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AKAI MPC 3000 sampler/sequencer drum machine

112 points by omnibrain 6y ago

mastazi 6y ago
I’m currently saving towards an MPC One. I’m glad that Akai went back to making stand-alone MPCs (previously they had switched from stand-alone instruments to models that had to be used while connected to a laptop). I can’t put my finger on why, but making music on a general purpose device like a laptop is just not as enjoyable as with a single purpose device like a stand-alone groovebox or synth.
- Plugawy 6y ago
  One is fantastic but you have to be aware of it’s limitations - particularly around network connectivity, something that even OG MPC Live is better at. Of course if it’s not a factor for you (it’s not for me, I like my One) - then it’s indeed amazing.
- cheez 6y ago
  I use the MPK mini which just feels unnatural compared to a "real" synth. But of course it is way more flexible and sometimes the right tool for the job.
- discordance 6y ago
  Not as capable for sure, but I use Koala on iOS and it gives a very similar feeling/workflow to the MPC... it’s $5 and a lot of fun
- omnibrain 6y ago
  I bought a One a few weeks ago. It's now the centrepiece of my setup. You can connect a MIDI-interface via USB and have all your MIDI I/O needs covered.
  - panpanna 6y ago
    Could you tell us how you use it? Some folks I know can't shut up praising this kit (and the Ableton Push) but no one has managed to explain why.
    - arrakeen 6y ago
      after the very long honeymoon period of desktop digital audio workstations, people are realizing that standalone machines with domain specific physical input interfaces aren't such a bad thing. take the power of a desktop DAW and marry it with the exploratory, jamming capabilities of a synth with lots of knobs and you'll have your answer as to why people are getting excited over these setups. when creativity strikes, i want to just be able turn on my device, hit record and get going. i can't tell you how many times my jam sessions have gotten derailed before they even started because of having to fiddle around on the computer to get it ready to record
    - omnibrain 6y ago
      I'm still a beginner. And not a producer but a tinkerer and jammer... It provides MIDI Clock and Start/Stop to my connected hardware if I want to use the included sequencers of those. I also use to sequence mono and poly synths including patch selection via MIDI program change, so I can load the corresponding sounds for my Sequences. Sequences I either program directly on the MPC or record what I play on a MIDI Keyboard connected to the MPC. Misplayed notes I can correct in the grid view on the display. For the drums I either program drums on the MPC (via included sample kits or samplekits I compilated myself from other sources, or I just start the sequencer of connected drum machines. Recording is either via Cubase on the PC or via a Zoom recorder I connected right to my mixer.
- saddammonero 6y ago
  Probably there is some very minimal latency when using a USB midi device to trigger sounds on a laptop that takes away from the feel of playing a live instrument.
  - grugagag 6y ago
    I think it’s not wanting to mess with a laptop while under ‘creative influences’. A standalone device is usually easy to master, the buttons create a limited mental map that can be learned and not given a second thought. On a laptop the enormous possibilities are oftentimes a distraction and the process is less constrained. You probably heard the ‘Less is more’ adage. That is particularly true for the creative process where constraints force the creative process to be more fruitful. Second, the hardware is usually more responsive
  - uryga 6y ago
    IME (drumming on an Ableton Push) latency around 20ms feels "instant" enough, and even ~80ms is manageable. and afaik that's mostly limited by the soundcard/drivers/cpu speed - you set a low audio buffer size and hope your PC can keep up :) i don't think USB latency really comes into it unless you've got a really garbage port/hub
  - rvense 6y ago
    It must not be enough to matter to anyone at Akai; their new MPCs use USB internally to connect the computer to the pads.
- alfiedotwtf 6y ago
  Funny, I'm thinking about selling my MPC Live tonight and going back to the Squarp Pyramid. There's something special at having one tool for one job.
Zenst 6y ago
Bit late in my time and first drum machine I had was the Roland TR707 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_TR-707 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_TR-707 Then got a Yamaha RX11 and nice video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIwetbScAtw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIwetbScAtw Though at that time, people was all drolling over the Linn 9000 marketing, a machine late to market and took even longer to get all the bugs out - never got to play with one, my music era faded away by then. Shame as went from the top to nothing and the Linn Drum kinda pioneered the market https://youtu.be/pWfCYgRW_6k https://youtu.be/pWfCYgRW_6k Those Tom drums and other sounds, will sound familiar to so many people of many decades and music styles. As for best drum machine - really gets down to how you define that, more so what style of music you view it from and era. though the TR707 for programming, great interface and one that holds over time for ease of use and results.
- acomjean 6y ago
  Those old Roland TR-models have a very distinctive set of sounds. They’re not realistic but I still here them when listening to music sometimes. I didn’t have one but there was a virtual tr808 which mimicked the hardware interface and sounds. The interface was very good( though turning nobs with a mouse was a pain). Sometimes I longed for a more computer like interface.
