Software vs MPC

I feel like most producers use software and hours of work in mixing and mastring,every cut perfect and every arrangment tight!
Then they drop something on CD and the quality is bombing..

I feel like we "mpc" people cant really make everything so super tight with mixing,arragment,mastring like the software people and sometimes i wonder if A&R:s rather listen to "super produced software beats" the a little more grimey mpc beats.Assume the beats are identical accept the mixing and mastring part.

I been thinkin of going software,,i love the Mpc..more the software programs.but if the kvalite gets better on softwares and the kvalite counts when it comes to working with people.im switching.. you do you think???

MPC used alongside good software is a very powerful setup and probably the way to go. I definately agree that using only an MPC for mixing your track down isnt going to sound very tight. However if you have a mixer and multiple outputs from the MPC it definately makes a huge difference. This is also the case with software though...in the end it will sound better mixed externally through a mixer not just fully inside the software. With the right amount of hardware you dont need software at all to make a track....But what kind of non professional has the cash to buy a sick hardware setup...Software is an amazing innovation and should be used to its full potential. IMO it is the best thing going right now but definately isnt the only thing that can make a good sounding track. Not just an MPC and not just software...

the issue here is cost.

how much is a full blown mpc1000, mpc2000xl, mpc4000 cost?

mpc is a sequencer/drum machine, how many other hardware sequencers/drum machine are there (not many)?

yes, mpc is an unque tool and has a unque sound but alot more sequencing, producing, mastering can be done on software for a lower price. period. that is a fact. i use NI battery for drum and it reads all akai samples, wave files and cost $170. get recycle ($130) and chop your samples in record time compared to the mpc. for sequencing cubase, logic, sonar cost between $99 (cubase se) and $599 (cubase sx) and you can edit the sequence to your hearts desire compared to mpc. software is more cost effective. i started out on a roland mc-50 sequencer (great sequencer) and at the time it was the state of art but today it cant compare to pro-tracks sequencer (software) that cost $29.95 today. yes, it is all about taste and how an individual works but the time you save with software you could be working on your next beat.

software setup is a b*tch to setup but once you have it smooth out and a work flow it cant be beat. i think with battery i could get any sound that the mpc can achive at a fraction of the cost. with prepellerheads reason and thier efx i feel i get get sounds just as good mpc. but it takes time to learn how to use it and most do not want to learn how.

i think the major problem is that mpc is instant gratification for begins. just plug it in, load your samples, set the loop, time siguature and make a beat. with software an individual has control over each and every aspect of the music. look at the thread on equiment, no one (i think) has a digital delay. digital delay can help with ghost notes if you know how to program it. but it is a learning curve that most do not want to go thru. i just think you can do the same thing with software as the mpc and software is cheaper. i have mpc2000 and will never sell it because it is the history of beat making. with software i could be more precise with my music not just in the ball park.

why do i like reason so much because it is a rack. it has a mixer, sampler, synths, efx(s). you can insert, send, split (if you do not know the differents between inserts and send i know now why you love your mpc so much)your sound signal just like in a real studio. it is a great learning tool and sound module. the factory sound set s*cks but with the right refills you can have a triton and sequencer on your computer for $300. it takes time to learn but it is the wave of the future.

I think that this subject has been talked to death.
Lets all just agree that it doesnt matter what you use to produce if it sounds good and get over ourselves.

i am really sick of the software vs. mpc thread. Please do not turn this board into another future producers.

^ exactly I was thinking the same exact thing, before I even clicked this thread

This is mpc land we don't give a shit bout software

and I skip past mwalkers post, every thread he post in is the future is software... what a moron jeez

If you want to use software use software, if you want to use hardware use hardware, we don't need to be informed every damn time someone says jeez I think I'll switch.....

mwalker wrote: if you do not know the differents between inserts and send i know now why you love your mpc so much

Why you acting so cocky? You probably learned that ish from Reason anyway...



Seriously, these kind of threads belong to FP!

I think the FP's are migrating over here!

Technology will forever move forward, and will always be more and more accesable to the masses. Real talent, however, will always be a rare commodity. So... if you can't produce a hit using a FOSTEX four track, then you probably can't produce a hit with a room full of the latest G5s, VSTis, plugins, and a SONY Oxford to boot.

