Do I REALLY NEED an MPC?

[hosie]

Hey guys,

I've been browsing and getting involved, reading various comments across this site and an many others for too long now.

I've been using FL Studio forever. Like literally forever. I'm reasonably comfortable with it. Too comfortable, probably.

So I'm solely a sample based producer. I'm all about the sampled beats. As you know most producers worth their salt that do the same have an MPC, of sorts. I suppose I've gotten by with the DAW setup and been pretty happy with my outcomes, on the most part. However after a daddy duties induced hiatus of 5+ years I'm now looking to produce beats again, consistently, put out vinyl on regular basis, and supply as many MC's as I can with some background noise! I want to have the right setup.

I keep asking myself (mainly when I get roped into watching an MPC video) do I need an MPC? Am I holding myself back? am I affecting my workflow?

I've looked at the MPC One for a while and talked myself down alot. I've then looked at entry level MPD's. I've been okay and not been dragged into them, however I keep looking at the MPC Studio - and it's a nice price bracket too. I'll forgive myself if it sits gathering a little dust, however I actually think the more I look at it the more it appeals and I should just make the step.

For reference - I currently use Slice X or Fruity Slicer to chop and then use my AKAI MPK Mini and I'm actually using the keys as my pads.

Any help, input, telling me my current setup is fine would be much appreciated.

Some references:

MPC Studio

Ultra slim MPC pad controller for MPC DAW software music production.

www.akaipro.com

Akai MPC Studio

The MPC Studio provides an affordable middle ground between Akai’s software and hardware MPCs.

www.soundonsound.com

Cheers!

 

[OGBama]

I @hosie think your current setup is fine as I too have an MPK Mini MK3 but I use mine w/MPC 2 software as I keep my setup simple. You mentioned wanting to release vinyl, try Qrates for that.

 

[thedreampolice]

Plenty of top end producers are all in the box. You absolutely do not need hardware whatsoever. Even a few beats on Kendrick’s “damn” where all made on an iPhone. It’s literally only about results. Now if you want to get away from the computer and use an mpc as a unique musical instrument that’s a whole other thing. I work on computers all day so not using a computer to make music can be nice. But then half the time I will just use a pen and paper. Fl studio is also a very powerful program that can do some things other DAWS can’t, so it may be worth investing the time to get to know it even better.

 

[Fade]

@hosie I know what you're saying. I sort of went down that same route just a few years ago. I started with just hardware in the 90s then went onto just software for many years but eventually I grew tired of staring at a screen.

So when Maschine came out it was a great way to bridge the software+hardware issue. I used Maschine for many years but then I was plagued by their shitty workmanship on the MK1 and MK2, so I decided to move on.

I kept looking for a simple controller, and I LOOKED all over. Couldn't find anything I wanted because the controllers were either not what I wanted or I was worried about the build quality. The more I looked, I realized that an old school MPC would do the trick. I got an MPC 2500 with JJOS.

So now I'm using the 2500 all the time and I love it. I always mix in my DAW but for sampling and making beats, it's just the MPC.

I don't know if you want to look at an old school MPC but it's worth considering. But if you want something to go with software, there's tons of controllers. The MPC Studio looks good, I checked that along with the MPD218, both look solid but I just wasn't crazy about the MPC software. I would rather a simple controller to go with Ableton or Studio One.

Are you looking to ditch Fruity and just use the MPC software? Or is it whatever software a controller comes with? Or do you want to go with just standalone hardware?

 

[2GooD Productions]

firstly I would say NO, you dont NEED it. You have everything you already need.
You say you are very familiar with FL Studio, maybe you are getting a bit bored and want to try something new.
Changing things up isnt always a bad idea, it can bring new excitement and enthusiasm, different workflows, it can make things interesting again.
My switch from Reason to Cubase was the best switch I ever made, then used fl studio for a while. It does have some limits with sampling, and I can see where switching to something else could benefit. Its why I went back to cubase, its far easier and cleaner to work with audio.
It could help you in regards to sampling, but they arent cheap, nothing is in music, for the style of music Ive heard you on, I would say it could be worthwhile, but you dont NEED it.

 

[thedreampolice]

Like Fade I also have a 2500, I had a 2000 forever but god that thing Is SLOW. I actually love Maschine and have one of those as well. But an old school 2500 can take you pretty far. Honestly though just fl, reason or live with a controller is more than enough.

 

[hosie]

Thanks for the quick and in-depth replies you guys. Much appreciated!

Thanks @OGBama I wasn't aware of Qrates. Looks really interesting.

@thedreampolice Thanks. I know what you're saying regards the end result but I actually do get a buzz out of making music. I'm currently in the zone of "kids are sleeping, pour coffee, lights dimmed, candles burning, headphones on". I get right into the vibe of it. The standalone music centre doesn't really appeal to me at the moment. Perhaps later down the line if I end up going live but I suspect at my grand ole age of 37 that I'll be doing that. @Fade I do love FL Studio and believe it only gets better with every update. I want my MPC / hardware to definitely sync with it.

@Fade I'm the same dude. I spent so long researching. I'm still very much old school and stuck in my ways. I considered so many older models - but then I thought that might actually hold me back and the chances of updates and syncing with my current setup were probably highly unlikely. Besides I have so little free time these days that any time I do get I like to be productive and as creative as possible. Thanks for the insight as always dude!

