Having a bad time with my MPC

Got a lovely Blue MPC 2000XL, waited ages to get a card reader, all installed, able to load programs (that others made) but I just can't get to grips with it.

I just feel confused looking at it really. I have loads of idea's in my head I would love to put out, or even jam with my guitar etc, but I just can't load a sound I want.

I was expecting to load a note I like and get it to sound different on each MPC pad. Purchased the MPC guide and just reading it makes me feel confused as F**K. I went straight to the 16 Levels & Auto Chromatic Assign tutorial section and it expected me to know how to make a program. It just feels empty, nothing to mess about with untill I get to grips with the machine itself.

I dunno, allot of money later and I've got nowhere with it. Maybe I need a keyboard or synth.

Did you feel like this when you got yours???

For now its listed on ebay and I feel like crying.

you cant expect to pick up a piece of equipment and know it through and through instantly.

A program is just sampled sounds loaded onto pads.

Press the 16 levels button and select the pad you want as the start point for the 16 levels. You then select the parameter youd like to affect (from what you are saying, you want to assign different notes to each pad), so select note variation, then under type, select tuning and the pad you want your starting point to be assigned to. once this is done press turn on and you have 16 pads playing the same sound at differing pitches.


The 2000xl is probably the easiest piece of hardware sampling/sequencing to learn the basics on. YOU STILL HAVE TO READ THE MANUAL, from cover to cover. Try doing the things it is explaining to you as you read it. Ive had my 2000xl for 5 years and I still reference the manual from time to time. It isnt hard, it just takes time to learn, just like anything worth doing. If you give up after a short while, you should stick to playing video games or masturbating for fun because obviously music is NOT for you.

Oh, and all the accessories and upgrades wont help you do ish if you dont know how to interact with the machine in the first place. Floppy drives accomplish the same thing as a card reader does, only you cant save as many samples onto one disk. Why wait for a card reader for weeks when you have a perfectly good MPC sitting in front of you? When I got my xl I didnt save anything for at least 2 months. I had NO musical background, so I made sure I knew how to use the machine before I started saving anything anyways.

If you give up that easy,doing pro audio might not be your thing man. MOst motherf uckers that are really good at making beats are A>D>D and tweak the shit out of every knob until they know what it does. Its just like anything man.You said you play the guitar,well some jack ass could look at a guitar and just see strings that make noise when you hit them;but the musician sees an infinite number of possibilities,Modes of scales,minors,majors,triads,inversions,extensions and so on. OPEN YOUR EYES MAN!!

If your more of a guitar player and not a sampler(using records to get samples) You could do what i do and use the mpc for its sequencing ability. Then use plug ins inside a program like logic,protools,ableton,reason. The mpc itself is not an instrument,its more like the best conductor on the face of the planet,telling all the instruments what and when to do what they do. It is like a center piece tying all your other inst together.
I would not give up on it so easy,theres a learning curve to everything.

[/quote] The mpc itself is not an instrument,its more like the best conductor on the face of the planet,telling all the instruments what and when to do what they do. It is like a center piece tying all your other inst together.

cosign

M.P.C------->Midi Production Center

r.a.p= rhythmic american poetry

rap------>radio air play

hip hop----->real music

for real

Thanks for your opinions guys.

I'm not very good with the music lingo really, I think thats what gets me. For a beginner, I need laymans terms. I would love for someone to actually help me without being sarcastic because they find it easy etc. I would hope that I don't act like a twat because what some people don't understand may seem stupid to the "pro's".

Its all way to confusing for me, I know a few bits like loading programs but after that my mind just feels over crowded.

I do honestly regret putting it up for sale, wish I could get on with it, but I'm facing facts and just letting myself know its not for me.

A basic thing I was trying to do next was make some kind of synth program on the machine. I don't know if I'm right in believing that I could use one note from a keyboard and turn the MPC into some kind of 64 key synth via the 16 Levels & Auto Chromatic Assign function and with this build a load of sounds that I can mess around with, add beats and bass etc and hope to write some of these lyrics floating around in my head.

No offence guys, but its confusing, even though one of you tried to help me within this thread. I looked at this guide I purchased and it already expected me to know how to create a program instead of just putting me through the stages and making me feel like I'm getting somewhere with it.

You guys think and/or recommend a synth that would let me load my own sounds in? I was looking at the Ensoniq ASR10, although the max memory was 4mb (I think I read) I kind of found that offputting.

If anyone fancies helping me in laymens terms, I may change my mind about the sale and give it a go, you never know, I may pick up things as I go along the scale of the things I want to do. I was even considering posting an ad in the paper looking for some tuition lol

59 views on my ebay auction and already one offer and 5 watchers, gotta make up my mind here guys lol

ill help you pm me.

jonestown massacre wrote:rap------>radio air play

hip hop----->real music

M0N0PH0NIC wrote:Thanks for your opinions guys.

