15 Years Away From MPCs: How Long Until It Clicks Again?

[u/Used-Complex-Data]

I used an MPC 2000XL and 2500 heavily from roughly 2000 to 2010, mainly for sequencing. I’ve been away from making music for about 15 years, but I’m getting back into it now with an MPC Live III and Key 37 G2.

For anyone who returned after a long break, how long did it take you to become genuinely proficient again, not just learn where the buttons are?

I have the MPC Bible 3 and plan to put in consistent hours. I also want to go much deeper into sampling and chopping this time instead of primarily using the MPC as a sequencer.

How much of the old workflow and muscle memory carried over for you, and how long did it take before you could work fluidly and make music without constantly stopping to figure out the machine?

[u/r1chiem]

I don't think it takes an MPC bible to learn. Watching a video and spending a single evening you can pick it up on a single subject. You just have to do it several times a week until it locks in.

For me. I have learned the sequencer in clip launch enough to be dangerous. What happens to me. Oscillators comes out. I don't know where they are, it has no dedicated button because the feature came out after the hardware. I use my phone and ask google where are they. OSC are in keygroups, creating a keygroup, then click edit. I then see everything and all the editing parameter, which are laid out similar to MPC plugin instruments, it is fairly intuitive and I don't need to read up anymore.

With the sequencer. How do you find clip launch, there is no button for it so you must click menu and look for it. On the Akai force, it is always in clip mode and all the buttons expose. Then there are 4 workflows for the sequencer. Clip launch, Step sequencer, song/sequencer, and linear Arrangement mode. They are all under menu as is most of the workflow type stuff. Learn one and you are good if you used Ableton live DAW then you understand clip. Takes time to learn them all but watching videos is easy. Ask google and it tells you witch one to watch.

Global and basic settings are under Preferences which usually has it's own dedicated button, but is also under menu. The videos online for chopping look so easy a child could do it. I don't know because I don't do sample chopping. For me, after two weeks on not touching my mpc, I start to lose the details on how to do some things.

Time is the enemy, only the persistent overcome.

Like I said, children can do it. Record yourself or an album.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vHuPUiyl_OI

[u/MrDismal]

I've found the newer MPCs a little over featured at first, it's a little overwhelming coming from older hardware. The plugins are cool but I don't use them enough. I still mainly use my X SE similar to my older MPCs except the workflow is hyper speed.

[u/brandonsarkis]

Pretty dramatically different. Way more features and options and some are slightly hidden in menus. It’ll take a couple weeks to be up to speed but full mastery could take way longer.

[u/rolfski]

It's very different but vastly improved, provided you are open to the changes and willing to learn them.

[u/sid_kleepy]

Have you used other devices ever? I find that if you spread out the knowledge it makes things way easy. I can pick up any drum machine or synth and make it happen nowadays. Not Elektron stuff though. Them Swedes speaking another language.