Month: December 2022

So it’s Christmas Day today and the New Year is right down the street. I’m looking forward to a New Year and new beginnings. I have a few resolutions for the coming year of 2023. I want to lose some weight AGAIN and get in better shape in general. I lift weights and do pushups, but I’d like to start walking more to lose some more pounds and get a more structured weight lifting routine going. I still have my gym membership I pay $10 a month for, but when COVID hit I didn’t want to go and end up getting sick. I’ll have the opportunity this January to start walking more during my breaks when working, so I’m sure I can get that one done. I’ve done it before.

For my music resolutions, I really want to focus on scratching and beat-juggling for DJing. I want to make huge gains in those areas and I know I’ll have to time manage better, especially if I’m going to be going to the gym among the other things I have to get done in daily life. For production, I want to continue steadily making more and more music. I want to start putting more of my beats on Beat Stars and try to get a bit of a side hustle going and get some income from the music I make. Even if it’s only enough to buy a new vinyl record for my collection here and there, that’s ok with me. I want to be more creative and also buckle down and use my Melodics subscription to learn how to play keyboard. I can play keys here and there, and I’ve done so in my music, but I’d really like to learn to play full melody’s that I make up on my own. If I can accomplish those things by the end of 2023, I’ll be a happy camper.

Lastly, I’d like to get my finances in order. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t gamble every weekend or buy expensive clothes, but I have some debt I need to pay down so I want to stop buying things on an impulse and only buy things I really want when a surplus of money comes in. I feel like with my job and my wife’s job, the Lord gives us what we need to survive, keep a roof over our heads, and food in our stomachs. Sure I can have some wants on occasion, but I’d like to cut back on those so much. Instead of buying $60 worth of records at a given time, maybe chill out and buy two or three 45 records from the 99 cent bin at the record store, and save the binge vinyl buying for tax refunds or bonuses if we get any.

I’ll go over this post again in December of 2023 and look at what I was able to accomplish and what I wasn’t. Time management is really important as I know I waste too much time watching Youtube or Twitch. Sure it’s nice to gel every once in a while, but I need to get the things I want to get done completed each day and get to bed at a decent hour each night so I’m not so exhausted the next day. Take care and have a Happy New Year! Til next time….

Merry Christmas! It’s the Holiday Season and Christmas is literally tomorrow. I just wanted to post an update to the blog and talk about something near and dear to my heart. Since I picked up a MPC One some years ago, I’ve really enjoyed using it. I remember posting about how much I liked it, the first week I got it, on Reddit and mentioning that I find much more motivation than when I was making music/beats in Reason 10 & 11. Of course, a snarky internet anonymous had to come on and say “We’ll see how long that lasts….”. Well I can proudly say it’s been a long time that I’ve been putting in the work on my MPC. I am constantly in front of it creating and I don’t see an end to that anywhere in sight. I love music and I always have. I wish I’d known about MPCs in the 90s when I first got into hip hop music because I would have probably pursued a career in it. For now I just make music and DJ as a hobby, as I work in IT full time. I think that anyone that enjoys listening to music should try making it, particularly using a MPC. The satisfaction that making music from scratch can bring can’t be understated. I love finding something to sample, or playing a melody on my Arturia Keystep and adding the kick, snares, bass, hats, etc. When it all comes together nicely it really is a beautiful thing.

I’m no J-Dilla by any stretch of the imagination, but I definitely see an improvement in my music made on MPC from when I first started until now. I am constantly learning new techniques and finding inspiration from other people’s music that I listen to. The MPC is easy to pick up, but can be difficult for some to master. Some people think the workflow is convoluted and too complex, but to me it makes perfect sense. I get exactly what Roger Linn and Akai were going for in the original MPCs, and the modern ones have just taken that idea to the next level.

I would recommend a MPC One to anyone that has any interest in making music at all. It’s not that expensive in terms of how much music equipment CAN cost, and it has all the things you’ll need to get started making music. Sign up to Splice monthly subscription to get a constant fresh supply of music sounds to work with and pick up the MPC Bible as a newbie and you’ll be making fire music in no time. I’m looking forward to what the next iteration of the MPC will bring, but it brings me pleasure knowing that my MPC One will always perform as it is right now. I feel like I can do anything musically that I could imagine with the MPC and it’s plugins, expansions, and ability to utilize 3rd party sounds.

I hope this post sparks someone’s interest and that you decide to take the plunge and grab a MPC. You won’t be disappointed and you’ll get out of it whatever you put into it. I work 40 hrs a week, but when I have free time I’m either making music on my MPC One or practicing DJing. Those hobbies provide a huge stress relief and keep me feeling as happy as one could in this society with the way things are. Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!