Beating the 4k

Gretts fellow MPC users!

I'm new to the board and have on my hands a dilemma, I’ve been waiting on upgrading the interface to my music for some time now, I currently own an MPC2oooXL which I think is excellent but at the same time limiting as my only sampler. Before I jump on a 4k I looked at the competition, and I just want to make sure the 4k is the way to go since I can use the cash difference to just buy a s?h sampler to go with the XL if the 4k isn’t worth it…

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I’ve looked at the MC-909 which is sort of a flop judging from users feedback, seams like the OS is a sub menu driven version of windows and the unit in whole limiting in may aspect of operation..

What the MC-909 has over the MPC4000

• Realtime bpm/pitch time stretching (imop brings sampling to a higher level)
• Realtime swing/grove adjustments
• Pattern grid (in addission to piano&drum grid)
• RPS, arp & chord memory

Now I do believe the 4k has something similar to the RPS some kind of phrase triggering (can someone explain to me how this works, and how one uses it in a live set?

Also can the 4k edit swing in realtime

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I’ve cheeked out the RS7000 and users are generally very happy with it and too be honest I think its got some marvelous features, the down side being non graphical OS,

What the RS7000 has over the MPC4000

• Master FX (very usable live tool)
• Mute and sene recall mode (again brilliant live)
• Individual looppoints per track
• Realtimer sequence edits/ shifting of notes ect..

The 4k has sort of mute & sene recall feature as each pattern has its own sene/mute setting, but this isn’t recallable at anytime over pattern period like on the RS ... is there anyway the 4k can dublicate thiss function?

Can the 4k edit sustain/shift/move/ notes in realtime?

*What the RS really has going for it is song creation speed which is a direct reflection of its live functionality / playability.

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Then there’s the option of keeping my XL getting a s/h vp9000 and resampling my loops though my MFC42 filter, that way I’ve added analogue filtering realtime bpm/pitch stretching & resampling to my mpc2000xl


And if I’m looking at a Vp9000 I might aswell take a look at software and try to use something like kontackt & a audio interface, but VP’s are cheap nowadays..

To be honest I’m leaning towards the MPC4000 since it has fullblown sampler with a fullblown seq onboard, cd&hd drive, usb and phono ins ..big graphical user interface, with nifty sequencing fuctions like a q-link step seq, graphical veiw of note & cc data, a Z8 sampling engine, easy phase trigger, re-sampling and file managing functions..

all in all better platform, better live performance, easy re-sampling, graphic seq editing .. and use it with software like kontakt via usb.

your wise words are needed, I mean I’m not a gear snob and I’m not rich I could get by on a S900 and a MMT8 if I had too!!, but I don’t! I have the option & I can afford to upgrade..

dunno

cheers!
&thanks for your time

I think you have already decided. Since I dont work for Akai, I wont try to push you too hard to get a 4000. Yes, the 4000 is the unit you want if you love the MPC, but also need a conventional sampler. That was the situation I was in before I got the 4000. I had a MPC2k, but needed a conventional sampler. Also because my library of drum .wav's kept growing and growing in my computer, with no good way to import them from my mac into the MPC. Another thing that I didnt like about the 2K was the limited RAM. Its so nice to finally be able to have my entire drum library of thousands of hits all in Ram at the same time. The main thing you should consider is the 4000's 24bit/96k sampling. An S900 or what ever sound like crap compaired to the Z engine. I think in the end, it comes down to your patience. Basically, all of the functions that other units have that the 4000 does not have are all possible if they are written into the 4k's OS....which is still very much in the development process. We may not see this machine finished for a year and a half or more. Akai are taking their sweet time with this machine. But and Akai programer told me that the 4000 will be king of the hill in Akai's line up for quite a while.

"What the MC-909 has over the MPC4000

• Realtime bpm/pitch time stretching (imop brings sampling to a higher level)
• Realtime swing/grove adjustments
• Pattern grid (in addission to piano&drum grid)
• RPS, arp & chord memory"


I could be completely wrong on this as I am a complete newbie to the 4000 but arent these attributes that you can set in Q-Link with the 4000?

thanks for the reply fellas,

and geez ..I just reilized how mega boerd I must have been the night I wrote thiss.. man what a dreadfully long post .. but yhea i'm going with the 4k !!! I think I can't go wrong, .. but I truly wish it could do realtime quinatizing!? that'ts just such a step forward in hitting the grove !!! a la 909 ... which I still wanna cheek out..

Yes you can add swing and quinatizie in realtime on the mpc-4000. The 909 is a groovebox and if you not are that deep in music creation yes it´s a good machnine, the 909 is doing the music for you and the mpc will not.
I love the mpc series because when you are done whit a song (if you dont use a lot of loops) you know that everything is made with your fingers and head. it´s all from you, swing setting, velocity, drumprogramming, sample sounds, add envelopes, add filters, you know.

/danne