  - Zenst 6y ago
    Those old Roland sounds cut their teeth at a time of much change in the 80's and the birth of many styles that prevail today. They became cult sounds in themselves, same with many syths and even today some old syths are still in demand so much and so scarce that replica's have started to go mainstream with the likes of https://www.behringer.com/ https://www.behringer.com/ showing how big a demand there is. >Sometimes I longed for a more computer like interface. As well as the TR707, had a Yamaha CX5M - poor persons DX5 synth. Probably one of the first dedicated computers for music making - consumer wise as not going to even count the Fairlight that was £50k+ back at the same time. But was always fun when you can listen to a song, know what equipment is being used - and groan as you hear the same presents. You can get external interfaces that you can map onto virtual kit. Sliders, knobs, buttons. Though an many external music keyboards with extra controls, so with some key binding - the pain can be removed.
cheez 6y ago
People underestimate the impact that domain-specific nerds have on society. Drum/sampling machines are an example. A simple tool, created by tech hackers, put in the hands of a sound hacker, created an entire genre of music. Remind me again why we don't listen to the young people...
- timc3 6y ago
  I would argue that they are not created by tech hackers. The ones known about in popular culture are created by businesses, and quite often great minds in those businesses. The people using them are often the ones taking them further then their creators imagined.
  - wombatmobile 6y ago
    The great (big) music businesses listen to artists (like benevolent thieves) because that's the only way to build relevant products that stand a chance of delivering ROI. Such as this https://www.roland.com/us/community/roland_users_group/ https://www.roland.com/us/community/roland_users_group/ although many of these artists might not exactly be what cheez would consider "young people".
    - cheez 6y ago
      The industry already exists now. You listen to young people on what is new.
  - cheez 6y ago
    We can nitpick. Do business types create them? Or do tech heads with a musical inclination create them?
- racl101 6y ago
  This post seems kinda defensive. Who says we don't listen to young people? We listen to their music and their art and they're thoughts on how to use these devices. Dr. Dre used to use one of these in his music in the early days with great success. He made gourmet meals out of it. Many people listened to his thoughts on the MPC 3000 when he was young cause, clearly, he mastered the use of it. But then when it comes to the engineering of the device in the first place we listen to the old guys who built it. Cause that's usually who builds these things. Expert engineers, who busted their asses in school to understand the science to create these things. Anyone who's rational listens to other people regardless of their age, depending on the domain of knowledge. The point is that we listen to people who have proven themselves in a certain domain. So, just cause I'm young, don't listen to me about car repairs and or car maintenance. I know jack shit about it. My track record with cars has been awful.
inetsee 6y ago
Hydrogen software drum machine https://sourceforge.net/projects/hydrogen/ https://sourceforge.net/projects/hydrogen/ for those of us who don't have an extra $3000+ lying around.
grawprog 6y ago
I have to say, I always wondered what the Linn drum sample packs were that seem to come with most free drum machines or open source audio software packs.
- parenthesis 6y ago
  Here is a Linn drum machine taken apart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdud_iisj1E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdud_iisj1E
igotsideas 6y ago
This was my favorite MPC out of all of them I owed/used. I loved the way my drums/samples sounded vs the 1000/2500 family I had later on. I had to sell it cause our condo at the time was too small for all my equipment. It made me really happy to see this on HN.
- jdmoreira 6y ago
  I have the 1K with JJOS. Would you recommend me to try and buy the 3K?
TheOtherHobbes 6y ago
The original sampling drum machine was created by Roger Nichols in 1978 for now-somewhat-forgotten 70s band Steely Dan. It was called "Wendel" and it received its own platinum record. The Steely Dan people were notoriously obsessive about drum timing, which was a bad thing to be when all you had were human drummers. So when they said "It's a shame we can't build a machine to move the drum parts back and forward by milliseconds" Nichols said "I can do that if you give me $150,000." It took him a few weeks. It was an S100 system connected to a video-grade DAC/ADC sampling at 12-bits and 125kHz - which was incredible tech for the late 70s. He also built a commercial Rubidium atomic clock for use as a digital timebase in recording studios. (Because why not?)
- fit2rule 6y ago
  Wendel was neat, but I think the best-named drum machine was the one put to use by Sisters of Mercy: "Doktor Avalanche" https://www.discogs.com/artist/463064-Doktor-Avalanche https://www.discogs.com/artist/463064-Doktor-Avalanche "The good Doktor is renowned as the only member of the Sisters of Mercy to have remained with Andrew Eldritch through the many incidents of in-fighting, splits and new line-ups. "
  - parenthesis 6y ago
    Although, as the linked to page explains, he has been incarnated in several different forms (i.e. he hasn't always been the same drum machine). I can still vividly remember the `woah, what is that?!?' of hearing the Sisters of Mercy song Body and Soul coming out of my older brother's room.
