The Akai MPC2000XL and......

H

huey

Guest
hey guys

i'm starting up a home setup. i have a good computer and moniters and chunk of hard earned cash. i'm a house music fanatic. from disco uplifting vocals to dark a deep rythem. i've been researching for about 2 months , i was close to buying the rm1x but i just don't think its all that. pattern based and seems a little weak. so i'm looking at the akai mpc2000xl, i can get it for $2500 (australia dollars) with the 32mem upgrade and the extra 8 outputs. then say i buy a pair of funky technic 1200 headphones and an average microphone.

what else should i acommpany the mpc with? as its so solid as a sequencer i will use it as my main device. but what about adding my own sounds and beats? yeah i use its sampler but sample what from. i'm not really into sampling records and stuff off the internet cos its not my stuff. is there a good drum machine i could use together with the mpc??

and what about effects, if i don't get the upgrade on the mpc it has none. should i just get that or is there something better??

then what about hard disk recording? cd burner mixers and records seem to be the hot talk at the moment is there one good for a home budget studio or should i just get a midi setup with say logic or cubase on my puter and hard disk record on that and then burn my chunes? and if i'm using my computer which is the best software to run as a slave to my mpc?? could then i do with out the effects board on my mpc??

but then again i kind of prefer to use hardware entirely. other options then??

or is there something better than the mpc, i'm not really into the grooveboxes cos they kind of just rely on patterns and internal sounds. not really my cup of coffee, cos i want to make my stuff as original as i can.

help??????

:confused:

so many questions,,,, sorry:p

i would really appreciate your advice :D

huey
 
hi... i hope you havent already bought an akai mpc2000xl, as i have been using one... up untill i discovered propellerheads reason software for my PC then i sold it!!!
they have pretty good latency and timing but are sooo expensive compared to a pc with a good sound card and some good software ie REASON! (you could get an 800+ mhz PC with a midiman 10/10 sound card (the DON sound card) and reason for just over a £1000 uk, brand new..(probably) the main problem with mpc's is their memory limitations and the cost of upgrading.. an mpc with 10 out/ins and FX would cost more...
also with just an mpc you will have big problems changing any sounds as theres no wave editor...
all in all MPC's used to be good untill PC's got so cheap they now seem totally pointless to me... i would say the mpc would be a good drum machine in itself but thats about all... trying to put bass or instrumental parts together on them doesnt do to well....
i could go on forever but i wont.. if you have any questions ask me ..( djdna@djmail.co.uk)
but dont!! buy an akai mpc... unless you want it as a drum machine or you have lots of external synths and devices and you just want to be able to throw things together really quickly...
hope this makes you think at least twice.....
dj dna...
 
Same problem over here!

I have bought the Yamaha Rm1x and I like it but I am really troubled by the snare sounds their are very few good snares but other wise it is a good machine! But
I was looking at the MPC 2000 XL , and I thought it was a drum machine but everyone is saying it is just a sampler and I am confused! But the Rm1x is really good for beginners and intermediate producers!:monkey:


If someone can help me too I would be greatful! Thanx


Salamander
 
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I have a RM1X, but the sounds in it suck. I didn't buy it for the sounds, though, did I? I bought it to run my SU700 and MS2000, and it does a very, very good job at it. You can record in Song Mode or Pattern Mode. You can record via step, overdub, replace, or punch in. It also has a grid record that you can program like a drummachine. I'm very, very happy with this purchase.
 
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MPC2000

ok... an mpc is a sampler and a sequencer and isnt a drum machine BUT it works very well as a drum machine if you load souns into it... the usual use for an mpc2000 is as a sequencer for midi synths and also for say a couple of beat patterns using samples you have loaded into it.... with the advance in PC sequencers and Samplers IE: yamaha A5000, EMU-ultra,Roland vari phrase. you can get a descent pc or mac and a sampler/synth for less than an MPC2000 £750 with the 8 outs upgrade £300 and 32mb ram £50 and fx board £300 total£1400....
so on one hand you have a basic machine that is sturdy as a drum machine and midi instrument sequencer but cant really sequence too much internally at one time.. and costs quite a lot to upgrade and has no audio editing facilities 'VS' a pc or mac where anything is possible but admitidly it can get confusing know what to use etc...
i say if you like using synths and samplers buy them if youve got £10,000 if not for £1500 you could get a PC or MAC £600 and a descent soundcard £400 and reason or cubase £250 and a Synth such as a nord micro £275 modular or yamaha cs2x £450etc...
anyway i just think if you look at all the best studios at the heart is a PC or MAC and this is usaully what get used the most too... PEACE djdna...
 
RM1x Reason Darla PC mixer

Since I'm also a starter my setup is limited. First I Only had my PC then the RM1x., hooked them up together. Then got a Darla sound card with low latency 7ms (witrh Athlon 900) That's why I can play Reason in realtime, with my simple midi-only MK-149 (thru RM!X). Reason is really an exxcellent piece of software. Especially with good ASIO dirvers. Just last week I could buy my first mixer too, an Alesis Studio 32. To my surprise I discovered today that even this humlbe setup was able to get some kicking loops.

I hooked up all the 8 out of Darla to Studio 32 and also the RM1x And yes loops galore. All of a sudden I was able to choose from a lot of patterns in an instant muting and fading. Not to mention the MP3's that I could easily Remix. simply tap the tempo on the RM1x and both Reason and the RM with sync up nicely.

I think until I bought this mixer I was playing around. Maybe an advice to other starters as well. One more thing Reason is really a bargain. I mean you get Reason which is fantastic but I never hear people talking about the factory sound set. ALl those loops and drumsets and pathces and samples. all top quality, and u can magle them as much as u like.
 
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