MPC 60s vs Updated AKAIs

[GRiFF]

I fancy getting an MPC vibe going, but what do you think about the original vs its modern counterparts.

A part of me wants to get an original unit, 12 bit sampling max of 26 secs, for simplicity, authenticity, maybe the extra features of the MPC2000's turn me off a bit.
I quite fancy something I have to make work, rather than it works me!

Whats the low down on this argument?
Is the MPC 60 outdated and underequipped or does it still have some other less definable quality that makes it a number one choice for hip hop and r&b?

Is it still the number one choice?

[thethrillfactor]

Originally posted by GRiFF
I fancy getting an MPC vibe going, but what do you think about the original vs its modern counterparts.

A part of me wants to get an original unit, 12 bit sampling max of 26 secs, for simplicity, authenticity, maybe the extra features of the MPC2000's turn me off a bit.
I quite fancy something I have to make work, rather than it works me!

Whats the low down on this argument?
Is the MPC 60 outdated and underequipped or does it still have some other less definable quality that makes it a number one choice for hip hop and r&b?

Is it still the number one choice?

Griff,

In the MPC world it the list goes down like this in terms of preference(sound with the capabilities):

1)MPC3000 is first

2)MPC60II

3)MPC 2000

4)MPC 60

5)MPC 4000 and 1000 last


What the newer MPC's have over the old is the editing features for the samples.

The older one's i still prefer in terms of sound and feel(quantization and timing).

The EMU SP1200 is an honorable mention.

Just an opinion of course.

thumbsup

[GRiFF]

Hi Thrill,

Thanks as aways for your opinion.
What appeals to me are what you mention; the sound and feel. The MPC, just to look at makes me feel inspired, and ever since I started using a clients MPC I've noticed that the beats are simply more substantial, fatter, tighter.

I'm also kind of going through a purist stage in my choice of equipment at the moment. I'm after dead simple to use gear, that sounds great. All too often those extra features can just get in the way.

Do you agree?

So are you saying your favourite is the 3000 or that this is the general favourite of Hip Hop programmers?

[Jose Mrochek]

I have a mpc 2000. IT"s VERY EASY to use. Haven't used the others but my thumbs up for that one. I have it for 5 years now, never had a problem with it. And yeah, I also agree that for the creative process, you need something simple that doesn't get in the way with your ideas.

[j-uk]

yeah both the 1200 and 60 are cool old skool gear but a bit of a bitch to work with. I would go for the 3K, sounds brilliant and easy to work with.

[Rodney Gene]

One Word..MV 8000

No disprespect to the MPC line..but the Roland MV 8000 is the MPC killer.
It is fast becoming the choice for R&B. It does what the MPC's do and then about 1000X more

..reads and loads AKAI MPC files, .wav files, acidized files, .mvo files...USB file transfer etc...

Plus it does 8, 12,16, or 24 bit sampling or resampling.

Too many features to list but it has been a genuine pleasure to work with. Serious production tool.

I forgot to mention it does 8 tracks of audio...and burns cds.

plus...VGA and mouse, waveform editing etc.

Plus..it sounds huge.

Hope to help,

P&B,

Rodney

[TonyBelmont]

MPC3000 is the king!

[Switchcraft]

sp1200 is king. mines got USB drag and drop, mouse and keyboard connection.
ha just kidding, I dont want any more monitors to look at. If you want a nasty drum sound get a 60 or a 1200. the 4000 and mv have the same features (generally) i think they have to many features especially if you want to use a computer program or sequencer like logic DP or PT
best

[GRiFF]

I'm glad your all picking up on the less features tip. I really find that the technology of late centers around this idea of creating one unit that does...EVERYTHING!

I mean, I don't even want fx or LFOs, just a rock solid, punchy, tight, inuitive box with a sexy vibe.

I'm into the MPC 3000 right now - just got find one.
Failing this, an MPC60 MkII.
I get the feeling that the older MPC60 is just a little too long in the tooth now???

Ta

[chap]

I've had the Linn Drum, the Linn 9000 which was morphed into the MPC60 and the MPC60.
Hip Hop guys like it (old schoo) but I wasn't crazy about the last update. I have the sp1200 too.
I'm hoping that Logic puts and end to them.
best,
chap

[morebutter]

Originally Posted by thethrillfactor

Griff,

In the MPC world it the list goes down like this in terms of preference(sound with the capabilities):

1)MPC3000 is first

2)MPC60II

3)MPC 2000

4)MPC 60

5)MPC 4000 and 1000 last


What the newer MPC's have over the old is the editing features for the samples.

The older one's i still prefer in terms of sound and feel(quantization and timing).

The EMU SP1200 is an honorable mention.

Just an opinion of course.

thumbsup

I'm curious why you (or anyone else) would rate the 60 II over the 60. Do you notice a sound quality difference?

