Exchange tips and tricks for the Akai MPC4000
By Humble Producer Mon Jul 28, 2008 7:47 am
are you likin your mpc 4k? People been telling me it has too many problems? Im thinkin of purchasing it, but i wanna ask an experienced user. And people talk about the "os bugs" or somethin like that, what is that? If you could respond, id appreciate it, thanks..
By dreadnutz Mon Jul 28, 2008 12:49 pm
best mpc ever!!!!

had the whole mpc serie (expect 3k) and it beats all of them...

i cant see these many bugs, so far i work everyday for 3-4 hours without crashes etc.... since 3 months...

the only problem i had was a dead cmos battery when i purchased it (this means crashes every hour)..........
changed it, and now i am happy!
By dreadnutz Tue Jul 29, 2008 12:49 pm
its the normal cmos 4v (4v? i am not sure) battery like these from pc-tower mainboards

http://images.google.at/imgres?imgurl=h ... e%26sa%3DN

u can get it everywhere for a few bucks...

it kills definitive the mpc2,5k!!!!
had it also.

the 2500 is way to overpriced for what it is.
when u really want an other mpc (with the best cost/performance ratio) get the 1k with jjos.
i had it also, sold it cause i didnt like the small pads. bought a mpc2,5k (also with jjos) and sold it after 1 month cause i was very disapointed:
stiff pads, ugly design and everything else was the same as on 1k (but for the double price)

then i bought the 4k nearly for the same price as the 2,5k and now i am happy!

for me the 4k is the best LIVE mpc and the best studio mpc with the most possibilities from the whole serie:
u can tweak everything, go nuts with the fx, q.link sequences, filters etc. etc. etc...
best part for me is that the 4k is a whole z-serie sampler, so u can load whole akai,emu (whatever)disks, plug in a usb-keyboard and jam arround.


and in 24bit!!! (u hear the difference)

so..... its your decision....
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By dabmeister Tue Jul 29, 2008 3:42 pm
If you're heavy into both sampling & playing keys, then yes the 4k would be your best bet.
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By Blue Haze Mon Aug 04, 2008 6:02 am
4k+Logic is the best workflow for me. :wink:
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By Askia Shaheed Mon Aug 04, 2008 8:27 am
You should seriously look at an MPC 2500 w/ JJ OS and Logic. That is everything you need. Or you can look around and get a second hand Z series sampler and use that with the MPC 2500. The Z series sampler is what the MPC 4000 is based upon. You will get the main selling points of the MPC 4000 with a better, more streamlined and well thought out sequencer in the MPC 2500.

Also, if you are seriously interested in the MPC 4000, you should also speak with ex-users or users of similar products so you won't be snowballed into thinking there is only one way to go.....
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By dabmeister Mon Aug 04, 2008 11:00 am
Askia Shaheed wrote:You should seriously look at an MPC 2500 w/ JJ OS and Logic. That is everything you need. Or you can look around and get a second hand Z series sampler and use that with the MPC 2500. The Z series sampler is what the MPC 4000 is based upon. You will get the main selling points of the MPC 4000 with a better, more streamlined and well thought out sequencer in the MPC 2500.

Also, if you are seriously interested in the MPC 4000, you should also speak with ex-users or users of similar products so you won't be snowballed into thinking there is only one way to go.....


Now ain't this a blip...I guess since the 5k hasn't turned out to be the cinderella it was intended to be, it's users are over here in our forum misleading folks. Is it that there's some hate because we don't have those mad issues 5k owners are boggled with?

I agree that if one wants some of the features of the 4k, they can seek this in a second hand Z series sampler, but to say that a 2500 (with it's 96 ppqn sequencer) is a better choice over a 4k (with it's 960 ppqn sequencer) is just untrue. Folks can do better using a DAW & a MPD or something.

And why would someone want to inquire with an ex-user as opposed to a current user about purchasing a 4k. :? The only hype the 5k has at this point is marketing. Is it because there's envy from certain folks to learn that some 5k owners are ditching their machines for a used 4k and not looking back?

I think the snowballing has just arrived to this thread if you ask me.
User avatar
By Blue Haze Mon Aug 04, 2008 1:02 pm
Askia Shaheed wrote:You should seriously look at an MPC 2500 w/ JJ OS and Logic. That is everything you need. Or you can look around and get a second hand Z series sampler and use that with the MPC 2500. The Z series sampler is what the MPC 4000 is based upon. You will get the main selling points of the MPC 4000 with a better, more streamlined and well thought out sequencer in the MPC 2500.

Also, if you are seriously interested in the MPC 4000, you should also speak with ex-users or users of similar products so you won't be snowballed into thinking there is only one way to go.....



Coming from the man that admit never mastering his 4k and selling it within a few months. Should I post up our original the thread again Jah????

Anyways this the starter if you can download the manual, try out a unit if you can and yes dabmeister and others got some great points on the 4k usage and you can even add Lamp Dog as he just purchased a 4k himself recently.


Jah aka Askia is on some different stuff so take it all with a grain of salt. Check out the MPC comparison thread also.
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By Askia Shaheed Mon Aug 04, 2008 9:11 pm
Humble Producer wrote:did that battery come with the mpc? you would say its killin the 2500?


