What can I do with an MPC as a production tool?

I write r&b/pop over hip hop beats. I want to add some current production chops to my skillset. I write in Logic Audio using all soft synths. The trax get converted to aif or wav files. If I import those files into an mpc, what can I do with them? I'm looking to take my beatz to the next level and I need better feel, so what else can I do with all the samples I will have from a track? How do you produce on your mpc?

I'm also trying to decide if I want a 1k or a 4k. I want to be able to take a couple of trax on an mpc only into a studio and dump to pro tools and have the trax mixed.

No disrespect, but you can do everything with the MPC.

I'm not sure why you wanna make the move. Logic is fine. It's a powerful tool, so is the MPC. It won't make your music better. You do that.

Piece of advice:
It would be better to actually start your project in the MPC, if you plan to use it.

Good luck.

Peace

I wasn't specific or clear enough. I can do most of what I want to with Logic but not everything. My G4 400 is underpowered to do everything I want to in real time and I'd rather wait another year so all the mac upgrade/issues can work themselves out. It's not enough to keep logic updated but I also have to keep my OS updated and all the plugins. At times it's a major hassle and it's never ending. I'm also tired of mousing around all the time. I own no synths, sampers, or drum machines only a midi keyboard controller.

I'm not looking for a piece of equipment to make my music better. I own an MPD16 and it makes me play drums in a different way than I did on my keyboard so I come up with different grooves. In Logic you get 6 choices for swing on 8th or 16th notes but sometimes what I want is inbetween two settings. Tuning drums in Logic is kind of a hassle as is time stretching. In fact, working with samples in Logic takes you way out of the creative process. For one reason, sample organization and file management in Logic is not what it should be.

I'm not looking to make a hardware jump but incorporate a hardware approach into my software approach and add some portablilty. I have very little experience working with samples outside of what I mentioned above because my background is more r&b. I try to make my music good from the song. Different production techniques and tools can make the same song sound different. I'm looking for new production techniques and I am considering using an MPC to use those techniques on for a number of reasons.

I should have started off this thread with a response to your advice, "It would be better to actually start your project in the MPC." What I'm trying to learn is why? Do ppl find it faster, easier to tweek samples, easier or faster to finish your productions on or what? I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to hip hop production techniques, so I'm just tryin to learn.

rnbeatz wrote: I own no synths, sampers, or drum machines only a midi keyboard controller.

.

OUCH!!!!

In Logic you get 6 choices for swing on 8th or 16th notes but sometimes what I want is inbetween two settings

on the 2kxl you get, 1/8, 1/8 triplet, 1/16, 1/16 triplet,1/32,1/32 triplet. So you'll still get six, but alot of times I just turn quantize off. When I first got my MPC, I ALWAYS used quantize, but now I use it mostly for fine tuning.

but what about the percentage of swing between a 16th and a 16th triplet, can this be varied? I can get a good feel in Logic but it takes some work. A lot of ppl talk about the mpc feel like you automatically get it when you quantize. Is the mpc feel something real or imagined in your opinion since you don't quantize?

In my opinion the MPC is just a different way of working, not better or worse than computers. Like you, I used to use Logic, Reason, etc. on a Mac and I just wanted to get away from staring at a monitor all night and dealing with incompatibility problems. The MPC puts you in a certain working environment that you can't duplicate with computers. I believe the feels comes from its limitations. I would recommend you try it because at the very least it will free up your computer to do other things while the MPC handles the drums and other samples. Buy one at a store that has a 30 day return policy and seriously try it out. If you're doing R&B and hip hop, I think it will give your drums a certain feel you can't get from Logic.

MPC separates the boys from the men, bro...

you wont be mad at yourself for buying an mpc. I bet once you realize what your doing with it, youll like it so much better than a computer. Especially for the show-off type thing. You got some people over, they dont wanna see you making a beat on the computer. If your making a beat on an mpc, theyll be like dammmmmmmn. Then that will make you feel betta about yourself and your beats.

rnbeatz, the sound of the mpc is real and not imagined to answer your question

you mention that in order to get a swing going on Logic is a lil bit work

well, on the mpc there is actually a menu for changing the swing of your track by 50% - 75% by just accessing the menu turning the dial and listening in for the difference on the track

i haven't used Logic but i can say on the mpc adding a lil swing is not difficult / troublesome at all

you can access the feature by going highlighting Timing and pressing Open Window

(take it for a test drive at a Guitar Center and see for yourself the sound)

One

cashstill wrote:well, on the mpc there is actually a menu for changing the swing of your track by 50% - 75% by just accessing the menu turning the dial and listening in for the difference on the track
One

That's what I'm looking for. So what are some of the things that can be done to a sample to change its sound like filtering? I plan to make a 50min drive to GC but I want to have a few things to try out like shifting the swing and tweekin a sample.

247beatz wrote:you wont be mad at yourself for buying an mpc. I bet once you realize what your doing with it, youll like it so much better than a computer. Especially for the show-off type thing. You got some people over, they dont wanna see you making a beat on the computer. If your making a beat on an mpc, theyll be like dammmmmmmn. Then that will make you feel betta about yourself and your beats.

Exactly, I'm tryin to get off the never ending software update payway. I'm thinkin the 4k but too many people have negative opinions on it right now, say it's unfinished. I like the fact the the 4k has a full sampler since this will be my first non software box.

the 4k is the bomb i havn't ran into any issues yet or bugs and i have the original o.s. once you start hitting those pads and get use to the features you'll find it to be the greatest .

Decided to start out with the 1000 which I now have. It's changing the way I write already though I've only had it a couple of days. When I master the 1000, if I need more power I'll concider the 4000.