Why is the 555 cool?

[moosh]

Folks,

I posted in another thread, i picked up both the mpc 1000 and the 555 recently. after a few days with both, i have to say i am really glad i got the mpc, and not convinced about the 555 (if this keeps up i may end up selling it!).

first, roland's logic is just retarded. i have been making electronic music for 20+ years and can do this with my eyes closed. everytime i go to record a pattern i have to read the manual on what sequence of buttons to press. they aren't labeled in any rational way.

next, for whatever reasons, i just can't make this thing sound that cool. the beats i am putting together don't swing, the sounds i put in are fine otherwise, but lose something when in the 555, and i find it to be a glorified toy that isn't that flexible. ---- yes. i know how to quantize, so that's not why the beats aren't rockin.

by comparison, the mpc can make the simplest house groove sound amazing. plus, when i put sounds in it, they sound SO much better and honestly lose something when I dump loops back into my computer (I run ableton).

i am open to the possibility that i am doing something wrong with the 555. i really do want to like it. I watched all the demos from roland and stuff on youtube, and thought it would be really fun. thus far i'm not finding it so much fun.

what am i missing?

what are you doing with your 555? what's your setup like? what makes you like / love your 555? what's cool about it? and most importantly, why is it worth keeping?

Thanks,

moosh

[606man]

Do you work for akai? just kidding mate keep your hat on.

Roland's logic is not retarded - I was recording patterns on my SP 10 minutes after getting it out of the box without even opening the manual. Indeed, the reason the SP appealed to me was its ease of use - when I had a play with it in the shop I couldn't get over how quick and dirty it was.

Compared to an MPC you can get a loop recorded with an SP in doublequick time. I find it to be that way, anyway, and I'm definitely not alone on this.

As for sound, since it's a digital sampler, then what goes in is what comes out. And getting sounds back on the computer should never lower their quality. Somethings going wrong there. Digital -> Digital = no quality loss.

Finally, upload that 'house loop' on here and at least a dozen people will show you how it can bang SO MUCH harder through the SP.

There is a possibility that you are missing something, but I doubt it. The SP has it's fans, but we are few compared to the masses of MPC fans. Could be that it's just not for you. Not your fault and not the product's fault either.

It's cool because it's fun, inspirational, unique, quick and easy to use. If you don't find that to be the case for you, then it's not cool for you.

If you do want to sell that 555, let me know I still want one to compliment my 606.

[Euclid Ov Oåklånd]

I like mpcs too, but I find it interesting that a sp user can flip a beat on an mpc but mpc users often can't achieve what they want on an sp machine. Plus I don't think you'll find many people here agree, the mpc forums would be more likely to see eye to eye on the subject. It's unfortunate that you don't like the sp-555.

[balazs]

Maby you just need some more time with the 555.
I came from the MPC2000xl and switched the SP. the small size and crazy sample time and FX of the SP404(very simular to 555) is what appealed to me. The first few months I had a lot of trouble figuring out the SP, I had trouble making just a basic quantized drum pattern. After being inspired by the music I heard on this board I kept practicing on the SP and I now realize what the SP is all about. MPCs and SPs are both great machines but I chose to work on the SP by itself.

[drewzle]

there's a different 'mind-state' to each machine...despite their similarity (both being samplers) they each engender a different approach and style of work-flow
seems you're in the MPC zone at the moment, which may make seeing things from the SP-vision a bit harder
maybe try spending a week or so JUST on the 555, if it's still not clicking after that then consider selling it

[PHeMoX]

Folks,

I posted in another thread, i picked up both the mpc 1000 and the 555 recently. after a few days with both, i have to say i am really glad i got the mpc, and not convinced about the 555 (if this keeps up i may end up selling it!).

first, roland's logic is just retarded. i have been making electronic music for 20+ years and can do this with my eyes closed. everytime i go to record a pattern i have to read the manual on what sequence of buttons to press. they aren't labeled in any rational way.

