MPCs for beginners

Spoonhead Music

Producer/Emcee
hey guys im interested in purchasing an MPC or drum machine and looking to see what you guys think would be a great one for a beginner. I use FL and produce hip hop. im keen on getting a more natural feel to my drums and prefer to "feel out" my patterns instead of clicking them in. any feedback would be appreciated
 
hey guys im interested in purchasing an MPC or drum machine and looking to see what you guys think would be a great one for a beginner. I use FL and produce hip hop. im keen on getting a more natural feel to my drums and prefer to "feel out" my patterns instead of clicking them in. any feedback would be appreciated

then why don't you do this in FL? Grab an MPD or some other set of pads, load up drum samples into FPD and get to it.
 
I agree with Logic... if your just looking for the "feel" then just cop a good midi controller. UNLESS, your bent on coping an mpc and experiencing it. Mpc's can be quite limiting and take some time to truly master. Easy to learn but hard to master. It depends what you personally wanna do...
 
I agree with Logic... if your just looking for the "feel" then just cop a good midi controller. UNLESS, your bent on coping an mpc and experiencing it. Mpc's can be quite limiting and take some time to truly master. Easy to learn but hard to master. It depends what you personally wanna do...

and it really depends on which one you get.

An MPC60 is more limiting compared to the MPC60II, both of which are more limited compared to the MPC3000, which is superior to the MPC2000, but has tradeoffs compared to the MPC2000XL, so on and so forth.
 
I use Native Instruments Maschine myself. It's wicked for producing hip-hop, has a real nice user interface as well. Not only does it have a similar feel to the MPC series there is a mode that emulates the sound of one too. Yes you have to run it inside your computer (it runs in a DAW as well as a stand alone program) but it has an enormous set of sounds built in, an easy to use sampling feature and NI also release packs with sounds for it frequently. It really is a beast of an MPC style sampling tool.
 
and it really depends on which one you get.

An MPC60 is more limiting compared to the MPC60II, both of which are more limited compared to the MPC3000, which is superior to the MPC2000, but has tradeoffs compared to the MPC2000XL, so on and so forth.

The mpc60 Mk1 and 2 are idencital besides its build quality where the mk2 is plastic and the mk1 is metal.

MPC2000 is more advanced than the MPC3000 considering it came out after.
There is however a difference is sound that has been discussed for years, but my first question for you to answer for yourself is - do you want a standalone "true" MPC or a midi controller such as the MPC studio?

If the answer is that you want a standalone MPC you need to ask yourself if you want a Machine that can work alone or need other gear? the older MPCs disussed above all lack EQs, high pass filters and stuff like that so you kinda need a outboard mixer with those. The newer MPCs have a lot more stuff in them.

If you want a standalone MPC i would vote for the 2500, it seems to have all the stuff a beginner in the MPC world needs. I use a 3000 for its sound but ive used MPCs for quite a while and have a lot of outboard stuff to compliment its limits.

Hopefully that helps
 
You can get a used mpd26 for 60-70 bucks. I'd do that first.
With a pad controller FL can get the same no quantize feel, or groove (with mpc groove templates).
 
You can do all the same things with a mouse and people couldn't tell the difference but on mouse it is a way slower process for samps and drums. Only get it if it's fun to use for you lol
 
I use an Akai MPD26 for the exact reasons you have said...it feels better and more spontaneous being able to tap in drums on a map.

The Akai wasn't expensive and there are other alternatives - just don't go for the really cheap options, as they're very much like using your Qwerty keyboard as a drumpad..
 
I used FL studio for years when I was younger with a MPD, I used to love it and i learnt alot from it. Since then iv used MPCs, Novation launchpad, SP404 and the Native Maschine. But at the end of the day what alot of people forget is that the hardware/software doesn't create the music. You can get more or less get the same outcome from all the tools.

The Akai MPC is a great tool but I just love the ease of the Native Maschine and its software. Native Instruments provides regular updates and the amount of download content is amazing from plugins, VSTs, sample, drum kits etc etc.

Depending on your budget the MPD will be the cheapest option and as effective as all the other tools on the market but I would definitely recommend getting a Maschine!!!!
 
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