My MPC 500 = Pwned

Antonym wrote:ps - why are the pads bad? describe it to me - is it the rubber, the sensitivity...what's going wrong there?

doing a comparison between the 500 and the 2500: the 2500 has a nice balance of rubbery yet solid- the 500 feels more like plastic than rubber.. at least so far.

as a side note i still like the jog wheel on the 500 more than the one on the 2500

p

The mpc500 seems like a great thing to me. I've not really used it much.

but it stores a lot and runs on batteries. the pads aren't going to be as good, bu thtey're better than much that's out there...

**** of a shit loiad better than the sp1200's pads:p and the r8's pads...

for some people portability is neccessary

and on the price note, mpc500 and mpc1000 sell for the same used...

and never buy new gear, you'll always lose money...

but anyway. I dont see why people r so upset, all teh apparant disadvantages are obvious...it's a small screened mpc... I dont even see really why a large screen is even neccessary for an mpc...that's just me, I'm also used to forats, linn sequencers, linn9000, studio 440, that have small screens...

I'm really thinking about buying one...

but one thing... the effects, are they as shitty ast he mpc1000's? that' what i hate the mpc's effects now are **** horrrriiiiiblle, and with so few outs, i'm worried

i' thining bout using this for live set, batteries means i'm safe from running the gear on a generator, and i can run from teh cops real quick with a little thing:-) but hte no effects....kinda shit...


sorry for babblin:p

the fx are hot garbage....

stefski wrote:
Something I learned from ripping my vinyl to my computer to throw onto the CF card/into my Serato library: Making hip hop music or whatever is not a whole lot about sampling. It's about signal processing, with a touch of sequencing.

Just curious what you mean by this.

Murahachibu wrote:

stefski wrote:
Something I learned from ripping my vinyl to my computer to throw onto the CF card/into my Serato library: Making hip hop music or whatever is not a whole lot about sampling. It's about signal processing, with a touch of sequencing.

Just curious what you mean by this.

Well I was just ripping vinyl. I started recording these whole songs, some breakbeat stuff that was either for sampling or playing back. Once I'd recorded some songs I set some cue-points in Serato Scratch Live. I'd set one cue for kick, one for snare and maybe some more for bass notes and what not. I started trigging them from my mixer (a Rane TTM57SL) with the cue-buttons. This meant playing back high quality AIFF-files 16 bit 44.1 kHz which felt very similar in sound and style to using and MPC. The similarities end there - they're entirely different products. You would expect an MPC to do more. In several ways it doesn't deliver, and hasn't been able to change anything significant to its approach to sound processing for as long as I've owned MPCs (10+ years).

This means that the MPC range consists of sample playback machines. What you put into it, you get out. It doesn't add much. Fine for chopping beats, less for getting creative with a phrase sample. At least cbefore you involve other technology. I know a lot of people will contest this with saying it's not the machine it's the user. I know very few who can freak a song internally on an MPC without serious outboard gear or software to process your sound. You'll want a sampler to add character and you'll want your sampler hardware to give you the tools to freak it in different ways. Filters, for instance, need to actually be able to kill or emphasize frequencies a lot better than what the MPCs built in effects will do. You really get stuck in the box.

It's hard to explain what I'm missing about MPCs without comparing it something that get you a greater experience. I suggest trying an Elektron SPS-1 UW. Even at 2MB sampling memory, midi sample transfer, XOX-style sequencing (and a hefty price tag) this gets me more options than any MPC.

The filter parameters get the user control of both low and high filter cutoffs, as well as a variable gap bandpass filter. Samples, while mono, can be tweaked between 2 and 16 bit.

This is just the filter effects... It is so different from using an MPC in every aspect of signal processing. The machine simply has flavor. I'd rather use this, or just go the other way and go Ableton Sampler and Trigger Finger. Haven't tried that combination yet but it looks to be attractive for pad style programming.

stefski wrote:It's hard to explain what I'm missing about MPCs without comparing it something that get you a greater experience. I suggest trying an Elektron SPS-1 UW. Even at 2MB sampling memory, midi sample transfer, XOX-style sequencing (and a hefty price tag) this gets me more options than any MPC.

