School me on buying an MPC 60/3000
spelunk
3,400 Posts
After a bunch of research, including the thread from awhile ago that had Thes & co. talking about the feel of old SP-1200s and MPC 60s, I'm sold on buying an MPC 60 (or 3000 if I can get a really good deal, or one of you can justify paying $800 extra to get one). I looked at that new Roger Linn/Dave Smith Boomchik thing as well, but it looks like it's a ways away and a friend of mine will be picking one up when they come out.I'll either go the Craigslist or eBay route, but regardless when I get a chance to see the machine what should I be looking for to make sure it's 100 percent functional? I know about the OS 3.10 upgrade and the RAM situation, but I'm broke enough as it is that I don't feel like getting shafted by buying something that isn't 100 percent functional.Oh and if you/someone you know is selling one of these babies PM me. I'd really rather buy this from someone reputable and not an unknown eBay dude or a smelly dude on Craigslist. Thanks.
Comments
Bugs in the software? Ah man you're killing me, I was set on a 60 w/the 3000 OS from Roger Linn. What kind of bugs are we talking here?
If youre in the west (around cali) I may have a hookup for you >PM
About the 3000 (or any older sampler):
First of all you must understand these machines are like 10 years or older.
So what difference does it make? answer - alot
Heres a list of the most important things of which you might/should already know some...
1.NO USB - SCSI/Floppy only. No way around it, if you cop a 60/SP/3000 you will be stuck with either floppies or SCSI media. Most people use ZIPs with the 60/3000 which are popular because they are easy to handle and offer 100MB per medium. If you read Day's little COD dilemma you know what youre up to though (search of the thread if you havnt). Other SCSI solutions could be: External SCSI HD. Now the ones that work are basicly the old 5GB disks. The best solution is a SCSI-card reader - some more searching on this board and mpc-forums.com should have you covered on it. Only additional thing I can say about card readers is: Take your time to find THE RIGHT ONE. Thes can tell you a long story about this. CR's are also the easiest way of transfering data to your computer for editing or storage. Take care of maximum character length when doing this!
2.User Interface - Okay I guess I wont have to tell you about this, otherwise youd be asking where to buy a fully blown mpc 2500/4000, but while im at it...
These old machines are not really comfortable compared to todays standards.
No Waveform editing, no mutegroups, no undo-button, text only menus, etc...
But in the end you win, trust me, I dont even miss my mpc 2000xl's functions, it sounded like crappo anyways
3.Buying a vintage unit - I'd advise you to find someone who's selling in your area so you can pick it up and test-drive it before purchasing. If you havnt read about, shoot me a PM and I can sort you a dealer on the westcoast. Now you might think, how the hell am I going to find out howto test it when I have never used the machine: get your nerd on, you can download the manuals of these older machines on the net, and read up on what you would want to test the machine for.
4.Working limitations - last important thing (IMO) would be the sequencing/sampling limitatons old units have. For example on the 3000 and I think also on the 60 youre not able to have more than one program running at the same time, alot of people coming from newer machines are terrified by the idea of working with only one PGM. This is also the reason why Dre/Shadow and dozens of other people have 2 or more units. Dont forget Muggz rocking the sync-chained 5 SP1200's back in the days
IMPORTANT INFO FOR ALL:
I announced this in Days COD thread already, but perhaps some people are still in the dark on this one:
A long time mpc guru from MPC forums has been reworking the 3000 Operating System Roger Linn originally designed and been selling these on Rom-chips. His last release fixed a few bugs that Akai never cared about and added a few nice functions.
Now soon he will be releasing the latest version of his mpc 3000 OS offering higher rates of timing, more triplets and loads of other goodies.
You'll find all you want to know on the mpc-forums in the 3000/60/SP corner.
I think he charges around 70-90 for these chips and all I know is im getting a set for SURE when its out.
Other than that I can just advise you to take your time and not buy the first thing you can get your hands on. You'll often regret it lateron. Also make sure the pads have proper response with the FULL LEVEL button off, otherwise you'd need to get new pads and perhaps even a new switch-circuit board which is located underneeth the pads and probably isnt the first thing youd want to do as a noob.
enjoy, and report back
Read up on my card readers and all that. I'm getting through the manual slowly but surely. In a perfect world I'd get a 3000 but barring a great deal my bank account says otherwise.
damn man, when i owned a mpc60 maybe 5 years ago or so, mine RARELY froze up on me, i really remember one occasion. I had the upgrade that was current at the time, but not sure if theres been newer ones since then.
just be cautious when buying a 60 or a 3000, these machines are quite old. Shit if i was still into beats, i pick up a 3000.
thats bugged.
the 60 will have that 12 bit sound that few machines sound like
samplin in stereo is a lil time consuming if you arent going to use a computer, but i rarely sample in stereo.
i have a card reader in my 60. you have to have the scsi upgrade, and find a microtech pcd 25. but once you got it, you are good to go. stay away from zips.
i bought my 60 for 545 on ebay. it came in really good condition.
It's out batches!
Vailixi 3.50
Mansell-Labs announce the availability of Vailixi 3.50.
http://www.mansell-labs.com/
- EDIT SND screen now features a TRUNC SFT ST+END function.
