[sine wave killer]

This forum has always surprised me in the various interests of different forum members and I'm curious to see who out there deals with MPC's/Ableton/controller's on a regular basis.

I was watching this video recently and discussing it with some fellow producers:

I'm not so optimistic about this. Akai stepped up their game in regards to midi controllers, but they've failed miserably with hardware/hybrids in the past 5 years.

If your familiar with the last batch of Akai hardware, it took a a third party aftermarket developer to truly bring (the 1k and 25k) the hardware to its true potential. Lastly Akai has been lax, they lost their brand value after the MPC 4K's (incomplete) development (IMO).

I for one feel that it's a good thing this market is more becoming accessible to someone interested in production (whether for serious or casual use). I bought my MPC for 2k nearly 7 years ago, the price point with many software/hardware controllers can be as low as $100-300. I've seen the same $'s with DJ equipment, but that's not my forte.

Now I know there have to be some MPC/Ableton/FL/Maschine users on this forum (or lurking)......

When it comes to DAW's i'm a big fan of Reaper, they have a great business model as well (you don't have to get worried about being screwed by an ilok).

[Iceinthewater]

The maschine is supposed to be the new standard for samplers. I can't wait to get one. Native Instruments has a ton of great virtual instruments too. Gonna pair it with a 49 keyboard from m-audio.

[sine wave killer]

(01-18-2012 08:26 AM)Iceinthewater Wrote:  

The maschine is supposed to be the new standard for samplers. I can't wait to get one. Native Instruments has a ton of great virtual instruments too. Gonna pair it with a 49 keyboard from m-audio.

You like the 49 keyboard's from m-audio ice? I think they're good but i've always felt that the key could have a little more weight to them. I own one, but to be honest I like the weight on the axiom/oxygen series keyboards that they had put out.

Yeah NI picked up where Akai dropped the ball at. They've actually got two versions of the Maschine now, the standard and the micro. I've fucked with both, and honestly the R&D division at NI is on top of their game, the ease in which you can use the maschine with other daws (other than the native stock daw) is incredible.

Here's a dope vid of DJ Nu-Mark talking about Maschine

You mess with any other equip Ice?

[Iceinthewater]

I used to have an asr-x and basically mastered it inside and out, but I've been on hiatus for awhile while I work on other stuff. When I'm doing music it kind of takes over my life. The maschine will be a gift to myself once I get some stuff done.

I actually preferred less variance in the key-hits, so I wanted weighting to be a little more robotic - I like a lot of control over every hit, every parameter. All my stuff was super sample heavy from vinyl, wasn't meant to sound live/realistic.

My secret weapon was the sonic maximizer from from bbe. Cost about 100 bucks and made everything sound amazing. real cheap way to take your sound to that radio ready level.

[The Lesser Evil]

(01-18-2012 11:27 AM)Iceinthewater Wrote:  

I used to have an asr-x and basically mastered it inside and out, but I've been on hiatus for awhile while I work on other stuff. When I'm doing music it kind of takes over my life. The maschine will be a gift to myself once I get some stuff done.

I actually preferred less variance in the key-hits, so I wanted weighting to be a little more robotic - I like a lot of control over every hit, every parameter. All my stuff was super sample heavy from vinyl, wasn't meant to sound live/realistic.

My secret weapon was the sonic maximizer from from bbe. Cost about 100 bucks and made everything sound amazing. real cheap way to take your sound to that radio ready level.

Not to hate but I BEEN THERE, DONE THAT. I had the MPC 3000LE/akai s950 I Used to Dig in the crates HEAVY (rare breaks from eastern europe and japan), etc. I even had a moog. All that stuff does is take up time. These days nobody is going to pay me 50,000 to do a beat. Take that MPC money and buy gold, because things in this world are about to get uglier than they have ever been.

[velkrum]

People still use stand alone sequencers and samplers with all the software still available ??

better to just get a good 88 key MIDI controller and Cubase / Logic / Pro Tools etc..

[Iceinthewater]

@velkrum: maschine is integrated with your computer on DAW software. place it feels good to physically turn knobs and hit pads.

@evil: music is inherently valuable because it's a creative release. not trying to get rich off it. I love digging through old forgotten music, especially stuff from other countries

[sine wave killer]

@Velkrum: I still start off the basis of all my compositions on a mpc 25k (JJ OS), but I mess with Ableton/Reaper on the daily.