@2GooD Productions I don't know about getting bored. I've came in quite fresh to the new FL and I'm enjoying it. I think I'm more concerned about not being as productive or creative as I can be. If there's a quicker / better way to achieve what I'm already doing I'd like to get it and not feel like I'm wasting time I don't have to be. Thanks for being the first person to say don't get it. I fear I may disappoint you!

Guys, to put you in the picture. The MPC Studio is the entry level MPC. It's the cheapest. I feel like it's me dipping my toe in. If I like it and it works as I think it will I can see me having no hesitation in upgrading quite quickly. The Studio generally churns out at around £200-£230 and there's a local place doing a sale of it at £160. For me that's buttons for a a device like that and I can see me picking it up at the weekend. I will keep you all posted. Thank you very much for all the input and feedback!

 

[hosie]

Like Fade I also have a 2500, I had a 2000 forever but god that thing Is SLOW. I actually love Maschine and have one of those as well. But an old school 2500 can take you pretty far. Honestly though just fl, reason or live with a controller is more than enough.

So what you're saying is buy the Studio and let you know how it goes?

 

[2GooD Productions]

230 for entry level is very reasonable, inst it really just another daw with dedicated controller anyway? Im sure it will be quicker to work with samples, easier to fine tune chop points on zero crossover points, fades in and out to prevent clicks and pops when there isnt a zero point shared by left and right channels, or you could just sample in mono.

 

[hosie]

230 for entry level is very reasonable, inst it really just another daw with dedicated controller anyway? Im sure it will be quicker to work with samples, easier to fine tune chop points on zero crossover points, fades in and out to prevent clicks and pops when there isnt a zero point shared by left and right channels, or you could just sample in mono.

Yes, that's my thinking. I spend alot of time fine tuning my samples. FL actually has "Declick in" and "Declick out" for all chops but I still find myself fine tuning that little bit more. Perhaps alot of MPC'ers make it look easier than it is but if it's half as easy as it appears in terms of achieving the sounds / chops then I think it will be a successful purchase.

 

[2GooD Productions]

FL actually has "Declick in" and "Declick out"

I didnt even know lol

another thing that annoys me about fl studio is where it stores recorded files. I like my files off the system drive, but fl fills up my system drive, its a pain to set the project folder after the fact, for every single project. I just stopped using it in the end.

 

[hosie]

I didnt even know lol

another thing that annoys me about fl studio is where it stores recorded files. I like my files off the system drive, but fl fills up my system drive, its a pain to set the project folder after the fact, for every single project. I just stopped using it in the end.

I think everyone just finds what they're comfortable with. I tried Cubase years ago but I think because my House / Techno friends loved it I figured it was geared more towards that type of genre. So ended up on the FL trail.

 

[OGBama]

Do @hosie what you can with what you have. Don't get G.A.S.

 

[Fade]

Like @2GooD Productions mentioned, you don't NEED an MPC no matter what model of course. It's just from what I've seen, lots of older heads and some younger ones just like having certain hardware, kind of like a collector's thing.

But it really just comes down to what you're most comfortable with. I was comfortable with Cakewalk for many years but then changed it up and it made a difference. The thing with hardware is there's always something new and when I see people rushing for a new product that just dropped, I roll my eyes. It does the same thing as the other thing you have lol.

For me if I didn't have the 2500, I would most likely get something like the MPD and use that with a small keyboard controller, or just a keyboard controller, and have that with Studio One because it's what I mainly use. So if you use mainly FL Studio, maybe keep the keyboard you have and add small controller like the MPD218, it's cheap!

 

[OGBama]

I @Fade highly recommend for you the MPK Mini, I ain't trading that for nothing and I couldn't be happier as I'm happy I didn't buy the first iteration of it over a decade ago when it had keys problems e.g. snapping off, etc. When I keep things simple I'm less frustrated as a newbie.

 

[Fade]

I don't need that. I'm just saying if I didn't have the 2500 I would get a controller, probably the MPD.

 

[thedreampolice]

God I hate the pads on the MPD though. You have to hit them with a damn hammer to get any responce. To be honest i'm surprised you didn't like the build quality of the Maschine, I think you know that I was part of the initial launch team at Sweetwater that NI worked with to push the original Maschine and NI gave me one for free. I loved the thing. I did most of the record I did with Lord Lav on Maschine v1. This record https://www.drunkpedestrians.com/waybackmachine1 and now I have the MK3 and I like it a lot and it feels great. It seems pretty well built to me?? The MPC 2000/2500 pads are my favorite once you change the sensitivity to all the way up. I have owned a few MPD's over the years and just never could get them dialed in right. I don't mind the pads on my MPC one too much though. So that's nice. I had a trigger finger years ago and I didn't mind that too much. I see that m-audio doesn't make that anymore. I have a Push 2 and it feels pretty good. I would like to try out the Persons ATOM pad though. that looks cool.

 

[Fade]

The MPD pads are okay, a bit hard. I had an older model years ago but if I got the newer one maybe I'd get fat pads for it. On the 2500 and 1000 I have fat pads, big difference.

Maschine was great until their hardware failed me. The pads are really good but the build quality like most things today don't last. Plus their customer support sucks. I mentioned this a few times in some videos, I guess that's why the NI contact I had ghosted me a while back lol.

 

[2GooD Productions]

You have to really bang the pads on my m-audio oxygen, its really hard to get velocity variations, plus there are only 8 of them. So I end up using the keys instead a lot. I wish it had some sort of sensitivity control.

 

[thedreampolice]

Honestly I have never dealt with NI’s support so I don’t doubt you. I know they went through some growing pains a while back. I bet that was part of it.