Newsflash! - Mpc 4000 is bunk!

Man, I had a chance to sit down and try a 4000 side by side with a 2000xk, man, the 4000 is WHACK!
besides having problems as simple as button navigation (they didnt catch these bugs?!?) the sound it puts out is mad thin compared to the 2kxl, I loaded up the same samples onto the two and then played with them, they sound WAAAAAAAYYYY different and the 4000 sounded mad thin compared to the 2000. I'd like to actually save a project and then look at the waveforms of each, but just from listening it is whack, why spend 3 grand on a machine that cant do what an mpc 2000 and a pc can do? why spend 3 grand for a machine that doeznt add many (if any) truly useful features. How useful is cd burning internally if u got one on ur PC?
how many of us need (nay want) an internal HD, as opposed to the portable zip drive storage?[/color]

So many haters......

With way too much time..... :p

EdwardSakamura, YOU are wack![/color]

oh boo hoo, lets argue about how someone is whack cuz they dont like a piece of gear.
U ever tried the two pieces side by side out of the same amp and the same speakers with the same sounds? I doubt it.
if u did you would be able to easily hear the difference.
and technical stats do not a dope piece of gear make. so what if it has 5 times the ram of a 2000 or if it has "more features" (1/3 of which dont work at all with the os or dont work like they should) or if the new features are "fluff" like the extra stuff numark and gemini and vestax put on their turntables that are needless and cannot be useful in any practical sense.
the mpc 4000 is, like I said, just another way for akai to grab your money. if its so dope why dont all the pro-producers with an unlimited budget jump on it? why do they all use the mpc 3000/2000/60 family? because they are dope, and they work. by dope I mean that they serve to inspire creativitiy in music, not stifle it. when they work the bugs out and finish the mpc 4000 os maybe it will be as good, but not now, no WAY.

besides, all the 4000 does is add extraneous stuff that u can do at the mixdown, which 99% of people will do in a pc or a virtual porta studio of some sort, eliminating the benefit of the mpc 4000's stuff here. plus, if u wanna use midi, well then u gotta mix down somewhere else, why mix down the mpc' stuff to mix it down again?
plus lets look at the xtra $$$ u gotta spend to get the mpc 4000 up to par with the options.
no contest
I dont hate the 4000 I wish it was worth it then Id buy one, but the cost is not even close to what its worth, like i said, akai is just fooling people with marketing and a cool looking device, lotsa ram and we're supposed to go cop it. they made the device shoddily, I guarantee anyone who bangs on it like its an mpc 2000/3000/60 will be seinding it off for repairs soon. plus if u know anything about pc parts, open the 4000 up and look at its guts and tell me then if its sooooo much more advanced then a 2000xl.
and of course, the sound is thin, waaaaayyy thin, the kicks sound like someone hitting a cardboard box with a stick.
who wants an mpc that does drums badly?
man, what a joke. I dont care what the specs say on it, the specs say many numark mixers have better sound quality then a vestax and a rane, everyone knows its a lie.
dont be mad at me because u copped a mpc 4000 and now realize u got ripped off.
just like the mpc 3000 sounds diffenet then a 60 or a 2000 the 4000 sounds diffenrent too, just not in a good way, in that "reason/VSt sounding, cheapo sounds way"
so no, I dont hate akai, I have a 2000 and some of their other stuff and i love it, but I wish they hadnt gone the way of Boss (roland) and numark/ gemini and made shoddy gear that look great on paper but when u use it its whack. thats the truth and any review that says otherwise is either
#1 lying
#2 cant tell the difference between sounds well enough
#3 has never heard what an MPC is supposed to sound like
#4 is amazed by the mass of features (oh, a transform switch on my dj mixer, wow thats cool!)
or
#5 is too dumb to know when a company is selling a product, not cuz its good but based on the rep of the other products in the same line (IE the Vesatx samurai mixers, what a joke)[/color]