@ The Lesser Evil - It all comes down to who you know. You can't go into the business saying that "I'm going to make a grip of money". You really have to love doing this and make lots of sacrifices. I was (and still am) broke for years, but I had decided that this was something that I really wanted to invest in. Only very recently (well after 7+ years) have I begun to encounter opportunities where lots of $ can be made. Even in that regard you have to be ready to hustle and treat it like a limb of your body. A good deal of the time nowdays you have to be on a certain tier to mess with samples and get paid, thats why you gotta have your instrument game up.

I love digging for records as well, not just looking for breaks/samples. There are times when you'll find records and you just want to listen to them. I remember finding this Milton Nascimento record in the trash years ago, I still can't understand a word of it but the record is hypnotic.

It still boggles me how someone could throw this record in the trash.

[Iceinthewater]

that's good stuff:

This is one of my best finds on vinyl - filled with bugged out samples and really cool chord progressions, plus a dope record to smoke to (back when I did that):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5R5ZJ--M...re=related

[sine wave killer]

Thats a good library record, i'm going to add that one to my favorites.

Anyone down for some sample flips in this thread?

[The Lesser Evil]

(01-18-2012 02:04 PM)sine wave killer Wrote:  

Thats a good library record, i'm going to add that one to my favorites.

Anyone down for some sample flips in this thread?

My man, you need to go to MPC-forums.com or talk to the stuck up 45 year old crate diggers at soulstrut.com, because this is the wrong place. About a 1/3of these dudes on here don't like black people much less hip hop (lol). Me Hip Hop had it's hayday. I don't know who running it now but it not the same thing as it was when I was coming up.

These are my favorites producers here:

Btw, The samba record is nice though...

[kosko]

Good we got Hardware heads up in here. I've had a MV8800 for years now. I fuck with Hardware hard but my setup has become to large and big that its not practical to travel around with. I have been eyeing the move down to software but I can't fuck with no mouse. Been on the fence with NI Maschine but to be honest I am not a fan of the sequencer. My current route for logistics and price reasons was to go the Abelton+MPD route and still have the options of integrating my Hardware pieces whenever possible. From a price standpoint I can get this going for less than a G, start out on my regular PC until I get a Macbook in the near future.

Diggin is mad fun, until you have a good thousand pieces of wax and no place to put them. MY homie told me "archive that shit on your PC" that's a month long project (at least), one day it will have to be done.. yikes.

But on some real ish. This New MPC done changed the game. Hardware plus Computer power with a legit sequencer? Wow. I am just hoping the price point is nice, I am really feeling this thus far. I am still waiting out, I didn't think Akai would go down without at least trying to step to NI, it will be interesting to see both companies go at it. NI set this right with Maschine and its proper price point so the big winners will be us!

[sine wave killer]

(01-18-2012 03:13 PM)The Lesser Evil Wrote:  

My man, you need to go to MPC-forums.com or talk to the stuck up 45 year old crate diggers at soulstrut.com, because this is the wrong place. About a 1/3of these dudes on here don't like black people much less hip hop (lol). Me Hip Hop had it's hayday. I don't know who running it now but it not the same thing as it was when I was coming up.

Ha, i'm not really a fan of most forums. I used to post on mpc-forums a long time ago. Occasionally i'll still browse and read the forum, but I just find it too counter productive. Too many guys buying equipment just to have, instead of learning how to use it and master it. It's just too redundant for my tastes, though there are some heavy hitters posting there anonymously.

I just suggested the sample flip for fun, it's not something you'd expect to see on a game forum. I may just chop up that link that Ice had posted earlier in the day, record sounds pretty dope.

[sine wave killer]

(01-18-2012 03:29 PM)kosko Wrote:  

Good we got Hardware heads up in here. I've had a MV8800 for years now. I fuck with Hardware hard but my setup has become to large and big that its not practical to travel around with. I have been eyeing the move down to software but I can't fuck with no mouse. Been on the fence with NI Maschine but to be honest I am not a fan of the sequencer. My current route for logistics and price reasons was to go the Abelton+MPD route and still have the options of integrating my Hardware pieces whenever possible. From a price standpoint I can get this going for less than a G, start out on my regular PC until I get a Macbook in the near future.

Diggin is mad fun, until you have a good thousand pieces of wax and no place to put them. MY homie told me "archive that shit on your PC" that's a month long project (at least), one day it will have to be done.. yikes.

