MPC 3000 vs. MPC 4000

[mike dean]

I have a real prophet against and p2008. No comparison. None.

[IM WHO YOU THINK]

Originally Posted by huggie

Probably...

I wasn't conducting an investigation... I was just asking Roger a couple of questions about his creations. To satisfy my own curiosity...

The observations I made about the difference between the 60/3000 and the other MPC's were purely subjective and completely un-scientific. However I am fairly confidant that Roger Linn is actually an alien Wizard who sprinkles funky magic space dust on all his instruments...

These days I'm more interested in what Roger is up to now with Dave Smith (another Alien Wizard I suspect): Dave Smith Instruments. Tempest Analog Drum Machine.


- Hugo

No need for sarcasm. Im simply saying that the dude didnt say what it seems your posts were suggesting. He doesnt know if there is a difference btw the 3k and later units since he(according to the email) never used them. I would hope Akai wouldnt continue the MPC line by throwing away MPC designs and starting over. but we'll never know

[Goa-Dubs]

Originally Posted by mike dean

Dave smith gear sucks. Big virtual synths. Garbage.

My tetr4 dosent suck!!!!Sounds analog.Compared to real virtaual synths. I Prefer old analog tho.Ha Ive started using it through logic fx directly.Tape delay freaks the sound.Obviously prefer real tape again.4 k is untouchable but 3k will be more analog imo......... now back to

[huggie]

Originally Posted by IM WHO YOU THINK

No need for sarcasm. Im simply saying that the dude didnt say what it seems your posts were suggesting. He doesnt know if there is a difference btw the 3k and later units since he(according to the email) never used them. I would hope Akai wouldnt continue the MPC line by throwing away MPC designs and starting over. but we'll never know

No sarcasm intended. Just a little levity to lighten the load.
Sorry if it came across that way.

- Hugo

[IM WHO YOU THINK]

Originally Posted by mike dean

Dave smith gear sucks. Big virtual synths. Garbage.

I looked at his stuff but ended up going with a few SE pieces. My next move is vintage. prophet and Juno. I'm considering going from my 4000 back to a 3k so if you decide you want to sell or trade one of those 3k's you have let me know. (My thinking is the shit that used to work still works. Newer aint always better. I kinda used to like the sound of the 3k. But I haven't sat them side by side and compared. Hell I used to think Atari/Cubase was better than my MPC60II and now the MPC's are held as legendary and Atari is hardly mentioned. So who knows what causes the reps this shit garners).

I'm sticking to what I know works. The only thing"new" I'm using on a daily basis is pro tools 9 if that counts lol

[Brian!]

ugh, this thread brought my 3000 lust back

[mike dean]

Get a Juno 106 build from synth spa

[huggie]

Originally Posted by mike dean

Get a Juno 106 build from synth spa

Get the Juno 6 or 60... better sounding chorus and slightly fatter sound. IMHO.

- Hugo

[gizeh12]

Ive used the MPC4k last week after having owned an MPC3k for >10 years.
3 Things i noticed:

1 The timing / groove of the sequencer is indeed different. But the MPC4k has got 960ppqn, which is great for flams, and musical sequences. I prefer the MPC4k on this part. You can also move midi notes on a very small scale, emulating more human syncopation, or even go wild with it, offbeat like Flying Lotus, Madlib, Prefuse74 (which is much harder to do in the MPC3k).

2 The sound is very different. The mpc4k sounds more thick and robust in the high frequencies. Especially hihats, shakers sound just great, very hard to get the same level in a daw. It might even be worth the extra work of tracking all high freq percussion in the daw.The weaker side of the mpc4k is really the low end. Kick drums don't sit too well in the mix easily. I noticed that the same sample kit i used in the mpc3000 which got me great results, didn't cut true the mix on the MPC4k. Somehow kicks got burried, like the lower mid punch is missing. Don't get me wrong, kicks still sound real, and robust, but it just doesnt have that natural punch the mpc3k gave me. Overall i still prefer the MPC4k sound because musical samples (Chords, stabs, vocals) sound great, i'ld easily use the 4k as a surrogate harddisc recorder for synths.

Buy a mpc4k and a secondhand s3000 puts you in a much powerfull position than the mpc3000 for a lower price. TIP!!!!!!

3
The interface is totally different, the visual note editting in the MPC4k is worth the step down in stability. THe mpc3k was totally bug free, and felt like the os of a nuclear powerplant,,,

People who hold on to the mpc3k might hype it up. But the most honoust opinion i can give is that the MPC4k is overall, the winner. (More versatile, more ready for modern production, more horse power).

