Is a MPC 2000 worth $350?

[aizo]

So at the music store right down the street from work is a MPC 2000(gray) for $350. It looks great, no scratches, fudged up pads, or knobs. I tried it out and everything appears to be in working order. Is this a good deal? I can't seem to find one on ebay for less than $500. Is there anything you MPC experts can tell me to look for.

Tanks!!!

[arctic ranger]

they are nice, but scsi is a bitch. so you have to get a external scsi drive. and make sure the ram has at least 16
mb's. they also only allow a maximum of 128 samples. you can get an external compact flash kits as well from here http://www.mpcstuff.com/mpc2000parts.html

other than that they are great machines...built like tanks.

[john doe by choice]

I don't think I would pay $350 for a mpc2000 standard, although I would pay that for an XL...the standards are older, and the screen life on those is getting toward the end for people who have one they've used a lot - new screens for those go for something like $200, which is ridiculous. I'd give $250, tops, for a standard.

Also, the max RAM on those is 32 mb (guitar center has some 64 mb chips they sell which fit and do the job - that MPC only recognizes 32 mb, max, but the nice thing about those 64 mb RAM chips is that if you can find them, you can get them for as low as $10, including shipping).

Also, I'm not sure the cf reader works on the standard, but really, you could get an internal 200mb zip and a USB zip drive for cheaper than the CF reader for the MPC and a CF reader for your computer, and they give you the same capabilities in the long run - you could pick up a USB zip on cl or ebay for something like $20, and an internal zip you could find at a thrift store or online for probably $5, definitely way cheaper than just the internal CF reader for the MPC alone, and guaranteed to work (some of the internal cf readers sold now are kinda fussy, you have to be real strict with what you do with them, or they won't work). I use the zip drive situation right now, the only thing the CF option offers over zip is space, but with the speed you can put files on a zip disk from your computer to turn right around and put that disk in your MPC, it's not worth paying extra for a cf reader for your MPC.

My $0.02.

[n8sum]

MPC's are easy to use sequencers.. in my opinion the sampling is just a bonus feature. I slave mine to ableton and use it as a general control surface. You can assign the pads to trigger clips in ableton, or just have it on hand to use for impact or other software synths. The note repeat button is handy for plugging in notes and the swing settings can give you something to experiment with. The two midi ports can also help you merge two signals together to go into ableton (i.e like an external keyboard or drum machine) which helped me out a lot because I only have one midi port on my audio card.

Beyond all of the midi capabilities it is a stand alone sampler. While its specs are not so impressive in comparison to software like ableton, it does a great job for chopping up short drums or wave forms. You can tune pitch and add some basic filter effects. Loading in samples that are longer than 10 seconds can be a pain in the ass though. SCSI is a scarce format nowadays and there are a variety of options such as zip drive, cf reader, hard drive, and cdrom if you want to store a library of samples and sequences. I'd personally opt for a cf reader as zips have had a tendency to fail on me... but this was at a time when I was transferring massive amounts of data frequently (note: an MPC 2000 does not have an IDE port so you'll need an SCSI zip or cf reader). SCSI hard drives are a good option too and offer the best loading speeds. There is also an mpc editor that you can use to create programs at www.midicase.com. Also, an MPC 2000 doesn't accept standard wav files but has its own snd format. Your best to check the mpc-forums.com for more technical information.

So overall, there are some challenges to taking on the MPC but it is a fun toy to play with and can also complement your work flow.

Hope that helps,
1-0ne

[blakbeltjonez]

FWIW, the LCD for the 2000 and 2000XL is the same..... goes bad at about the same rate, and they are closer to $300 now because it's an odd design and nobody makes them anymore. expect a screen to last 3-5 years. that kind of dooms MPC's with bad screens.

personally, i think getting around the 2000 was quicker than the XL and for that reason i liked it better, but the really big benefit of the XL was being able to use directories on a drive..... a drive much over 64 MB won't do you any good, because the MPC2000 file system will only allow for about 256 samples on a drive. that is a ball ache. the 2000 could only hold 128 samples in RAM, the XL could hold 256.

at one point, i had an idea to put a CF reader in the 2000, but it needs to be able to boot from a disk (unlike the XL) - it could conceivably be done, but you'd need a FAT16 formatted card with the MPC2000 OS on it already. i got a couple of SCSI readers when they were cheap ($20-30) so i just went external.

[john doe by choice]

You're right, the screens are the same, but because the XL's are newer, they are likely to have less time on the screens than the standards in general.