But on some real ish. This New MPC done changed the game. Hardware plus Computer power with a legit sequencer? Wow. I am just hoping the price point is nice, I am really feeling this thus far. I am still waiting out, I didn't think Akai would go down without at least trying to step to NI, it will be interesting to see both companies go at it. NI set this right with Maschine and its proper price point so the big winners will be us!

It's really hard for me to take Akai serious after the whole fiasco concerning the 1k/25k/5k series. They had good intentions with the 5k but the R&D team was just sloppy in their execution. JJ is literally a modern day Roger Linn for what he did with the stock os for the 1k/25k. He literally changed how that machine was used, I've never experienced chopping faster on any machine (or software for that matter).

I'm hoping that the price point will be reasonable, but I can't see it being any less than a G. My bet is that they would try to use the Renaissance model to replace the 1k, but the JJ OS has created a longer shelf life for that machine in particular.

You ever mess with a Sp 404?

[Iceinthewater]

yea this is probably not the best forum to talk music.

I'm a huge Primo fan. I think my all time favorite for sampling producers has to be RZA though - up to Ironman. Didn't like much of his stuff after that, but 4th disciple and True Master picked up where he left off. True Masters style is off the wall.

One album that had an amazing use of samples was DJ Quik's Safe and Sound. To this day my all time favorite west coast album. He somehow made funk samples even funkier.

Another good producer is the guy from Portishead. It kind of sucks that his beats had a chick singing some weird creepy shit in a super high voice. I'd love to get my hands on all the Portishead instrumentals. The dude took sample based production to another level

The Maschine is really affordable and has the computer integration. I heard a lot of big names are using it now as their unit for on the go, including Kanye. Part of the appeal is ease of use. My roommate got a free one because he was the video editor at DubSpot in Manhattan (it's a DJ school). He was showing me some shit and the whole creation process looked very smooth and intuitive - tons of videos out there demonstrating this.

[kosko]

(01-18-2012 04:59 PM)sine wave killer Wrote:  

(01-18-2012 03:29 PM)kosko Wrote:  

Good we got Hardware heads up in here. I've had a MV8800 for years now. I fuck with Hardware hard but my setup has become to large and big that its not practical to travel around with. I have been eyeing the move down to software but I can't fuck with no mouse. Been on the fence with NI Maschine but to be honest I am not a fan of the sequencer. My current route for logistics and price reasons was to go the Abelton+MPD route and still have the options of integrating my Hardware pieces whenever possible. From a price standpoint I can get this going for less than a G, start out on my regular PC until I get a Macbook in the near future.

Diggin is mad fun, until you have a good thousand pieces of wax and no place to put them. MY homie told me "archive that shit on your PC" that's a month long project (at least), one day it will have to be done.. yikes.

But on some real ish. This New MPC done changed the game. Hardware plus Computer power with a legit sequencer? Wow. I am just hoping the price point is nice, I am really feeling this thus far. I am still waiting out, I didn't think Akai would go down without at least trying to step to NI, it will be interesting to see both companies go at it. NI set this right with Maschine and its proper price point so the big winners will be us!

It's really hard for me to take Akai serious after the whole fiasco concerning the 1k/25k/5k series. They had good intentions with the 5k but the R&D team was just sloppy in their execution. JJ is literally a modern day Roger Linn for what he did with the stock os for the 1k/25k. He literally changed how that machine was used, I've never experienced chopping faster on any machine (or software for that matter).

I'm hoping that the price point will be reasonable, but I can't see it being any less than a G. My bet is that they would try to use the Renaissance model to replace the 1k, but the JJ OS has created a longer shelf life for that machine in particular.

You ever mess with a Sp 404?

I agree I was turned off from Akai when they started pushing toys like the 1000 around. They burned up all there stock tho, they have nothing left but memories they have to offer something solid now or else they will be sent to the dumps IMO. They woke up and realized that nobody is just going to fork over cash simply for their pads anymore.

Hopefully they see that there is no point in trying to re-tool or remake better their past mistakes. JJ has that covered.

The MPD is a (flimsy but surprisingly resilient) solid piece of gear you could toss around and yet get good results from (especially live) this bought Akai time to help them get there shit together.