[leaf studios]

could someone put pay to the rumour i read on an ebay auction by a guy Selling ! an mpc 4000 that it has a slow midi bus ( by design ) and therefore not a nice tight mpc trigger feel both internal and via the midi outs ( his words ) ? since then i ruled out that mpc but is that correct ? that the mpc 4000 is a tad slow ( like cubase 5 etc

On the mpc 4000 vs 3000 one Big issue for me which has stopped me buying an old mpc like the 60 or 3000 is that you cant mute and unmute sequences / tracks via the pads which all the new ones do .Without that it would seem hard to jam parts and mute unmute.On top of that the newer ones which can do this can capture your mute / unmute performance or can which makes for a great way to write a track or arrangement of a track in realtime.

The older models cant do that ? i think .......you have to get all right brain and arrange like you would with cubase vs ableton.

[bluegreengold]

Originally Posted by leaf studios

On the mpc 4000 vs 3000 one Big issue for me which has stopped me buying an old mpc like the 60 or 3000 is that you cant mute and unmute sequences / tracks via the pads which all the new ones do .Without that it would seem hard to jam parts and mute unmute.

...
The older models cant do that ? i think .......you have to get all right brain and arrange like you would with cubase vs ableton.

It's true that you can't mute unmute in the same way (but you can turn on and off 2nd sequences). They aren't really limiting, you just have to use them in a different way. You can also pair them with something that specializing in mute/unmute like a kawai q80.

Of course, I know a lot of people have made that style of arrangement key to their flow, so going back to something that lacks it would be a hindrance.

For me, the extra midi outs, the build quality, and the sound of the 60/3000 outweigh the lack of muting.

[leaf studios]

Originally Posted by bluegreengold

It's true that you can't mute unmute in the same way (but you can turn on and off 2nd sequences). They aren't really limiting, you just have to use them in a different way. You can also pair them with something that specializing in mute/unmute like a kawai q80.
Of course, I know a lot of people have made that style of arrangement key to their flow, so going back to something that lacks it would be a hindrance.
For me, the extra midi outs, the build quality, and the sound of the 60/3000 outweigh the lack of muting.

interesting info and feedback , i must admit i would also much prefer the older models as they do have a very different sound and i am pretty sure a more solid and tight beat / timing / triggering , its very subtle but percievable and i just wish someone would hack the older os a bit and put in pattern mute via pads and maybe that ability to record what you mute unmute as an arrangement.

It comes down to preference as always though and i have used the mpc1000 and its a very cool machine no matter what.

[Thysta]

3000 has a little bit dirt while the 4000 is clean. 3000 has a nice typical upper-midrange coloring.

depending on your ears and style you do the difference can be great or almost unnoticeable.

[fooloof]

Originally Posted by kingofswing

As for Dre, what he actually uses and what we read are also different - take it with a pinch of salt. His sound is clean because it is processed using the best of the best in studio equiptment. Mind you, his earlier stuff from the 90s is not as clean sounding as his more recent work imo.

i don't know how much he currently uses the 3K, but i've seen pics of it that he had custom painted and configured by a legendary LA music tech named Bruce Forat.

he's got a book of crazy MPC 3Ks from a lot of the top guys in the game.

[King Dread]

Originally Posted by YumYumRolex

I mean who wants to cut up samples without the use of seeing the waveform on the screen

I've used the 1000, 2000XL and currently use the 3000 and I actually prefer chopping without looking at a waveform. I feel like I focus more on what I'm hearing when chopping with the 3k and sometimes get too caught up in what I'm looking at with a waveform that my chops aren't as clean.

That's just me though

[Ace'Lo]

I'm selling a 3000 as we speak

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/gears...ipping-us.html

[MaCH1ENT]

Im gonna say that the better MPC in my honest opinion would have to be the MPC 4k because based on the integration of hardware into a modern studio, nobody is going to want to have to buy a MPC converter program to turn Wavs into .SND files...I mean I owned the 3000, 2500, 5000, and now the 4000...I am totally satisfied with my purchase and will never get rid of my 4K...I might get another 3000 down the line for sporting purposes just to make it a rare artifact but sometimes I miss the 3k...Now as far as the "Legendary Swing" the 3000's sequencer is wide and looser then the 4k but in actuality being that the 4k has a higher Resolution it can swing just as good as the 3000 in my honest opinion, the 4K can **** with the 3000 just based on the fact that the 4k sequencer is tighter and more sharper...its robust presence once you start to drum on the pads is noticeable...I mean it just depends on what sound youre going for with whatever MPC youre using...The 3K it was more looser in terms of human errors correction whereas the 4000 is more wider and cleaner...It feels better then the 3000 because of the resolution and timing that the 4K generates...Id rather be precise and be able to control where I place my notes where as random notes are played and placed not in a specific order or timing in the measure. Now in conclusion to the Swing...the 3000 was Swanky, Im not gonna lie, but the 4000 is SWaNKier, the 3000's lazy push is smooth but the 4000 glides and feels like its ice skating...so to sum up the swing debate...The 4000 is the 3000's bigger brother and is the closest as far the modernized MPCs go in relation to being similiar or having somewhat of the capability to emulate that famous Roger Linn feel...

