Is the MPC Studio Good for Beginners?

DBR

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here's the thing that alot of ppl don't always acknowledge.

100% software "producing" gets BORING. to me half the fun of making beats and music itself is actually MAKING the beats. Banging on the pads, playing hte keys, getting OUT of my seat and just getting IN to the music.

I would ALWAYS recommend to someone that is SERIOUS about getting in to making beats is to purchase(invest) in to some kind of hardware. an MPC studio is perfect, a Maschine is perfect. because both of those can be copped relatively cheap and will allow you to get HANDS on with making your music.
A midi keyboard can also be copped relatively cheap nowadays.

both of those would GREATLY improve your beat making, just by getting you IN to the music.

not to mention those pieces of "hardware" come with software. So you are getting a tangible piece of equipment to work on, yet still getting in to the world of DAWs and VSTs,etc.....for free.

Maschine comes with Komplete(select) which is like 10 or so dope free VSTs like massive(one of the best synth vsts in the world) and the Gentlemen(a piano vst), among others.

Maschine/MPC studio are not really DAWs. They can do some similar things to a DAW but will not give you a full DAW capability.
those are both just instruments/workstations that...although they can use VSTs....are made for just making the beats. They are also great for using live.

For example.
I make my beats 90% in maschine. but when I want to make it a song I open up maschine with my beat in to a DAW(I use ableton) as a vst.
in Ableton I can then complete the song. Record vocals, add some scratches, add effects and layers. something that is 'somewhat' possible in Maschine but not nearly as intuitive as it is inside Ableton(or Logicc or Protools,etc)
Can only agree with that , buying music gears will help you step your game up and become versatile . Buying new gears will also motivate you at the end of the day .

To answer op , i never try NI hardware but always been a big fan of akai . You don't loose nothing getting the mpc studio and if you don't like it you can always re sell it .
 

Maschine_Man

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Can only agree with that , buying music gears will help you step your game up and become versatile . Buying new gears will also motivate you at the end of the day .

To answer op , i never try NI hardware but always been a big fan of akai . You don't loose nothing getting the mpc studio and if you don't like it you can always re sell it .

Thats why I always try to cop used gear. 9 times out of ten if you ain't feeling it you can always sell it for what you paid for it(sometimes more)

a few years ago I bought two tech 12's for $400 from some dude that just wasn't in to it anymore. they looked kinda dusty just sitting around. He said one didn't have sound coming through on both channels(I figured it was just dirty connection which always happened to me...some rubbing alcohol and a q-tip and it was good to go)

I took em home, cleaned em up. And they worked perfectly. Sold one of them for $450 and the other for $500

I needed a pair to use while I was out of town at my other crib.

once I left that place no longer need an extra set. But $$$



As for Akai vs NI, it comes down to preference. I have had multiple MPC's(still keep my 1000 though for fun)
but I like the work flow on the Maschine. played with the Studio but I have to much invested in the MAschine with Komplete,etc.
 

Turbulent

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it always depends on what type of beats you're trying to make.

honestly, as long as you get a midi controller with keys and a few pads on it (even better if you can also have mod and pitch wheels on it) + any DAW + a computer with enough RAM, you're good to go as a beginner.

any equipment or software you get, the purpose should be to make the process of making music, faster, simpler, more fun, more efficient and maybe more liberating or open (and that part could be debated). but if you don't even have a process yet, if you don't have any idea of what you want to make, or how to make it you're wasting your time thinking to hard about what you should buy. and i'm not necessarily talking directly to OP, just talking in general.
 

Wildin

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Thats why I always try to cop used gear. 9 times out of ten if you ain't feeling it you can always sell it for what you paid for it(sometimes more)

a few years ago I bought two tech 12's for $400 from some dude that just wasn't in to it anymore. they looked kinda dusty just sitting around. He said one didn't have sound coming through on both channels(I figured it was just dirty connection which always happened to me...some rubbing alcohol and a q-tip and it was good to go)

I took em home, cleaned em up. And they worked perfectly. Sold one of them for $450 and the other for $500

I needed a pair to use while I was out of town at my other crib.

once I left that place no longer need an extra set. But $$$



As for Akai vs NI, it comes down to preference. I have had multiple MPC's(still keep my 1000 though for fun)
but I like the work flow on the Maschine. played with the Studio but I have to much invested in the MAschine with Komplete,etc.


