Will an MCP500 do what i need it to do?

Hi there,

I'm newbie with Akai MPC units, thinking about getting an MPC500 for use with my live act. But not too sure. Reviews etc never answer all my questions, so i was wondering if an actual owner could help me out?

What i need it to do:
1. Let me store a tonne of samples in memory (to be rapidly loaded) for use during live performances.
2. Have a sample bank set up for each tune, to be loaded at the push of a button (as quickly as possible between songs).
3. Each sample needs to drop into a pad i have pre-designated, at the level/pitch/pan i have pre-set. All this info needs to be stored within each sample bank's info.
4. Generally be a pretty sexy looking bit of kit.

Thankyou,

Nick B

you should rather get the 404. It has 1 Gig storage and ram and what seems really imortant for you, no loading time. That's about 6 hours of sample time ram.

ah thankyou very much,

And i can still pre-setup sample banks to load samples into designated pads, one bank per song?
Really no loading time?

NickB wrote:ah thankyou very much,

And i can still pre-setup sample banks to load samples into designated pads, one bank per song?
Really no loading time?

It works like this:
You have 10 pad banks, every padbank holds 12 patterns.
There is no loading at all. All the samples and patterns are 'always loaded and avaiveble' once you've started the 404. Let's say you make a pattern on a.1. and a.2. . Next time you start the 404 those two will be there.
No loading time. Instant pattern change. 30 Effects.

Go guitarre center and test it. Let the guys explain the machine to you.

I love it, but it takes some time to get used to it (took me 3 days to get used to it, I've been using and mpc since 1998 though).

I've never used a 404, I hope to get one to try out sometime.

I have an MPC500, I think it will do what you need. Keep in mind that the 404 has some serious limitations as far as its polyphony and sequencer is concerned. From what I hear it has some wicked effects though. And is way cheaper.


I have a 4gb Microdrive in my MPC500. I know that the 500 is only supposed to support 2 gb flash cards, but its working.

With the 500 you will be limited to 128mb of samples all loaded up and available at any time by switching through the programs. That is a TON of samples.

Is that really true that you can have 1gb of samples on the 404 all loaded into memory at once? Thats insane. Now I really want one, not that I'd ever use that much.



If you really want to be a bad ass with your live performance you could cop an MPD24 or a Korg Padkontrol and run it in tandem with your MPC500 (not sure about the 404). I can control two of the MPC's banks at one time with my Korg PK. It's pretty damn powerful. Not to mention the other things the PK adds that the MPC500 cant do natively (mini-kaoss pad for drum rolls and intricate volume control.)

12 pads with the left hand and 16 on the right. All output from one little unit. Insane fun.

tag wrote:

NickB wrote:ah thankyou very much,

And i can still pre-setup sample banks to load samples into designated pads, one bank per song?
Really no loading time?

It works like this:
You have 10 pad banks, every padbank holds 12 patterns.
There is no loading at all. All the samples and patterns are 'always loaded and avaiveble' once you've started the 404. Let's say you make a pattern on a.1. and a.2. . Next time you start the 404 those two will be there.
No loading time. Instant pattern change. 30 Effects.

Go guitarre center and test it. Let the guys explain the machine to you.

I love it, but it takes some time to get used to it (took me 3 days to get used to it, I've been using and mpc since 1998 though).

That does sound really cool!
So i'm assuming i can load one-shot samples into a pad, not just loops, without them getting stretched or looped?