    - SyneRyder 6y ago
      Sisters Of Mercy have quite a lot of information on their website about the equipment they use, including a page dedicated to the various Doctor incarnations: http://www.the-sisters-of-mercy.com/tech/doktors.htm http://www.the-sisters-of-mercy.com/tech/doktors.htm
- H1Supreme 6y ago
robin_reala 6y ago
For people that don’t have the cash, but do have an iPad, AKAI publish the iMPC: https://www.akaipro.com/impc https://www.akaipro.com/impc
- Roboprog 6y ago
  Thanks. How does iMPC compare to something like BeatMaker? Such as: use of AUs and external MIDI, sequences/scenes/patterns with different tempos or time signatures? The bit on the App Store video to grab and move a chunk of a pattern looks handy.
sixdimensional 6y ago
I’ve been thinking for a long time that there is still a lot of opportunity for instruments like this - with a custom device OS, purpose built for music making, lots of I/O, good hardware interface. I wish music hardware manufacturers would just add an HDMI or display out on their devices, and then perhaps we could have a lot more screen real estate without needing a computer. Considering the number of times that desktop OS upgrades, desktop hardware problems, etc. have impacted using PC or Mac based DAWs, I don’t understand why manufacturers aren’t going more aggressively after specialized music devices (other than the cost). The new Akai MPC One or MPC X are pretty close to what I mean, but if they had just added a monitor output... even via USB, so one could get a larger screen experience...
- lioeters 6y ago
  > custom device OS, purpose-built for music making, lots of I/O, good hardware interface.. HDMI or display out.. There's a history of such devices built by/for professional and hobbyist musicians, and it seems increasingly it's becoming more accessible to the public, with low-cost microcomputers like Raspberry Pi. It might be too niche for big companies to care about, but I'm hoping that there's enough of a trend/demand for specialized music devices that are tiny computers one can hook up a monitor or SSH into, and hack to our hearts' desire. As a hobby project, I'm building a programmable sampler/sequencer with PiSound. It comes with a custom Linux distro for low-latency audio. https://www.blokas.io/pisound/ https://www.blokas.io/pisound/ https://blokas.io/patchbox-os/ https://blokas.io/patchbox-os/ I love that the musical possibilities are endless, extensible with commodity hardware and software. I believe there's plenty of room for innovative products that provide curated setups, like synths and drum machines.
  - gregorysudderth 6y ago
    I for one would love to know more about this sequencer! I have a PiSound and am wondering if I can make a sequencer myself-- I'm inspired by Berndard Sumner--he made one (New Order). There is an idea floating around in my head of being able to describe rhythm patterns with just a few characters...and then branch them and control transitions between the branches, with some controller...arrows? Joystick?
notRobot 6y ago
The article mentions Roger Linn, and you can learn more about his legendary LM-1 here: https://youtu.be/qesonxgLv-8 https://youtu.be/qesonxgLv-8 One of Linn's latest releases is the LinnStrument, which is absolutely fascinating to see in action: https://youtu.be/l4ACZflVPPY https://youtu.be/l4ACZflVPPY and https://youtu.be/pdCviCegOLc https://youtu.be/pdCviCegOLc and https://youtu.be/px0Id-fVD9M https://youtu.be/px0Id-fVD9M
panpanna 6y ago
Back in the days buying an Akai sampler and upgrading its memory was the second fastest way an artist could spend their first check.
SonOfLilit 6y ago
After deliberating for a very long time, I ended up buying a Maschine and not an MPC. I thought the standalone nature of the MPC would be great for getting me out of the "engineering" mindset and into the "playing an instrument" mindset. The Maschine does that, because you can (and should) work with your computer screen turned off. It's not any less portable because (most) MPCs don't work on batteries and laptops are pretty easy to carry around these days. And it lets you perform the "MPC way" (finger drumming, sample chopping) as well as a more traditional way (play notes and chords on synths and edit them live). Playing on its pads like a melodic keyboard is very inspiring for me - there's no priviledged scale or distance like on keyboards, it's all by ear and feel and it helps me be a lot more creative with my melodies. Anyone into electronic music should have one in my opinion.
- ccsnags 6y ago
  I have had both. Maschine is awesome. I used to use an MPC and I got to try a Maschine for a bit. I fell in love instantly. It takes the technical power of a full production studio and makes it feel like you’re playing with a toy you’ve had since childhood. Between that and the synths Native Instruments makes, go with Maschine.
  - golergka 6y ago
    Native Instruments is one of the best things that happened to music making in the last 15 years.
    - tomc1985 6y ago
      With the exception of the original Massive, Kontakt, Reaktor, and (the defunct) Pro-53, I feel like its really hard to get something I like out of their synths. I've bought several of the regular Komplete kits over the years (their black friday sales are always generous, even for upgrades) and as they get more stuff they feel more disappointing. Some of the version upgrades hit especially hard (in a bad way), like Battery 3 to Battery 4. And they keep releasing new versions of things without fixing annoying quirks in the previous versions... As much as I want to like them and their software integrations I find myself reaching for other companies' plugins... like Serum is a way better Massive X, Sytrus is a way better FM8, etc etc