Damn dog, I had to re-read your shyt a couple times because I swear you copied and pasted my shyt. I say the exact shyt that youve said in both of your posts.

I tell people all the time to get hardware because, just using FL with the mouse and keyboard is just playing on the computer/being on the computer. Playing with an mpc/maschine/roland mv 8800/fantom keyboard/hell even a midi controller is playing with a instrument. If you don't like playing instruments then this music shyt isn't for you in the long run.

I'm always checkin out pawn shops and used music gear stores. It's so dope to me to see and find pieces of equipment that a lot of people don't know what the fukk it is- or where it's been used. The dope thing is if you know where to look theres always the chance that a piece of gear has been sitting somewhere collecting dust. That's how I got my mpc 4000, I went to a pawn shop, they wanted a lot for it I think 1400 I have the pic somewhere because I took a picture of it because the only time I had ever seen an mpc 4000 was on youtube just blaze was fukking with one
any way like a year later me and my boy were out checking out music gear at various shops and we went back to the spot because its in the rotation of where we go, so we get there and on the top shelf dusty as fukk, the mpc was still sitting there, same price tag and all. Then I remembered I had taken a picture of it over a year ago..so I talked to the sales rep and was like "Let me get that." He started playin the "I gotta talk to the manager" spiel like they do on the shows...he came back with something stupid like "I can't let this go for less than...." and I hit him the the phone I said check this out I took this picture 1 year ago, I showed him the properties of the picture which had the date and time...I said "This has been sitting on the shelf collecting dust for over a year..it's nothing to me but i'll walk out of here with it for cash...and I paid less than half of what they wanted a lil over 700 with tax.
 

Maschine_Man

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Damn dog, I had to re-read your shyt a couple times because I swear you copied and pasted my shyt. I say the exact shyt that youve said in both of your posts.

I tell people all the time to get hardware because, just using FL with the mouse and keyboard is just playing on the computer/being on the computer. Playing with an mpc/maschine/roland mv 8800/fantom keyboard/hell even a midi controller is playing with a instrument. If you don't like playing instruments then this music shyt isn't for you in the long run.

I'm always checkin out pawn shops and used music gear stores. It's so dope to me to see and find pieces of equipment that a lot of people don't know what the fukk it is- or where it's been used. The dope thing is if you know where to look theres always the chance that a piece of gear has been sitting somewhere collecting dust. That's how I got my mpc 4000, I went to a pawn shop, they wanted a lot for it I think 1400 I have the pic somewhere because I took a picture of it because the only time I had ever seen an mpc 4000 was on youtube just blaze was fukking with one
any way like a year later me and my boy were out checking out music gear at various shops and we went back to the spot because its in the rotation of where we go, so we get there and on the top shelf dusty as fukk, the mpc was still sitting there, same price tag and all. Then I remembered I had taken a picture of it over a year ago..so I talked to the sales rep and was like "Let me get that." He started playin the "I gotta talk to the manager" spiel like they do on the shows...he came back with something stupid like "I can't let this go for less than...." and I hit him the the phone I said check this out I took this picture 1 year ago, I showed him the properties of the picture which had the date and time...I said "This has been sitting on the shelf collecting dust for over a year..it's nothing to me but i'll walk out of here with it for cash...and I paid less than half of what they wanted a lil over 700 with tax.

thats whats up!!

it drives my wife crazy but when I see a Pawn shop I just gotta hit it up. You just never know what you will find.
Always some kind of hidden gem in their. Even when I travel I like to hit up all the various pawn shops if I see em.
I've made a lot of money off dudes that have more money than brains . They just cop lots of expensive gear then realize it aint for them and let it go cheap later(usually off their parents money)

I know dudes that STARTED out with full tech 12 dj setups
I know a dude who copped a triton AND an MPC 2000 when they were the biggest thing going on.
Had them for less than a year then he moved on to the next big thing.
worked out for me though....I copped that triton cheap :smugfavre:


but back to the music making thing. Bruhs, COP some gear. Go on ebay/craigslist/kijiji whatever local shyt you have, pawn shops, anything. Cop some used gear.