As they have already mentioned...view the MPC comparison threads to see what you get with each model. I mentioned a Z Series sampler because you can get the MPC 4000s biggest selling point dirt cheap and then pick up one of the most heavily supported MPCs to date when you use the JJ OS2. This OS provides numerous features that even the MPC 4000 doesn't have and OS updates are frequent unlike the MPC 4000 which is no longer supported. Since the JJ OS2 is used by both the MPC 1000 and 2500, you have a user-base that is 10x larger than the MPC 4000 to share tips/tricks with.
By glide Tue Aug 05, 2008 12:48 am
Yes the 4k is massive..
I've never noticed any bugs with the latest OS ... never!!
but aperantly there are some in very techy places (dunno when programing sysex.. or some destinations in mod madtrix .. I just dont know, as I never notice them .. and I do allot of seq and in depth sampling with it..

for me, quite frankly it works perfect!

the bug thing is hype ... look at the board.. you see any post with users complaining about OS bugs..

over the 4k the 2.5 has auto chop, patch phraise and better portability.. but the 4k has tons of features over the 2.5 and a way better UI largely thanks to the big LCD

its tight, its reliable, its fast and sounds great... no problems ever!! not even a freeze .. it just works!!
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By MPC USER GUY Tue Aug 05, 2008 1:00 am
Hello!

I personally have had experience technical/non-technical with almost all of the MPC's with the exception of the 2500 & 5000 for over 13 years and I have found that although the MPC 4000 does have it's problems, is a bit daunting at first compared to it's predecessors, and can be frustrating at times, I strongly believe it is the best MPC that was ever made .

Now that it has been discontinued it may be a bit difficult to find the unit or even harder, the replacement parts for it. If you look around and do your homework, you should find it and the replacement parts for it(if you need them).

I hope this helps,
MPC USER GUY 8)
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By Grouphome Tue Aug 05, 2008 1:27 am
I take the 4k over the 2500 anyday
Been rockin the 4k for a couple years now.
Bought the 2500 2 months ago, with jj os.
It was funny, but still went back to my 4k.
Sold the 2500 again.
I still have and use my other mpc's (4K is the main sequencer and most used at the moment).
I even take my 2000 over the 2500 anyday.
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By Askia Shaheed Tue Aug 05, 2008 9:17 pm
glide wrote:Yes the 4k is massive..
I've never noticed any bugs with the latest OS ... never!!
but aperantly there are some in very techy places (dunno when programing sysex.. or some destinations in mod madtrix .. I just dont know, as I never notice them .. and I do allot of seq and in depth sampling with it..

for me, quite frankly it works perfect!

the bug thing is hype ... look at the board.. you see any post with users complaining about OS bugs..

over the 4k the 2.5 has auto chop, patch phraise and better portability.. but the 4k has tons of features over the 2.5 and a way better UI largely thanks to the big LCD

its tight, its reliable, its fast and sounds great... no problems ever!! not even a freeze .. it just works!!


The MPC 2500 have more advantages that what you mentioned. The MPC 2500 has audio tracks, real-time pitch change (without impacting tempo), direct to track recording, and non-destructive chopping among other things. The "tons" of features the 4K has that the MPC 2500 doesn't can be added to the MPC 2500 by getting a cheap Z series samplers as I mentioned earlier. Since the MPC 2500 also have numerous Q-link sliders and knobs that send CC changes, it functions nicely with the Z series or any other hardware sampler. You may also want to take a look at the MV-8000 or 8800 which you can easily pickup for $800-$1200 if you are looking for an all-in-one workstation. Although they are not my personal favorite, they do offer numerous features that the MPC 4000 doesn't have while boasting a very powerful sampler and decent user interface.
By FRESHFOR'88 Tue Aug 05, 2008 9:39 pm
Askia Shaheed wrote:
glide wrote:Yes the 4k is massive..
I've never noticed any bugs with the latest OS ... never!!
but aperantly there are some in very techy places (dunno when programing sysex.. or some destinations in mod madtrix .. I just dont know, as I never notice them .. and I do allot of seq and in depth sampling with it..

for me, quite frankly it works perfect!

the bug thing is hype ... look at the board.. you see any post with users complaining about OS bugs..

over the 4k the 2.5 has auto chop, patch phraise and better portability.. but the 4k has tons of features over the 2.5 and a way better UI largely thanks to the big LCD

its tight, its reliable, its fast and sounds great... no problems ever!! not even a freeze .. it just works!!


The MPC 2500 have more advantages that what you mentioned. The MPC 2500 has audio tracks, real-time pitch change (without impacting tempo), direct to track recording, and non-destructive chopping among other things. The "tons" of features the 4K has that the MPC 2500 doesn't can be added to the MPC 2500 by getting a cheap Z series samplers as I mentioned earlier. Since the MPC 2500 also have numerous Q-link sliders and knobs that send CC changes, it functions nicely with the Z series or any other hardware sampler. You may also want to take a look at the MV-8000 or 8800 which you can easily pickup for $800-$1200 if you are looking for an all-in-one workstation. Although they are not my personal favorite, they do offer numerous features that the MPC 4000 doesn't have while boasting a very powerful sampler and decent user interface.



Jahrome, do you ever have time to work on music and test for bugs considering your on the net 24/7?