MPC4000 bugs current list?

Hey,

I know this has probably been asked a bunch, but I haven't found any real info out on this, well any info that's not nestled in 20+ pages of a sticky filled with comments from 2005...

But I'm curious what are the current bugs on the mpc4k?

I have the ability to purchase one for a good price, off a good individual, So I'm thinking it might be a good idea to. I've used MPCs for a long time and a lot of them, so i'm hoping it'll have the same workflow as other MPCs just with more options added(better sampling features/sequencer options). But the bugs are concerning me. Is it something where the MPC will simply crash out of no where(I've had that happened to me on forat9000s, studio 440s, waldorf equipment, and my mpc500) which is super frustrating. or is it more bugs that just things aren't fixed up?

What is the reliability for live usage? I'd really like to get the unit to play out on one solid device with a solid effects engine, i love the mpc500, but the effects in it are horrible, and the 12 pads make it sometimes difficult for having more pads to mute for tracks.....



Basically how bad are the bugs and what are they effecting?

and is it true my understanding that akai doesnt' provide support anymore for the 4k? so the OS that's out there is the OS out there for good?

Listen well...

ALL MPC's CRASH!!! Some more often than others. I've had 2kXL's that crash daily, and I had a 1k that would never crash. The 4k is IMHO the most solid MPC made. But it too has crashed on me. I have a love/hate relationship with the OS because I wish JJOS could have done on it too but it is...what it is! With the latest OS, the 4k does what it's told, and that good enough for me.

As far as moving it and taking it around, I would not. That bish is heavy and bulky. Buy a really nice case and you should be fine.

my mpc60 nor my mpc3000 never crashd on me.

my mpc1000 did, 2k I dont think ever did or 2kxl, but 1000, 500 did a few times.

I'm really curiosu to figure out the current bugs to see if they'll effect me personally.

I have a feeling most of the people on this forum use MPCs to make hip hop and use an entirely different process than I do. probably not radically differnet, bu different enough to use different features:-)

thats why i ask:D

Well I don't do (much) hip hop on the 4000. I use it for electronic live-pas..electro, techno, acid etc both as a sampler and a sequencer for other synths and drum machines.
I've found the 4000 excellent (came from a 2500 with JJ os -which was also good tbh). The sampler is deep, the sequener and screen excellent and i've found aksys to be pretty cool although lots have troubles. Being able to plug a keyboard in to front is super handy likewise loading samples direct from USB stick..makes stuff soo easy.

Ok, so bugs. Well I haven't had it long and haven't come across any major problems so far. Crashed once on me in 4 months (whilst i was trying to load a file i think) alhough my 2500 used to crashed more regularly although again not a lot. MPC's are pretty solid and if you get into the habit of saving when something sounds good you won't be disappointed. It certainly hasn't come close to crashing during regular play/back so I'm not worried about taking out for a live-set.
On that note, yes it's big..but you know what... For me once I've decided to go down the route of doing an all-hardware live-set..f*ck it. It's not that big..get a good flightcase and you'll be fine. I'd feel much safer with an MPC and a synth then a laptop and a synth..but then I cna never get laptops to be reliable/play nice.

Only bug / annoying thing I've found that affects my flow is: When in track-mute mode midi-cc's (either from Q-link or midi-in port) are not thru'd to the midi-outs. So you have to return to the main window to do it.
Everything else I think knew would be the way it is..have a good read of the manual.
Also, let me know in more detail how you want to use it and I'll try and answer more specifically..
Cheers

Thanks for the response. That's more along the same lines of music I do.

The size thing I do understand, but IMHO when you have a machine that big, with size comes tons of buttons, and great hardware interface. And with how speced out it is, I wouldn't imagine you really need anything else. cept maybe a synth for tweaking.

have you messed around with the internal mixer live? I know this can make several of the MPCs stutter.

I guess one of the ways I am most interested in using it :

Effects proccessing and sampling(using the sampler half as a synth, i'm synthless now so i need to rely on my samplers' filters,a nd it's engine a lot to create taht vibe). And then sequencer mainly sticking in pattern mode a few patterns, and track muting and unmuting.

I am a bit abusive on the sequencer/sampler on voices of polyphony used. I get my mpc500 to crash almost everytime I use it. or at least studder till it needs rebooting. I like to use 5 or 6 or soemtimes 7 or 8 kick drums, 3 or 4 snares, a clap or 2, and maybe 7 or 8 percussive sounds. I know it's a bit overboard, but it can lend itself to nice little live set tricks. actually probably more of each come to think of it. the more tracks I can have the better so for live set more experimental.