I love seeing shyt like that...'make an offer'
That Maschine MK2 is only 199 right now, you can make an offer and probably get it for like $160-$175

Best thing about Ebay now is that make an offer shyt. I would just send out lowball offers to a ton and sometimes they hit back with my offer.

OR if you are really worried about money just cop something like this..

I actually have that same one. I bought it for when I travel. Its like the same length of a macbook pro.
Pads and keys. and failry cheap.
 

Kaydigi

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Yea true I guess I'm speaking more to the beginners mindset. When everyone starts to make beats there is this moment where it's like, "Oh, I need an MPC, or I need this, I need that." All you need is a DAW really and that keeps things as cheap as possible because you can get a DAW for free. You can use your computer keyboard when your just getting started. So for him as a beginner I feel it's an unnecessary piece of equipment but if he chooses the hardware route I ain't knocking the equipment. That $250 for a mint conditioned Studio would be a decent pick up.

Otherwise choose your platform FL Studio, Reason, Logic.. etc. and just start learning the ins and outs before you start worrying about copping hardware. The gist of what I was trying to get at.



Technically wouldn't the software be a DAW. It does come with vsts on it though which most DAWs do.


MPC Software and Maschine will be a Daw once they add audio tracks.
 

ridge

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thanks for the feedback homies

i copped the studio (off ebay, original dude sold his), comes in the mail monday or tuesday
 

Wildin

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thanks for the feedback homies

i copped the studio (off ebay, original dude sold his), comes in the mail monday or tuesday


Lucky b*stard, you and me gonna have to chat.
 

STAN JONES

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I been researching these shyts for like a month and all the complaints about Akais software really scared me off from fukking with them(i was originally gonna get a MPC Ren)

Plus i just couldn't get into the mpc workflow when i had a 1000...shyt just seemed a little too complicated and outdated

For beginners I definitely recommend getting a maschine over a mpc
 

Wildin

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I been researching these shyts for like a month and all the complaints about Akais software really scared me off from fukking with them(i was originally gonna get a MPC Ren)

Plus i just couldn't get into the mpc workflow when i had a 1000...shyt just seemed a little too complicated and outdated

For beginners I definitely recommend getting a maschine over a mpc

you can download the mpc software for free, and use it for 10 mins at a time before a white noise begins to appear but you can point and click and access all the features and functions. its worth trying it out. Plus you get to learn how to make beats super quick by having a 10 min time limit.....on some real beat challenge shyt. it sounds like you tried it and didnt like it?
 

STAN JONES

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you can download the mpc software for free, and use it for 10 mins at a time before a white noise begins to appear but you can point and click and access all the features and functions. its worth trying it out. Plus you get to learn how to make beats super quick by having a 10 min time limit.....on some real beat challenge shyt. it sounds like you tried it and didnt like it?
I never tried the computer software but i have owned a 1000 and used a 3000 a bunch of time

All the complaints about the software scared me off plus I didn't like the workflow on the standalone units i used and heard the software was similar so I passed

I didn't know you could use it for free though.Gonna try it and see how it is

Props for the info
 

Wildin

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I never tried the computer software but i have owned a 1000 and used a 3000 a bunch of time

All the complaints about the software scared me off plus I didn't like the workflow on the standalone units i used and heard the software was similar so I passed

I didn't know you could use it for free though.Gonna try it and see how it is

Props for the info


Im gonna be honest, having moved from the 2000 to the 4000 then trying to software it was a natural progression because by the time I had gotten to the 4000 using a piano roll and editing on the hardware but unlike other hardware samplers and daws (particularly the mv-8000/8800 where you can plug it into a computer monitor) the akai software is exactly what is/was needed. Ive used a couple of 1000's but I could never get serious on them.

Long story short the software is the hardware....turned into software, so if you speak the akai language you know where you're going and what you're doing. Honestly it can do the same thing FL can do but in akai language and of course it has the shyt that makes it akai, i.e building programs, keygroups, etc.

Akai needs to quit fukkin around and release the software without having to have the ren/studio/touch but its a smart business decision not to especially for piracy reasons, the reality is if you're going to buy a maschine or studio/ren your going to get the hardware and the software akai might have fukked up waiting to long to jump into territory with maschine (colored led pads) they might have lost a lot of new consumers but people who are loyal to akai and love/trust akai in spite of their downfalls have stayed true, although some did jump ship too.