Now in terms of usability and workflow the 4K is superior in every department...Current or relevant technology...USB port which means compatibility of sound libraries stored on USB drives...RAM 32MB max in the 3K....512MB Ram in the 4K...Keygroups...6 Pad Banks...Effects...24Bit Sampling...48KHz, 96KHz clock source...And then software integration such as tracking into your favorite DAW such as Pro Tools in my case, the 3K was a bitch trying to get Synced and hooked up, I had to call Forat and ask him for help on how to integrate the 3000 into my Pro Tools setup, its easy once you dumb yourself down to the OS in the 3000...Never got to experience Vallixi OS but I can only imagine...The hardware/software link was pretty balanced but sometimes it was off because of the midi translation or midi connection...Now fast forward to the 4k purchase, once I got that ugly ass hoe home, I had that bitch hooked up to the Pro Tools in no time on my own and had it Synced and sequencing on point, not much tweaking needed to be done to get the 4000 on time and without the use of PreRoll and using Midi Beat Clock instead of Time Code or MMC the sync is on point and catches every aspect of the captured performance in which I put through the machine...the MPC 25000 prepared me for the 5000 and the 3000 motivated me to get the 5000 and the shortcomings of the 5000 pushed me to purchase the 4k...I love the 4K personally and I havent even delved into its rich feature set...Im honestly not scared of the 4000 but some aspects I am nervous and excited about the capabilities and the potential of this machine, Im trying to learn the concept of Time Signatures because you can change and alter the Time Signature within each beat and bar of the measure...

Finally, in conclusion to my rant, the 3000 is suited for those groove templates that you input into its sequencer, it is forgiving and loose in terms of human error or pattern based sequencing...The 3000 has that classic feel in terms to sample playback and warmth of the filters and sampling rate...LoFi sound very much capable and achieved with the knowledge of knowing how to apply those parameters...The 4k much more sharper and smoother and feels more precise in terms of the drums dropping where they should be...The Swing on the 4K is nasty and shouldnt be overlooked in similiarity to the 3K, The 4K has that complex drum programming that dirty south type producers utilize in their works...It also has the gritty old school hip hop feel of Boom Bap based tracks, alongside with it being suited for more modernized patterns and build ups the 4K really excels when making R&B type beats because of the High Res sequencer and ability to change the Time Signature at any given point in the measure...Timing Correction is on point and the HiHats and Snares hit nice as hell...Kicks thump and the filters and effects recreate their own signature that the 4K can only reproduce with its HiFi sound characteristics...All in All...I would definitely buy a 3000 again to feel the essence of hiphop creation at its finest and classic moments...But in terms of capturing a moment or feeling, I'll stick to the 4k and be able to setup my patterns that evoke a certain emotion...Oh yeah I forgot, the 4K is better in terms of handling Midi connected devices and instruments such as a Synthesizer Workstation or syncing up to a Interface or DAW...Old School workflow or New School compatibility its entirely up to you.

[Retrofreak]

I prefer the MPC 3000.

[Rob The Viking]

Originally Posted by mike dean

Dave smith gear sucks. Big virtual synths. Garbage.

DSI gear might not sound like the older analog synths of the 70's and 80's, but neither do the newer Moog synthesizers.

but they are not virtual synths, and don't sound like virtual synths either.

[DAH]

Originally Posted by Shobiz

What should be the Swing Percentage (%) in an MPC 4000 to get the 3000 default swing?

WHUT? Sorry, the question itself sounds incorrect.

[Shobiz]

I realize that now. Delete

[creative69]

I have had all and my 4000 is here to stay! Simply the right blend of sound and functionality. I dont think the sound difference in my 3k and 4k was very noticeable at all, plus I use my 4k in 16 bit mode all the time anyway.
Dont sleep on the Mpc4000.

[ssprod19]

the MPC4000 is an awesome machine. It's modern, so it has so many more features. I tried the 3000 and the OS is just too archaic for me to fly around. Then again, many a hits were made with the 3000.. so what do I know?