IT AINT THE MACHINE, ITS THE MAN IN FRONT OF THE MACHINE.

I'd take an acoustic guitar over Fruity Loops any day!

I prefer to apply effects, arrange and sequence my other gear from cubase, but make drum beats using my MPC. It's a bastard approach, but works for me.

*mwalker*
Reasons weakest point is it's effects, the compressor & eq's are hardly top notch, nor is the old reverb and distortion. The 2.5 reverb and distortion devices are good though.

Man, the pre-2.5 reverb would swamp things up pretty fast...

i am not going to start a pissing match with you guys today because i have learn some things from you all. on this board there are beginners , intermed, experienced individuals and some of the questions that are asked are beginners questions that if they had a understanding of how a studio, sound design and efx(s) work they would be better off. i am just trying to give back some of the stuff i have learned. why go out and buy $1000 to $1500 of equiment when you dont have a clue about the music making process. that is all i am saying. when i listen to the radio 8 out 10 songs uses an mpc. they are very popular as we all know, i owe one myself (i had it close to 10 years). i just have a problem with individual that purchase gear and do not have a clue on the music making process (from idea to finished product). reason is a good learning tool. berklee school of music uses it and they are top of the line. reason is not for everybody, but if you are a beginner it is a good starting point to understand the basic concepts of the music making process. period. it is true if you have talent you could make a track on a 4 track cassette recorder, i have a tascam 424 portastudio that i started on. i use to sync it to my mpc and record the rap on the track. i learn how to overdub, bounce track and produce music on it. it was a great learning tool.

i have learn to respect you guys and i am not saying the reason is professional but if you are starting out it is a great learning tool. period (at a reasonable price). in order to be successful, whether making music for friends or family or trying to get a record deal an individual must understand how a rack work. it that true? if so, why purchase a mixer, eq, efx(s), modules etc just to learn the music making process. does that make sense? i do not think so. again, for $300 you could get reason and LEARN what it will take to make music. mixing, efx(s), eq, automation, synth programming (differents between subtractive and graintable synthesis), insert, send, returns, gate and synchronization. if an individual just want to make beats i can understand f*ck mwalker but if you want to understand the music making process at a cheap price mwalker does know what he is talking about.

binger0,
i am coming in peace, i have read where you are plainfield, nj i live in somerset nj. lets get to together because you have much respect around there and you can see first hand that i may know what i am talking about and report back to the board. let put a track together.

"This is mpc land we don't give a **** bout software "

thanks ice-berg for answering for all of us

i admit the debate is pretty worn out but i wouldn't say people dont care about software...anyone whos banging just an mpc and nothing else needs to think about stepping it up....i hear loads of people say how can i make my beats better or sound more pro and then say they dont have a mixer.....?!?!?!?!?!?

greg

You have some point there mwalker...... But I'm guessing not all of the people here have a computer at home (I don't). You have to keep in mind the cost of buying the computer also..


I agree with you that it's better to start out with something cheap to learn about the process before you shell out $2000 for a machine. I know people that didn't know the difference between a rack sampler and a drum machine, but learned all that ish because of Reason. I ain't bashing softwares, you know, to each his own or whatever.. I learned everything I know by using other peoples drum machines, samplers, 4-tracks and whatever. Now I know most people don't have the chance to go to a friends house to experiment, and something like Reason may be what they need to start out. But still, rather than recommend Reason to a friend who was starting out I would recommend a cheap drum machine, a keyboard, a sampler, a cheap mixer, a mic and a 4-track to record on. When you've learned the basics with those machines it would be easier to move forward. It wouldn't be as "clean" to **** around with all those wires and machines in real life than it would be to click your mouse in Reason and connect the cables, but it would give you some "real" hands on experience and understanding how the different machines interact with eachother.


Also you have to keep in mind that this is an MPC forum, and many of us are happy with our machines and get by well without computers and softwares. So you know what kind of replies you're going to get if you come here talking about software as the future of music. A lot of great music is still done on fully analog studios. Even in mono.

Many of the best records ever were done on 4- and 8-track recorders, with strictly analog gear, the limitations actually made the musicians and producers come up with some truly incredible ideas to overcome them..