I just hope this wont be a problem. I tend to overload one pattern with a lot of active tracks and a good amount of effects abuse. it seems to have a fast cpu so i'm hoping it'll handle this.

Ive only had my mpc60 crash 1nce
my 4000 also once in the last 6 years
My 2000 I know how to crash that one (and the 2000xl), so Unless I did it on purpose they never crashed.

Had the 1000 for bout a week and in that week it crashed 4 times. still got the 1000 layin somewhere

I'm more than sure that 4000 can stand in as an adequate synth replacement..assign all your q-links to the synth parameters and you're good to get tweaking live..you can also set the monitor mode to "multi" and you can tweak the programs live whist it's playing..

Regarding the on-board mixer..I don't tend to delve too deep as I use an outboard mixer (and additional outs on the MPC where possible – limited channels on mixer!! Aargh!) but from playing with it I haven’t noticed any glitches..one annoying thing for me is that although the q-links switch to mixer mode when you are in them only one vertical strip works at a time..you scroll across using the cursors to change which program (or pad [if it’s a drum program] you’re mixing. Why they couldn’t implement it so that you could control 2 programs/pads at the same time is beyond me..seems so logical and then just step in multiples of 2. But..you can’t..you’re stuck with one at a time. There is also no take-over mode so expect some abrupt changes in levels etc if you’re not crafty with how you do it..It’s adequate but personally I wouldn’t want to rely on it live where speed is key…

If you’re thinking of getting the 4000 I would really try and get one with the 8-outs and track to a small pa-mixer..if you plan on only using a 4000 you’ve still got pretty good portability..within reason… and you’d gain so much from having your drums etc separated on an external mixer!

On another note, when you say you have 8 kick drums or whatever, do you mean 8 playing at the same time? Or just that your patterns are chocc’d full of different kick’s and variations etc and you mute in and out of them for building up/taking down drums? If so that’s similar to what I do to build a live set..this allows for good improvisation..Anyway, got any links to your music ?

Let me know if more questions mate..i’ll try and help a fellow live-pa’er!

Thanks for the reply.

On the 8 kicks, different variations mainly. I think it leads to much more depth to the pattern, and like you said a lot of flexibility with live pa.

I have to find the link I have, I dont record much:-) I like to also keep the live set only for that time n place. But the live set I have isnt' what I'm looking to get at, it's a lot more distorted and korg effects kinda based on....

The MPC i'm looking at unfort. doesn't have 8 outs. The reason why i'm interested in the internal mixer is not to have to bring outboard effects, not to have to bring anything else other than one unit. Less things to go wrong. When bringing a few things out I've had a number of failures that really suckeD:-(

I lost my live PA mixer, doesn't work after one set. and during that set I couldnt' sync my acid lab.... something was going wrong and no time to trouble shoot. so had to rely on less n n less. the distortion pedal crapped out. So i was stuck only relying on less and less, stil a good set though.

well it's do-able but the mixer is a bit fiddly for live-tweaking..

I guess you'd be mainly just muting in and out though?

Dig out a link if you can. MPC and acid-lab sounds like my kind of stuff so curious to hear..O
ve got live-set next Friday so I;ll try and record that and bung it up somewhere!

gosh wrote:.one annoying thing for me is that although the q-links switch to mixer mode when you are in them only one vertical strip works at a time..you scroll across using the cursors to change which program (or pad [if it’s a drum program] you’re mixing. Why they couldn’t implement it so that you could control 2 programs/pads at the same time is beyond me..seems so logical and then just step in multiples of 2. But..you can’t..you’re stuck with one at a time. There is also no take-over mode so expect some abrupt changes in levels etc if you’re not crafty with how you do it..It’s adequate but personally I wouldn’t want to rely on it live where speed is key…

you can group parts internally or with Aksys which means you can change Volumes etc on more than one part/pad at a time in mixer section.

If you can get it @ a good price from a solid seller, go for it, you won't regret it. I've had my 4000 for less than 6 months, the work flow is definitely different from other MPCs. I still haven't even used the Q link functions at all. This machine is really deep and the sound is incredible. The FX are decent, not great. The sampler is off the chain. I have a lot to learn if I want to use it to it's full potential. It has yet to crash on me, my previous 2000XL crashed a few times on me, I'm sure that's common...I guess I haven't really dug deep enough to find a bug on the 4000, though I wish they would make a few updates on the OS, there's some things I wish they could implement as far as using the cursor and navigation through menus, screens, etc. to make it a little quicker, but..it's still the best drum machine I've ever had. DO IT!

there hasn't been any update to the MPC4000 OS since about 2005,
so anything listed in that thread (re. OS 1.71) is still valid -
if a bug wasn't fixed by then, then it's still here today!