i am curious to find out who had both in there studio, and which do they feel sound better giga or mpc with the same sample cds and instruments head to head. i have heard that for orchestral and string stuff that giga beat mpc. i trying to decide can i use the the giga for my string and orchestral stuff like harps and woodwinds or go with mpc. i dont want over kill. peace

MPC doesn't load Giga format samples to my knowledge and therefore you can't compare BUT in Akai (thee old standard) format Giga sounds better IF you are a good tweeker and mixer.

Almost any hardware or software device can be made to sound good if you have the skills. Having the raw sounds is just the begining.

If you wish to lay out dollars for quality sample libraries, Giga and Kontak2 are the ultimate but it requires a lot tweeking and $$$$$$$
The highest quality sound libraries in the world are released in these 2 formats but it is what you do with them that counts.

Comparing hardware to software is a little tricky and to some extent pointless.

Today, one is far better off with software, it's FAR more powerfull and the quality of the end result lies striktly in ones ability and know how.

Gigastudio is regarded as the supreme, closely followed by Kontakt

The highest quality sample libraries COST BIG BUCKS, especially orchestral stuff but you will have the best tools to produce music that would not be possible on an MPC.

EVERY major film composer uses Gigastudio and Kontakt and for a reason

If you want to focus on orchestral than software sampling is the way to go

I use Cubase SX,Giga and Kontakt and thus have the best Midi tools in the trade.
BUT.........I'm still mastering sound design and mixing.

That is the REAL challenge

Giga:

Pros - Higher sample resolution, more voices, greater potential storage, faster load times, high quality libraries
Cons - Can be unstable or unreliable, needs extras like controller, interfaces, and computer.

MPC:

Pros- Portable, rock solid performance, built in controller, insanely huge library, groove templates
Cons- Old technology, slow load times, limited sequencing compared to DAW.


If anyone can think of more, feel free.