These days there are a ton of options for the upcoming producer and selecting which tools you use can be daunting. Factors such as price range, hardware vs software, analog vs digital and workflow can all be major factors. Luckily for those in the know, there are some real deals to be had these days. This series will focus of finding production equipment deals, older gear that still holds a lot of useful abilities, and breathing new life into that gear. To help get the best bang for your production dollar, I have decided to grab a few of these pieces of gear and show how to revamp them, what to look out for, and how to use them in todays modern environment.
So lets start off with arguably the center of most production setups, the sequencer/drum sampler. I have chosen the MPC 1000 for a few reasons. 1) it is affordably priced and readily available. 2) with its compact flash slot, hard drive and USB connection, this MPC can easily connect to a modern studio set up with ease. 3) the MPC 1000 is to this day one of the most powerful portable samplers available.
To begin lets talk price point of a used MPC 1000…
a MPC 1000 typically will sell on eBay for $300-$450 depending on condition and possible upgrades
Things to look out for:
Lines or missing pixels in the screen – repair cost $100
sticking or non-working buttons – repair cost $5-$20
Pad sensors – repair/upgrage cost $140-165
all of these repairs can be done easily with parts readily available through MPCStuff.com
Lets dive into a MPC getting its pad sensors upgraded with the single sheet and fat pad upgrade.
This upgrade is surprisingly easy as its really only a total of about 12 screws or so. Everything is preassembled when you purchase the pad upgrade and sensor upgrade kit together so this should take you no more than about 30 minutes.
The result is an MPC that has the sensitivity and MPC should have! Very much a worth while upgrade to take a drum machine from barely playable to a real joy.
Stay tuned as there is MUCH MORE to come!