Are classic MPCS STILL WORTH BUYING? (Pros and cons of older gear)
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- Опубліковано 9 лип 2024
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0:00 - Intro
Pros:
0:40 - Workflow
2:16 - Same gear as Hip-hop Icons
3:33 - The sound
5:05 - The aesthetic
6:22 - Cons
6:35 - Things break
8:34 - Old storage formats
9:53 - Slow processing
#mpc2000xl #hiphop #hiphopculture
i've used the 500, 1000, 2000, 2000xl, 60, 2500 & 3000. Only one's I kept were the 3000 and the 2000. I use the 3000 daily, for the simplicity and the feel. keep u the good work. cheers,
Nice. I’ve had a renaissance too but sold it because of it having to be plugged in to a computer permanently. I sold it and got the 2500. I also have the live 2 but it’s not had much use. It was up for sale but I might keep it now that I’m posting here again!
I had most as well .. kept the 60 nothing like it 😊
@@saren6538 i miss the 60....that's the only one i still think about often. it had a feel that's indescribable.
@@eddieleonard6925 haha that’s so true .. I sold an mpc60 mk1 few years ago and there was an emptiness when it was gone .. I bought another .. it’s a special piece, just being in its presence
My 2000xl is amazing. I definitely recommend it for anyone chasing sound and dope rhythms and they are easy do it yourself repairs & upgrades if you need to since buying a used one you might as well expect to repair or upgrade unless you buy a pre-upgraded unit. But man using those outputs i sync my mpc with fl studio and i do all my drum programming with my 2000xl and sync via mio midi interface and recording into my neve 88m interface which has a neve 88r mic pre and it sounds amazing. I could only imagine when i buy premium AD converters paired with a ams neve 1073 pre eq . Or a big studio console to track into 🔥🔥🔥
The 2500 with JJOS is clutch. I think it's not that behind the new models if we're talking about just sampling. As for the things break, it's true. When I got my 2500 the buttons were dead. But I kept calm, watched a few vids about soldering, bought the switches and changed them myself. 0 previous experience. And I do have to say, I have a much more enjoyable experience. Not necessarily easier or faster, but it's different. I'm glad you didn't abandon the channel.
Interesting man! I did actually buy a bag of pots as well with a view to sorting it out. I’m not sure if I’m breve enough to do that but maybe one day I’ll pluck up the courage haha! I’ve got JJOS on mine too and it was a gamechanger. Upgraded the ram too!
Hey man, just wanted to second the diy soldering option. Practice desoldering and resoldering on something else then give it a go. It’s surprisingly easy and saves a ton of money.
THIS! I had the same experience, just with my mpc 1000. JJOS 2XL is amazing and repairing the unit is really not bad. It taught me how to solder.
Mpc 2500 the closest you can get to the newer machine with the JJos
Thanks for all the comments. Will definitely look into it then!
happy to see the resurgence of this channel! I bought the OG MPC 2000 back in the late 90s. I still have it. I also have an XL now that I love to use when I want a change of pace from the SP404 or Live II. Your SP channel has inspired me in so many way to rock with my SP 404s (and the SP 808 [ugh, Zip drive]), but in regards to Akai, I feel if you know the workflow of the Akai sampler series (everything from the 2000s to the Live or X), you can understand all their machines. The old school MPC have a few more hoops to jump through to get what you want - and limitations which can be good for creativity - but if you get the old MPCs, you'll understand the new ones. And vice-versa. And 100% your statement on emulation. Most importantly to me, the simpler the machine, the cleaner the workflow and fewer distractions. All machines have their pros and cons. For me, if I want to knock out a few bars quickly (in about an hour), I go to my Live or 404 MKII, but if I want to get laser focused and embrace limitations, I go to the XL.
Great video. I'm going to bust out the XL today because of it!
Definitely found that with MPC. They all work in a similar way right up to the more modern devices like the Live 2 which makes learning them a breeze!
The 2500 is probably the most slept on MPC, and a major upgrade from the XL. If it had side chaining, I would still be using it to this day.
I loved mine I can’t wait to get it fixed. I agree though the sidechain is an issue for something that’s so capable in all other departments…
ua-cam.com/video/sa6eCY2VktU/v-deo.htmlsi=wTaaj0cuDvEB8W0g a subtle sidechain workaround on the 1000/2500
Can JJ fix it?
@@DanielIvan707 I have no idea. Last I heard was OS storage space was getting tight. That was 5+ years ago.
Cool vid. Def love my old machines and actually love to work on them. Makes you appreciate them more
100%! Especially the history with the older MPCs too.
