Buying a Sequencer/Groovebox/Sampler - Roland/Korg/Akai

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-- Buying a Sequencer/Groovebox/Sampler - Roland/Korg/Akai

Posted by luizmenezesjr on May-24-2005 20:46:

Buying a Sequencer/Groovebox/Sampler - Roland/Korg/Akai

Hi Everyone,

I'm intended to buy a Sequencer/Groovebox/Sampler.
After reading other topics about Sequencers and Groovebox, I'm still needing some advices before I can buy one.

I'm composing using Cubase, LM4 Sampler (VST) and a Nord Lead 3.
All drum sounds are .WAVs, and all other sounds are from my Nord Lead 3 (I don't need to use any grooveboxes internal sounds). I still have two effect boxes (Alesis Quadraverb 2 and Boss VF-1).

I want a sequencer/sampler to play the WAVs and MIDI (drum samples, pre-recorded tracks and midi data to control external hardwares).

My NL3 has 4 parts, so I can't play every track of my music, then I need to pre-record some tracks, and play live other tracks of each music.

Will be nice If the sequencer can send midi data to my NL3 and effect boxes.

I want to play Live without a computer (knobs are good), and will be cool if I can compose on a more natural way (trying to avoid computers).

I want some advices about these sequencers/groovebox:
- Are they worth? (price/specs)
- They will do what I need?
- Do I need an external Sampler?

1) Roland MC-909 = US$1295,00

2) Korg Electribe ESX-1 = US$499,00

3) Akai MPC-1000 = US$999,00

(prices are from Musicians Friend)

If you known some of these boxes, share you knowledge, pointing the pros and cons about your equipament, helping me to decide what I should buy.

The local stores don't have these equipaments, so I can't test before (it sucks!)

If you have another tip about other equipaments, please share too, but check if your equipament is still in production.

Thanks, and sorry about my English. I Hope everyone understands what I'm trying to do (play live, and maybe compose "on the fly").

Posted by EliPsE on May-25-2005 02:04:

I dont know much about grooveboxes but here is a review on the 909 and yamaha rs7000
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Mar...rolandmc909.asp

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Oct...amahars7000.asp
my friend uses the yamaha and its pretty bad ass from playing around with it so far.

Posted by Axolotyl on May-26-2005 11:58:

There was a thread on this a while back... I think people recommended the RM1X as a sequencer although the inbuilt sounds are shite?

http://www.tranceaddict.com/forums/...threadid=264506

Have you thought about a dedicated sequencer worstation like the QY 700?

http://www.harmony-central.com/Synt.../QY_700-01.html

Or even better... a laptop running Live?

You say you want to play pre-recorded Wav files from a sampler? I dont think theres any hardware samplers out there than can store that much audio on the fly. Each Wav of a track could be well over 100mb. You could record loops I guess, which is maybe what your getting at?

Posted by DJ Shibby on May-26-2005 13:11:

I would seriously suggest using software for your PC.

The advantages of a mouse and a large screen are tremendous.

**EDIT:

IE: A laptop with USB ports, so that you can hook your midi instruments and whatnot into it. **

Posted by luizmenezesjr on May-26-2005 20:24:

Yes, I want to load small wav samples in the sampler(entire tracks are too big, and I can't change the loops sequence to improvise live, i'll create the loops by basses, leads, etc, and the drum by instruments (one wav for the bass drum, other for the hats....).

The sequencer/groovebox has to be able to play the drum instruments, and the other sounds by sending midi data to the sampler (external or internal).

I'm not considering using a PC. I have a notebook, and I can run Ableton Live, or even set loops in my cubase, but I want hardware (the pros and cons about hardware x softwares is ANOTHER topic, and I don't want to discuss it here)..

I've already read the entire topic about RM1x, but I still considering the options: MC-909, Electribe ESX-1, Yamaha RMX1x, Yamaha QY-700 (like you said) and E-MU MP7.

Some of them are hard do find on local stores, but MC-909 and Electribe ESX-1 I have a chance to test (if I was luck and the store brings, but you have to pay first, and then receive your equipament, because these boxes don't have much sells).

Anyway, the groovebox/sequencer don't have to sample, but I will need a sampler later. If I consider Electribe ESX-1 (US$500) , I can buy a US$700 sampler, and I will pay the same as a MC-909 (US$1295,00).

Posted by nhibberd on Jun-18-2005 12:29:

I bough an MC-909 a while back. It realy had me fired up for a while but up to a certain point. A very slight sync problem in that the midi input was sometimes mysteriously out of sync with the audio output. It's fun for live filter sweeps. All in all its fun for a while but once you start wanting to have a real profesional sound it just misses the mark. Another thing is that a PCI-card is a lot easer to import files into.

Posted by luizmenezesjr on Jun-18-2005 13:48:

Thanks for your replying...

But I bought an E-MU MP-7 sequencer(with the PX-7 sounds too), and an E-MU e6400 Classic sampler.

I�m very happy with the equipment, but I�ve not mastered how to use, so I can�t say the down sides (there�s a lot of good points, I�ll post on a specific thread later)...

The MC-909 seems to be a very good equipment, but have I didn�t like it because you can sequence using ONLY the internal sounds, so you can�t use the sequencer to play your external synth/sampler (sending midi notes and control change comands)... correct me if I�m wrong, but I�ve tested one and can�t do this...