arrakeen 6y ago
for those interested in an MPC setup but don't want to shell out $$$ for the mostly-outdated MPC3K, take a look at picking up an MPC1000. it can still be found for reasonable prices and has many upgrades you can install should you desire (JJOS and HD mod highly recommended)
- jdmoreira 6y ago
  Absolutely. That’s the one I own and I think it’s amazing as a sequencer and sampler. I have JJOS2XL
- metalgearsolid3 6y ago
  I personally believe the 1000 is the last MPC built that's worth having. And fortunately it's one of the most affordable.
moth-fuzz 6y ago
My personal experience with hardware devices seem to be the opposite of most people's experiences. So many people buy a lot of hardware that does the same thing as (or less than) a computer simply to not use a computer at all costs - and cost it does! I spent a good chunk of money on a 2000xl expecting a radically different workflow, a paradigm shift, a more 'jammable' music-making experience, and I found that it was the exact same architecturally as working on the computer (or maschine if I want a tactile interface) except 10x slower technically and 40x slower mentally. Nothing was radically different, it was the same beats and bars as I was used to, except it was slower and less capable from a technical standpoint. I get that hardware works for many but for me it's just not so. All that said I admire the 3000 for its sound capabilities - if they weren't so expensive I'd buy one just to resample masters into. But I guess that's what 'vintage' emulation plugins are for. And of course there's the historical pedigree - enabling the invention of genres and all that.
- metalgearsolid3 6y ago
  I own an MPC60 and IMO all the magic in it is with its workflow. To get one just for the sound should disappoint. However it's a nice bonus to be able to use its shitty pre amp as a distortion fx for my other gear.
- whatok 6y ago
  The 2000XL is nearly 25 years old. No idea how recently you tried one but I can see someone familiar/comfortable with some sort of DAW workflow not being able to easily adjust to one. Just sample load time or dealing with floppies (or zip disks!) in 2020 is kind of a non-starter for me. That said, it's still very hard for me to write these things off when you can go on YouTube and see people create absolute magic.
S_A_P 6y ago
I’ve owned an mpc 3000, as well as the mpc-60 and sp-1200. I still own an sp-1200. Why? I loved the mpc 3k. For it’s time it was great. It held a ton of samples, sounded great and was a great “dawless” way to make music. I still own an sp-1200 because it is so limited and causes happy accidents often. I have no interest in using an old slow computer to make music. That time is long gone. I can use any number of DAWs to record and sequence anything I want in a manner that is way more complex than any mpc or drum machine can do. The sp-1200 has a sound and quirkiness that for now I don’t want to live without. As an aside, I emailed Roger Linn after purchasing an upgrade for my MPC 60. After the 3000 was introduced, Akai went bankrupt and was purchased by InMusic. They promptly told Mr Linn to ____ right off and they will not pay him royalties for the 60/3k anymore. I completely understand that he is definitely salty about that. (In fact I have had a similar circumstance with some software I wrote). I think Roger has been working on a successor to the linndrum and mpc series (and no not the Linn/Dave smith tempest) that is a vision of where he wants to see drum machines go. The mpc series was great and helped create a few genres of music. I think the time is here for the next paradigm shift. Edit.. Hate to be pessimistic here, but this entire article seems to be written solely to inflate the price of these things... They are relatively plentiful, theyre generally reliable, and I bought and sold the MPC 3000 I had 2 years ago for between 1000-1500 bucks. There is a trend as of late on Reverb/eBay to push the nostalgia and drive 'vintage' gear prices into the stratosphere. Gearheads beware- this is a bubble in the making...
- krallja 6y ago
  The vintage gear bubble is happening in other realms, too: Commodore 64s and Apple IIs regularly sell for $300+ – triple what they would have sold for ten years ago – while you can still get an Atari 800XL for $129.
rmelhem 6y ago
j dilla saved my life
tomphoolery 6y ago
I never owned an MPC but I own a Tempest drum machine, which Roger Linn designed the interface for. It's probably the most capable drum machine ever made, if you have the time to figure it all out. I've owned it for years and I'm still discovering new features. I do own a Maschine, and it's pretty much all I could ever ask for from an MPC. Except I wish I could pitch shift different slices.
growlist 6y ago
I had an Akai MPC 1000. Absolutely true what they say about the workflow - once you start to learn the thing it's crazy how quickly you can get things down. A computer DAW just didn't compare for me purely in terms of speed for quick arrangements. And the timing is fantastic. Everything just feels so tight. There's also the fact that it's not a computer - when you work with computers all day sometimes the last thing you want to do is stare at a screen for hours more.
8bitsrule 6y ago
When I learned that DJ Shadow made his classic'Endtroducing' on the model-60, I was astonished. There's no better proof that great music does not require splashy gear, 'just' determination and soul. A lot of the best EM ever was made in that era. Simple is good, since nothing will kill an inspiration like tech manuals and a thousand settings to remember. I wouldn't sneeze away a 2000 either, can also be expanded to 32MB. Possibly a better deal. https://www.akaipro.com/mpc2000xl https://www.akaipro.com/mpc2000xl

