Akai MPCs, why so legendary ?

logic_user99 · Post by **logic_user99** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 7:22 pm

Just thought I'd throw in; I got my MPC500 last Friday, and it really is the tits. I love it. Have already gotten a decent 'work flow' (God, I HATE that term). It's just like editing on an S2000, which makes my hands & ears very happy indeed.

It has by no means made my Live rig (with MPD24/Nocturn) redundant, as there are obvious things that the MPC cannot do (like sound like a Prophet or a Bosendorfer piano!).

Lovely Akai. As you were, children.

serge_a_storms · Post by **serge_a_storms** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 8:11 pm

logic_user99 wrote:Just thought I'd throw in; I got my MPC500 last Friday, and it really is the tits. I love it. Have already gotten a decent 'work flow' (God, I HATE that term). It's just like editing on an S2000, which makes my hands & ears very happy indeed.

It has by no means made my Live rig (with MPD24/Nocturn) redundant, as there are obvious things that the MPC cannot do (like sound like a Prophet or a Bosendorfer piano!).

Lovely Akai. As you were, children.

The MPC500 really is a lovely thing! Although 'lacking' in some areas it really is sampling simplicity. I like that it's a stripped back unit.

starving student · Post by **starving student** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 10:12 pm

hey logic glad you like it, and make sure if you haven't already that you upgrade to the latest os, I forget what it is but there were some very stupid bugs in the previous one but all is well now.

starving student · Post by **starving student** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 10:15 pm

serge_a_storms wrote:
logic_user99 wrote:Just thought I'd throw in; I got my MPC500 last Friday, and it really is the tits. I love it. Have already gotten a decent 'work flow' (God, I HATE that term). It's just like editing on an S2000, which makes my hands & ears very happy indeed.

It has by no means made my Live rig (with MPD24/Nocturn) redundant, as there are obvious things that the MPC cannot do (like sound like a Prophet or a Bosendorfer piano!).

Lovely Akai. As you were, children.
The MPC500 really is a lovely thing! Although 'lacking' in some areas it really is sampling simplicity. I like that it's a stripped back unit.

I love it's simplicity too, i do wish that it could record track mutes though, that would probably be all I need although easy to work around sometimes you don't want to work around something.........thats what I have live for

I think they thought that if they included them that no one would buy the 1000

serge_a_storms · Post by **serge_a_storms** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 11:01 pm

starving student wrote:hey logic glad you like it, and make sure if you haven't already that you upgrade to the latest os, I forget what it is but there were some very stupid bugs in the previous one but all is well now.

Just getting the hi pass filter was wnough for me!

Not quite all is well, Have you tried saving an entire project? When you reload, it will be all over the show. Annoying, as this is how I save my work on it. It reloads the project with sequences missing. You don't lose the programe though thanks god! So all your samples are intact.

However, I do think that the 500 has really risen in staure of late. A lot more people are taking it seriously where as I think it was (perhaps snobishly) concidered a bit of toy when it first came out.

starving student · Post by **starving student** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 11:07 pm

really I haven't experienced that, I'm going to check it out in a couple of hours, that's how I save all my stuff too. so are you always missing sequences or has this just happened on occasion?

logic_user99 · Post by **logic_user99** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 11:14 pm

I didn't know about that project saving bug; it's a good job I'm old school with the saves (save all programs/samples down, and then my sequences, and then my songs!)

The filter change-up was well worth the OS update! Srsly. I'm currently ripping 8CDs worth of funk/soul/disco compilations onto my iPod for sampling fun over Christmas (while I'm away from my lovely vinyl).

Long live the 500! (I got 'Afro Samurai' on DVD today, and that's spurred me on big time to get this unit schooled)

starving student · Post by **starving student** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 11:24 pm

that's the ticket man I keep a 500 and 120gig ipod with me at all times

along with refreshed batteries and the adapter and it still doesn't way me down, the show don't stop

serge_a_storms · Post by **serge_a_storms** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 8:41 am

starving student wrote:really I haven't experienced that, I'm going to check it out in a couple of hours, that's how I save all my stuff too. so are you always missing sequences or has this just happened on occasion?

Actually, that's a good point. I only noticed it on the latest thing I'm working on. I should try and load up a previous project and see if i get the same thing.

I went on the mpc forums and was 'reliably' informed it was a known bug.

