"Best" overall MPC

[evilpeezy]

no weakness in a mpc just weakness in the user..wtf how a mpc have a weakness. A mpc does what the programmer tells it to do. how can a machine with no reasoning or brain be weak.. the user is weak.

[powarule]

I say:
mpc 4000
mpc 2000xl

[AbsoluteSpirit]

Most versatile: 4000 / 5000
Most distinctive: 60
Best bang for buck: 2000xl / 1000 / 2500

[kaydigi]

Originally Posted by evilpeezy

no weakness in a mpc just weakness in the user..wtf how a mpc have a weakness. A mpc does what the programmer tells it to do. how can a machine with no reasoning or brain be weak.. the user is weak.

Are you saying the 500 and the 1000 have no weaknesses? Sure they have a wealth of positives, but come on.

[kijix84]

You can downsample to 12-bit on the newer MPCs (may require JJOS I don't remember) so there goes one big sell on the MPC60 right there for me.

If we are talking best MPC for the money, I would say the 1000 hands down. The best overall? I think you'll get a lot of different answers on that one.

[evilpeezy]

Originally Posted by kaydigi

Are you saying the 500 and the 1000 have no weaknesses? Sure they have a wealth of positives, but come on.

They can all sample, sequence, chop and produce sound. yes some may have features other does not, but that does not render it a weak or has weakness just means that unit does not come with those features. My Truck has 4 wheel drive my car does not. does that render a weakness to my vehicle? No because they both get me from point a to point b just ones has a feature the other does not.

[tom96]

So back to the topic, as "it's everyone's opinion" is there a big difference in sound between the 3k and 4k? does any one have sound files for a comparison? which one do you think has a better feel while playing?

[evilpeezy]

Yes there is a sound different. but it depends on what you want. 3000 has a dirtier more 12 bit gritty sound to it. 4000 is 24 bit and has a cleaner clearer sound. Atleat my 4000 did. I owned a 60, 3000, 2000xl (currently own), 5000, 2500 never owned or used a 1000 my son has a 500, but i never personally ever used it just bought it for him.

[MrMeek]

Originally Posted by kijix84

You can downsample to 12-bit on the newer MPCs (may require JJOS I don't remember) so there goes one big sell on the MPC60 right there for me.

If we are talking best MPC for the money, I would say the 1000 hands down. The best overall? I think you'll get a lot of different answers on that one.

doesn't exactly sound the same, I've owned both 1k w/JJOS and 60II

[evilpeezy]

downsampling never sounded the same as capturing at 12 bit

[MrMeek]

Originally Posted by evilpeezy

downsampling never sounded the same as capturing at 12 bit

i believe 60 also captures in 16-bit, but bitrate is reduced to 12 for storage. theres lots of other things going on besides bitrate, after DAC too. Samplerate is 40kHz, which is pretty hifi.

[MrMeek]

damn, i miss my 60

[evilpeezy]

Originally Posted by MrMeek

i believe 60 also captures in 16-bit, but bitrate is reduced to 12 for storage. theres lots of other things going on besides bitrate, after DAC too. Samplerate is 40kHz, which is pretty hifi.

Idk I had the 60 for one month and that was soooooooooo long ago i was in my teens. but I remember it sounded good but i traded it for a asr like a dumb ass

[evilpeezy]

Originally Posted by MrMeek

damn, i miss my 60

i got a friend who has one and he doesnt use it, but i messed up by telling him how much its worth and how great it souns, he was gonna sell it to me for a couple hundred bucks til i opened my mouth. but it shocked me he would rather use FL then a mpc 60 that his dad gave him and he keeps saying i'mma have to dust it off and try to use it.

[tom96]

Originally Posted by evilpeezy

Yes there is a sound different. but it depends on what you want. 3000 has a dirtier more 12 bit gritty sound to it. 4000 is 24 bit and has a cleaner clearer sound. Atleat my 4000 did. I owned a 60, 3000, 2000xl (currently own), 5000, 2500 never owned or used a 1000 my son has a 500, but i never personally ever used it just bought it for him.

Did you like the feel of the 3000 or 4000 better, like making beats and the works? What would you rather recommend?