112 points by omnibrain 6y ago

I’m currently saving towards an MPC One. I’m glad that Akai went back to making stand-alone MPCs (previously they had switched from stand-alone instruments to models that had to be used while connected to a laptop). I can’t put my finger on why, but making music on a general purpose device like a laptop is just not as enjoyable as with a single purpose device like a stand-alone groovebox or synth.

Plugawy 6y ago
One is fantastic but you have to be aware of it’s limitations - particularly around network connectivity, something that even OG MPC Live is better at. Of course if it’s not a factor for you (it’s not for me, I like my One) - then it’s indeed amazing.
cheez 6y ago
I use the MPK mini which just feels unnatural compared to a "real" synth. But of course it is way more flexible and sometimes the right tool for the job.
discordance 6y ago
Not as capable for sure, but I use Koala on iOS and it gives a very similar feeling/workflow to the MPC... it’s $5 and a lot of fun
omnibrain 6y ago
I bought a One a few weeks ago. It's now the centrepiece of my setup. You can connect a MIDI-interface via USB and have all your MIDI I/O needs covered.
- panpanna 6y ago
  Could you tell us how you use it? Some folks I know can't shut up praising this kit (and the Ableton Push) but no one has managed to explain why.
  - arrakeen 6y ago
    after the very long honeymoon period of desktop digital audio workstations, people are realizing that standalone machines with domain specific physical input interfaces aren't such a bad thing. take the power of a desktop DAW and marry it with the exploratory, jamming capabilities of a synth with lots of knobs and you'll have your answer as to why people are getting excited over these setups. when creativity strikes, i want to just be able turn on my device, hit record and get going. i can't tell you how many times my jam sessions have gotten derailed before they even started because of having to fiddle around on the computer to get it ready to record
  - omnibrain 6y ago
    I'm still a beginner. And not a producer but a tinkerer and jammer... It provides MIDI Clock and Start/Stop to my connected hardware if I want to use the included sequencers of those. I also use to sequence mono and poly synths including patch selection via MIDI program change, so I can load the corresponding sounds for my Sequences. Sequences I either program directly on the MPC or record what I play on a MIDI Keyboard connected to the MPC. Misplayed notes I can correct in the grid view on the display. For the drums I either program drums on the MPC (via included sample kits or samplekits I compilated myself from other sources, or I just start the sequencer of connected drum machines. Recording is either via Cubase on the PC or via a Zoom recorder I connected right to my mixer.
saddammonero 6y ago
Probably there is some very minimal latency when using a USB midi device to trigger sounds on a laptop that takes away from the feel of playing a live instrument.
- grugagag 6y ago
  I think it’s not wanting to mess with a laptop while under ‘creative influences’. A standalone device is usually easy to master, the buttons create a limited mental map that can be learned and not given a second thought. On a laptop the enormous possibilities are oftentimes a distraction and the process is less constrained. You probably heard the ‘Less is more’ adage. That is particularly true for the creative process where constraints force the creative process to be more fruitful. Second, the hardware is usually more responsive
- uryga 6y ago
  IME (drumming on an Ableton Push) latency around 20ms feels "instant" enough, and even ~80ms is manageable. and afaik that's mostly limited by the soundcard/drivers/cpu speed - you set a low audio buffer size and hope your PC can keep up :) i don't think USB latency really comes into it unless you've got a really garbage port/hub
- rvense 6y ago
  It must not be enough to matter to anyone at Akai; their new MPCs use USB internally to connect the computer to the pads.
alfiedotwtf 6y ago
Funny, I'm thinking about selling my MPC Live tonight and going back to the Squarp Pyramid. There's something special at having one tool for one job.

Zenst 6y ago

Bit late in my time and first drum machine I had was the Roland TR707 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_TR-707 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_TR-707 Then got a Yamaha RX11 and nice video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIwetbScAtw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIwetbScAtw Though at that time, people was all drolling over the Linn 9000 marketing, a machine late to market and took even longer to get all the bugs out - never got to play with one, my music era faded away by then. Shame as went from the top to nothing and the Linn Drum kinda pioneered the market https://youtu.be/pWfCYgRW_6k https://youtu.be/pWfCYgRW_6k Those Tom drums and other sounds, will sound familiar to so many people of many decades and music styles. As for best drum machine - really gets down to how you define that, more so what style of music you view it from and era. though the TR707 for programming, great interface and one that holds over time for ease of use and results.

