MPC Music Percussion Computer

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"Here's the original MPC (not that trendy, flash-in-the pan Akai thingy), the all English, all analog Music Percussion Computer! First, you should know that it is brown. But that's okay because brown is the new black. 1983-ish British answer to the Roland TR-808. Look at all those knobs! They all work! And those pads, all eight of them work too! The pads are beige which just POPS against the brown, don't you think?

I've never seen another US model MPC in person or on the web, so I think I can say this MPC is genuinely rare.

Seriously though, all the knobs and pads really do work. However I'm 90% sure the sequencer does NOT work. I followed the instructions and nothing happens. The 10% is in case it's an easy fix like an internal battery or something. You should assume the sequencer doesn't work. Fortunately, you can still use the keypad to pretend you're Jack Bauer disarming a nuke without fear of harming the MPC or the city of Los Angeles.

I built a trigger-in box which works if you're not into whacking the pads in real time. The triggers work fine using the audio outs of a Roland TR-727 or a Machinedrum, so I would guess most drum machine or synth audio outs will do the trick if you don't have some sort of trigger sequencer. I guess it's also possible to have the MPC modded to work with Kenton's KADI-MIDI box based on some pictures of an MPC in the Netherlands I found here:
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Album=QESYMYG4

It's built into it's own flight case (also brown!) and weighs in at 25 lbs. People know you're serious about your drum machine when it comes in over 20 lbs and is brown. On the bottom of the case is a threaded mount so you can put your MPC on it's own mic stand. Your mic stand better be damn sturdy though.

This particular MPC is wired for US voltage and has an internal power supply so no wallwart hassles.

If you look around the web you'll find the MPC described as having an interface for a Timex/Sinclair computer that expanded its sequencer capabilities. This one has a Commodore 64 interface. I've never found anyone that even knows about the C64 interface, let alone the instructions for it's use. It's a factory interface though because C64 is part of the serial number of this unit as you can see in the pics. I don't have a C64 so I don't know if it works or not.

Company background
Manual and Schems"

via Robert.