sp 303 with mpc workflow question

DPM02

New member
I've heard a lot of people say making a beat as a whole and chopping is very difficult to do on the Sp 303, which it does take a while to learn how. but my question is, for those who have both an MPC and Sp 303, does it take away any quality if you just run your MPC through the Sp 303, and do all the chopping and layering and sequencing on the MPC.

what is the difference (of quality) between doing everything only on the 303 and/or using the 303 purely as an effects machine, whilst sequencing and everything else on an mpc. are they worried they will not achieve the full "Sp 303 Sound"?
 
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I've heard a lot of people say making a beat as a whole and chopping is very difficult to do on the Sp 303, which it does take a while to learn how. but my question is, for those who have both an MPC and Sp 303, does it take away any quality if you just run your MPC through the Sp 303, and do all the chopping and layering and sequencing on the MPC.

what is the difference (of quality) between doing everything only on the 303 and/or using the 303 purely as an effects machine, whilst sequencing and everything else on an mpc. are they worried they will not achieve the full "Sp 303 Sound"?

1. Making beats on the Sp 303 isn't hard its like anything else... you have to learn it.
2. You mean use the Sp 303 as a filter and run it through the mpc? A lot of people use the Sp 303 for its filters as there are more filters on the sp 303 than something like the mpc 2000/2000xl/60/Mpc 3000. Some people enjoy the warm warm/dirty sound of the sp nothing wrong with it.
3.your asking Mpc vs Sp quality? well its all going to come down to a few things

1. quality of the samples you are using
2. how you are processing your sound
3. Mpc and Sp 303 have different converters so there is going to be a difference in sound but not a quality loss.

you have to take into consideration the settings on each unit you might have the mpc set to record more lofi you might have the sp 303 set to record lower volume so you are going to have to watch the settings to get the hottest recording signal you need
 
i think you answered my question pretty much, i was just wondering if someone could get the same " 303 sound" by running an mpc thru the sp303, instead of using just the 303 by itself, because workflow is usually faster on an mpc.

basically, using all the same sounds.....if you made a beat using JUST the 303 and then compare it to a beat made using an mpc running through the 303 and use the same effects, would they sound different? which would sound more warm and/or gritty?
 
i think you answered my question pretty much, i was just wondering if someone could get the same " 303 sound" by running an mpc thru the sp303, instead of using just the 303 by itself, because workflow is usually faster on an mpc.

basically, using all the same sounds.....if you made a beat using JUST the 303 and then compare it to a beat made using an mpc running through the 303 and use the same effects, would they sound different? which would sound more warm and/or gritty?

This is going to depend on the mpc for me I a Mpc 1000 and an Mpc 3000

I think i get what you're asking if I'm not correct me.

the beat made with the 303 is going to sound the same as the beat made with the 303/mpc 3000 combination. They will both give you a warm and gritty sound You would have to really a/b the difference to know to what extent (wont be much). I have not noticed a difference but then again I never sat with a comparison trying to find differences

if you feel good working on the mpc use the mpc. Worst comes to worst you can always dirty up a clean sound but you can't go the other way. with that said if you are using something like a new mpc and you notice the sp 303 is a little more smooth/lofi you can always make the mpc 1000, 2000, etc do that. So you will be fine

one thing you can do is compare Jay libs beats to Dillas both producers made nice stuff from the units
 
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yeah you got me lol...i've been trying to learn the sp 303 lately, in order to fully utilize it, but i came to the conclusion of....instead of solely using the 303 to make beats with, i could just it use it for its effects along with my mpc 500 (soon to be a mpc 1000). I just didnt want to lose the 303 "sound" if i did it this way.

yeah, i use mostly chopped breaks off my vinyl for drums and bass from my microkorg, no stock sounds or anything. and i've been inspired by a lot of beats i've heard on the web by people who used the 303, and i liked its warm sound, so i picked one up to warm my sounds up a bit.

thanks for all the info man
 
Ah ok! So here is what you will want to do

Treat that 303 as a sampler/processor and use the 500 as a sequencer prob solved I thought you were dealing with an older mpc
 
I dont have a mpc but this is what i do with my 303. i sample into the 303 then resample again to maschine. i also have my syth hooked into the 303 to sample it that way. it works quite well for this type of thing
 
I dont have a mpc but this is what i do with my 303. i sample into the 303 then resample again to maschine. i also have my syth hooked into the 303 to sample it that way. it works quite well for this type of thing

Ouch you need to stream line that process son!

Set your sound card so your output is your monitor and your recorder is your monitor.. this way you can pass the sound through the 303 and just hit record on the maschine. This is faster because this setting allows you to record anything playing through the system you wont have to sample to the 303 then sample to the maschine you can do it all in 1 take and tweak in the 303 in realtime before sampling in the maschine :)
 
Just to note, when people talk about a "303 filter" or a "303 sound", I would assume they are talking about the TB-303, an old one oscillator monosynth from roland with a very unique lowpass filter.

Roland-TB303-460-100-460-70.jpg
 
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I would suggest learning how to make a beat with just the 303 because it will make you a better producer. Learning how to produce with the 303 is like learning how to play guitar. It is a PHYSICAL skill. You will develop great timing. Once you get the hang of it, it still takes a few minutes to get your chops down. I like to take this time to think about the sounds. By the time my chops are ready to go, usually about 5 or 6 minutes I already have a pretty good idea of how I want my beat to sound. Because it takes a few minutes to get anything done on the 303 it teaches you how to be mindful about what you are actually doing to the sounds. I can finish a beat in 20 minutes. I really really enjoy the process. I don't have an mpc yet but I'm pretty sure I could tear one up thanks to the sp303.
 
I imagine sequencing is done on an sp303 like you do in a Zoom sampletrak aside from having lots more memory, and not being capable of sequence resampling.
You would record your pad performance as a resample, and then layer more sounds on top as another resample.
Each resample becomes a new sound that can then be sequenced into a song in real time as one long sequence.
 
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