loads of questions from a 2000XL owner

Hello

I'm using a 2000XL and have a few questions about the 4000 :

- i got a fast SCSI hard drive on my MPC2000XL, but it still take ages to load 32 megs of samples (we're in 2004 damnit!). Is loading faster on the 4000 or the same ? A friend has a MPC 1000 and the flash reader/writer seems to be damn fast : i'm jealous. (or maybe he just loaded a very small kit?)

- With the 8 out optional board, how much ASSIGNABLE outputs do we have in total ? Does the main L/R remain for monitoring like on the 2000XL or can they be assigned so we got 10 individual outputs ?
Oh i see there are 2 main L/R outputs : XLR + Jack : 12 individual outputs ?

- i guess the internal IDE hard disk must be a little noisy. can it be turned off ? is there a "sleep mode" function to turn it off when not used since a minute and on when needed ?

- the 2000XL is limited to 16 midi channels per port. does the 4000 support 32 channels ?

- how is the sound compared to the 2000XL ? is the attack of the sample still a bit "smoothed" or is it sharp ?

- the screen is quite big, are the new functions REALLY useful or just here to compete with those "spaceship command board" software sequencers ? One thing i'm scared of is having to push the cursors and buttons millions of time for doing a single operation, which took 3 pushes on a MPC2000XL. Am i wrong ?

- Finally : i would sell my 2000XL (32megs) and Emu E6400 (128 megs) if i'd buy a MPC4000 (512 or 256mb). In my current setup the MPC2000XL is the main sequencer and does all drum parts and small samples, and my E6400 does all the instruments (piano strings rhodes anything).
I would get a MPC4000 for these reasons :
- faster sample loading
- the MPC4000 would be connected via USB to my mac for direct sample uploading / MPC sessions backup
- i would load the instruments i used to load on my E6400 directly on the MPC. (so i would need lots of outputs. i currently have 8 outs for the MPC2000XL and 6 out + 2 fx for my E6400).
- improved sequencer. i love the MPC2000XL's sequencer. i'm as fast as Lucky Luke when it's about sequencing. But sometimes i feel like "this could be improved and save me even more time".
- more program parameters. HP and BP filter is just what i need for a quick EQ. i don't care about the FX.

What do you think ? shall i get the 4000 or stay with my current configuration ?

any advice greatly appreciated !

thanks
matthieu

maximum # of outputs is 10.
loading is pretty fast.
stock hard drive is noisy, you can turn it off.
16 midi channels per port*4 ports.
big screen is nice,menus are easy to use.
sounds great, I never owned a 2000 so I cannot compare.


mpc4000 is best beat machine ever. my only complaint is "I wish it had 20 outputs.

thanks !

more answers appreciated, specially from users who had a MPC2000XL

matthieu

thanks for your answers !

well in fact i do quite a lot of tracks copying. Like i would play 1 bar and then copy it for the next 7 bars (my patterns are usually 8 bar long)

To do this i have to (once i have recorded the first bar) :
- hit EDIT
- move the cursor to the second time value which is "9.01.00"
- hit 2 then press ENTER to set the second time value to 2.01.00
- move the cursor to the start value which is "1.01.00"
- hit 2 then press ENTER to set the start value to "2.01.00"
- move the cursor to the "Copies" value which is 1
- hit 7 then ENTER to set the value to 7
- hit MAIN SCREEN to go back to the main sequencing screen

Some might say "you'd better just record the 8 bars". and what if the 8 bars are some sequenced synth line with some midi CC involved which needs to be the same every bar ?
Some might say "use shorter pattern, 8 bars is too much" but having long pattern is useful when you use Song Mode. At least for me :)

Copying is something i use sometimes quite a lot. Other EDIT functions like DURATION, VELOCITY and co are things that could be set in one click and a keyboard shortcut on a computer (but i hate them).

Are these kind of operation been made easier on the MPC4000 ?

i'm still interested about the loading speed issue :)

(and i agree : it is time a new midi protocol should be invented. something like SuperMidi. come on !)

another question :)

when you connect the MPC via USB to your computer (i have a Mac with OS X) i know you can use the AK.sys software but :
- can you browse the internal hd from the MPC ? does it show up on your desktop ? can you move folders/copy/delete/rename... files ?
- can you browse what's currently inside the MPC's memory ? can you delete / add samples this way ?

that's a lot of question i know but hell you don't spend 2000$ every day ...

thanks
matthieu

yes to all

when you connect the MPC via USB to your computer (i have a Mac with OS X) i know you can use the AK.sys software but :
- can you browse the internal hd from the MPC ?

Yes, when you open up the ak.Sys software, you will seen icon for the MPC 4000 (if
it's connected), and if you expand this icon, it gives you access to "memory" for
dragging and dropping directly to and from memory and computer, and "harddrive"
for access to the contents of the internal harddrive. You can also access the
CD-RW this way (but can't burn via ak.Sys), and I suppose any externally
connected drives (though I've only used the HD and CD that come witih the MPC)

- does it show up on your desktop ?

