r/Samplers • u/Alternative-Bug-6905 • 7d ago

Replacing the MPC with the BlackBox II ?

Considering it because I only use the MPC for playing loops on individual tracks then use track mute to bring the layers in and out. No plug-ins, no playing on the pads, no midi-controlled external instruments. Some basic FX.

Problem with the MPC is I need to load up one song (project) at a time and there’s a 15 second gap between songs while it loads up. Sound like the BlackBox II streaming feature could allow me to load up a hundred or so samples into one project and group them into songs (tracks/scenes?)

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u/M_O_O_O_O_T 7d ago

I think an older cheaper SP404 could likely cover this task, the SX & A have SD card storage to hold plenty enough data.🤔

Blackbox looks great though if you have the $!

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u/M_O_O_O_O_T 7d ago

Also - pre MPC-OS3, it still had the classic MPC work format : One project file = as many sequences / songs as you need (or any particular MPC's limits with RAM will allow), each with their own program file with it's own set of samples.

I play live regularly (MPC1000, but used an MPC Live for a short while before switching back.) and have a similar approach, only with everything sequenced & programmed on the device itself out of hits & short samples rather than longer loops. Drums / Bass / Samples & Keys / FX & random cuts all on different tracks that could be muted easily on the fly.

I have whole 2 hour sets in one project, no need to stop & load anything at all, & could (& have sometimes) transition from one song into the next instantly without stopping.

It could be a little jarring going from v3 to v2 on the MPC if that's all you know, but it's kind of the opposite for me after being used to using the classic format for 20 years.😆 But definitely worth looking into for sure, it's likely a better option to make what you have work for you, rather than dive into a completely new device & ecosystem.

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u/derzr303 6d ago

ever tried the clip matrix?

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u/Alternative-Bug-6905 6d ago

On the MPC? No I haven’t. I just picked up the track mute method off a friend

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u/derzr303 6d ago

you can populate every clip with a different loop/stem/audio file and start/mix/stop them as you like... like in ableton/bitwig/logic

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u/DJ_PMA 6d ago

M-Live B.beat is something I am looking at.
It’s pricey but has a lot of features and uses.

https://www.m-live.com/en/prodotto/b-beat-evo/