Great video. Such an iconic mashine!
Thanks bud. Most definitely! I can’t wait to do a bit more content about it soon. Been a while since I’ve used it 🙌
Thx for sharing. Used the 2000 from 1997-2010; been using the 2000xl (Blue Edition) since 2015. Switched to hot swappable SD reader in 2021 and lost hundreds of beats unfortunately (the beats live on in .WAV recordings thankfully); figured out the drive works best with Indemem 1GB SD cards so I backup everything now. Even with that risk, nothing beats the workflow as you have to truly build and chop your sounds, which is right up my alley.
I'm rebuilding a 2000 right now, i grabbed it real cheap otherwise i would have went for a XL , I have a 1000 and love it. Fully rebuilt a customized it.
Also been watching you for a while now but had no idea of the MPC channel
Thats dope! I've actually been seriously considering grabbing a 1000 but at the moment I'm trying to look more at outboard gear instead of more samplers that I definitely don't need lol. Glad you found me...again! 😌
To all my folks thinking of getting the 2000xl / 2000 get Sd Card reader don’t waist any money on getting a usb floppy emulator. Sd card is the best, fastest most efficient way to go! Make sure it’s hot swappable too worth it.
🙌 thanks for the tip
Man your Mpc 2000xl is super mint.❤
It’s a sweet example! I did pay extra for the condition though. Paid the going rate and it has no fx, no 8 outs and still on floppy. I love how mint it is though. There is just one or two scratches on the face and that’s it!
buen video bro, saludos desde chile
appreciate your opinion on this
No problem. Hope it helps
That’s some intro talking about the 2000, Everything you said there i would relate to the mpc60. I had most of the mpcs and sold most and had the 60 and 2000. I tried comparing them best I could and although the 2000 is a fantastic looking and sounding machine, it hasn’t a patch on the 60 for sound or swing. The swing sounds good but once you have a 60 next to 2000 you’ll see then how the swing differs and only then you’ll 😅realise it’s presence and how it dwarfs the 2000. I found the 2000 to be quite transparent sounding with a little character. Don’t try a 60 or you’ll fall out of love with your 2000 :). I sold the 2000 in the end but it’s a great machine for sure !
From what I've heard the 60 is on another level but aint no way I'm affording one of those these days lol!
Great video. I would get a bit modern mpc like the X/XSE or the Live 2 as they can easily do what these old mpc’s can do.
Yeah the more modern MPCs are amazing bits of gear! I have the Live II. I think its quite nice to have one of the older ones as well though!
Many thanks 😊
Once you get into it the 2000xl is pretty fun. You need a whole day to make one beat but when it's done it usually sounds comparatively better. I like to put mine through the sp404mk2 and then the Analog Heat mk2 for added warmth.
Man I’m so desperate to get an analogue heat! Been trying to sell a few things to get one!
@@mpcvidzjust got one. amazing piece of gear. definitely recomend
My bank balance didn't like hearing that lol
They've brought a new one out with effects and stuff (mk3) so you might be able to get a mk2 or mk 1 for cheap(er).
I fell on hard times and I sold my MPC 2000 XL and regretted it ever since I’m going to buy it back either Renaissance or my XL again
The thing with the “sound” is that all the records from the 90s were mixed on desks and tracked to tape pretty much. That’s the actual “sound” of those records. Most of the producers back in the day were more worried about the floppy disks that contained their favourite sounds rather than the actual machine used. Notice that it’s impossible to tell which machine was used for some of the most classic hip hop, sp1200, mpc, asr 10 etc.. all different sounding but the mix is what your actually hearing not so much the machine.
In fact for me. The biggest thing the mpc had was song mode sequencing, note repeat and 16 levels. That defined hip hop more than the actual sound of the machine.
yeah good points - this video is geared towards the reason people would still buy them now though and the older gear does have a certain sound compared to newer hardware like the SP404-MK2 and the MPC Live II. Those both have a very clean sound to them straight out the box. If you drive the input on the XL it can really crunch stuff up. I know people that use theirs just for processing breaks. Mixing + mastering can make a huge difference for sure. Recording to tape is a game changer for tone and texture. Definitely no point going back to these devices for the features any more, all modern samplers have them. I do think they have a warmth compared to newer gear but agree, the recording process is a big factor
I wish I agreed with you, but im stuck fucking around with old ass gear with weird workflow because I prefer the sound. Recording deffo could be some parts but it still stands that the sound is phatter/punchier in my mind.
Dude, just say you don't know. If you can't tell the difference in sonics between something made in the SP1200 and an MPC, perhaps you need to clean your ears out.
