Reviews and questions about the entry-level MPC500
By IWriteOnWallz Mon Mar 26, 2018 4:25 am
If anyone could please help I would be very grateful, for some reason sounds keep cutting out on me during playback and when recording. But even weirder, there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to it, and it only happens sometimes. example the first time the sequence loops, it won’t make sound or partial sound, but then it plays back fine the second third etc, and sounds perfect but it’s random not always that order, or sometimes it will just be the tracks that cut out in the intro part of my song, but then I replay it and it plays all the performance perfectly. Also sometimes while recording, it will go completely silent on the second or third bar ( again seems to be random), but then it will playback everything normal, metronome seems to make it worse, it’s so strange. I’ve put all the pads on mono all ready and take all my samples mono, and my ram doesn’t have any size stickers or info on it, but that was gonna be my next form of troubleshooting, maxing it out to 128mb if it’s not all ready, it was used mpc. I’m starting to really think this is a bug or something, I really hope not I’ve read other forums of people with kinda similar issues, just really hoping to find a solution, super grateful for your help jahhh blessss
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By Ill-Green Mon Mar 26, 2018 5:16 pm
Same issue here but it happens after the 32nd bar for me. It seems to record better if you record your sequences like a tape recorder with a single 99 bar sequence. It used to frustrate me because I would get really deep with a beat and then things just go silent.

Its really because the OS is not complete and will never be complete because Akai discontinued all support for the 500 in 2010. The last update was in 2006 with 1.31. I expected a 2.0 but never happened.There are still bugs to be dealt with and incomplete features still roam the machine. However, out of the Numark dynasty which is the MPC1000, MPC2500 and the MPC5000, the MPC500 proved to be the most stable and quality machine. But its workflow is drudgery due to the incomplete OS.
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By Avene Fri Apr 27, 2018 7:01 am
This normally just means you’re using too much polyphony. Early versions of the MPC500 OS were even worse. It’s not really a 32 voice sampler. Probably closer to 12. From memory, have certain effects running would reduce polyphony too.
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By Sharris Tue May 15, 2018 10:21 pm
Yeah, I think my 500 has 8 polyphony :lol:
AT MOST 4 stereo samples can hit at the same time & I can't add any effects. I mostly make boom bap, so I can get by with the 8 polyphony, especially when using mono samples....... it surprised me tho....... the 2500 & 1000 supposedly have the same polyphony limit, so I don't understand why the 500 hits it's limit so fast if it's 32 polyphony. 4 stereo samples, no effects. That's crazy to me.

Illgreens post makes me think something else is goin on....not just hittin polyphony...... my 500 wacks out from time to time, he's moody, but it's whatever....I love my 500 so I deal with it.
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By Ill-Green Fri May 25, 2018 5:31 pm
I made a whole album soley on the MPC500. I recorded it raw onto a CD recorder. Believe me, I went through all the horrors of the sequencer. Everything recorded were "good days" and other times, to save CD time, I put together what worked with the glitches and all.

Its gone now, on to the next artist. That 500 never frozed on me though, for that I salute its value.
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By Sharris Fri May 25, 2018 7:49 pm
Oh yea, you can totally make a whole album on the 500, some of my favorite beats I made on the 500. Mine has only froze when I tried loading too many samples. Instead of just saying full, it goes into "error mode" & I have to turn it off.

Really it's just a matter of getting used to it's quirks & limitations (for example I'm careful about how many samples I load & I sample mostly in mono).