Why do you people prefer MPC's SP's etc to DAWs?

[peace777]

Honestly, I prefer softwares reliability, in terms of reloading projects. As of late, hardware (MPC 2500) has had saving issues, causing me to either start a beat from scratch or simply toss the idea.

But, on the other hand, hardware has a better sound, in my humblest opinion. Like 9 times out of 10, I can tell if a beat is made with software, which is mainly due its sound. And I can say that, without sounding contradictory, FL and Reason are usually the culprits. I cant tell with programs like Logic or Maschine. With FL, like boi1da, people tend to rely on the snare (e.g., Over), and this mainly due to trying to make FL sound better. Because, in my experience, when you use FL for a simple one two drum pattern (Kick-Snare-Kick-Snare), it doesnt have the same feel as a MPC. The MPC gives it that sense of urgency, a snap back feeling, yet this can be limiting. With FL, like Lex Lugers application of the software, I can play with the drums and create some weird drum patterns, providing for a new sound. Shyt, I couldnt do some of the things on the MPC that I can do on FL.

Bottom line: Do what sounds and feels right.

 

[noborders]

hardware has a better sound, in my humblest opinion. Like 9 times out of 10, I can tell if a beat is made with software, which is mainly due its sound.

Do drums sound better in hardware than software?

---------- Post added at 10:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:31 AM ----------

And a laptop is not a piece of unrepairable proprietary hardware that has parts that are difficult to acquire?

Exactly. Laptop, midi controllers, and audio interfaces are much easier to fix or replace. For example, a unibody MacBook will withstand much more abuse than the plastic MPC5000.

Besides, MPCs are notorious for dying pads, screens, buttons...etc. and there are already parts that are no longer made for older models like the MPC2k's screen. And Numark is letting all MPCs die out, already having discontinued most of them. Akai's website no longer even sells any new MPCs anymore and they only have the refurbished MPC1000 for sale.

 

[Inverted314]

Do drums sound better in hardware than software?

---------- Post added at 10:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:31 AM ----------


Exactly. Laptop, midi controllers, and audio interfaces are much easier to fix or replace. For example, a unibody MacBook will withstand much more abuse than the plastic MPC5000.

Besides, MPCs are notorious for dying pads, screens, buttons...etc. and there are already parts that are no longer made for older models like the MPC2k's screen. And Numark is letting all MPCs die out, already having discontinued most of them. Akai's website no longer even sells any new MPCs anymore and they only have the refurbished MPC1000 for sale.

How does Numark even stay in business?
MPCs are going out because they are too expensive.
I guess they must be living off the MPK midi keyboards and the upper end DJ controllers.

 

[youngjboy]

Do drums sound better in hardware than software?

---------- Post added at 10:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:31 AM ----------


Exactly. Laptop, midi controllers, and audio interfaces are much easier to fix or replace. For example, a unibody MacBook will withstand much more abuse than the plastic MPC5000.

Besides, MPCs are notorious for dying pads, screens, buttons...etc. and there are already parts that are no longer made for older models like the MPC2k's screen. And Numark is letting all MPCs die out, already having discontinued most of them. Akai's website no longer even sells any new MPCs anymore and they only have the refurbished MPC1000 for sale.

I belive in the end that Akai/Numark will make a newer MPC that will be a hydbrid like maschine . MPC's still have their usefulness for live triggering, and for controlling hardware. I am still debating getting a maschine, but i prefer to see my sequences in a linear fashion in a daw. I can use the Ableton, Maschine, etc type loop daws, but I prefer linear which is why I stuck with Cubase which is familiar to me. The other issue for me is that I have a lot of hardware racks/keyboards that I am not totally ready to part with, and I don't think maschine is quite ready to control a big chain of hardware and software, although it is getting there.

As far as the drum clips you posted, there is a little difference in sound as well as timing/groove. Both sound okay though.

 

[peace777]

Yeah, both loops are similar, but both do have a different feel.

 

[Focused]

I belive in the end that Akai/Numark will make a newer MPC that will be a hydbrid like maschine . MPC's still have their usefulness for live triggering, and for controlling hardware. I am still debating getting a maschine, but i prefer to see my sequences in a linear fashion in a daw. I can use the Ableton, Maschine, etc type loop daws, but I prefer linear which is why I stuck with Cubase which is familiar to me. The other issue for me is that I have a lot of hardware racks/keyboards that I am not totally ready to part with, and I don't think maschine is quite ready to control a big chain of hardware and software, although it is getting there.