acomjean 6y ago
Those old Roland TR-models have a very distinctive set of sounds. They’re not realistic but I still here them when listening to music sometimes. I didn’t have one but there was a virtual tr808 which mimicked the hardware interface and sounds. The interface was very good( though turning nobs with a mouse was a pain). Sometimes I longed for a more computer like interface.
- Zenst 6y ago
  Those old Roland sounds cut their teeth at a time of much change in the 80's and the birth of many styles that prevail today. They became cult sounds in themselves, same with many syths and even today some old syths are still in demand so much and so scarce that replica's have started to go mainstream with the likes of https://www.behringer.com/ https://www.behringer.com/ showing how big a demand there is. >Sometimes I longed for a more computer like interface. As well as the TR707, had a Yamaha CX5M - poor persons DX5 synth. Probably one of the first dedicated computers for music making - consumer wise as not going to even count the Fairlight that was £50k+ back at the same time. But was always fun when you can listen to a song, know what equipment is being used - and groan as you hear the same presents. You can get external interfaces that you can map onto virtual kit. Sliders, knobs, buttons. Though an many external music keyboards with extra controls, so with some key binding - the pain can be removed.

cheez 6y ago

People underestimate the impact that domain-specific nerds have on society. Drum/sampling machines are an example. A simple tool, created by tech hackers, put in the hands of a sound hacker, created an entire genre of music. Remind me again why we don't listen to the young people...

timc3 6y ago
I would argue that they are not created by tech hackers. The ones known about in popular culture are created by businesses, and quite often great minds in those businesses. The people using them are often the ones taking them further then their creators imagined.
- wombatmobile 6y ago
  The great (big) music businesses listen to artists (like benevolent thieves) because that's the only way to build relevant products that stand a chance of delivering ROI. Such as this https://www.roland.com/us/community/roland_users_group/ https://www.roland.com/us/community/roland_users_group/ although many of these artists might not exactly be what cheez would consider "young people".
  - cheez 6y ago
    The industry already exists now. You listen to young people on what is new.
- cheez 6y ago
  We can nitpick. Do business types create them? Or do tech heads with a musical inclination create them?
racl101 6y ago
This post seems kinda defensive. Who says we don't listen to young people? We listen to their music and their art and they're thoughts on how to use these devices. Dr. Dre used to use one of these in his music in the early days with great success. He made gourmet meals out of it. Many people listened to his thoughts on the MPC 3000 when he was young cause, clearly, he mastered the use of it. But then when it comes to the engineering of the device in the first place we listen to the old guys who built it. Cause that's usually who builds these things. Expert engineers, who busted their asses in school to understand the science to create these things. Anyone who's rational listens to other people regardless of their age, depending on the domain of knowledge. The point is that we listen to people who have proven themselves in a certain domain. So, just cause I'm young, don't listen to me about car repairs and or car maintenance. I know jack shit about it. My track record with cars has been awful.

inetsee 6y ago

Hydrogen software drum machine https://sourceforge.net/projects/hydrogen/ https://sourceforge.net/projects/hydrogen/ for those of us who don't have an extra $3000+ lying around.

grawprog 6y ago

I have to say, I always wondered what the Linn drum sample packs were that seem to come with most free drum machines or open source audio software packs.

parenthesis 6y ago
Here is a Linn drum machine taken apart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdud_iisj1E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdud_iisj1E

igotsideas 6y ago

This was my favorite MPC out of all of them I owed/used. I loved the way my drums/samples sounded vs the 1000/2500 family I had later on. I had to sell it cause our condo at the time was too small for all my equipment. It made me really happy to see this on HN.

jdmoreira 6y ago
I have the 1K with JJOS. Would you recommend me to try and buy the 3K?

TheOtherHobbes 6y ago

The original sampling drum machine was created by Roger Nichols in 1978 for now-somewhat-forgotten 70s band Steely Dan. It was called "Wendel" and it received its own platinum record. The Steely Dan people were notoriously obsessive about drum timing, which was a bad thing to be when all you had were human drummers. So when they said "It's a shame we can't build a machine to move the drum parts back and forward by milliseconds" Nichols said "I can do that if you give me $150,000." It took him a few weeks. It was an S100 system connected to a video-grade DAC/ADC sampling at 12-bits and 125kHz - which was incredible tech for the late 70s. He also built a commercial Rubidium atomic clock for use as a digital timebase in recording studios. (Because why not?)

fit2rule 6y ago
Wendel was neat, but I think the best-named drum machine was the one put to use by Sisters of Mercy: "Doktor Avalanche" https://www.discogs.com/artist/463064-Doktor-Avalanche https://www.discogs.com/artist/463064-Doktor-Avalanche "The good Doktor is renowned as the only member of the Sisters of Mercy to have remained with Andrew Eldritch through the many incidents of in-fighting, splits and new line-ups. "
- parenthesis 6y ago
  Although, as the linked to page explains, he has been incarnated in several different forms (i.e. he hasn't always been the same drum machine). I can still vividly remember the `woah, what is that?!?' of hearing the Sisters of Mercy song Body and Soul coming out of my older brother's room.
  - SyneRyder 6y ago
    Sisters Of Mercy have quite a lot of information on their website about the equipment they use, including a page dedicated to the various Doctor incarnations: http://www.the-sisters-of-mercy.com/tech/doktors.htm http://www.the-sisters-of-mercy.com/tech/doktors.htm
H1Supreme 6y ago

robin_reala 6y ago

For people that don’t have the cash, but do have an iPad, AKAI publish the iMPC: https://www.akaipro.com/impc https://www.akaipro.com/impc