Hey man I'm not intrested in having an internet argument with you....but, I do have a MPC2000 AND a MPC4000.  I am using the ADAT lightpipe out of the 4000 into a digital mixer.  I also have the 2000 spdif outs going to the same mixer.  Guess what, they sound the same to me.  Keep in mind I'm using the 2000 not the xl.  Also, you got to realize that some of us are trying to stay on the brink of the latest technology.  I have  an analogy for example....  I have had a dual processor Mac for 2 years, yet Pro Tools (my main audio hard/software) is not yet compatible with OSX.  In other words, my second processor is sitting idle.  Pro Tools is set to release an OSX version early next year.  So should I have bought a single processor MAC?  #### no.  In a couple months I will be laughing at everyone with Pro Tools who bought a single processor MAC-they will all be wanting to trade them in.  I have the same feeling about the 4000.  Yes there are OS issues, but they will be worked out.  So I ask; Should everyone who wants an MPC forget about the 4000 because the OS is buggy?  NO!!!  Just be patient.  

Anyway,  going to Guitar Center and trying out both machines is not the same thing as hearing both in a studio at the same time.  Also, the Guitar Center probably didnt bother to load the current OS into the floor model.  It has taken me weeks to figure out all the cool new features on the 4000.  A few hours at the Guitar Center wont reveal much to anyone about how dope this machine really is.    

If you must know, the reason I got a 4000 after owning a 2000 for 4 years is because:

1.  32mb of Ram was way too limiting for my work.
2.  I lost way too much work due to lack of an internal HD and having to spend hours naming $hit (4000 can hook with a usb keyboard)
3.  I didnt have a rackmount sampler for keys
4.  I have thousands of drum hits on my computer that I couldnt load to the 2000 because it wont load wav. files-Wack (at least not from a MAC)
5.  4 pad banks was a little limiting.
6.  The small screen on the 2000 sucks
7.  I dont like soft samplers.  

I promise that if you spent a few hour in my studio with the 4000 and me, you would change your mind.  The OS has a way to go (yes, they released it too soon) but this machine is still dope.  And will only get doper.

EdK, sorry about the 'wack' comment.  No one wants to hear that there $3k machine sucks-especially when is doesnt. Peace :;):[/color]

Starting this thread was a omplete waste of time and has no point.  This forum is for tips, not for people whining cuz they don't have better gear and think you have to do things the old way.  That is stupid because you are making the same argument that people who own the 3000 or gonna rip on the 2000 for.  Or same with the 60.  Or the exact same thing people without MPCs are going to say.  They are going to say that a 2000xl is WAY overpriced for a sequencer and a old sampler.  IT IS OVERPRICED, just like most Akai gear.  But people buy it because it is worth it to them for whatever reasons they feel.  And he's right, you do have too much time.  You prob spent 10 mins bitching about something you don't have and know as well as someone who does have it.[/color]

earthmorphosis wrote:Hey man I'm not intrested in having an internet argument with you....but, I do have a MPC2000 AND a MPC4000.  I am using the ADAT lightpipe out of the 4000 into a digital mixer.  I also have the 2000 spdif outs going to the same mixer.  Guess what, they sound the same to me.  Keep in mind I'm using the 2000 not the xl.  Also, you got to realize that some of us are trying to stay on the brink of the latest technology.  I have  an analogy for example....  I have had a dual processor Mac for 2 years, yet Pro Tools (my main audio hard/software) is not yet compatible with OSX.  In other words, my second processor is sitting idle.  Pro Tools is set to release an OSX version early next year.  So should I have bought a single processor MAC?  #### no.  In a couple months I will be laughing at everyone with Pro Tools who bought a single processor MAC-they will all be wanting to trade them in.  I have the same feelicolor=#ffffffcolor=#ffffffcolor=#ffffffcolor=#ffffffng about the 4000.  Yes there are OS issues, but they will be worked out.  So I ask; Should everyone who wants an MPC forget about the 4000 because the OS is buggy?  NO!!!  Just be patient.  

