy with the SP trading

I hear you on the sound, I love the early cypress stuff and it's just the SP-1200 ( well 5 of them I heard) that did those records and gave them that sound.

I still think if you like the sequencing on the 3000 but just want the sound of the sampler of the SP and emax will get you pretty close, albeit not as cool as having the whole SP experience with interface and sequencer, whihc is also a big part of it. The emax is a bit harder to get into than the SP, it took kme a while to understand hopw it thinks.

But they were all capable machines.
Maybe it's what you sample, what you load or just the vision?
Just do like most MPC users listen to Pete, Primo, Madlib and just clone what they do. :lol:

seriously don't do anything, dig deeper into the 3000 and just keep experimenting.

elmacaco wrote:
I still think if you like the sequencing on the 3000 but just want the sound of the sampler of the SP and emax will get you pretty close, albeit not as cool as having the whole SP experience with interface and sequencer, whihc is also a big part of it. The emax is a bit harder to get into than the SP, it took kme a while to understand hopw it thinks.

That's my whole point if you just want that SP type sound added to your arsenal then the Emax is the way to go, and they go up and down but still stay pretty cheap.