[deuc647]

I have the 2XL and love the feel of it. The 3000 has a roll off in the high end which accounts for its huge bottom, the 2000 and xl are more midrange and the 4000 and 1000 are just clean, the 60 to me is a lil dated, i honestly cant work with that lil ram memory true it forces you to be creative but i find it a lil too limiting. If u want the grit of the 60 u cant just lower the sample rate in the 2000 or xl, dont know if it will sond the same though

[kingofswing]

The 4000 has the tightest timing of all mpcs...period.

You gotta luv the 4000s 960 PPQN resolution for those off quantize moments, i know i do.

I have pretty much used all the mpcs including a Roger Linn 3000 LE, which is quite dated by todays mpcs, especially feature wise. Sound remains so subjective, i always felt the 3000 to sound lofi, dull, with a narrow dynamic range. We are talking old DA's from 12 years ago...no wonder.

In general, all mpcs are great, but the 4k tops em all...no doubt.

FWIW i had the MV8000 for 3 weeks on demo back in in 2004 and hated it, slow user interface and so uninspiring. Nothing like my mpc 4000, or even like my XL or my new 2500 (which i love and hate). The MV pads just felt cheap, too stiff and the MV's timing just felt crippled to my ears. Sound was reasonable. The GUI was terrible.

[demonfuzz]

The 3000 is still the G.O.D. of drum machines ! (well to me at least)
It's a sweet box to work with & Pro quality through & through.

If you cant find one, get a 60 or 60ii with the Roger Linn update & expanded memory, it basically turns it into a 3000.
If it's still not enough sample time, you can always supplement with a rack sampler or soft-sampler like Kontakt.

Now, if I were to get an all new MPC type box.
I'd probably get a 4000.
It had a rough start, but looks like Akai has worked out many of the issues & it's now coming of age.
Though I gotta say, the 2500 looks the slickest of all the full size MPC's.
Despite my bias towards the older MPC's, I'd approach it not expecting it to be what the 3000 & 60 already are.

[Steamy Williams]

Originally Posted by morebutter

I'm curious why you (or anyone else) would rate the 60 II over the 60. Do you notice a sound quality difference?

I'd like to know this as well.

[Steamy Williams]

Originally Posted by thethrillfactor

Griff,

In the MPC world it the list goes down like this in terms of preference(sound with the capabilities):

1)MPC3000 is first

2)MPC60II

3)MPC 2000

4)MPC 60

5)MPC 4000 and 1000 last


What the newer MPC's have over the old is the editing features for the samples.

The older one's i still prefer in terms of sound and feel(quantization and timing).

The EMU SP1200 is an honorable mention.

Just an opinion of course.

thumbsup

Originally Posted by morebutter

I'm curious why you (or anyone else) would rate the 60 II over the 60. Do you notice a sound quality difference?

Originally Posted by Steamy Williams

I'd like to know this as well.

bump - one more time for thethrillfactor

[DirtyMan]

60 and 60II are the exact same internally so they should be considered the same not spaced out on the list ... the difference is the 60 was big metal had a padded armrest with a filp up screen and the 60II got a smaller plastic case (not much) and a headphone out .. otherwise they are 1 in the same

[synthoid]

Originally Posted by Rodney Gene

One Word..MV 8000
...
Plus it does 8, 12,16, or 24 bit sampling or resampling.

Hmm, when I was last using one (OS version 3.5 I think) it had only 16-bit audio. Is that (24-bit audio) a new feature?

I think it's truly unbelievable that anyone would rate an MPC60 over the MPC4000 in terms of sound and timing. The only thing I can think of is that you like the rubbery off-the-mark timing that comes from a lot of MIDI buffer overflow. The MPC4000 contains a Z4 sampler, in effect; the sound of that unit was/is legendary.

-synthoid

[six_wax]

I kind of missed having an MPC around for writing/programming; I've had 2 at different times in the past. The 2ks and 3ks are great to fly around on, but I really can't be bothered with having to deal with all the frickin' obselete media... [It's 2007. Floppies & zip disks? Are you kidding me?]. So I got a 4k this time around.

Imo, the beauty of the MPC series is the workflow, and they're all pretty similar in this regard. The sound difference is subtle, and is far less important than the samples the boxes are pushing & how they're mixed, and --most importantly!-- the skill of the programmer.

[Eemo1]

Originally Posted by six_wax

I kind of missed having an MPC around for writing/programming; I've had 2 at different times in the past. The 2ks and 3ks are great to fly around on, but I really can't be bothered with having to deal with all the frickin' obselete media... [It's 2007. Floppies & zip disks? Are you kidding me?]. So I got a 4k this time around.

scsi memory card reader, how's that?

i have a sp12 turbo, mpc60mk1 and a mpc3k. the fact is, the new mpc's don't have the build quality or sound of these old machines. some may be close, but just doesn't compare.

used to have newer mpc's. buttons failing and chipping off in a year just doesn't fly.