MPC2000/Beatbox/Zoom sample track st224

[Kirkland Mack <kirklandmack@sbcglobal.net>]

I'm getting this itch because I want to get to work on my solo electronic+looping project. Bands just aren't working for me, so I want one of them miniature electro band-in-a-box things to start programming. In case you're wondering I'm something of a newbie in the area of electronic gear. The MPC2000 has always appealled to me, but I'm interested in hearing some of your opinions. A lot of you seem to be fans of the Zoom Sampletrack, and I'm wondering if you think it's a good alternative. Is the MPC2000 overpriced? Whatever I buy, I would like to have the option to transfer material from finale, reaktor and reason to it but I figure this is always possible via midi and sampling. Just to give you an idea what I'm about, I'm going to be programming structured sequences from samples or non-drum sounds that don't repeat themselves and have lots of dynamics, metric modulation, tempo changes and such. The more ability to store real time tweaks in memory, the better. I want to be able to make my music as human as possible and as electronic as possible. I'm a big fan of Aphex Twin and more recently, Autechre. If you can picture Aphex Twin programming his own take on Frank Zappa's Black Page no. 2 or I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth, then you're on the right track. I'd love to hear your thoughts and advice. - Kirkland