As far as the drum clips you posted, there is a little difference in sound as well as timing/groove. Both sound okay though.

LOL folks still getting tricked by this I see, Saint Joe and I joked about doing this experiment last year....both audio examples are software, people just hear what they want to hear


Do drums sound better in hardware than software? The answer!

 

[youngjboy]

LOL folks still getting tricked by this I see, Saint Joe and I joked about doing this experiment last year....both audio examples are software, people just hear what they want to hear


Do drums sound better in hardware than software? The answer!

I never said one sounded better, I just said that there is a different feel. I still say that there is and you can even see in the waveform that there is a little difference. Clip 2 plays a little louder and is a little more loose. I know I am not hearing things.

 

[MAC DIGI]

I think the answer to why people prefer MPCs SPs and the like is fairly simple. For some it's the hands on feel and workflow of doing everything right there on the machine vs clicking a mouse, opening/closing plug in windows etc. Even if you are using MIDI controllers to pretty much take the mouse out of the equation, there's still the hassle of mapping your controller to control whatever parameter you want to assign it to (luckily it's getting more integrated and easier though).

Another aspect is the reliability of hardware vs software. MPCs and such are built like tanks, most of these MIDI controllers are built like toys and are pretty fragile.

 

[Focused]

I think the answer to why people prefer MPCs SPs and the like is fairly simple. For some it's the hands on feel and workflow of doing everything right there on the machine vs clicking a mouse, opening/closing plug in windows etc. Even if you are using MIDI controllers to pretty much take the mouse out of the equation, there's still the hassle of mapping your controller to control whatever parameter you want to assign it to (luckily it's getting more integrated and easier though).

Another aspect is the reliability of hardware vs software. MPCs and such are built like tanks, most of these MIDI controllers are built like toys and are pretty fragile.

I think there is a lot of weight to this argument and an awful lot of validity.

Most midi controllers on the market are not built at the same high quality level as things like the Motif/M3/Fantom/MPC/SP etc. There is still not a high end, workstation quality midi controller keyboard on the market....in 2011. Novation comes close but still has many cheap qualities. In the Pad controller market, there is no pad controller that is built like an MPC/SP, and for many that spend their money, this quality factor outweighs the convenience and functionality gained with midi controllers.

there are many people that don't want to work on computers during the initial creative process of beatmaking because they find the experience more enjoyable when done fully hands on with real instruments and processors. There is a certain level of mental chemistry that occurs when going through this process.

On the other hand though, most people will end up arranging and mixing their beats as well as recording their songs on the computer, even if they made the beat on Hardware. I think that people that use DAWs for the beat making process have decided that their workflow is more simplified by using a single environment that gives them the flexibility to change the arrangement, sounds and mixing on the fly.

 

[peace777]

I thought both loops were made with software. I could tell. Even each software has a different sound, no different from the difference between an ASR and a MPC.

Why not be on the square and do a real experiment? Put a hardware loop against a software loop.

 

[Destinationup]

In the Pad controller market, there is no pad controller that is built like an MPC/SP, and for many that spend their money, this quality factor outweighs the convenience and functionality gained with midi controllers.

What about Akai's MPK 49? Do you have any experience with it? Is their a difference in the quality? Can't you control other hardware instruments and load stuff into the MPK? When I first was buying equipment I was thinking about getting the mpk 49. But I realized i had to buy a lot of sounds to make myself feel complete. So I just bought a yamaha mm6. Next I'll probably be getting a kronos or another yamaha. with 88 keys.
.

 

[Inverted314]

There is still not a high end, workstation quality midi controller keyboard on the market....in 2011.

Isn't the Studiologic boards supposed to be rather high quality?

It's weird that all these companies (Roland, Yamaha, Korg) who make the nice boards haven't released a midi controller of the same quality.

I wish Native Instruments would make Maschine MPK style. 16 pads + 49 keys all in one wonderful device. It would be perfect.

 

[Focused]

What about Akai's MPK 49? Do you have any experience with it? Is their a difference in the quality? Can't you control other hardware instruments and load stuff into the MPK? When I first was buying equipment I was thinking about getting the mpk 49. But I realized i had to buy a lot of sounds to make myself feel complete. So I just bought a yamaha mm6. Next I'll probably be getting a kronos or another yamaha. with 88 keys.
.