Anyway,  going to Guitar Center and trying out both machines is not the same thing as hearing both in a studio at the same time.  Also, the Guitar Center probably didnt bother to load the current OS into the floor model.  It has taken me weeks to figure out all the cool new features on the 4000.  A few hours at the Guitar Center wont reveal much to anyone about how dope this machine really is.    

If you must know, the reason I got a 4000 after owning a 2000 for 4 years is because:

1.  32mb of Ram was way too limiting for my work.
2.  I lost way too much work due to lack of an internal HD and having to spend hours naming $hit (4000 can hook with a usb keyboard)
3.  I didnt have a rackmount sampler for keys
4.  I have thousands of drum hits on my computer that I couldnt load to the 2000 because it wont load wav. files-Wack (at least not from a MAC)
5.  4 pad banks was a little limiting.
6.  The small screen on the 2000 sucks
7.  I dont like soft samplers.  

I promise that if you spent a few hour in my studio with the 4000 and me, you would change your mind.  The OS has a way to go (yes, they released it too soon) but this machine is still dope.  And will only get doper.

EdK, sorry about the 'wack' comment.  No one wants to hear that there $3k machine sucks-especially when is doesnt. Peace :;):[/color]

I hear you, but the difference in your example is that the mac dual/single argument you would buy the dual processor for the speed it can provide, more tracks, better realtime effects, all these are dramatically improved by adding processor power, and when pro tools supports it yours will go up by leaps and bounds. I dont see the changes from the 2000xl/3000/60II series to the 4000 as being major upgrades, IE the improvement in functionality you see with a dual vs/ single processor is more significant and useful in a studio then the improvements from the 2000/3000/60 series to the 4000 series. CD burning? who needs it. the automation is nice, but u can do all that in protools.

and mc smooth, you are a fool and know nothing. I was gonna cop a 4000 until I got onto it and realized that the upgraded stuff wasnt an upgrade, they removed some of the 2000xl's features, which were good and added many which are weak. plain and simple. if I wanted one, I'd have one. the only legit beef is the 4 programs at once limit on the 2000xl, but with multitracking, it can be easily overcome. I cannot justify spending the cost of 2, fully decked 2000xl's for one mpc 4000. I think the flexibility and sound of the pair of 2000xl's beats out the 4000. the guitar center did have the latest os, I asked and the dude said they had loaded it the day before trying to FIX THE MACHINE. it also is a big flop, why does a person with a computer and pro tools need a sampler that big, with all that ram? what are you trying to sample the entire JFK berlin speech?

McSmooth wrote:Starting this thread was a omplete waste of time and has no point.  This forum is for tips, not for people whining cuz they don't have better gear and think you have to do things the old way.  That is stupid because you are making the same argument that people who own the 3000 or gonna rip on the 2000 for.  Or same with the 60.  Or the exact same thing people without MPCs are going to say.  They are going to say that a 2000xl is WAY overpriced for a sequencer and a old sampler.  IT IS OVERPRICED, just like most Akai gear.  But people buy it because it is worth it to them for whatever reasons they feel.  And he's right, you do have too much time.  You prob spent 10 mins bitching about something you don't have and know as well as someone who does have it.[/color]

the 3000 is MUCH more simmilar to the 2000 then either of them (the 3000 or 2000, or the 60) is to the 4000. The 4000 changed the basic internal structure of the mpc series, going from pre-fp processing from the late 80's/early 90's to "modern" (not really, but I'll give akai "modern") technology inside.
I have spent more then enough time on it and have read enough of the manual, the 4000 isnt sooooo differnet then the 2000 series that they decided to have a completly new interface.  the 4000 sounds like crap, anyone who says otherwise, I just dont believe you and I challenge anyone to go and load up the same sound into the pair and put 'em out, they sound different. If you cant hear it, then you need to go back to making drum and bass music or house where the bass matters more then anything, cuz they sound different. I would say listen to closed hats, and the very low kick of a long tr-808 and u will be able to tell the difference. its the same as how a 3000 and a 60 sound differnet then a 2000 and that is true, cuz I've heard it. I dont like the way the 4000 sounds, plain and simple, and that is a technical questions, do peeps think the 4000 sounds thin or do they think it sounds good, punch like the rest of the mpc family.[/color]

