Share your knowledge on these two classic MPCs
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By c.toon Wed Sep 07, 2005 7:21 pm
ASQ-10 + S32000 (+MPD)
you might just as well get a 60 + s3200

.toon
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By max1973 Wed Sep 07, 2005 8:59 pm
Mostly the fact that they were designed before samplers had conventions besides what was inherited from synths, but the thing is samplers didn;t take everything from synths, many took certain things but not others, and when you look at the way they work and you know about synth architecture and what is possible, it starts stretching your mind. You have to earn to think like them, and when the samplers had some genius behind them, it lets you catch a glimpse of that genius. Akai did the 900 and the 950 which became what everyone kind of knew as a sampler and it pretty much became the convention nd what we generally expect from a sampler, but others went different ways like the Emu ones that have complex mod routing and a different architecture, but later on in sampler history all samplers tend to move closer together as far as design, and there are less innovations and risks taken. Akai is fairly dissapointing with the later samplers, they have good features but they don;t take it as far as they can. they are riding Roger Linn's concept of the MPC as much as they can but miss some key elements, which seem weird. Roland is great wth concepts and nnovation but their samplers aren't that great to use, the itnerface side of it lacks. When you use older samplers that had nothing granted (emulator, mirage, eps, emax) some things are weird and seem backwards, butit's just because we got used to one way of doing things mostly.

That's an interesting post, and I concur. I think the weakness of newer samplers is that they're designed to appeal to certain people who make a certain type of music. There's very risk taking and subversion nowadays. When you think that the TB 303 was initially marketed to piano bar players, it makes you wonder...what the hell was Roland thinking! Nowadays, a product has to fit into a style. I don't think that Roger Linn thought in terms of a style of music when he designed the MPC. From what I read he was just trying to find a way to make realistic drums with a machine. Similarly, the first synths and samplers were just an attempt to emulate real instruments. Of course they failed in their quest and that's what makes these instruments interesting, because people didn't use them for what they were supposed to do.

In short, 16 bit is gay :D

By elmacaco Thu Sep 08, 2005 12:16 am
sort of, the first synths were generaly designed for avante garde music, electronic music, or music concrete, they weren;t trying to immitate regular instruments but were making new instruments, theremin, raymond scott, moog and buchla were all running with the crazies of academic music. They were trying to get new sounds, not so much imitate. the imitation of existing sounds displayed the musical usefulness of these intruments to the narrowminded. that's the importance of Switched on bach to society at large.

Roger linn made instruments, from the lm1 to the rest of his creations, they have an identity as a whole, and are used as instruments rather than a tool box of sorts. When the linn 9000 was out people got gigs playing them like session drummers, they mastered realistic programming and removed the need for complex micing and multiple live takes. so I very much agree with what you are seeing. i think people lost sight of this and the pressure was on for features and specs rather than usability, as excellent interface became more of a backdrop so when they started cutting corners few people noticed that one until it was too late.

By mpc3000 Sat Sep 10, 2005 4:36 pm
"In short, 16 bit is gay"

Does that mean that 24-bit ProTools is "gayer"?

By BassLINE Sat Sep 10, 2005 4:42 pm
Yeah, I'd say that 24 bit ProTools is 12 bits too gay.
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By jahrome Sat Sep 10, 2005 8:42 pm
I am curious to what key features from the MPC 60/60II and MPC 3000/3000LE that are missing from the MPC 1000/2000/2000xl/4000 and the forth coming MPC 2500.

By Mandino Sun Sep 11, 2005 12:11 pm
jahrome wrote:I am curious to what key features from the MPC 60/60II and MPC 3000/3000LE that are missing from the MPC 1000/2000/2000xl/4000 and the forth coming MPC 2500.


I'd say decent build quality for a start.
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By jahrome Sun Sep 11, 2005 3:38 pm
Originally posted by Mandino
I'd say decent build quality for a start.


I wouldn't call build quality a feature. The older MPCs are robust, but the new models are pretty solid in their own right.

But I am talking about features that it has to create music.

By elmacaco Sun Sep 11, 2005 5:42 pm
Don't you have both?
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By jahrome Sun Sep 11, 2005 9:26 pm
Yes. I have both for the time being. The XL is on the way out the door when the new MPC arrives. Depending on how much I like the new MPC, the MPC3000LE can stay or go. Not because it is not a powerful tool..but I mainly sequence and sample drums with the 3000..nothing more.