@@badboy69cancer dude, don’t be silly now. You can’t tell what anyone used on a mixed down record unless they told you. Stop all this voodoo magic rubbish man. You do realise a desk has eq and filters etc, to shape the sound after it’s recorded? You could take out or put in all the characteristics of a sound from any sampler on mix down.
After you merge it will all the other sounds in the mix and drop a compressor on the mix bus how the hell can you reliably tell what sampler any one used? Come on man!
@@SuperALBSURE YOU can't. I can. If you can't hear the aliasing from a record pitched down in the SP-1200 or Isla S2400 then you need to get your hearing checked.
Sweet
What’s your stance on stereo out vs 8 outs into a mixer or straight into a soundcard? What do you prefer?
I know I’d rather the 8 outs into my mixer if I’m working with my DAW I have a lot more control as far as arrangement and adding EFX. I can also record all 8 outs at one time in my DAW.
8 outs its a lot more flexible. I've thought about upgrading mine to have it!
Jazz Cat is south coast, not London. I need to send my XL and 3000 to him but the 3000 is still working so it's not so much of an emergency with that one but the XL needs the screen and the eight outputs sorted out.
close enough to a northerner 😂
Yep he serviced my sp and gonna throw the 60 into him soon for a makeover - he’s bloody great
The 2KXL is beautiful ♥
Its a piece of art! 👌
You mention the texture and sound that comes out of these and that is the only reason I'd get one. Akai put the same controls, same knobs, faders and buttons from the MPCs onto the MPK LPD, MPD midi keyboard an devices so therefore that aspect is the same.
Sounds stupid but I love the sound of the buttons on the xl! They have very satisfying click to them
@@mpcvidz The MPK 49 and 249 have the same exact buttons and click, even looks like they used the same parts.
The goats used rathe mpc 3000, ensoniq asr-10 or sp1200. And tritons in 2000’.
Yop!!!!
If my mpc2k would at least have gotten USB back then.. i still would use it today. Sadly back then they didn't implement it, it was around for years, but they only gave it scsi, which was already pretty dead at this time.
But the groove of that thing is really really great. loved the sequencer, back then.
Would be a game changer. I think you can get usb slots for the front now but they aren’t cheap. I don’t think I’ll touch my xl, I’ll just sort out my 2500 instead and get that working fully
@@mpcvidz There are things like SD drives as replacement for floppy disc drives for things like amiga. those could work in an mpc aswell, but i never tested it. plugged a zip drive to my mpc back in the days via scsi. not great but it works and my 20 year old discs are still readable.
god i have to power up that machine right now :D
My xl came with a couple of scsi drives but I’ve never used them. Need to take a look at some point! That’s wild they still read!
I'm very glad you decided against selling this! I know you were considering it a while back
think I've considered selling all my bits of gear at some point lol. I've always wanted to do a full course on the XL so I definitely wouldn't sell it before that was somewhere on UA-cam! But yeah glad I've still got it at the moment as I'm getting really into boom bap again and this bit of gear is perfect for it!
An interesting and cheap(er) hybrid would be an Akai ASQ 10 (a standalone version of the MPC3000’s sequencer) and an Emu Emax I. Grab and MPD24 and you have a hybrid of MPC3000 sequencing an SP1200 sampling for well under half what they cost.
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll definitely look into that. I also have a bunch of other samplers/devices which I can use for processing etc including 4 sps an Roland MS-1 and more lol. Its a bit of an obsession at this point!
@@mpcvidz yeah samplers, especially old ones, can be a bit addictive.
Asq 10 is the sequencer from the 60
@@saren6538 yep my mistake
looks crazy but ... i owned almost all the vintage mpc's and now im doing beats on the polyend tracker . still have 2 mpcs but enjoy more the polyend tracker.
Main thing is you gotta enjoy it!
SPVIDZ is that you????
Yessir! Trying to start a separate channel for MPC stuff but will see how things go
If it's good enough for RJD2 for the last 20 years, I'd say it's good enough for the rest of us.
You mean rdj 2? Richard d James/aphex twin?
@@rena.t- Nah dude... There a hiphop/beat producer called RJD2..... Jumped off with Def Jux & El-P back in the early 2000s... Not sure what he's up to now though.
