Simplest VST-compatible multitracker

Got my MPC1k a couple of weeks ago. I've found that for me, it's greatest feature is that it makes making music more fun for me. It has limitations as opposed to, for example, Reason, but I find having these boundaries, as thin as it may sound, enable me to actually have to put work into the very basics, making the fundamentals of a song work.

Right - on to business. What I want to find is a simple multitracking program with VST instrument support. Also it has to be able to sync with the MPC1k via midi time code.

I am aware of Cubase, and I actually tried Logic, which would work nicely, but I'm having a strange issue with syncing the damn thing. When I press play on the MPC, logic starts playing, but the tempo starts going up, all the way until the cpu load becomes too much and it stops! It would do the job, but since I have the sync prob, it's of no use really.

Can you record audio into Fruity Loops? I'm really seeking for a no-nonsense, simple program with not too much bells and whistles to bog my workflow down.


Thanks!

use cubase sx u shouldnt have those problems. also use cubase as master let it start the mpc. it will keep better time ,than letting the pc chase the time code. and its vsti and rewire compatible

Have a look in the MPC2KXL thread, i believe someone explained how to sync it up to pro tools... I'm not sure about cubase though but i guess it'll work the same way? Not sure.
What OS are you running? Because u can get a free version of Pro Tools at www.digidesign.com but its only for OS 9 and Windows 98 i think?
What do u mean by the limitations? Im thinking about getting my first MPC (which will hopefully be an MPC1K), Did you come from a computer based system?

Well, for example, I find the effects on the MPC1k to be more limited than on the computer-based systems. I come from a Reason background, and I'm a big delay user. Well the MPC1k does not have that, so I guess I'll have to come up with workarounds for that. You can of course export one track to the computer and apply any effects you want, or just do the delay 'manually', but it is nonetheless a restricting factor.

Also I'm guessing it to be a matter of getting intimately familiar with the MPC's sequencer, but at least at the moment some things take more time to do than on Reason.

There are, on the other hand, many factors which speak for the MPC and the most important, as I said above, is that the MPC makes the music creating process simply more fun.

There might be some easier workarounds for the effect problem that I just haven't thought of, but I'll have to dig into it to be sure.

One aspect of the MPC which I like is that it resembles playing live more than playing on Reason. I more rarely depend on step editing on the MPC than on Reason.

My style of making songs is that I come up with a pretty much "complete" loop, that is, that it has all the musical elements in it to begin with. Then I strip down the elements, for example I'll remove everything but the bass from the beginning and then gradually bring in all the other elements. This isn't as intuitive on the MPC than it is on Reason, but I guess it is just a matter of preference. If a positive aspect has to be found, it makes me renew my approach to composing, thinking more in terms of the whole arrangement than just creating a loop and then bringing elements in/out of the mix.

The MPC, of course, has the track mute function. As my style is like stated above, I've found this to be loads of fun. I can 'jam' on my MPC, just muting and unmuting tracks, maybe playing a drum fill in between, small variations in melody.. All this within a single 4-bar loop. One feature I'd REALLY like to see implemented in the MPC is a 'song-writing mode', kind of a what-you-see-is-what-you-get mode, where everything you make audible is written into one long sequence. This can, of course, be accomplished by recording the track to audio, but it kinda limits the options of editing the song after recording. So basically, 'record track mutes' -feature would be THE SH*T.