ALL U NEEDZ IS THE MPC1000 PERIOD -

For all the people out there askin questions about what extra gear you need etc etc.
If you wanna make 100% sample based music ala DJ Shadow for example, then you REALLY dont need much more than the mpc1000.

With the mpc1000 you've got a TOP sampler, a PRO sequencer, REALLY GOOD effects, multiple outs including DIGITAL, Pads to play your samples from. EQ & Compression. Pretty much everything you need to make sample based music in one box!!!

Connect a turntable & dj mixer to the inputs of the mpc1000, some decent studio monitors to the stereo outs & cd recorder to the digital out, and you've got a HOT set up.

with: A turntable & mixer, MPC1000, Studio Monitors & Cd Recorder, theres ABSOULTELY NO REASON why you cant make an album good enough to release in the shops. Obviously its what you do with the equipment and how you use it that counts. But we're talkin about Gear here, and potentially you could make a REALLY GOOD album with such a basic set up.

Hopefully that helps

PEACE

JHW

The Setup you just described is made up of more than just a Mpc 1000....



The Rs

true the mpc is one of the best all-in-one platforms out there, no doubt, BUT heres my setup and engineering preference....

my mixer is an allen and heath GL2 - duel parametric EQs on every channel plus a fixed low and hi eq - with a roland space echo providing real spring reverb but no delay. the delay comes from a line6 echo pro which can follow midi tempo and actually has a nice sound quality to it, especially when used with real space echo reverb.

then take one mpc1000 for sampling and combine it with a few digitally controlled analog synths - atc-1 (minimoog like), doepfer 404, roland mks-50 (dco's not vco's), prophet 600, etc real analog synthesis but midi controlled by the mpc sequencer.

add a 909 into the mix - actually you can control a 909 with your mpc and get some extra velocity control that you can't get from the 909s own interface. then theres the whole "no two 909 kicks are ever exactly alike" thing which you can fake if you are clever with your sampling but nothing beats a real 909 running the entire length of the track. if you have a 9, sample it kick only for a minute and then zoom in on the kicks and you can easily see the variation.

ANYWAY my point is that by using various sound sources in addition to the MPC, like an analog synth or a few other drum machines and external effects, adds a tremendous amount of "depth" "richness" and natural variation. the different boxes all have different dynamic signatures that your music is filtered thru. even though the mpc is prized for its transparent sound, any sampler will always have its own bias to it. mixing your sources will help your own unique sound come thru.

riding the parametrics over the course of the track creates subtle differences in eq which can "open up" the track as it varies the sonic space that the track takes place in over time. it keeps things more dynamic and interesting to the ears. a separate midi controller hooked up to the mpc can give you sliders or knobs to instantly access similar controls like eq changes and filter changes that you can vary in real time, even without an external mixer. imho, some parameters are best left unsequenced and should be "done by hand" to give the drum machine a more human feel to it.

anyway, that my 2¢ for maximum flavor.
mpc alone is great.
mpc plus is even better.

/p

Yeah im feeling your set up.

I was just pointing out, that if you aint got alot of dollar, and you're on a tight budget, or if you intend on makin 100% sample based music like Dj Shadow for example, then you dont need that much more than mpc.

Sounds good you're gear, did it take along time to build it up??
I've just got me a Roland Juno60, man, it looks like somethin from Buck Rogers. Its real simple to use, and can make some really WILD sci fi sounds. Im gonna sample it into the mpc

RESPECT to ya

JHW

My set up is as follows:
Turntable & Dj Mixer
MPC1000
Tascam M08 Analogue Mixing Desk (It very basic, 12 channel, 2 band eq, but has a really good clean & crisp sound)
TLA Fat 1 Tube stereo compressor (This adds some real beutiful warmth to my music)
Roland Juno60 synth - for adding mad leftfield off the wall noizes and sounds
Edirol Active studio Monitors
Cd recorder

what do you mean by good studio monitors, i've checked out some monitors from thomann, but thats the issue i dont know shit about, so tell me, marks and models n stuff like that

need timestretch aswell so add a pc or another piece of hardware that does that.

noVa ProductionZ wrote:need timestretch aswell so add a pc or another piece of hardware that does that.

Shadow did quite well without timestretching on Entroducing...

Assuming that you get a studio to handle the mixing and mastering, you can easily write a complete (and complex) track using just an MPC (whatever model) and some vinyl.

There are alot of factors with monitors, if you're studio is set up in a confined space, then you're gonna be best gettin smaller "nearfield" monitors. Then there's passive - where you need a seperate amp, or active - where the amp is built inside.

Then there's cost, really you can spend anywhere between 100 - 100,000 dollars/pounds!! But spending more dosnt necessarily mean better sound quality.

I read some interview with this hiphop producer who had yamaha ns10 monitors and also some real cheap hifi speakers from radioshack. He sold the ns10 cos he preffered the sound of the hifi speakers and reckoned that they sounded far superior.

As for me, my studio is in a confined space so i dont need no mega lound speakers to mix. I also wanted active monitors, cos its less hassle than having to hook up a seperate amp. I was on quite a tight budget too........
Some guy recommended the edirol active monitors to me, the active, nearfields, but still pack a punch. He told me he'd had a pair demoed to him and they quality of the sound is that of a monitor that cost 2 or 3 times the price. Like i say they are quite cheap, about 150 pounds.
Anyway, i've bought them, and i luv em, loads of bottom end, good tight top end, crystal clear sound. PERFECT

MPC-Tutor wrote:

noVa ProductionZ wrote:need timestretch aswell so add a pc or another piece of hardware that does that.

Shadow did quite well without timestretching on Entroducing...

Assuming that you get a studio to handle the mixing and mastering, you can easily write a complete (and complex) track using just an MPC (whatever model) and some vinyl.

I've done just that many times with only a 2kxl. Just recorded into Vegas Video and burned. EVERYTHING was done on my 2kxl.

It's only as hard as you the producer make it.

Every track I have ever made has been written only on an XL. I use my guitar and turntable as my main sound sources and use the EB16 and digital recorder for resampling sounds. I can't remember the last time I used timestretching

All my other equipment (compressors etc) tends to be for mixing/mastering - but these days I leave a lot of that to Samplecraze as he has all the flashy valve compressors and other mastering gizmos.

you're right mr mpc tutor, most people will advise you to get your mastering done, at a "proper" mastering studio. Although having said that, the mpc1000 does feature eq & compression fx and also a digital out, so you could attach a cd recorder directly to the mpc, and potentially get a really good quality true digital master recording.

Ultimately, I've always been of the opinion that the most important bits of gear are those things on each side of your head and the bit that's in between them.

Everything else is a means to an end...

i duno i sample sum weird ass shit so i need timestretch quite often.


u try writing a hiphop beat with a bpm of 63