Hey I respect your opinion, but why not try saying that you dont like the way the 4000 sounds instead of saying the 4000 is BUNK.  That is just your opinion.  You cant deny the 4000 is superior to any other MPC in every way other than the buggy OS (which will be upgraded) and your opinion of the 'sound'.  The first thing I ever learned about sound is that there is no 'Good' sound or 'Bad' sound, there is just preference.  This portion of MPCTutor is supposed to be for 4000 users that can help each other out.  You have a right to express your opinion, but you are not helping any of us 4000 users.[/color]

Read the manual again, there is a lot differfent about it.  First off - full featured top of the line sampler.  The 2000xl's sampler doesnt even compare with an S2000.  Then compare the price of an S200 with a Z4 or Z8.  That's most of the price right there.  Most serious producers do not rely on the mpc2000/3000/60 for all their sampling.  So a lot of people woould get the 4000 just for the fact that it has that included.  Plus if you look at all of the new features for putting your sequencing together and editing, you'll see that you could cut your production times down.

I agree about the CDR.  Personally I would never use the CDR, so I would never get one with a drive installed.  But a hard drive is neccessary for a full featured sampler like that.  You can load up a pianno map that takes up 128meg alone.  A hard drive is Way faster then a zip drive when it comes to loading and writing.  And you can put in a zip drive for loading sounds.

But like mentioned, its a personal preference.  Just like how you wanted the MPC and some people wanted a piece of crap Roland groovebox.  People have their own reasons.[/color]

"decided to have a completly new interface"

Not really.  The interface comes from the Akai DPS series.  The architecture of the machine is "borrowed" from the DPS16/24 (24/96, etc).  There really is little difference between a sampler and a hard disk recorder.  The primary difference is where the data streams from/to (memory vs. drive).

I am pretty confident that the MPC4000 will be a great product.  Akai Pro has a nearly perfect success rate with each machine they release.  Just about every thing they make eventually turns to gold (unlike some other manufacturers).

Many people heare things different when they look for something.  The only way to truly test the sound of the machine is to have someone else play them while your back is turned.  I do this all the time.  I've had the MPC3000, MPC2000(XL) and the MPC4000 paly the same samples and no one could ever correctly guess which machine was playing (they weren't looking).

To state that there is a difference when you are looking at the machines and knowing which machine is playing is really doing yourself (and us) a dis-service.  It's called self-induced bias.[/color]

freq wrote:I mix records for some of the biggest names in the business, and almost every major producer in rap and r&b raves about the 4000 (once they figure it out).  I have two friends, who happen to be Grammy winning producers, that think that the 4000 is the greatest thing ever for beat-makers.[/color]

What the #### are you doing here then?[/color]

He's sharing his experience...  Dont think that everyone who adds to this forum is a loser with no real projects hapnin'.  We are all contributing to the production of NEW, hapnin's.  You may not be pimpin it yet, but you can! This forum is here to help you get to where you can want, if we help eachother out.


MAKE YOUR BEATS![/color]

i respect what both of you are saying but, its all about what you can do with what you have. if in the past older mpc's gave you limits and you feel the new one with help you out....get the 4000. its your money, spend it how you want to....i never buy anything else new untill i just push what i have to the point i need more of something and if its out there then its time to get it. so get what works for you.....
oh yea freq...i respect you dog...right now i got deal not for what i did on a mpc but something else but now im working with a mpc and need to catch up fast...sometimes people just because you roll with a high profile crew or are around people you cant just still be  a reg cat. man theres people i see in the studio thats on right now that shouldnt be but luck work out for them...this web page is great for all new old pro or am.[/color]