The killer might be this... this is the 2nd part of there new drops and its specifically aimed at Maschine. My guess is that this bad boy will be priced nicely while the MPC-Renaissance will be a cash grab at 1500-2k (I hope I'm wrong). This I guess is their 3rd generation MPD, which works together with this supposed AKAI-DAW which will be the game-changer, but still allowing folks to fuck with there other PC tools which is a big plus.

Quote:

MPC PRO STUDIO:

Quote:

● Fuses legendary MPC production with the processing power of your computer
● Compact design is less than 1” thin and fits easily into a laptop bag
● MPC SOFTWARE for Mac & PC with 64-track sequencing capability
● 16 backlit genuine MPC pads, legendary MPC workflow & MPC Swing
● USB-powered with low-profile knobs and brushed aluminum body
● Large LCD screen allows you to make tracks without having to look at your computer
● Four touch-sensitive knobs provide enhanced MPC software control

The biggest irony that I found is that NI went at Akai so heavy at Akai biggest flaw - to leave people in the dark once they forked over cash. The updates and free goodies they hooked up with their patrons made Akai look hella stingy and cheap and finally took exposed modern Akai for having no clothes. So with Akai doing one radical thing here in providing a DAW one would now hope they will get their shit together and maintain adequate updates since now they 100% into the PC game.

And yes I fuck with the SP-404 I've had one for about 10months now. I've wanted one for years (303) and put it off until I seen a price - so nice - that it would be stupid to hold off any longer. This thing is dope, only thing that annoys me is having to learn dated real-time recording. I got used to step-sequencing and I almost feel its redundant to master this when I am about to have to learn either Abelton or Akai-DAW, but hey more knowledge on different workflows can't hurt.

But the biggest thing with the SP is its effects, and also its versatility, - I'm even starting to DJ with it, thing is a crazy little box. I understand now why it has been so vouched for - even its big brother I've herd good things about - SP 555 - that's a more complete unit tho. In retrospect it would of been a more wise investment than that 8800 I got kicking around from when Roland tried to got at Akai's buggy 4k (bad move for both).

I am a Roland whore tho, I'll vouch for them goons till my grave ... now let them just stop being 5 years slow and make something to step to Maschine, and the MPC-PRO.

[sine wave killer]

I bought and MPD 18 last summer, it's a great investment I agree. Akai DID step up there game when it came to the PC field. I was really surprised at the packaging. It almost reminded of packaging for the lower end monome models.

One thing that worries me about the MPC renaissance model is the data wheel. On All MP models the data wheel suffers the most wear and tear and eventually after the first two years you have to replace it. If that shit clicks like the 25k, then I don' know. I agree it'll run in the 1-2g range simply based off the the inputs/outputs on back of the machine.

Korg had got their shit together and they were trying to mess with the field but their controllers fall apart to easily in my opinion. They have a new generation of microkontrollers but I haven't used them yet.

@Kosko - I've rocked a 404 for a few years now. I really find it fun for making musicc on the go or using it as an effects generator. The 404 is great for doing live shows or live beat sets as well, here's a good example of Dibia$e killing it with a 404 live. He's a master of his craft.

I fucked with the SP series since I was in HS, I remember skipping school just to go and buy a 202. I haven't messed with the 555 too much though, but from what i've seen it's a monster.

The MV is still a solid model, I found it just to be a little too large for my taste but you have the VGA output with it as well right?

That MPC pro studio looks ok, but we'll see. They have to compete with the lower tiered Maschine model.


@Ice I meant to respond to you earlier in the thread about the ASR X, that machine has one of the best onboard sample engines ever! I know all about Dubspot, I had a homie who was doing "guest" teaching there.

[kosko]

That's good to hear. You'll be hearing from me for sure if I have any questions. Its the best investment I have made as far as price and function goes. You seem like your on the same tip as me. My grand plan was to pair my SP + Abelton/MPD + my MircoKorg and call it a day, all that can pack up in a small suitcase in case I need to skip town if Miss Low End tells me she got a bun in the oven.

The MV is legit I don't regret the purchase. Its shortcomings we're that Roland waited to long to push it out and they tried to make their own connector interface in R-Bus which flopped hard. With a few modds it can be a piece that last you until your grave like a 2k. I was lucky enough to cop the output and VGA extension before they vanished, all that is needed is to up the memory and the disk drive to SD and I should be all good. Its a legacy piece which hardware buffs will always have a few off kicking around. But yes its size, thing is too fucking big! You can't be a international playboy with big gear setups anymore. I used to dig the messy Hardware setups with wires all over the place but a clean, set up with minimal pieces looks very appealing as well.

