ilovefuzz.com

So yeah guys, I need to get my sampler on. I've narrowed my search down to two models in particular: the Roland SP 404 and the Akai MPC 1000. I'm open to other suggestions though if you have them.

I plan to use this yet-to-be-determined sampler for drum sequencing during recording time, but I need it to function as my backing band live. when I say "backing band," I mean that it just needs to be able to handle a drum sequence, a bass line, and maybe a synth pad. There's three ways I can figure to have it work the way I need.

1. Have all the elements of the song going in one sequence, but be able to mute or unmute segments with one button press and have things start muted when I initially start the sequence.

2. Have everything as separate sequences and be able to stack them.

3. Have multiple sequences with the various elements and be able to switch between them with one button press.

The sticker is that I need some way to set it up that, whenever I hit the button to change things up, the changes happens when the phrase repeats. So, if I press the button to introduce my bass line on beat 2 of the drum pattern, it doesn't come in until it repeats back to 1.

Qualities that I'm looking for:
1. some what durable (I'm not rough on my equipment, but I've heard some shit about MPC pads going dead fast)
2. reasonable sound quality (I'm not trying to be Astrobrite here)
3. able to load samples from my compy (I know I'm not getting out of this without a smart card reader, but I'd rather not sacrifice a virgin every time I want a new drum sound)
4. for the love of god: step write


Which one do you think fits better?
anything I should know about either?
am I being dumb?

thanks in advance

tl;dr: I took a shit load of drugs to gain insight on samplers and now I've joined a cult, lost my shoes, and I'm writing this on a stolenGalaxy 4s. plz hlp

Neither one will do what you want 100%, but the 1000 comes closer... Don't worry about the pads, I don't think you're gonna wear them out playing Bobgaze...

I've owned both. For the function and features, hands down the mpc1000.. but I would wholeheartedly suggest the SP404sx (with sd card slot) for it's simplicity cos it'll keep your mood going and inspiring (at the end of the day that's all that matters most) without having stuck to read manuals, digging for buried stupid menus just to get some simple things from your head to a single pad and getting frustrated like I did on the MPC. Pretty sure I'm just plain stupid . Plus I hated the mpc pads.

OP-1

yea 1000 is closer. JJOS is a dream.
if you get one and are concerned about the pads, just make sure it has the new pad upgrade in it. or u can install one yourself.
the pad problem is from the early production of hte 1000 where they used individual sensors for each pad, as opposed to the sheet of 16 pad sensors.
the individual sensors are the ones that die.

both will switch sequences when the previous sequence is completed.

personally my favorites have been the korg ES & ESX but i'm giving in to just using ableton. the OP-1 is sweet too but can only handle really short samples.

FUCK KORG!!! Pedge Up for an OP-1 or get a 1000 off CL...

Thanks for the input guys.
I have plans to pedge up and get an OP1 , but later and for different reasons. So, it looks like I'm plucking an MPC off the bay in the coming days.

I would usually always recommend ROLAND SP's but for this purpose the MPC1000 would be better cause it has more tracks and when you upgrade the JJOS you can get a lil loop/phrase sampler that might work for this too... You're gonna have to read the manual and use your brain to figure out working methods and ways that will work for you cause all the vids show it being used for Hip Hop and whatnot... I still like ROLAND over AKAI but because you want so many crazy BOBISMS and are super demanding about SAMPLERS the 1000 is the best bet... They should be around $400 and don't pay much more...

I don't know much about the MPC1000, but I have spent some time with the SP-303, and, as far as I know, the 404 is just an updated/upgraded 303. From the description you gave initially, my two cents would be it sounds like the SP404 would be what you're looking for. Both samplers will allow you to create sequences, switch back and forth between sequences, and allow you to play overtop of them, and that's a great thing. But as far as I'm concerned, the SP404 is really a musician's sampler. It's actually dawned on me recently how well Roland has really gotten this worked out with their SP series. You can create samples and sequences without ever having to use any computer software, you just record directly from the sampling source like a record or an i-pod! (And you can tap out the tempo of a song on the machine to find it's BPM, which is invaluable when making samples; every sample should be a multiple of one another: 80 BPM and 160 BPM, so, for example the one 160 bpm sample could be a quarter note and the 80 bpm sample would then be a half note, etc. ) As a musician, talking about me now, this is more my kind of approach to electronic music; that is, without a computer. The user interface is very fast and intuitive (you just have to read the part of the owners manual that talks about creating patterns and sequences, really, not complicated, and the quantizing function corrects imperfections in your button pushing to make the beat smooth and regular), unlike the MPC1000, which, to me, feels like a controller pad for Ableton or Reason or something like that: I mean, I don't want to be straining to read and scroll through a little box of text at the top of the machine, especially not while I'm trying to make music. Well, to sum up, my two cents would be that you should keep in mind that the experience of working with these two samplers is going to be very different. In my opinion, the MPC1000 feels like its a very brilliant and complicated machine that feels more akin to a computer. The SP404 feels more like an instrument, where, if you're just trying to lay down some simple sequences, will be a much easier and more pleasant experience. both machines would give you the same end product, i think, but I have a feeling getting there would be very different. ... I just joined the website and this is my first post so I hope it's helpful. good luck to you. Oh and, I've been recently getting into my sp303's so, as you may be able to tell, I'm kinda on the SP bandwagon, as it were

Ableton live

Thanks for the input Melok and welcome to the forum! I actually joined the cult of SP a little bit ago with a 404sx, so it's nice to hear that I made a good choice.

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