Although I love akai, Roland shyt is my close second--hell it'd be my first but the truth is I couldnt afford the Roland shyt I wanted and bought some akai shyt back in the day.
 

STAN JONES

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Im gonna be honest, having moved from the 2000 to the 4000 then trying to software it was a natural progression because by the time I had gotten to the 4000 using a piano roll and editing on the hardware but unlike other hardware samplers and daws (particularly the mv-8000/8800 where you can plug it into a computer monitor) the akai software is exactly what is/was needed. Ive used a couple of 1000's but I could never get serious on them.

Long story short the software is the hardware....turned into software, so if you speak the akai language you know where you're going and what you're doing. Honestly it can do the same thing FL can do but in akai language and of course it has the shyt that makes it akai, i.e building programs, keygroups, etc.

Akai needs to quit fukkin around and release the software without having to have the ren/studio/touch but its a smart business decision not to especially for piracy reasons, the reality is if you're going to buy a maschine or studio/ren your going to get the hardware and the software akai might have fukked up waiting to long to jump into territory with maschine (colored led pads) they might have lost a lot of new consumers but people who are loyal to akai and love/trust akai in spite of their downfalls have stayed true, although some did jump ship too.

Although I love akai, Roland shyt is my close second--hell it'd be my first but the truth is I couldnt afford the Roland shyt I wanted and bought some akai shyt back in the day.
ive never used a Roland drum machine.Always wanted to test one out(RZA made me a fan) but dont know anybody who has ever had one

i almost pulled the trigger on a Maschine Studio last week but after reading rumors about Akai and Roland possibly showing off new samplers next week at namm i backed off

if the Roland rumors are true that might be my next piece of hardware

cant wait until Thursday :noah:

heres the Roland rumor just in case you havent seen it


Roland took sampling workstations to another level with their ACB technology!

Models Include:

Emu SP-1200
Emu Emax
Emu Emax 2
Emu ESI-32
Emu ESI-4000
Korg SDD-2000
Akai MPC-60
Akai MPC-3000
Ensoniq Mirage
Ensoniq ASR-10
Ensoniq ASR-X
Sequential Circuits Studio 440
Yamaha SU700
Casio SK-1
Casio RZ-1
Casio FZ-1
Roland W-30
Roland SP-808
Roland SP-303
Roland SP-404

There's so much more I wish I could tell you slutz, but let's wait until NAMM 2016 for you find out.


What I did see was the video that is going to be shown at NAMM 2016 by Roland announcing the new product and probably later on YouTube like they did with their AIRA line of products.

Roland has a new 16 Pad sampler/workstation coming and the ACB modeling features I told you about is nothing compared to the other features they're talking about for this new hardware.

Despite anyone's opinions about ACB technology, Roland has been winning with the AIRA and Boutique lines.

Anyone who's impressed with their MPC's, Maschines and Push 2's are going to lose their minds when the NAMM presentation is made.

^^^if that shyt is true im definitely copping
 

Self_Born7

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just copped the mpc studio black, believe it or not OP... there are alot of good vids on youtubes to peep... alot of tutorials... even mpc have books for sale... but i'm good with learning with trial and error, like when Serato came out
I been djing for what feel like an eternity, used to play around on friends mpc 3000 and korg triton... now looking for to adventure towards producing.

if you worried about pricing,,, there is a pay and you play spot, they can break up payments up to 4 to 6 payments.. they will deliver anywhere in us for free.. PM if you want the plug
 

Kobes Two Jerseys

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I wouldn't say mpcs are uneccesary. It's a tool. That's like saying snow shovels are unnecessary because of snow blowers, or a broom is unnecessary because of a swifer sweeper. Its a tool like any other musical tool out there. You wouldn't (hopefully) say Reason is unneccesary or Albeton, logic, protools, fl, or something is unnecessary.....it doesn't have to be the staple of your music studio but then again there isn't anything that has to be these days.
My MPC just sits looking cool next to my turntables. Ever since I got Reason, never had any use for the MPC. At this point for me, I dont need it but I will never get rid of it.
 
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