The filter parameters get the user control of both low and high filter cutoffs, as well as a variable gap bandpass filter. Samples, while mono, can be tweaked between 2 and 16 bit.

This is just the filter effects... It is so different from using an MPC in every aspect of signal processing. The machine simply has flavor. I'd rather use this, or just go the other way and go Ableton Sampler and Trigger Finger. Haven't tried that combination yet but it looks to be attractive for pad style programming.

No offense at all, but from your posts it seems like you are a marketing guy for Elektron.

so many of the discussions regarding 'to mpc or not to mpc' read like a debate about which is better: blondes or brunettes. there's no such thing as 'better'.. there is no One Way or One Machine .. what's limiting for one with a certain mpc might be The reason someone else can make great things with it .. to get specific and denounce a machine or method just reads as self-important ignorance

p

I just don't know what's causing all this tension!! I'm a busy musician. Making beats and bass on my mpc500 is so easy I don't know where all the complaints are flying in from! Don't try to use it like a larger MPC, use it with already well edited samples from your pc/mac and DO WHAT IT'S DESIGNED FOR YOU TO DO! MAKE BEATS ON THE MOVE!!! USE LOOPS! PLAY BASS IN WITH 12 LEVELS!! WRITE TRACKS FOR DEVELOPING LATER IN THE STUDIO!!

STOP COMPLAINING! IT'S A FANTASTIC DEVICE!!! It certainly beats trying to program a laptop on a train, in Reason, with a mouse...how depressing...

Come on people!

WAVS

Lion of Judah wrote:No offense at all, but from your posts it seems like you are a marketing guy for Elektron.

Well if that's all that you get from what I'm getting at then go for yours.

wavsub wrote:MAKE BEATS ON THE MOVE!!! USE LOOPS! PLAY BASS IN WITH 12 LEVELS!! WRITE TRACKS FOR DEVELOPING LATER IN THE STUDIO!!

STOP COMPLAINING! IT'S A FANTASTIC DEVICE!!! It certainly beats trying to program a laptop on a train, in Reason, with a mouse...how depressing...

BEATS ON THE MOVE - I never felt more hyperactive than when next to someone drumming away on a plane or train.. sorry, just doesn't go with my personality to drum on things in public.

LOOPS - well yea I guess you could do that. But what if you could beat stutter à la Ableton. What if you could process the loops with effects to make more interesting chops of resamples.

PLAY BASS WITH 12 LEVELS! - ok to me at least that gets tired pretty quickly (especially with those 12 levels being at inaudibly low levels becuase the output is so low)

WRITE TRACKS FOR DEVELOPING LATER IN THE STUDIO - point is I don't wanna get started sketching with the crap sound processing that an MPC offers. Sounds need to be done before they go into the machine which practically makes it a very expensive sequencer with pads.

STOP COMPLAINING! IT'S A FANTASTIC DEVICE!!! - Yeah I'll give you that. The stop complaining bit. I paid Akai good money but I won't be anymore.


This disclaimer needs to go on any MPC box -- pads available separately.

stefski wrote:

Lion of Judah wrote:No offense at all, but from your posts it seems like you are a marketing guy for Elektron.

Well if that's all that you get from what I'm getting at then go for yours.

No no, as I said no offense. I got a lot from what you were saying, and I agree with it. It's just that you mention Elektron and the Machinedrum so much it just seems like it.

Sorry once again if you were offended.

i like my 500 alot! its my first mpc, so if your thinking man, i want portability in an mpc then go cop this! i just chop my loops or samples up in acid and soundforge before i load them to my mpc then i do the rest on there! i think its sick! i just got it like a week ago, and im still learning how to use it, but really, if you are thinking about getting one, i would get it becuase i am really happy i got mine!

i wanted a peice of hardware that i could bang on and then record the final mix to a cd on my computer, this is PERFECT for that

stefski wrote:which practically makes it a very expensive sequencer with pads.