Roboprog 6y ago
Thanks. How does iMPC compare to something like BeatMaker? Such as: use of AUs and external MIDI, sequences/scenes/patterns with different tempos or time signatures? The bit on the App Store video to grab and move a chunk of a pattern looks handy.

sixdimensional 6y ago

I’ve been thinking for a long time that there is still a lot of opportunity for instruments like this - with a custom device OS, purpose built for music making, lots of I/O, good hardware interface. I wish music hardware manufacturers would just add an HDMI or display out on their devices, and then perhaps we could have a lot more screen real estate without needing a computer. Considering the number of times that desktop OS upgrades, desktop hardware problems, etc. have impacted using PC or Mac based DAWs, I don’t understand why manufacturers aren’t going more aggressively after specialized music devices (other than the cost). The new Akai MPC One or MPC X are pretty close to what I mean, but if they had just added a monitor output... even via USB, so one could get a larger screen experience...

lioeters 6y ago
> custom device OS, purpose-built for music making, lots of I/O, good hardware interface.. HDMI or display out.. There's a history of such devices built by/for professional and hobbyist musicians, and it seems increasingly it's becoming more accessible to the public, with low-cost microcomputers like Raspberry Pi. It might be too niche for big companies to care about, but I'm hoping that there's enough of a trend/demand for specialized music devices that are tiny computers one can hook up a monitor or SSH into, and hack to our hearts' desire. As a hobby project, I'm building a programmable sampler/sequencer with PiSound. It comes with a custom Linux distro for low-latency audio. https://www.blokas.io/pisound/ https://www.blokas.io/pisound/ https://blokas.io/patchbox-os/ https://blokas.io/patchbox-os/ I love that the musical possibilities are endless, extensible with commodity hardware and software. I believe there's plenty of room for innovative products that provide curated setups, like synths and drum machines.
- gregorysudderth 6y ago
  I for one would love to know more about this sequencer! I have a PiSound and am wondering if I can make a sequencer myself-- I'm inspired by Berndard Sumner--he made one (New Order). There is an idea floating around in my head of being able to describe rhythm patterns with just a few characters...and then branch them and control transitions between the branches, with some controller...arrows? Joystick?

notRobot 6y ago

The article mentions Roger Linn, and you can learn more about his legendary LM-1 here: https://youtu.be/qesonxgLv-8 https://youtu.be/qesonxgLv-8 One of Linn's latest releases is the LinnStrument, which is absolutely fascinating to see in action: https://youtu.be/l4ACZflVPPY https://youtu.be/l4ACZflVPPY and https://youtu.be/pdCviCegOLc https://youtu.be/pdCviCegOLc and https://youtu.be/px0Id-fVD9M https://youtu.be/px0Id-fVD9M

panpanna 6y ago

Back in the days buying an Akai sampler and upgrading its memory was the second fastest way an artist could spend their first check.

SonOfLilit 6y ago

After deliberating for a very long time, I ended up buying a Maschine and not an MPC. I thought the standalone nature of the MPC would be great for getting me out of the "engineering" mindset and into the "playing an instrument" mindset. The Maschine does that, because you can (and should) work with your computer screen turned off. It's not any less portable because (most) MPCs don't work on batteries and laptops are pretty easy to carry around these days. And it lets you perform the "MPC way" (finger drumming, sample chopping) as well as a more traditional way (play notes and chords on synths and edit them live). Playing on its pads like a melodic keyboard is very inspiring for me - there's no priviledged scale or distance like on keyboards, it's all by ear and feel and it helps me be a lot more creative with my melodies. Anyone into electronic music should have one in my opinion.

ccsnags 6y ago
I have had both. Maschine is awesome. I used to use an MPC and I got to try a Maschine for a bit. I fell in love instantly. It takes the technical power of a full production studio and makes it feel like you’re playing with a toy you’ve had since childhood. Between that and the synths Native Instruments makes, go with Maschine.
- golergka 6y ago
  Native Instruments is one of the best things that happened to music making in the last 15 years.
  - tomc1985 6y ago
    With the exception of the original Massive, Kontakt, Reaktor, and (the defunct) Pro-53, I feel like its really hard to get something I like out of their synths. I've bought several of the regular Komplete kits over the years (their black friday sales are always generous, even for upgrades) and as they get more stuff they feel more disappointing. Some of the version upgrades hit especially hard (in a bad way), like Battery 3 to Battery 4. And they keep releasing new versions of things without fixing annoying quirks in the previous versions... As much as I want to like them and their software integrations I find myself reaching for other companies' plugins... like Serum is a way better Massive X, Sytrus is a way better FM8, etc etc

arrakeen 6y ago

for those interested in an MPC setup but don't want to shell out $$$ for the mostly-outdated MPC3K, take a look at picking up an MPC1000. it can still be found for reasonable prices and has many upgrades you can install should you desire (JJOS and HD mod highly recommended)

jdmoreira 6y ago
Absolutely. That’s the one I own and I think it’s amazing as a sequencer and sampler. I have JJOS2XL
metalgearsolid3 6y ago
I personally believe the 1000 is the last MPC built that's worth having. And fortunately it's one of the most affordable.