Haha @ the 202! my old HS has one kicking around in its beat-up Audio Room. Me and my homies ransacked that neglected room hard of all its old analog gear! But back then.. we didn't realize how dope the 202 was, we fucked around with it, but all are minds we're on the 2k, ASR, 1200 - or FL.

And props on Dibiase! Him and Samiyam fucked my head up with the 404. When I seen Sam use that shit live a few years back my head exploded, I didn't know it was capable of doing all that.

[sine wave killer]

The 202 is still a dope piece of gear, even if it is a bit antiquated. If you want to play live, or do stuff right on the fly the 202 is great for that. I used to hook it up to a tascam 4 track back in 01' and chop records right on the fly. It's still good for sampling at low bit rates, but nowaday's with all the software out there it's a bit redundant.

[Iceinthewater]

(01-18-2012 06:15 PM)sine wave killer Wrote:  

I bought and MPD 18 last summer, it's a great investment I agree. Akai DID step up there game when it came to the PC field. I was really surprised at the packaging. It almost reminded of packaging for the lower end monome models.

One thing that worries me about the MPC renaissance model is the data wheel. On All MP models the data wheel suffers the most wear and tear and eventually after the first two years you have to replace it. If that shit clicks like the 25k, then I don' know. I agree it'll run in the 1-2g range simply based off the the inputs/outputs on back of the machine.

Korg had got their shit together and they were trying to mess with the field but their controllers fall apart to easily in my opinion. They have a new generation of microkontrollers but I haven't used them yet.

@Kosko - I've rocked a 404 for a few years now. I really find it fun for making musicc on the go or using it as an effects generator. The 404 is great for doing live shows or live beat sets as well, here's a good example of Dibia$e killing it with a 404 live. He's a master of his craft.

I fucked with the SP series since I was in HS, I remember skipping school just to go and buy a 202. I haven't messed with the 555 too much though, but from what i've seen it's a monster.

The MV is still a solid model, I found it just to be a little too large for my taste but you have the VGA output with it as well right?

That MPC pro studio looks ok, but we'll see. They have to compete with the lower tiered Maschine model.


@Ice I meant to respond to you earlier in the thread about the ASR X, that machine has one of the best onboard sample engines ever! I know all about Dubspot, I had a homie who was doing "guest" teaching there.

Man the ASR was my baby. It's an antique by today's standards but I had that bitch doing some crazy shit. The sound was so heavy and warm compared to other samplers, and it just didn't sound as robotic as the mpc. It's not supported anywhere now - no way to repair it. I left it in Brooklyn on the sidewalk :'(

[sine wave killer]

ah man Ice you should have kept it, there's cats like myself out here who could have repaired it for you...(and for a low fee as well, or just an exchange of some game advice).

Someone sent me this video this morning, maybe Akai is changing for the better. I don't know but this right here has lots of potential to be a game changer, esp if it works with different tablets.

[kosko]

Tablets weak tho. I still see them as toys even tho they have equal or more might than traditional hardware samplers. My only beef with iPads+pods is the sound element internally is ass. But in the grand scheme this is easily the most compact setup on earth! This FLY has to be dirt cheap tho, it would be foolish if this costs more than the toy 500, this is a good side or entry level unit.

[sine wave killer]

Yeah, there's a good number of "hobbyists" of all ages with Ipads, so that's a good market to crack for the low risk user. I'd like to see how this would fly in a live environment at the club etc. I'd say the price point on this model will be around $275, that's just my estimate. Things like Ipads are bound to be outdated within a few years of their release, so I hope there was a bit of foresight with this. You also have Android and WebOS, in a perfect world this FLY would work with all three operating systems.

[sine wave killer]

I'm not sure if I had posted this video here in another thread, up until recently I had an identical setup (minus the drumkit)

still one of the best video's out there that i've seen throughout the years.

[BalkanCynic]

What type of computer do you guys suggest to run a daw on?
My laptop abruptly died and Im looking at what has popped up in the last few years. Basically Ive been running ableton, a few guitar plugins and an external firewire interface, nothing heavy. Im strongly considering switching to a macbook pro, but theres a few PC only vst plugins that I love.