To trade MPC 2000 OG for SP-404 OG or not to?

[retrostyles]

Hello there,

I have an MPC 2000 OG for some years and is an excellent machine but I'm not making beats too serious now, because of my studies! I also want to travel for time to time and making some beats wherever I am, is a great plus. Also the lack of FXs per sample (even with the FX board installed) is pushing to track out a beat and mix it properly. Also, the loading and saving times per floppy disk is pain in the @$$.

So I plan to sell it and buy a more portable sampler to f@ck around and shape my beats as I like it right away. This could be done by software but I'm more a hardware guy. So SPs seem prefect to me right now.
I read many topics on this forum and I google a lot of stuff for the SP-404 and I want to ask some questions.

I read on reddit or here that the 404 has slower workflow than the 404sx. How much slower, slow like f@ck it I'm going out or can be bearable (I'm coming from floppies...)

And the most important thing, how much it differs from the 303 in terms of sound? I've seen many videos with the 404 sounding lofi but, in the net is stated 303 has more lofi sound. I admit that form a comparison video I checked the Vinyl sym of 303 is a little punchier in the mids than the 404 but I didn't notice major differences.

So to sum up this long post.
It's a good choice to trade my MPC 2000 for SP 404 or better to sell it and buy a 303 for the sound or 404sx for the speedy workflow? What's your opinion?

If it's a good trade, into what things should I pay attention to, to check the condition of the machine. Any issues I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance!

P.S.: Sorry for the long post!

[tyn]

Don´t know how it compares to the 404sx but the thing about the OG is that it always takes a couple seconds to process whatever you´re doing (recording samples, resampling etc.). Loading or deleting multiple banks worth of longer samples from card definitely takes a couple minutes, but I personally prefer to straight up record anything but pre-chopped drums anyways. Overall the OG most definitely feels clunkier than the newer 404s but it´s not terribly slow either, although that´s pretty subjective. Your best bet is probably to just watch some beatmaking videos on youtube and decide whether you want to deal with it.

I personally prefer the 404 vinyl sim since the compression hits a little harder and you can change the flutter without the 303s noise bug occurring. As far as lo-fi goes the 303 can indeed sample at a lower rate than the 404 according to an old post on here, but whether it also sounds better is pretty much down to personal preference.

[retrostyles]

Thanks for the information. Yeah I checked it online and is not so slow as I was imaging. Any tips to check the condition of the sampler?

[zindan]

Thanks for the information. Yeah I checked it online and is not so slow as I was imaging. Any tips to check the condition of the sampler?

if you're buying it online, and you can't check by feeling it in real life, look for yellowing of the pads. this would mean it has seen a lot of use (finger oils yellowing the pads) and the SP pads have a horrible problem of wearing out and becoming unusable. general things, look for scratches and scuffs on the machine. you obviously don't want a machine that has been dropped. if you're buying it on ebay make sure you find someone that allows returns and guarantees the machine's functionality. if you're buying on craigslist or whatever, just make sure you check out the device in person and i'm sure you'll be able to tell if it works or not

[retrostyles]

Thanks a lot for the answer!

[KIYANI]

save money and get 404 as well, it will just get harder and more expensive to find an MPC. It is far superior to SP

[dp]

if its the 2000 that cant auto chop then yea why not.

If it is an xl then god no. The sp 404 is a great little machine. But its 100% trendy right now and is worth way more than it should be. Like kiyani said, just save up and buy one.

[retrostyles]

Thanks for the replies guys! I've got the 2000 classic not the xl. Yeah I've got my doubts, but I would like to try the sp. Plus is portable...
I'll see, still I got no answer from the guy who's gonna trade with me.

[Ill Green]

Yeah keep the MPC, and try to get a newer SX or A model. No samplers are the same, you'll miss the features and tricks of the 2k like its pitch tuning and psuedo timestretching with the sequencer; you can't do those on the 404. Where SPs are made to flip samples, the MPC is to flip the sequencer.