You should combine both your channels
I'm just going to run with this for now and occasionally include the same video on both channels if it fits! I quite like having a seperate place to go more in-depth about the MPCs at the moment 👍
The 2500 just doesn’t have any grit or graininess, compared to the 2000 XL. If you make the same beat on both; the 2000 XL will always have a more classic character. There are plenty of headaches which can be caused by owning a 2500, so it takes a dedicated mind to truly own one. 🙂
Very true. I do have a lot of SPS etc so there is plenty I can do to the signal to make it crunchy or beef it up. Definitely agree though 👍
2500 can read diffrent samplerates like 2kxl
@@akaaaHigeee I like using it to trap sounds in a certain realm, but that is true tho.
Is mpc 5000 a good buy?
I've not tried a 5000
Don't listen to this you can do this with any MPC this is full of shyte I will smoke anybody on here boombap for boombap beats with my mpc x this can be done on anything those MPC are not special it's just what we had back in the day this is all cap and a lie, the 5000 will be fine any MPC.
Golden Age ending - 1996
XL release - 1999
Golden age hip-hop never sounded as XL
Good point, definitely got that wrong. Thanks for the info
A con might be locked in at 44.1 16bit.
Cool thanks man. Yeah I feel like it’s almost essential to have another bit of gear to use along side the xl or other older MPCs. The SPs are great companion devices for them
65 kHz - 4K kHz 8 12 or 16 bit
Sorry but neither the 2000XL or the 1000/2500 have a heavy sound, if you said the 60 or the 3000 then yes but good like good luck getting one of those without selling your house
I still think you can get a better sound than more modern gear with a little bit of work even with the xl. I will make a video about it soon…Lol yeah those bits of gear are not accessible to the average bedroom beat maker, same with the sp1200.
2000xl absolutly has a sound, when you process the samples, that's when get to hear it
Just in case, i'm in france, and i can repair mpc's....
Pretty bareback😭
lol i was hoping noone would notice that 😂
@@mpcvidz I adore your videos man, thank you for being such a consistent creator, just put a content warning if you post bareback💀
😂😂😂
Dude…no…I don‘t know how often this fairy tale about the sound of the MPC 2000XL needs to be debunked. It has NO superior sound. It HAS a nice and simple midi sequencer with very stable timing und good midi outboard capabilities. The sound itself is inferior to older samplers because it has more or less no real texture compared to the former models. It lacks the punch of the ASR10 and EPS and also all of the EMU samplers. That’s the reason why for example Premo and Kanye only used it as a sequencer.
If you REALLY are into the sound this machine produces, buy a freaking S2000. It costs one tenth of the price and has the exact same A/D converter inside. 🤪
You can make stuff sound dirty with a bit of work. Much more so than modern gear where the emphasis seems to be a clean signal these days. You can drive the input volume when sampling, resample and use the built in filter. Fair enough it might not be as punchy as some other older gear but the xl can definitely sound better than modern samplers with a bit of patience! I would also love some of the akai rack samplers too. I’d not actually come across the s2000 only the more iconic and expensive ones lol
@@mpcvidz Debunk mode ON 😂
Driving the input - it‘s a digital converter from 25 years ago. There‘s no „warmth“ or „grid“ here, that would make sense in the context of the music you are trying to make.
Resampling - takes 15 Minutes for a standard snare sound and most of the time does not sound as nice and gritty as it would on a 2500, an ASR10 or even a S20. That is because the machine also has a big emphasis on sounding clean. The built in anti aliasing filter is doing what it should - preventing the machine from producing dirt.
Filters - again no comparison to the other sampler brands because the 2000XL marks the spot where they started using digital filters instead of analog in the MPC line to save money. An EMU ESI32 costs 100 bucks and the filters sound amazing.
All of this is also why a lot of Insta producers run their 2000XL signal through SP404s etc to give it character.
😂 he wont be swayed! I'm well aware of the SP series yup, own 4 of those! I have used them before with the XL to great effect
@@mpcvidz Well, thanks for proving my point then
Haha so true, I had a 2000 and thought the same, the 60 / 3000 / sp1200 are absolute miles away from the 2000. When you hear things like the 60 / s950 / emax 1 / eps-m / mirage etc … the 2000 sounds like ableton 😂
You’re doin something wrong regarding the 2500. The pads don’t bum out like that. You probably literally broke the sensors yourself by hitting them too hard, or had the unit stored in a humid environment. In any case, these things are tanks, like all the classic mpc’s. Just take good care of them.
Do you mean the 2000? The pads aren't a problem on my 2500 its the tact switches, which are a common thing that break
I thought you were done with this channel. Great Vid, I think sp-vidz subscribers would like it just as much.
yo man thanks for watching. I managed to find some time today. I'm hoping I can get around to some more content because I'm really into the boom bap stuff at the moment and that kinda goes hand in hand with the MPCs. I would like to continue to upload hopefully. We'll see!