[evilpeezy]

To be honest i hate hate that i sold my 3000 but i REGRET selling my 4000. the 4000 just offered great sound and tons of extras. the 3000 is dated. If all you want to do is make a drum loop and bang out then the 3000 is great for the swing and sound. If you want great sound quality, tons of features and a complete package get the 4000. Thats the one MPC they got right AFTER they fixed the bugs in the OS. whatever you do if you get a 4000 make sure you update the OS. but if you find a 3000 cheap get it for the sound and legendary swing. If you find both around the same price get the 4000. Also, look at a MV8800 they can be had cheap and dont listen to what nobody ssays there is nothing wrong with the timing. I use it 90% of the time over my MPc 2000xl. has 3 groove templates/quantize you can adjust. Its a sleeper and it looks so good. You can hook a mouse and monitor to it. Most people who come in the studio drool over it and it sounds good. If I was you I would break it down between a MV8800 and a MPc 4000 versus the 3000 feature wise. IMO

[disco judas]

Originally Posted by DAH

1000 timing is shit, 2500 is almost like 3000, but suffers from seldom timing lag overshoots.
So I d say 3000, perhaps 4000 or 5000, but i did not test them and dont believe in mpc sound

vote for 5k!
interesting

[SV1200]

Tough "Best" can mean a bunch of things. People buy iPhones and always think the newest one is the "best" phone out there, but most people buy them because of of the Easy User Interface.

With That said.

4000/5000 feature wise are the richest, but most difficult to grasp because of all the options. Best Sound Quailty and swing, 60/3000 wins. Cheaper, but still great options 2XL, 1000 w/ JJOS and new pads. If you want a newer MPC, I suggest 2500 is a great medium, besides the 60, its my favorite. Honestly though, just look for deals out there, all MPCs are awesome IMO

[HazeBros]

for me its 3000, but I can work with any.

[MattmaN]

Originally Posted by MrMeek

i believe 60 also captures in 16-bit, but bitrate is reduced to 12 for storage. theres lots of other things going on besides bitrate, after DAC too. Samplerate is 40kHz, which is pretty hifi.

I had a s900, and while only mono when sampled at 40khz it did sound hi-fi.
Probably better sounding than the mpc2000 in mono.

[s12512]

the 4000 has the most features out of all the mpc's. so in that aspect its the best. the mpc3000 is my favorite sounding mpc. i've owned the 60 for years and it sounds great also. you can arrange an entire record with any of them. no REAL weaknesses on an mpc. i just did a complete EP for someone with a mpc 2000 (Not xl). and it sounds great!! I also own the mv8000. that thing is a crazy beast. sounds soooo good and its a lot of fun to work on!

[lemonsquash]

you can't really go wrong with mpc's. the 500 has only the stereo out which makes tracking a PITA. nevertheless it kicks ass.

[Cam Citi]

Originally Posted by s12512

the 4000 has the most features out of all the mpc's.

nooooo way. Mpc 5k has a built in synth. although I like being able to plug a keyboard into the 4k, 5k has the most features, just doesnt color the sound much.

[s12512]

Originally Posted by Cam Citi

nooooo way. Mpc 5k has a built in synth. although I like being able to plug a keyboard into the 4k, 5k has the most features, just doesnt color the sound much.

Just because it has a synth doesn't mean it has more features. the 4000 has more feature/options than any mpc. Look it up! Unless they came out with an update for the 5000 that gives it all the features/options the 4000 has. if so then i'm wrong!

[s12512]

The MPC 4000 Vs. the MPC 5000 | eHow.com

[Ezionjd]

Here's my two cents ;

If i could get any of the MPC's fresh out the box, like brand new i would go for the 3000.
To me it's the most stable, crystal clear machine ever.
Later models did have additional features like downsampling and timestretching but to me that's not what makes the OVERALL feel of the MPC series.
I have owned them all, exept the 5000 which i demoed for about ten days. Did not like.

[IM WHO YOU THINK]

To answer the original poster's ?

I've owned at the same time the 60II, the 3000, 4000 and 2kxl.

I gave away the 2kxl so I dont consider it.

I use the 4k mainly. It has the greatest feature set of all MPCs for my needs.
I like the 3k and it sounds great, but part of the problem with comparisons between 3k and 4k is that the 4k is usually truncating the beginning of the sample if you don't go in and change the adsr setting. so it's likely to lose in punch every time.

My 60II got flooded in Katrina so I can't say much on it.

Out of all of them, I'd choose the 4k, but it's HUGE. I like the 3k's but the 4k is more compatible with how I work today (24 bit files in pro tools flying samples back and forth over USB)

[carlheinz]

sold my mpc-60
loving my linn/forat 9000

[Cam Citi]

Originally Posted by s12512

The MPC 4000 Vs. the MPC 5000 | eHow.com

Ok I see where you are coming from. i never noticed the 4k had a higher song capacity & note storage, I only had one for about 2 weeks before i bought the 5k. I use the synth and the 8track record a lot though its fun getting outta the box.

[DAH]

The 5k has some fixed value midi jitter as discussed at mpc-forums.com.