- EDIT SND Screen now features a COPY ZONE -> SND function.
- 1/128 and 1/192 timing correct OFF note value resolutions added.
1/4, 1/4TRPLT, 1/64, 1/64TRPLT timing correct note value resolutions added.
- swing is now available for 1/4, 1/4TRPLT, 1/8, 1/8TRPLT, 1/16, 1/16TRPLT,
1/32, 1/32TRPLT, 1/64, 1/64TRPLT.
WOOHOOO
The price is a bit steep but hey, the dollar is weak compared to the euro atm...
I'm loving the new card reader on my 3k it works so great, FUCK YOU ZIPS, ILL NEVER COME BACK TO YOU
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{:::::::::::my resoultion is the realist son:::::::::::}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
yea thats some real PAP ish
Now, where to find 214 bucks to get a brandnew OS...
If you can afford it, I would try to buy a 3000 as opposed to the 60/upgrade combo, if only because I still use the built in filter on pretty much every beat. It is excellent in taking off a slight tape hiss from raer private breaks; nice to bring it down to say 93 and then layer a full spectrum high hat on top of it. By bringing things down to different filtered levels you can make the music much thicker. But I digress - The 60 does have the advantage of having that real grit from the engine and a slightly slower processor, which means it is slightly funkier.
Whatever you decide to buy here are a few things to look for. I have brokered or helped people buy probably over 10 MPCs now and these are the things I usually look for:
The data wheel is surface mounted on a pcb that is not mounted on four posts, meaning that if it has been bumped or someone put something on top of the mpc, it is possible that the pcb would crack, it still works but very often you see data wheels that are sunk in and or hard to turn. Not a big deal but slighlty difficult to fix and if you aren't comfortable opening it you will need to send it to Mr. Forat.
The original LCD screens burn out after a few hundred hours of use. My first one burnt out in 96, my second went out in 2002. I was able to get more hours out of the second one by pressing the contrast button in (which turns it off, I didn't know this either for a long time). Now I have the new super blue lcd joint whihc Forat hooked me up with and I love it. Point being, the LCD's can and will burn out, it's only a matter of time so if you find one that isn't working it may work in your favor price wise, and you will be able to put in the new super fresh one post purchase. Oh yeah, the old LCDs whine in an audible like 20K annoying whistle that stops when you turn them off. The new ones don't do that.
There is a SCSI fuse that can burn out if someone attached and removed and attached zip or jaz drives while it was on. If the SCSI is not working, this is the problem. Again, fixable, but just a little bit of a pain in the balls.
If the pads aren't working they probably just need cleaning. The contacts can get alot of dust beneath them over the years, especially if in the studio of a smoker. Easily fixed but that being said, I would try to find one from a non-smoking environment.
PCD time. Find one, don't dick around with a Zip drive, it will only cause you to cry later.
If you can get a good deal, remember that most everything at this point is easily fixed on a 3K, Forat is an excellent resource for getting a machine better than it has ever been.
Good luck and holler if you need any more info!
I didn't even know about turning off the display by pushing the contrast knob.
This is almost as ill as the new OS
I just got my MPC 60 MKII last Friday, and I couldn't be happier with it. For $600 shipped, it's max RAM, OS 3.10, new floppy drive, new LCD, and cosmetically in perfect shape. Dude even threw in 3 zip drives (though I'll never use them). I love the 12-bit sound and those crazy extra digital harmonics it adds, and the pads can't be beat. It is truly the most intuitive piece of hardware I have ever touched, this is how I always thought a sampler should work.
I know I'll be getting the SCSI upgrade at some point, and I'm already hunting for an analog filter or effects unit to run things through. But no urgency, it's inspiring to think how many great records were made just with an MPC 60 and some records.
Again, thanks, and if anyone else is thinking about going the old-school MPC route - do it. If you love hip-hop you won't regret it.
if you wanna stay in the 12bit realm I'd consider s950 like toefunk or even emax or eps. Asr might be a sick combination too!
glad to help.
Another nice combo with the MPC60 is the Moogerfooger lowpass filter.
Enjoy that sequencer!
I'm more than satisfied with my s900..Like I said I honestly think it sounds better than my 60II. And plus the filter is bananas
The 1k can be a lot of fun - what I really enjoy about these older machines is that are you feel more making music. I had loads of fun on the 2kxl and it felt nice making music, just not as magical
btw, you can grab stillintheshrink DDs off ebay and if you search the boards on the mpc-forums youll find more official suppliers for DDs
http://www.forat.com/pictures/index.htm
How come nobody likes the MPC4000?
Everyone I see in the "Behind the Beat" Book uses a MPC3000. You guys (Thes and Stein) Included.
Whys the 3000 so popular? Why is it your fav stein?
Ive got a MPC2000 I dont like how it sounds anymore. Looking for something new.
If your using SCSI Card readers, could you instead use a SCSI to USB converter?
I was on the 2000 for a few years too, and it really is a great machine but the step up to 3000 is like from belt tod direct drive. It does the same, it just runs SO much better
The 4k is kinda nice, but its overkill to me. Its basicly a computer with cubase/logic and an Akai MPD to me.
http://cgi.ebay.com/AKAI-MPC3000LE-MPC-3...bayphotohosting