Will using the 500 familiarise me with the 1000/2500/5000??

wats good peoples...

ive got a 500 as my first mpc, i wouldve liked to get a 2500 but i didnt have enough funds so decided to get the 500 as the 'entry level' mpc. my question is, as a user who has never had any experience with mpc's before, will using and learning the 500 mean that when i eventually do upgrade to a 1000/2500/5000 illl be able to learn more quickly (obviously also taking in the fact that ill have to learn more anyway as these have larger menu's, features, specs etc.)

eseentially the question is, does the 'mpc style' run through each of the mpc's the same? will i be familiar with a 2500 if i were to jump on one today and start banging out a beat if ive never used one before, just because its menu's have some similarity to the 500? i.e. 16 levels, note repeat, q-links, full levels all that sort of stuff. And also are the menus on the OS of the 500 similar (but obviously downgraded and compact) to the menus of the higher end models?

also another question, how would you rate the 500 as a beginners model to the mpc line. i.e. if there was someone new to the mpc line would you advise them to get a 500 and learn on that first, or just go straight to a 2500 or something, and only advise on the 500 for its portability and small footprint factor?

thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts!!!

To be honest, I'd say start with a 1000. I haven't had much experience with the 500/2500 models, but I know when I started out working on my 1000, it was pretty user friendly once I dove into the manual and started reading up here. Just my 2 cents

Will using and learning the 500 mean that when i eventually do upgrade to a 1000/2500/5000 illl be able to learn more quickly
Yes, it will make you aware of some sampling techniques.

eseentially the question is, does the 'mpc style' run through each of the mpc's the same?
No

will i be familiar with a 2500 if i were to jump on one today and start banging out a beat if ive never used one before, just because its menu's have some similarity to the 500?
No.

And also are the menus on the OS of the 500 similar (but obviously downgraded and compact) to the menus of the higher end models?
No.

also another question, how would you rate the 500 as a beginners model to the mpc line. i.e. if there was someone new to the mpc line would you advise them to get a 500 and learn on that first, or just go straight to a 2500 or something, and only advise on the 500 for its portability and small footprint factor?
That is the purchasers choice to make.

You could go to Guitar Center if there's one nearby and spend some time with each machine. They are quite different from each other, so once you figure out which one you're more comfortable with it'll be a no brainer. I'm sure all GC's have them both on display

LOL...my bad...it was WAY late when I posted that and didn't even notice!

lol

in new zealand the Rockshop is the equivalent of Guitar Centre. last time i went there they had an mv8800 and mpc5000 on display but i didnt have time to check them out. i will next time im in town

I started off with a mpc500 and eventually got a 1000. I think they are kind of similar but you'll have to learn some differences in how you do things.
So to answer your question in the subject bar..Yes it will "familiarize" you with how things run with the mpc series.
another thing..the MPC500 is a phat little machine don't knock it because of its size, I guarantee you if someone famous put out something hot with it, people wouldn't believe it because there too busy knocking it. like JbrAudio said, spend time with each machine, you may not want anything more than a 500..or...you may not want anything with less features than a 2500 or 5000..who knows?

by the way, JbrAudio..I'm lovin' that Breath Easy track man, that's some mellow type isht. that's my type of music. keep it up.

Glad to hear it! ^^^^ thanks for the feedback Nick That track as a blast to make...when I revisit it, I want to pull my drums out again and set up some mics one more time. Good times with that one!

Sinmatik, I agree with what Nicky says: it's going to boil down to your needs and preference. You may only NEED a 1000, but you could have a thing for the 2500's flip screen and size. If you have the extra dough, and it'll make creating songs that much more fun for you I'd say go for the 2500. I personally love my 1000 due to is compact size...it's pretty easy to travel with.
Having said that, I personally would not switch to a 500 after using the 1000 for so long. I would miss the 4 pads I'd be losing.
So it's all about the features of each machine and once you figure out which ones get you excited about making beats, it's all over! You'll know which one is right for you and then you'll be knockin' beats in no time Get to the Rock Center and spend a saturday pounding some pads...it's valuable research. If you do enough, you'll almost never have buyer's remorse!

^^ cheers for the feedback everyone. will definately try and spend some time checking out the other machines. at least when i do upgrade it will be nothing but bliss. as 500 is the lowest model, anything else i get will only be better in every aspect!

that's a good way to look at it!