moth-fuzz 6y ago

My personal experience with hardware devices seem to be the opposite of most people's experiences. So many people buy a lot of hardware that does the same thing as (or less than) a computer simply to not use a computer at all costs - and cost it does! I spent a good chunk of money on a 2000xl expecting a radically different workflow, a paradigm shift, a more 'jammable' music-making experience, and I found that it was the exact same architecturally as working on the computer (or maschine if I want a tactile interface) except 10x slower technically and 40x slower mentally. Nothing was radically different, it was the same beats and bars as I was used to, except it was slower and less capable from a technical standpoint. I get that hardware works for many but for me it's just not so. All that said I admire the 3000 for its sound capabilities - if they weren't so expensive I'd buy one just to resample masters into. But I guess that's what 'vintage' emulation plugins are for. And of course there's the historical pedigree - enabling the invention of genres and all that.

metalgearsolid3 6y ago
I own an MPC60 and IMO all the magic in it is with its workflow. To get one just for the sound should disappoint. However it's a nice bonus to be able to use its shitty pre amp as a distortion fx for my other gear.
whatok 6y ago
The 2000XL is nearly 25 years old. No idea how recently you tried one but I can see someone familiar/comfortable with some sort of DAW workflow not being able to easily adjust to one. Just sample load time or dealing with floppies (or zip disks!) in 2020 is kind of a non-starter for me. That said, it's still very hard for me to write these things off when you can go on YouTube and see people create absolute magic.

S_A_P 6y ago

I’ve owned an mpc 3000, as well as the mpc-60 and sp-1200. I still own an sp-1200. Why? I loved the mpc 3k. For it’s time it was great. It held a ton of samples, sounded great and was a great “dawless” way to make music. I still own an sp-1200 because it is so limited and causes happy accidents often. I have no interest in using an old slow computer to make music. That time is long gone. I can use any number of DAWs to record and sequence anything I want in a manner that is way more complex than any mpc or drum machine can do. The sp-1200 has a sound and quirkiness that for now I don’t want to live without. As an aside, I emailed Roger Linn after purchasing an upgrade for my MPC 60. After the 3000 was introduced, Akai went bankrupt and was purchased by InMusic. They promptly told Mr Linn to ____ right off and they will not pay him royalties for the 60/3k anymore. I completely understand that he is definitely salty about that. (In fact I have had a similar circumstance with some software I wrote). I think Roger has been working on a successor to the linndrum and mpc series (and no not the Linn/Dave smith tempest) that is a vision of where he wants to see drum machines go. The mpc series was great and helped create a few genres of music. I think the time is here for the next paradigm shift. Edit.. Hate to be pessimistic here, but this entire article seems to be written solely to inflate the price of these things... They are relatively plentiful, theyre generally reliable, and I bought and sold the MPC 3000 I had 2 years ago for between 1000-1500 bucks. There is a trend as of late on Reverb/eBay to push the nostalgia and drive 'vintage' gear prices into the stratosphere. Gearheads beware- this is a bubble in the making...

krallja 6y ago
The vintage gear bubble is happening in other realms, too: Commodore 64s and Apple IIs regularly sell for $300+ – triple what they would have sold for ten years ago – while you can still get an Atari 800XL for $129.

rmelhem 6y ago

j dilla saved my life

tomphoolery 6y ago

I never owned an MPC but I own a Tempest drum machine, which Roger Linn designed the interface for. It's probably the most capable drum machine ever made, if you have the time to figure it all out. I've owned it for years and I'm still discovering new features. I do own a Maschine, and it's pretty much all I could ever ask for from an MPC. Except I wish I could pitch shift different slices.

growlist 6y ago

I had an Akai MPC 1000. Absolutely true what they say about the workflow - once you start to learn the thing it's crazy how quickly you can get things down. A computer DAW just didn't compare for me purely in terms of speed for quick arrangements. And the timing is fantastic. Everything just feels so tight. There's also the fact that it's not a computer - when you work with computers all day sometimes the last thing you want to do is stare at a screen for hours more.

8bitsrule 6y ago

When I learned that DJ Shadow made his classic'Endtroducing' on the model-60, I was astonished. There's no better proof that great music does not require splashy gear, 'just' determination and soul. A lot of the best EM ever was made in that era. Simple is good, since nothing will kill an inspiration like tech manuals and a thousand settings to remember. I wouldn't sneeze away a 2000 either, can also be expanded to 32MB. Possibly a better deal. https://www.akaipro.com/mpc2000xl https://www.akaipro.com/mpc2000xl