[contakt321]

The MPC 2000 is my favorite MPC. I have mine still.

PROS
Jogwheel is better than later MPCs
Screens go bad intermittantly, my friends went to shit 7 years ago, mine is perfect and it's 12 years old
Pads are lovely
Great sequencer and interface, if you spend the time, you will learn to make beats without looking at the thing
32mb is plenty of sample time. I think it's like 300 seconds, you definitely don't need more
No latency
Pretty easy to bang out beats with great feel if you know what you are doing
Slightly compresses the samples + sample envelopes (to my ear) make sounds slightly punchier

CONS
Way less powerful than Ableton
Somewhat big
Screens go bad intermittantly, my friends went to shit 7 years ago, mine is perfect and it's 12 years old
SCSI SUCKS
Zip Drives, Floppy disks, etc SUCKS (by the card reader, trust)

[citizenchris099]

I am in no way trying to be rude when I ask....what is the point of purchasing a piece of equipment such as this? nostalgia and or posterity? are you a collector?

[delicioso]

I have fond feelings and yes, nostalgia for the MPC2000 as that was my first MPC. It's a classic piece of equipment. But I would suggest getting it only if you don't have Live and want to use it as a sequencer to drive external hardware. If you do have Live, it's just not worth that much. I would spend the money on Maschine.

[citizenchris099]

I have fond feelings and yes, nostalgia for the MPC2000 as that was my first MPC. It's a classic piece of equipment. But I would suggest getting it only if you don't have Live and want to use it as a sequencer to drive external hardware. If you do have Live, it's just not worth that much. I would spend the money on Maschine.

kind of what I was driving at.

[Tone Deft]

Maschine is a good steer but it has the same annoying problem that Live has that the MPC cures, latency. one could say the same about an MPD, it's a good MPC replacement (it's MPC pads with Live's brain) but there's still that annoying latency which really blows when making beats.

the 2000 is an interesting idea but you'll be starting off life with the thing with limitations, the SCSI, the drives the bulk. if you want an MPC, look for 1000 series you can get them for like $500 used. there won't be any compromises with the tank sized archaic 2000.

MPCs are fun but they are their own thing. you can't just walk up to it and start slicing beats, you have to learn it, read the manual, go through tutorials and practice. this is time spent you could be improving your Live skills.

be aware that some units have flaky pads, so try it before you buy it.

[The Carpet Cleaner]

Hey tone, are you talking about latency, the latency when you press a button/pad and the sound comes with few milliseconds later?

[aizo]

Thanks Everyone!!! I always wanted an MPC, I'm not so good at making hiphop, so I won't be sampling really long samples. I just have this side industrial project That I want to make with hardware only. My JP-8000, Electribe, ____(sampler), and an Virus Indigo I'm also looking at. I know all about the SCSI zip drive thingys, I used to work at a studio that had one and fucked around with it all the time. It's just fun and I need a piece of gear that's fun, not for work. With my electribe I like to make a simpler more restricted piece. I feel I could have a lot of fun with this thing. Besides I'm gonna get it on a trade in (plus some cash back) for a shitty Roland SH-201(I bought it, played it maybe 8 times, put it back in the box and it's been sitting there since last November.) I went to the store to see what I could get for the keyboard and saw the MPC.

[humnumb]

Maschine is a good steer but it has the same annoying problem that Live has that the MPC cures, latency. one could say the same about an MPD, it's a good MPC replacement (it's MPC pads with Live's brain) but there's still that annoying latency which really blows when making beats.

Funny. I don't have any latency issues when making beats with Maschine. Have you even used one yourself?

[Tone Deft]

Hey tone, are you talking about latency, the latency when you press a button/pad and the sound comes with few milliseconds later?

yes.

Maschine is a good steer but it has the same annoying problem that Live has that the MPC cures, latency. one could say the same about an MPD, it's a good MPC replacement (it's MPC pads with Live's brain) but there's still that annoying latency which really blows when making beats.

Funny. I don't have any latency issues when making beats with Maschine. Have you even used one yourself?

I have not used one but AFAIK it only plays drum hits that are stored on the computer, that leads to latency problems.

or does it store all the sounds and do all the sound processing inside the Maschine itself?

I'm not ragging on the Maschine, I'd get one if I hadn't recently bought so many other new toys.

Thanks Everyone!!! I always wanted an MPC, I'm not so good at making hiphop, so I won't be sampling really long samples.

does anyone else cringe when the MPC is referred to as a hip hop machine? it's a common saying but it's the same as saying Live is great for making tarnce. you can make industrial with it.