Isn't that kind of exactly what it is? Pretty much says so on the tin. Are there other hardware sequencers with velocity sensitive pads and sample editing functions that are cheaper than the MPC500?

I can understand what you are getting at about all-in-one, especially compared to the Machinedrum, since it's designed to make all the sounds internally (excluding the user waves, of course. Truth be told though, useful as they are, they just aren't at the same quality of sampling as the MPC).

I'd probably hate my MPC500 if I was hoping it would be my only piece of gear, but as it is, I'm finding it to be an incredibly handy thing to have around.

I think the problem is with comparing it with the 1000. I just saw a yamaha su10 go for 200 bucks. You can find an MPc 500 for around 500 bucks without trying hard. Lets compare it to a yamamaha QY-300,a roland or rather BOSS DR-880. Ive seen Akai ASQ-10 go for 400 bucks and that will sample nothing. I think the MPC 1000 is the one regret Akai has from a buisness stand point. That could be why they refuse to fix the pads on the machine. Lets think about it ? ( Akia's Logic) I won't let you chop so JJ makes an O.S that lets it compete with my 2500 series. I am also competing with software that is killing me an every other hardware company. I create the MPC 1000 to be portable but it did not work out so well as a portable device. Now I have the MPC 500 . If I create a machine that SUPASSES THE 2500 but not as high end as my 4000 (whose sales was horrible in comparison). That would be my next step. This will drop the prices of 2500's on the used market. Where is the room for the MPC 1000.In ny plans, I honestly think there are not any. I have a funny feeling the 1000 series will be dropped from roster.

man listen, i have cubase sx3 and link it up to hardware (i.e. mpc2000xl, roland keyboard, etc). anyhows, the only reason i got the mpc2000xl was for unlimited memory for a drum machine, sequencing it slave mode midi, then recording audio. but think about getting a laptop to do beats on the go taking them anywhere. indeed it wont be as good caus mous clicking and possibly needing a soundbox, and external midi controller, etc, not to mention all that together is gonna cost $$$$.
-so wen the 500 came out, i was in beat junky paradise! smaller than a laptop, and cheaper. plus i already know the mpc OS so i'll adapt so quick. yeah it doesnt hav a big screen or as many pads as the other mpc's, but u still get the bang for its buck! i got an ipod, and got wires to connect into the mpc... so thats ultimate portability!!!! i do beats sampling in my living room while watching the basketball game, in the kitchen wen getting ready to eat, wen i go to someones hous to either make or show off my beat, on my bed b4 i sleep, or even hook it up to my cubase and whole set-up, i can even hook it up in the car with the cassete adapter into the headphone jack of the mpc. not to forget taking it for shows and beatbattles.
this lil mofo is a monster!!! if u use it to its fullest capability you'll be making bangin songs with it regardless. and one way or another, u still hav to hook it up to a d.a.w. (cubase, protools, sonar, logic, etc) to record and edit it better, regardless of what mpc it is too. not saying u need a daw for like the 4000 or 2500, but everybody with daw's know its best for finishing a song. and how many people know about all the 500's capabilities like direct record (while in sample mode just hit playstart and the beat plays while recording. dope! wen i got it hooked up midi to keyboards to record the audio into the mpc). im telling u, if u use it to its fullest potential its a tazmanian devil!!

bottom line; if u dont hav any equipment and wanna start off serious with an mpc, start with a 1000 and up. realistically they're more user-friendly for beginners caus of a bigger screen and more buttons/pads. eventhough a beginner hobbyist would like the 500 also.
but on the other hand, if u already own a daw and other equipment and etc, the 500 is tha sh*t! -giving u a second studio being u can take it anywhere so easily, then link it back up in ur main studio.

be realistic man, its definitely not as strong as the 1000's and up, but i can still make hotter beats on my 500 than u can on ur 4000! lol -and i can do it anywhere beotch!!