akai mpc 4000, z8, multisamles and 96khz quality..

i have never used an akai (non-mpc) sampler, but ive messed around with an mpc 4000 a few times, and i might have to use it in the future so i want to learn some things..

right now i use a 2500 and a minikorg for pads. i dont go too deep into the synth editing, just edit to taste adsr filters delays and simple lfos on the existing sounds. nothing you couldnt do with a sampler.

MY QUESTION IS. i heard that mpc 4000 has the same sampler as z8. hardware samplers were also used to play pianos, keyboards and stuff exept for standard hip-hop looping and chopping, right? so, is it possible to find quality 96khz multisampled patches, load them into the 4000, and then play them from a keyboard?

im talking about proffessional patches made for this purpose, not free internet packs with a $h|tty piano sample or a horn that you put to 16 levels. with realistic pianos and synth sounds and strings and stuff. they must exist, dont they? i just havent understood where to find them. i mean, internet is full on "rompler" type vsts, some of them really dope (like the east west symphonic orchestra), but i ve never found similar libraries for hardware samplers. but im sure they do exist, a that powerful hardware sampler, but with no sounds you can put into it, makes no sense to me.

again, i dont ask where to find drum loops and how to make standard hip hop stuff. lets say i want to hook a keyboard and use the mpc 4000 as a yamaha mm6, but i must somewhere find dope sounds. is that possible?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmxsxFoA ... ature=plcp

the only video i found that was interesting, but things like this you can already do on 2500 jjos.

and i didnt hear crossfade looping, doesnt the 4000 provide this feature? really annoying.

I have a Roland s760 with digital in/out and am thinking about using it to transfer the library they made for the s700 series.
Checkout this link:

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/electronic-music-instruments-electronic-music-production/394634-any-suggestions-roland-s700-cdroms.html

I thought my new 4k was going to have the "D" card in it, but I got to find one and then the Roland Library. You can pickup a s760 cheap. Make sure it has the optional card in it. I got mine for $125 maxed out with manuals. Hard to find the library disks though.

The 4k can read the format, but like the link says it sounds much better ran through the Roland first.

The Roland Libraries sound great. Rumor has it the Roland S series samplers had sweet ad/da, that imparts character, you would lose this going thought spdif.

Yes the 4000 does everything the Z8 does. When you run AkSys it actually has a toggle for whether you're on a 4000 or a Z8 they are so similar. There are multisampled libraries and patches for the 4000 but you don't see that many. I suppose it's because the 4000 was released in 2002 and never really gained the traction Akai had hoped.

I use Extreme Sample convertor to get multisampled patches into my 4000. It doesn't always get it right though. Usually though it's just a sample or two on a velocity layer so you don't notice. The problem is I have to export the translated patches as AKP files and those are 16/44. So I get the better playable instrument but not the original sample resolution. Anything at any resolution you put in the 4000 sounds good. A lot of my conversions were E-MU module patches and they sound great at their original 16/44. They 4000's filter is also quite nice and great fun on those older sounds.

But yes you can totally use the 4000 closer to a workstation as you described it's just tough to find a lot of pre made multis. With all the machines features you can create your own multis but obviously that's very time consuming. But again to your general question, yes the 4000 is one of the most fully featured samplers ever made.

I'm going to look around and see if anyone is still selling multisample patches for the 4000 and let you know if I find anything.

I own the akai z4 and the MPC4000.

The Z4 and z8 have very few differences. The z8 comes with the additions(digital i/o and analog outs) you have to buy them for the z4 also the z8 has 8 assignable knobs and the z4 has 4.
As you well know the mpc4000 has 6 assignable knobs and sliders. Both the Z's and the mpc 4000 have the ability to do both drum and keygroups.
The mpc4000 does not have the ability to auto sample like the Z4/8. Though there is a work around of sorts that requires you to press stop a few times. Auto sampling is the ability to record samples from a sample cd or any source for that matter and divide the samples up according to the breaks in sound. For example on a cd where music starts at 0000 and ends at 0100 then there is a 4 second moment of silence before music starts at 01004, the Z's will automatically know to stop recording during the breaks and start again once sound starts up again. Each sample will be assigned to its own key in a keygroup or drum kit key.
The yamaha a4000/5000 can do this as well.
Why is this great? Because both Z's and the MPC have thumb drive ports. So it is very easy to transfer samples from one unit to the next. Thus you can play a record and use the fader to make the Z4 stop sampling and then raise it again to start. or you can play drum hits and have it easily put them in an arrangement. Or sample a piano with a microphone key by key very quickly.
Both the MPC4000 and the Z's have cross fade looping. It is a great thing.
You can easily turn a MPC 4000 or a Z into a multitimbral instrument which is why they are great. I got my Z4 for $250 and my MPC 4000 for $500. The Yamaha units have better effects(I mean they rock!) however they do not have an easily accessible undo feature which is very annoying, the buttons go bad and the OS is not as easy as the Akai. However the yamaha is cheap I own two A4000's got one for $75(with sample CDs).
As far as I know there aren't that many 24bit 96 khz sample cds of complete instruments. However there are many sample cds that are simply wonderful. Don't get caught up in the 24bit 96 khz business. you will find these akai units sound great.
cheers,
Ian

The Z-series sampler engines are the same as the MPC4000 sampler engine!

Back in 2002, Akai released a "splendid piano" sample set which was 256MB in size (or was it 512MB?) and thus pretty much filled the whole MPC4000 (I couldn't even load it until I bought a RAM expansion). It sounded OK...

Hollowsun also did a good Yamaha CP70 sample set that took advantage of the MPC4000's Note Off feature.