I have the MPK49 at my office, its a nice midi controller but its not workstation quality, its primarily a plastic controller, with a stiff keyboard action.

The Old studiologic SL990 boards are definitely not workstation level overall. The keyboard action of course is the top quality Fatar action, but everything else about those boards are pretty cheap. The VMK boards are a step in the right direction but they are more similar to Digital Organs.

 

[captainbeats]

If I where you i would use both. Just add it to the arsenal, the more the better I believe in using Hardware and Software, I love using the MPC and the Fantom X series, But I also Use Reason, Native Instruments, And FL.

 

[Destinationup]

I have the MPK49 at my office, its a nice midi controller but its not workstation quality, its primarily a plastic controller, with a stiff keyboard action.

The Old studiologic SL990 boards are definitely not workstation level overall. The keyboard action of course is the top quality Fatar action, but everything else about those boards are pretty cheap. The VMK boards are a step in the right direction but they are more similar to Digital Organs.

i'm referring to the pads only not the keys. the mpcs are made by the same company as the mpk. so wouldn't one say that the quality is somewhat similar when it comes to only the pads. because the MPCs do not have keys so you can't really compare it to something using the keys as an argument. I wasn't comparing it to a workstation and to me the MPCs i would not choose for a workstation either. I would go with a full keyboard and some expansion boards and not the MPCs.

 

[Focused]

i'm referring to the pads only not the keys. the mpcs are made by the same company as the mpk. so wouldn't one say that the quality is somewhat similar when it comes to only the pads. because the MPCs do not have keys so you can't really compare it to something using the keys as an argument. I wasn't comparing it to a workstation and to me the MPCs i would not choose for a workstation either. I would go with a full keyboard and some expansion boards and not the MPCs.

The pads on the MPK49 are not so great, they can be modified to have better contact with the pad sensors (if you want to open up the keyboard and do such a mod) but in general the pads on the MPK suck compared to controllers like the Pad Kontrol by Korg, and definitely dont hold up against the MPC. I think the best part of the MPK series is that its class compliant, meaning no drivers necessary. This makes it much more appealing to use versus things like the Novation Remote/Nocturn etc.

 

[Mannas]

i'm referring to the pads only not the keys. the mpcs are made by the same company as the mpk. so wouldn't one say that the quality is somewhat similar when it comes to only the pads. because the MPCs do not have keys so you can't really compare it to something using the keys as an argument. I wasn't comparing it to a workstation and to me the MPCs i would not choose for a workstation either. I would go with a full keyboard and some expansion boards and not the MPCs.

Don't assume so because it's the same company. I had an old MPD16 and the pads were absolutely terrible.

 

[noborders]

I never said one sounded better, I just said that there is a different feel. I still say that there is and you can even see in the waveform that there is a little difference. Clip 2 plays a little louder and is a little more loose. I know I am not hearing things.

LOL Did you even read the answer? Both clips were made with software.

I think the answer to why people prefer MPCs SPs and the like is fairly simple. For some it's the hands on feel and workflow of doing everything right there on the machine vs clicking a mouse, opening/closing plug in windows etc. Even if you are using MIDI controllers to pretty much take the mouse out of the equation, there's still the hassle of mapping your controller to control whatever parameter you want to assign it to (luckily it's getting more integrated and easier though).

Which is exactly why Maschine has been such a groundbreaking success. As for reliability, MPC5000, the top of the line MPC has a cheap plastic build and still has unfixed bugs and users constantly experience crashes.

 

[youngjboy]

LOL Did you even read the answer? Both clips were made with software.

Which is exactly why Maschine has been such a groundbreaking success. As for reliability, MPC5000, the top of the line MPC has a cheap plastic build and still has unfixed bugs and users constantly experience crashes.

Yes I read the answer. The point that I was making was that in the two clips there is a little different feel....if you can't hear it, either you are lying or deaf.

 

[Xabiton]

Don't assume so because it's the same company. I had an old MPD16 and the pads were absolutely terrible.

I have a mpc 2000 mpk 25 and the mpd16 the pads all feel very different. The NUmark products clearly have cheaper pads that are thin as hell and far from the sensors. I love my mpk but I am debating on getting the pad upgrade or upgrading to a bigger one