If you started learning the MPC and SP at the same time, I can see how you would think this is retarded, yet their way only is just different, neither doesn't or does make total sense actually. It's even more clear when you compare the MPC-1000 to the SP-606. Which one you'll like when it comes to 'control and menus logic' will be pretty much random. And that's true even though in my experience making a beat on the SP-606 goes a bit faster.

next, for whatever reasons, i just can't make this thing sound that cool. the beats i am putting together don't swing, the sounds i put in are fine otherwise, but lose something when in the 555, and i find it to be a glorified toy that isn't that flexible. ---- yes. i know how to quantize, so that's not why the beats aren't rockin.

by comparison, the mpc can make the simplest house groove sound amazing. plus, when i put sounds in it, they sound SO much better and honestly lose something when I dump loops back into my computer (I run ableton).

Welcome to the world of different sound engines.. still, the SP can rock just as hard when it comes to true sound quality.
I just think the MPC-1000 always influences the entire sound because of it's sound engine the patterns go through. A lot of people like this (aka the signature MPC-sound (myth?) ), a lot of people don't.

Then again, it probably all depends on what you are used to hearing also. I'm not going to argue that either of the two devices are able to produce a better banging beat or something, because it depends on the creator a LOT, even with exactly the same sounds.

Anyways, if the SP-555 is not for you, I would suggest selling it and if you're still looking for a second device I would go for the SP-606!

I'm not saying the SP-555 couldn't still be a very useful machine (for example I really miss that loop-capture function now), nor am I saying it's a bad machine, but for me personally I liked a device that has a screen on it way better.

It gives better feedback and to start out with an SP-555 (especially in combination with the (slightly) easier to navigate and use MPC-1000; as it gives immediate feedback also through it's screen), is beginning with a steep learning curve in my humble opinion.

Once you've learned the device inside-out, used it a couple of weeks and make good use of all the effects and resampling, you'll be able to make great music with it too though.

[noodles]

i dont own any SP model yet.

but im going to guess...pattern select, length, quantize, record...do it up.

no?

[jamaicapepe]

Well let's take it all from the beggining. You shouldn't compare the SP-555 with the MPC1000 cause simply they belong in different categories. First of all the MPC is almost doublepriced than the SP so it's unfair to believe they are capable of doing the same sh*t ! The SP555 can't chop or pitch like the MPC, but in the other hand the MPC doesn't have important features of the SP555 like the FX, realtime action, loop capture and the great Dbeam.

My personal opinion is that you keep producing beats with the MPC (after all you seem to like the AKAI workflow more) and after you finish your beat in Ableton, bounce the tracks in the SP pads so you can use it as a remixing tool. You will see that you'll end up with new ideas of how to get your track to heaven.

Just give some time to it, learn the machine and in the end it will pay off everything !!!

For me, Roland could easily make the MPC1000 killer, combining the SP606 and SP555 features into one compact machine (SP 665 maybe?) . That would be a dream ! (does anyone from ROLAND hear me????)

[Dj Frantic]

you can chop on an SP just as good as an MPC. Its just different.

[606man]

My personal opinion is that you keep producing beats with the MPC (after all you seem to like the AKAI workflow more) and after you finish your beat in Ableton, bounce the tracks in the SP pads so you can use it as a remixing tool. You will see that you'll end up with new ideas of how to get your track to heaven.

Just give some time to it, learn the machine and in the end it will pay off everything !!!

Top advice right there. Co-Sign.

[moosh]

OK, I just did a track on the MPC/Ableton and I chopped it up and put it into the 555. So far so good.

Question - after I copy one pattern to another pad, can I now overdub more stuff on this copied pattern? If so, how?

Thanks,

Moosh

[Dj Frantic]

Sure, theres lots of ways to do that. Best way is probably to record that sample into a sequence of the proper tempo and length and then play other things on top of it in the sequencer. Then you can record it with the loop capture (dont use the autostart though!) and save it as a sample.

[JayLost]

Maby you just need some more time with the 555.
I came from the MPC2000xl and switched the SP. the small size and crazy sample time and FX of the SP404(very simular to 555) is what appealed to me. The first few months I had a lot of trouble figuring out the SP, I had trouble making just a basic quantized drum pattern. After being inspired by the music I heard on this board I kept practicing on the SP and I now realize what the SP is all about. MPCs and SPs are both great machines but I chose to work on the SP by itself.

word!!!!! i took back that buggy mpc500 and got what i should of got in the first place...SP555 im really new to it but im already having a blast.......THANKS ROLAND!!!!