I'm not very good with the music lingo really, I think thats what gets me. For a beginner, I need laymans terms. I would love for someone to actually help me without being sarcastic because they find it easy etc. I would hope that I don't act like a twat because what some people don't understand may seem stupid to the "pro's".

Its all way to confusing for me, I know a few bits like loading programs but after that my mind just feels over crowded.

I do honestly regret putting it up for sale, wish I could get on with it, but I'm facing facts and just letting myself know its not for me.

A basic thing I was trying to do next was make some kind of synth program on the machine. I don't know if I'm right in believing that I could use one note from a keyboard and turn the MPC into some kind of 64 key synth via the 16 Levels & Auto Chromatic Assign function and with this build a load of sounds that I can mess around with, add beats and bass etc and hope to write some of these lyrics floating around in my head.

No offence guys, but its confusing, even though one of you tried to help me within this thread. I looked at this guide I purchased and it already expected me to know how to create a program instead of just putting me through the stages and making me feel like I'm getting somewhere with it.

You guys think and/or recommend a synth that would let me load my own sounds in? I was looking at the Ensoniq ASR10, although the max memory was 4mb (I think I read) I kind of found that offputting.

If anyone fancies helping me in laymens terms, I may change my mind about the sale and give it a go, you never know, I may pick up things as I go along the scale of the things I want to do. I was even considering posting an ad in the paper looking for some tuition lol

59 views on my ebay auction and already one offer and 5 watchers, gotta make up my mind here guys lol

No offense ok maybe some,but your trippin! You need to get some books instead of spendin the money on the synth. Synths are for manipulating wave forms,and not so much sampling. you had a dope sampler. Now how are you going to record sequences once you get your synth. DDAmn man,you dont have an mpc anymore,so fuk your ebay auction get off the board. You wanna say were being sarcastic dog? when even before you got any answers to your post you put your mpc on ebay? What the fuk is that?Are you tryin to learn it, or justify sellin it to get back your allowance.

fenix wrote:

M0N0PH0NIC wrote:Thanks for your opinions guys.

I'm not very good with the music lingo really, I think thats what gets me. For a beginner, I need laymans terms. I would love for someone to actually help me without being sarcastic because they find it easy etc. I would hope that I don't act like a twat because what some people don't understand may seem stupid to the "pro's".

Its all way to confusing for me, I know a few bits like loading programs but after that my mind just feels over crowded.

I do honestly regret putting it up for sale, wish I could get on with it, but I'm facing facts and just letting myself know its not for me.

A basic thing I was trying to do next was make some kind of synth program on the machine. I don't know if I'm right in believing that I could use one note from a keyboard and turn the MPC into some kind of 64 key synth via the 16 Levels & Auto Chromatic Assign function and with this build a load of sounds that I can mess around with, add beats and bass etc and hope to write some of these lyrics floating around in my head.

No offence guys, but its confusing, even though one of you tried to help me within this thread. I looked at this guide I purchased and it already expected me to know how to create a program instead of just putting me through the stages and making me feel like I'm getting somewhere with it.

You guys think and/or recommend a synth that would let me load my own sounds in? I was looking at the Ensoniq ASR10, although the max memory was 4mb (I think I read) I kind of found that offputting.

If anyone fancies helping me in laymens terms, I may change my mind about the sale and give it a go, you never know, I may pick up things as I go along the scale of the things I want to do. I was even considering posting an ad in the paper looking for some tuition lol

59 views on my ebay auction and already one offer and 5 watchers, gotta make up my mind here guys lol

No offense ok maybe some,but your trippin! You need to get some books instead of spendin the money on the synth. Synths are for manipulating wave forms,and not so much sampling. you had a dope sampler. Now how are you going to record sequences once you get your synth. DDAmn man,you dont have an mpc anymore,so fuk your ebay auction get off the board. You wanna say were being sarcastic dog? when even before you got any answers to your post you put your mpc on ebay? What the fuk is that?Are you tryin to learn it, or justify sellin it to get back your allowance.

WOW, you have some sand in your vagina!

Still have the MPC actually, so cry me a river.

your a piece of s h it fool.take your posts to another forum,I heard hooked on phonics is doing a music for dummys class on broadway. you know what makes me mad about m fukers like you is you are always askin for hand outs instead of tryin to learn yourself. READ A BOOK DOG!!

sounds like your trying to dive into the deep end first. remeber the mpc was traditonally marketed as a drum machine / midi sequencer. It can be a synth is your want, but you'll need some knowledge on programs, looping waveforms, auto chromatic assignment.

stop ya whining, and start learning. you'll get no sympathy here, in saying your confused and you just bought the damm thing.