Noob MPC question

thestreets · Post by **thestreets** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 5:14 pm

Is the MPC a drum machine as well a a sequencer and sampler? Does it have internal drum sounds, or do all the sounds come from user samples? Thanks, I'm a begginner with sampling.

code green · Post by **code green** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 7:17 pm

no onboard sounds, though the 2000xl (at least) comes with a disk of sounds--most of which are pretty damn lame. sampling with it is a breeze, and i'm a technophobe. very intuitive machine--just about every time i've been puzzled by something on it it turned out i was overthinking things.

JSRockit · Post by **JSRockit** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 7:22 pm

The MPC1000 comes with samples already loaded... in the MPC's autoload ram. However, the samples are not great and if you don't want to mess with samples, you don't get a MPC...well, unless you just want it to sequence other midi gear.

Sexor · Post by **Sexor** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 8:37 pm

Hey JS, I just got the MPC1000 yesterday. I love it man, it's beautiful.

Since we're on the subject of the preset sounds, is there a way of completely removing those onboard sounds from the internal memory?

I turned off the autoload so they're not loading into the working memory, but still when I want to "save all sequences... etc" onto the compactflash, it saves the onboard stuff along with what I have sampled and created myself...

Oh, yeah, one more question... I installed the free JJ OS. I like it so far, but is the 4.07 version worth the 30 bucks?

JSRockit · Post by **JSRockit** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 8:52 pm

Sexor wrote:Hey JS, I just got the MPC1000 yesterday. I love it man, it's beautiful.

Since we're on the subject of the preset sounds, is there a way of completely removing those onboard sounds from the internal memory?

I turned off the autoload so they're not loading into the working memory, but still when I want to "save all sequences... etc" onto the compactflash, it saves the onboard stuff along with what I have sampled and created myself...

Oh, yeah, one more question... I installed the free JJ OS. I like it so far, but is the 4.07 version worth the 30 bucks?

Congrats on the purchase. I don't use the JJ OS (I'm an old school, if it works don't fix it, type) due to the fact that I don't do any sampling or chopping with the MPC (I do it in my computer and then load them into the MPC), so I'm not sure how to get rid of the on board stuff. However, it should state something about it in the autoload section of the manual. I did it once and then never thought about it again.

thestreets · Post by **thestreets** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 7:35 pm

I got no problem with sampling, but what do you all sample from? Do you just like sample an individual snare hit or bass hit?

JSRockit · Post by **JSRockit** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 8:03 pm

thestreets wrote:I got no problem with sampling, but what do you all sample from? Do you just like sample an individual snare hit or bass hit?

For drums in my MPC, I will use single hits from native Instruments battery CDs, old drum machines, or samples I find on commercial CDs I listen to. Occassionally, I make my own with a synth. Other than that...I sample from CDs or Vinyl anything that is interesting and I can mess with to make it my own.

megawatt · Post by **megawatt** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 8:12 pm

My favorite way of making kits is from sampling records (insert favorites) and then chopping them up to individual hits.

cowbell · Post by **cowbell** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 8:30 pm

Sexor wrote:Since we're on the subject of the preset sounds, is there a way of completely removing those onboard sounds from the internal memory?

The only way to erase those onboard sounds in the internal memory is to overwrite them with new data.
I just saved a single sample to the internal memory.

Sexor wrote:Oh, yeah, one more question... I installed the free JJ OS. I like it so far, but is the 4.07 version worth the 30 bucks?

Absolutely worth it!
More info about the JJ OS: http://www.mpc-forums.com/viewforum.php?f=25

adsr · Post by **adsr** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 10:54 pm

the best part about sampling is that there are no rules. i have sampled ice getting crushed with a rolling pin for snare hits and loose change hitting the countertop for hats. whatever you can think of can be done. i often record to my minidisc and then import it to the PC for editing (or right into the MPC). i love when people ask where i got a particular sound from and i tell them how i sampled it. the sound is all your own.

that said, i use the MPC as my primary sequencer, so its atually the most used piece of gear in my studio. its my drum machine, sequencer, and sampler and i dont know how i got anything done without it.

thestreets · Post by **thestreets** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 4:32 am

So how can the MPC have been so "revolutionary" in hip hop if everyones using different samples? I always thought it was kind of like an 808 where it has a distinct sound. Guess not.

Other question: If your sampling from a cd or recording, won't you get the other instruments over it, even during the split second sample of the hit?

Post by **space6oy** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 4:59 am

thestreets wrote:So how can the MPC have been so "revolutionary" in hip hop if everyones using different samples? I always thought it was kind of like an 808 where it has a distinct sound. Guess not.

they've probably just been given that tag because of simplicity. they're pretty easy to learn to use. there are areas in which they're complicated, but still.

thestreets wrote:Other question: If your sampling from a cd or recording, won't you get the other instruments over it, even during the split second sample of the hit?

yes, unless that hit simply happens to be the only thing happening at that moment. make sure you're checking out both L and R channels of what you're sampling separately too, sometimes that helps to isolate things if their panning is split. you can also clear some things out more by messing with EQ, though that hardly ever really eliminates everything you're not wanting.

megawatt · Post by **megawatt** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 6:00 am

thestreets wrote:So how can the MPC have been so "revolutionary" in hip hop if everyones using different samples? I always thought it was kind of like an 808 where it has a distinct sound. Guess not.

What is revolutionary is that a sampling drum machine gives folks an open platform from chopping and rearranging melodic samples to being able to use the sound of any drum machine/keyboard/horn,string ect.. once sampled. It's also dead easy to use, is know for its swing and can produce a whole track on it's own with a little creativity. In the classic days Sampling drum machines enabled producers to have access to sounds that they couldn't afford as long as they could sample a record with that sound on it. More recently it's more commonly used to play 808 samples and to chop melodic hooks in mainstream Hip Hop - still very valid.

I also tend to sample myself playing String bass or sequenced loops and then chop and rearrange them.

thestreets wrote:Other question: If your sampling from a cd or recording, won't you get the other instruments over it, even during the split second sample of the hit?

YES and that can be a good thing if you want as it sometimes adds nice texture. But the secret is to look for the breaks where it's just the drummer if you want cleaner sampled drums.You can also just loop the drum break or chop it into larger pieces than just individual hits if you want to retain some of the original flavour. Your music on myspace has sauce... and It sounds like you play keys well, you would have fun chopping up your own material.

Again the great thing is that it's totally up to you to bring a unique sound. At this point there is nothing revolutionary about a 808 kick - It just sounds great!

thestreets · Post by **thestreets** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 1:05 pm

Well thanks alot fellas, I'm definatly looking into one. I just recently got into sampling on my ESX but nothing with individual hits. If you go to my purevolume page via my myspace, the song "A 47" has a sampled piano loop. It's actually not sampled from anything, i wrote it, and then played it into the tribe so i could loop it. Thats about the only sampling I've done so far.

cartesia · Post by **cartesia** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 1:27 pm

i think if you look at other sampler/sequencer boxes also from 'back in the day', the MPC has much nicer, larger, pads and seems to be the first 'all-in-one' box to be this way.. so that probably helped it rise to fame. .