so, i'm stuck in a pickle hear - I love the 303 but I need either a sampler to complement the instrument ( Sampletrack, S20, ect) or .... well, an MPC 2000, XL, or 1000.... even a 500 could do. This is why -

More memory
velocity pads
Time stretch and pitch shift
Also, the midi sequencer and midi out and thru

I only need those 5 things - but those 5 things can and will make a dramatic difference in my approach and out come to my music.

If you have any suggestion, please add a sampler - could it be a 404? could it be a 555? 606? whatever - gimme some opinions.

for timestretch/pitch i would suggest the sampletrak. I was blown away by it. It sounds a lot better than an mpc and way better than an sp. It does it live too, you dont have to wait for the sound to be processed like on an mpc. I dont think it can do a lot of the other things you need though

I been goin through the same shit man. I'm definitely getting an SP again no doubt about it. Though I need something a bit more powerful with the very same features you listed. Considering an MPC500 or 1k. I have an old MS-1 I'll shipping off to Roland so they fix the fucked up OS I got from their site. It has the pitching covered at least. You may also want to check out Korg ESX it has alot of what the SPs don't and not as much redundant functionality.

do you know how much a sample track runs?

There's one on ebay for like $150 right now.

if you stumble into a stack of money between now and then i would suggest getting a 1k w/jjos.

Here's a related question for the MPC heads... which is more funtional/useful? A 1000 with JJOS or a 2000XL? Are they comparable?

i hear that the xl 'sounds better' and you can have different filters for each sound layer to a pad, but the jj os is absolutely mind boggling... in a good way. i've got a 2500 but had i wanted to save money, could have gotten a 1000 which is just as good... and they run fast off cf cards, a plus

I own both except i never mess with the jjos. The 1k is a dope machine, it has a descent amount of good quality fx(i think you can use 2 at a time), internal mastering, you could resample anything, just to name a few of my favorite things. I wish the build quality was better, and i dont like how you have to hit shift then the pad to do the functions. The workflow of the 2kxl seems a lot smoother and machine is physically tougher. its not really a good stand alone machine though, especially without the optional upgrades(fx card, extra outputs, that sampletime chip)

i'm really looking at the MPC 500 - Its small, PORTABLE... a big plus and it looks like its only missing a few features from the 1000.

anybody know anything about these machines?

I am a previous 1K owner and was thinking on purchasing a 500 before a copped my 404. In my Honest opinion, I don't like the Mpc series. I owned the 1k twice so far and returned them both. I am not sayin that it isn't a beast of a machine, because it is, esp. with that jjos. My gripes though are:

1) You have to load the samples off the card onto the internal memory

2) Stock internal mem is very minimal.

3) Akai CS sucks assssss!!!!!

4) You have to pay for every jjos that comes out to get the most out of you 1k

5) You are strongly recommended to upgrade the ram which costs i believe 149.

6) An internal hd is also recommended strongly which costs another 250

and on and on....

The thing that gets me the most is the mpc is ridiculously high in price. With that you figure that it should run smooth. In order to get the most out of your machine, you must invest at least another 400 into it. THATS THE PRICE OF ONE 404!!!!

To me it wasnt worth it. plus MPC-Forums.com wasnt as good of a community as the fam we got here. There are a lot of complaints and problems with the machines that I have read on that site. Most has to do with Numark buying out Akai, and there products went straight downhill.

I cant say anything about the xl or any other older Akai because I have never owned one. This is my personal opinion and people will disagree. As I said though, If I pay 1k for a 1k, I dont want to spend more upgrading it to have a smooth workflow. It should already be there. I would say a 606 or even a yamaha qy-100. Someone on this site has one and it is pretty beastly. Covers i believe 4 out of the 5 things you mentioned. Good luck.


Music is Love

Beanz

how does the order go in the sp series sp303 sp 404 sp.....?

^ahhhhh... man this thread is informative. Good stuff.

Yo anostaboss... have you thought about copping a 505? It has a lot of what you're looking for, minus a real pitch shift... but it does have the chromatic pitch shift function (pitch banks), which is amazing when you are looking to build a bassline/melody off of only one or two clean chops. The autochop is also great for chopping up breaks. And it usually comes it around $200-300, which for me, is the best money I've ever spent on any music production tool... hands down.

So juxt... using the 2kxl paired up with an SP for effects, how do you like that combo? What effects does the standard 2kxl come with? and one last Q... do you use it with an outboard memory reader of some kind, like a zip drive maybe?

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it goes... 202, 303, 505, 404, 606, 555... at least as far as technology upgrades and release dates.

The 555 is actually more of a 444 as far as features and upgrades... I think it's really weird that they numbered it in relation to the 505 since the 2 don't have a whole lot in common. But if you ask M. Accosta, the 555 was an upgrade to the 606... (sorry, I had to take it there ).

haha i remember that lolz