Loving the portable sampling setups, ipods etc. I've recently started sampling my Korg DS10 (nintendo) for synth sounds on the move. By no means the be all and end all of synthesis but good for lo fi synth sounds on the move.

I bought a cheap mic recently, mainly for the vocoder input of a second hand novation synth I bought recently, but I think that's going to be in the bag a bit more often as well.

Best get some more ram!

starving student · Post by **starving student** » Sat Jan 03, 2009 4:46 am

serge_a_storms wrote:
starving student wrote:really I haven't experienced that, I'm going to check it out in a couple of hours, that's how I save all my stuff too. so are you always missing sequences or has this just happened on occasion?
Actually, that's a good point. I only noticed it on the latest thing I'm working on. I should try and load up a previous project and see if i get the same thing.

I went on the mpc forums and was 'reliably' informed it was a known bug.

Loving the portable sampling setups, ipods etc. I've recently started sampling my Korg DS10 (nintendo) for synth sounds on the move. By no means the be all and end all of synthesis but good for lo fi synth sounds on the move.

I bought a cheap mic recently, mainly for the vocoder input of a second hand novation synth I bought recently, but I think that's going to be in the bag a bit more often as well.

Best get some more ram!

i've been planning the same thing with the ds, if I backpacked across the country thats probably what i'd take, the mpc-500, ipod, ds10, and a pt tiny portable turntable for the records i'd come upon

serge_a_storms · Post by **serge_a_storms** » Sat Jan 03, 2009 10:13 am

i've been planning the same thing with the ds, if I backpacked across the country thats probably what i'd take, the mpc-500, ipod, ds10, and a pt tiny portable turntable for the records i'd come upon

Cool idea with the turntable. You could just buy second hand records along the way and sell 'em back when your done.

Can you record into an ipod? That would be great. you would be able to collate random music on your travels that can be sampled.

I've actually started working away from the computer at the moment. All I'm using is the MPC for sampling and sequencing duties with a novation A Station Synth, Korg ER1 drum machine and the DS10. I have a few drum machine samples that came with the MPC loaded all the time but otherwise I make all make all my sounds. Nothing finished yet but it's been a great way to learn how to use stuff. I'm definitely getting ideas and enjoying being a bit more 'hands on'

logic_user99 · Post by **logic_user99** » Sat Jan 03, 2009 12:38 pm

serge_a_storms wrote:
i've been planning the same thing with the ds, if I backpacked across the country thats probably what i'd take, the mpc-500, ipod, ds10, and a pt tiny portable turntable for the records i'd come upon
Cool idea with the turntable. You could just buy second hand records along the way and sell 'em back when your done.

Can you record into an ipod? That would be great. you would be able to collate random music on your travels that can be sampled.

I've actually started working away from the computer at the moment. All I'm using is the MPC for sampling and sequencing duties with a novation A Station Synth, Korg ER1 drum machine and the DS10. I have a few drum machine samples that came with the MPC loaded all the time but otherwise I make all make all my sounds. Nothing finished yet but it's been a great way to learn how to use stuff. I'm definitely getting ideas and enjoying being a bit more 'hands on'

Sample straight into the 500! Alot of the time, I just sample and store. Have got a couple of 2gb cards filled with samples / tracks.

Q - can anyone recommend a portable turntable? I've only got the one that's attached to my hi-fi... it's a pig to rig up for sampling from!

serge_a_storms · Post by **serge_a_storms** » Sat Jan 03, 2009 4:21 pm

Sample straight into the 500! Alot of the time, I just sample and store. Have got a couple of 2gb cards filled with samples / tracks.

Q - can anyone recommend a portable turntable? I've only got the one that's attached to my hi-fi... it's a pig to rig up for sampling from![/quote]

Thr only reason I mention recording into the ipod is that are you really going to have time and space to go through random records to find bits you like?

Obviously you have to work the way you want to work but it takes ages to go through an album to find bits that you want to sample. I've bought random albums from charity shops in the past having absolutely no idea what's on them. It was bloody boring going through them but I had to in order to hear something that caught my ear.

Just a thought.

HMV sell this. I saw one today.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Numark-PT01-PT- ... B0002ABOFS

starving student · Post by **starving student** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 8:08 am

http://www.samash.com/webapp/wcs/stores ... rySA-10001

starving student · Post by **starving student** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 8:09 am

i think there are some accessories that allow you to record to the ipod