RyanZ wrote: Fri Dec 22, 2023 1:40 pm
Roland sp404 mk11
Am I really going to get my beatmaking/EDM on? Is it easy enough to get up and running? Features seem endless.
I tried my luck with Ableton Live and hated every minute of it. I like the hands-on workflow with a machine like this.
Do I step up to the Akai MPC one? I like the screen on it.
I have an MPC one and both love/hate it. The MPC-way of doing things is a very very different workflow from what I'm used to and I still don't love it or even have my head fully wrapped around it a year or two on...but for what it can do, it's a bargain, just prepare for the possibility of a steep, unfun learning curve (or idk, maybe that's fun for you). There are a lot of learning resources online, especially youtube, but the MPC is traditionally a hip-hop machine and so most of the production & presentation is based on that style.
Other disadvantages are that it only has single stereo output and headphone jack. This might not be a huge deal for almost everyone in the world but for what I'd planned to use it for it was a bit of a limitation. I am able to workaround it with midi.
File system is trash too - absolutely have been unable to figure out to move, copy, make multiple versions, etc. Even found just creating a basic drum kit to use for idea generation and move into different projects to be cumbersome. The flexibility is cool but it comes at a cost.
I'll say too I don't love the sound of it sometimes. I didn't realize it at first but when trying to recompose old material, it ended up getting compared to my 25 year old DR-5 that I've used as an idea box forEVER...and strangely some of the sounds coming out of that old Boss box sound more lively. And the MPC grit wasn't in a charming way either. This might have been user error but IDK, very odd. I know part of the draw of that SP box you mentioned is the sound so keep that in mind as well.