Proud new father of a mpc 2500, but need some tips,any one?

Ok well i have waited for quite some time and just got a deal i could not pass on a new mpc 2500...BUT..... it came just as it did from factory....

so i am turning to some vets for pointers..

for one....i KNOW the 128mb upgrade is well....a MUST...my question is, should i grab the real akai release or would it matter if i grab one off of ebay but it is NOT the real akai ram...

second, the optional cd drive....am i correct that the only way this can really be of any value is if you are on the road or gig alot...?? which is not my case, the mpc will never leave my home studio...so im guessing i should just save the 2 bills...

third, the built in Hard Drive...now THIS i like...i think would make things so much easier to have this installed....but im not sure about which one to get....i checked akai's site but they only list HD's up to 80gb's and i have heard of people installing Hd's that are bigger in size 100gb plus....

sorry to hit yall, with so much noob questions.....but i am just now crossing over to the production side of things so my knowledge in the field is limited...so any tips or places where i can purchase these upgrades the cheapest would be of great help...

Thanks to any one that can put me in the right direction or maybe any 2500 owners can give me some tips as to what i should do...

Thanks in advance...

Oh and side note....also a place where i can find huge sound collections would be great or if any one is willing to help me out with a small starter pack to get things going would be great....that little 32mb demo akai gives you is NOT going to take me to far haha....thanks again...

Don't bother with the cd drive. It's a waste of money. sampling from CDs is easier on the PC and so is recording the tracks to burn to disc.

Look at the stickies in the MPC 1000 forum regarding RAM, hard drives and CF cards.

The 2500 and 1000 use exactly the same upgrades so check through those threads, everything has been covered in there

^^^Nice!!! appreciate the heads up boss.... I did not know the 1000 and 2500 had the same compatability like that with hd's n ram...good looking out...

-HH-

No probs

update that biaytch

update??? hrrmmm....just got it...im sure i will find out what you mean shortly lol.....

hahhaha but yo this site is the shit straight up....

went through all kindsa threads any how...

copped kingston 256mb ram & a Toshiba 100gb HD.....for $155 shipped...and i got my eye on a 1gb cf card figured be good if there was ever a need for travel studio/studio....no need to tote the mpc......

so for under 2 bills get my baby juiced...im good with that....hopefully the shit is a breeze to install then again i bet theres a thread somewhere round here for that...haha....

i stumbled across it then couldnt find it again, if any of you know the link to change the color of pads, id appreciate it....i think the 2500 would look serious with black pads....BONG!!

You need to update your OS brah. Several peeps have exp. the "system test" bug.

Do them in order:

http://www.akaipro.com/supportos.php#MPC2500

cre8tive wrote:You need to update your OS brah. Several peeps have exp. the "system test" bug.

Do them in order:

http://www.akaipro.com/supportos.php#MPC2500

You don't need to install all the updates, i recommend against it.

Just go straight to 1.21

new OS's only contain fixes that are listed in the addendum. if just does 1.21 then he'll miss out on all the addidional fixes that are on the previous OS's.

Damn i just took it out the box and it's time for an update....i guess that's either good or bad....

and yea i read somewhere that the updates were all inclusive...meaning that you wouldnt need to update each update....you can just go to the newest release and it will update from all previous ones aswell...

but cre8tive seems to think otherwise...and i aint sure either way...can someone clear this up...so i make sure to do the shit right...

and how can i tell what OS is in my mpc at this point, cause like i said i just got it...

and "juxt" you can keep my wifey she was beat up anyhow..as soon as she gave birth to my 2500 we went our seperate ways, it was for the best....i knew the **** was a freak....just got back from the Maury show....and it is confirmed...I - AM - THE - FATHER......

*tapdances*

Yeah they are inclusive of all current features.

Same as my Proteus 2000. When i bought it it was on 1.4, i went straight to 2.26 or whatever the latest is and all the features are there.

Just stick 1.21 on, it will be fine. I don't see the point of loading in all the buggy OS's, it's wasting your time.

^^^ yea i was thinking that, why go in a circle only to end up in the spot you could of got to from the start....i appreciate it my man...

Thanks again!!

yea the cd drive is for on the go sampling.. i was pist when i found out it couldnt burn cd's!!!!! well some dealers that u buy the cd drive from tell you you can.... well yea i got the 80GB upgrade but i didnt even know you can put 100GB and up... well i got my ram from ebay you should get it there cuz its cheaper.... but over all i make some dope ass beats with that baby!!! and sampling with the mpc2500 is easier than the dj turn tables..... 1:because you dont need a bunch of records... well if ya like vinal than yea...
2:because you can just burn cd's with old songs on them... and if ya really dont have the money to buy songs of itunes or watever.... than do what othr people do ... limewire!!! i dont need it cuz i can get any song for liek 30cents from a homie of mine that works at a tower records store!! he hooks me up!!..lol. but yea just do that its almost worth buying..... holla back!

^^ thanks for the input man....

yea i already went ahead and ordered the Ram and also got the HD and installed them...i even went and ordered a custom dust cover and i got custom black pads (thought it would like fly on the black 2500)

installed the pads already aswell now im driving myself crazy because i CAN NOT for shit get a sound to play..im soooo lost....all this build programs then sequence...i tried to bring some of my own sounds onto the mpc...yet all i can mess with is the factory couple tracks that are on there...i cant get any of my own stuff on there....i dunno....i have been looking all over for some tutorial vids...but they are all like tricks and tips...which is great for people that already know what they doing....i need a video that shows me from the bottom line basics up...seems like once you get the hang of it youll be set....but i need a jumpstart on the basics of loading sounds, asigning to pads ad so forth....even if i had to buy it for a few dollars...honestly at this point i think it would be worth it....

can any one throw me a bone??

Hustle don’t panic Brov, I too are in the same situation, I copped mine on Saturday

I admit the manual is not that great for newbie’s but read it, it will help

I started by turning off the Auto load function which loads the demo stuff, page 9 quick manual

The operator manual is a bit all other the shop for newbie’s but here is what I have figured out so far Wright or wrong I don’t know

1. first transfer your samples into 2500 by USB
2. then Load your samples, you will have an option to assign a pad. I ignore this option for the moment.
3. Then create a program this is were you assign your samples to pads
4. from main window assign a program to a track

this will get you bashing on the pads and creating beats or drum patterns but please do not take this as gospel, like you I am a newbie to MPC and learning my self .The videos which are out there are very informative and should get you chopping your samples and creating beats in no time.

I am having trouble in deciding were the 2500 best fits in my setup and how to interface to other software tools and what are the best options for production of beats do I use 2500 as main sequencer making it a master to cubase or the other way round ? mmm wont no till I try both but keep me updated on your progress maybe we can throw each other a bone or two

Peace