mpc-500 Reviews

to all of you who are now proud owners of the mpc-500, you should go to http://reviews.harmony-central.com/revi ... C-500/10/1 and share you experiences with the device.

I read some of your review and, I gotta say you should have scored 10 in all catrgories!!1 Just kidding. Good job on the review.

I went down to GC today to finally check out what all the hype was about. The thing really does look like a toy...very cheap feeling. I felt like I was going to break the pads. The biggest thing that turned me off was the tiny screen...trimming samples must be a nightmare. Used in conjunction with a larger MPC or sample editing program, this box could be fun to mess around with, or travel with. But man, I wouldn't even dream of running my studio off it.

Chopping and trimming really isn't a nightmare, you just get use to it.

I wouldn't bother editing samples on it, as I would normally just dump them from the computer onto the flash card and load them in from there. But it wouldn't be difficult, as they have the 'play to', 'play from' options. Meaning you can edit the sample and hear how much you're trimming by listening to the before part up to the attack.

Avene wrote:I wouldn't bother editing samples on it, as I would normally just dump them from the computer onto the flash card and load them in from there. But it wouldn't be difficult, as they have the 'play to', 'play from' options. Meaning you can edit the sample and hear how much you're trimming by listening to the before part up to the attack.

Works great for me.

editing is really pretty simple...

if you just put the sample on loop mode, hold down the pad, and keep adjusting the start and end times you can easily hear what your sample will sound like.

then you can extract the sample and you have a perfectly chopped sound.

doniguan wrote:editing is really pretty simple...

if you just put the sample on loop mode, hold down the pad, and keep adjusting the start and end times you can easily hear what your sample will sound like.

then you can extract the sample and you have a perfectly chopped sound.

Yeah, but still not that quick if you are using multiple samples... it is just easier to use your computer.

yeah if you can use a computer, I recommend doing that. If not just use your 500 no big deal.

It's kind of fun once you get to chopping.

A little tip I use, is to write down your sample numbers so you can keep track of where each chop stops or starts.

I.e: if your first chop is from 0 to 25487, write down the number 25487 then extract that chop. This way you can keep track of where you next chop starts at, which in this case will be 25487 of the original sample.

this works best for me when chopping on the 500, if someone has a better way let me know.

Ok, I use both the 500 and the 1000. If I was to get rid of one...it would be the 500. The 500 does not have the workflow of all of the other MPCs. I would think anyone who buys this as their first MPC and does not have patience would hate MPCs for life. I think it is relatively easy to get used to the menu diving for people used to the 1000 or 2500... since we are used to using an MPC and know what to look for. I'm not sure if this thing will only sell to people who have an MPC or to new users. I think new users will put theirs up on the used market fast. That said, I like mine. It has its place. basically right now, I use it as a drum machine for my synth based stuff...instead of a full blow hip-hop samples and drum machine use. I will also use it as a midi sequencer at times. The 1000 will be used for my completely sample based stuff no doubt.

i think you need to give people who've never used one before some credit...i never used an mpc before- i'm not turned off by its menu...

i mean it at least has a menu. My last sampler, god bless her, the sp-202, was a joy but in no way nearly as powerful as an mpc-500.

i'm not going from a bmw 5 series to a 3 series, im going from a vw rabbit to a bmw 3 series...

doniguan wrote:i think you need to give people who've never used one before some credit...i never used an mpc before- i'm not turned off by its menu...

i mean it at least has a menu. My last sampler, god bless her, the sp-202, was a joy but in no way nearly as powerful as an mpc-500.

i'm not going from a bmw 5 series to a 3 series, im going from a vw rabbit to a bmw 3 series...

I didn't mean to offend... however, you may be in the minority... OR...I could just be wrong.

Let me put it to you this way: If you started out editiing a DX7 from the front panel, the 500 is about as easy as it gets. However, this is the only MPC I've used so far, so do you really lose that much with the 2 line LCD? Is it only the chopping up of samples? I've only ever edited samples numerically so I'm in my element with this box. I also use the Kawai Q80 sequencer with the same 2 line screen an I find that easy to operate. The thing that makes the MPC special is the rest of it's interface, i.e. the pads. I was surprised at how fast I had a tight drum pattern going after loading up my sounds. just press record, tap a few pads and there it is. If new users are used to a mouse and 17" monitor it may be awkward at first, but I think you can still knock some quality stuff very quickly.

algorithm18 wrote:Let me put it to you this way: If you started out editiing a DX7 from the front panel, the 500 is about as easy as it gets. However, this is the only MPC I've used so far, so do you really lose that much with the 2 line LCD?

I'm not even talking about sample editing... I'm talking about having to use the cursor buttons way too much to do simple little stuff. However, it isn't that hard...just annoying compared to other MPCs. Sure, it is simple VS. the DX-7...but the MPC is not an FM synth...it is a drum machine.

i wasn't offended by what you said, i was just pointing out another side of the story.

but i do agree, that if you have had no experience with an mpc- the 500 may come off as cumbersome.

at the same time, i look at the muti-page screens of the 1000 and am glad my 500 is not that complicated.

but i am somewhat of a minority as i am used to using all-in-one trackers such as lsdj or midines...which are even more illogical than an mpc-500...