No, it does NOT show up on your desktop. This would be a nice feature and something
that would allow Akai to provide the functionality that I've requested of them. As you'll
see below, their is no way to copy inbetween folders on the internal harddrive. So
if you are organizing the internal harddrive, you have to copy it to the computer and then
back to the new folder on the MPC's harddrive. When you are organizing quite a bit on the harddrive, this can eat up some time. If they allowed the HD to mount on the
remote system, then instead of writing the code to do this, they could use the native
OS's commands to perform these.


can you move folders/copy/delete/rename... files ?

It allows you t o delete and rename, but I do NOT think it allows you to copy or
move. As ak.Sys doesn't allow you to launch it until the MPC is connected, I can't
verify until I get off of work. The work around to moving and copying is as stated
above, that you have to transfer from the MPC to the computer and then back to the
new location on the MPC.

- can you browse what's currently inside the MPC's memory ? can you delete / add samples this way ?

Yes, you can load samples from any connected drive on the ak.Sys network , as well
from your computer directly into memory , or disk.

- that's a lot of question i know but hell you don't spend 2000$ every day ...

no problem, it's better to know what you are getting in advance then in hindsight. I had an equal number of questions, but luckily the local Guitar Center had a MPC 4000 demo,
so I was able to satisfy a number of them with a few trips to the store. Of course,
ak.Sys wasn't connected, so had to wing it on those.



*** the other questions that you asked just before this on the step by step procedure
for copying, I'll wait until I get home to check it out on mine before answering, as I'm not near the 4000 right now. Maybe somebody else will beat me to the punch.

thanks a lot

ak.sys seems to be a nice addition for managing samples.
yet it sucks that folders management can't be done directly. in fact i would like to be able to rearranger the folders as desired to sort them as best as possible.

on my MPC 2000XL all my samples are messed up and there's no way to sort them well unless you load the programs and save them to another location. that's a lot of time wasted...

i guess i'll have to be careful right from the start.

thanks

3 questions still remaining ! :)

- is there an autosleep mode or you always have to use the turn off function for the HD ?
- how fast is sample loading with an IDE 7200rpm hd ?
- a new one : where to find a MPC 4000 for the cheapest $ ?

matthieu

chakbull wrote:thanks a lot
3 questions still remaining !

- is there an autosleep mode or you always have to use the turn off function for the HD ?
- how fast is sample loading with an IDE 7200rpm hd ?
- a new one : where to find a MPC 4000 for the cheapest $ ?

matthieu

Yes, in the in either 1.50 or 1.60 they added a "No Spin" feature. You go into the
"Load" page and hit F2 (No Spin) and you can hear the harddrive whine down and
everythings going from RAM. This is at least for the internal drive. I haven't used
any externals' so can't verify.

Sample load time is SLOWWWWW , there was a whole thread a whlie ago about the speed.
Somebody had done a test and it came out pretty slow. I know for my 256M to load
up, that it can take 5-10 minutes (can't remember which). Somebody pointed out
that this might be due to the StrongArm processor not the speed of the Drives. Don't
know. I use the time to make a pot of coffee.

As to where to find one for the cheapest. Are you looking new or used. Be careful of used ones on Ebay being sold from London with 0 feedback and wanting only wire transfer or western union :; There's quite a bit of those out. I was lucky enough to pick
one up from somebody local who went from an SP1200 to the MPC 4000 and just
couldn't "get it"... so I had a used one that had maybe had about 2-4 hours of time.

If you want to get one from a reputable source, you can check out vstservice. They
have one for 1895. It's marked "As New".

http://www.emusicsales.com/pricelist.htm

from http://www.vstservice.com/

Thanks

I think i'm on my way to sell my 2000XL and my EMU...

but i need to test the 4000 before to buy it. it's too expensive to be discovered only after the crime is done.

i'm still interested in advices from 2000XL users who upgraded for the 4000.

i love my 2000XL so much it's gonna be a sad day when i'll sell it :(

matthieu

me again replying to myself

if anyone is interested in my ramblings :

i'm finally thinking not to buy a MPC 4000.

the reasons would be :
i don't need that much RAM. just a little more to be more comfortable but i can deal with what i got right now
ak.sys and usb connectivity is cool but i've work it out with my 2000XL zip and i got the MPC Editor for autoprogram making
the 4000 is too damn expensive
i would have to go from 14 outputs to 10 outputs

the 4000 is fresh but overpriced for so little upgrade i think.

i'll get the MPC 5000 if it's out someday :)
faster sample loading and more outputs would do the job

see you
matthieu

Thanks for the update. I can understand your reasonings. I too can't wait until the MPC 5000 comes out, and I"m sure that we'll both be enjoying our MPC's until then.


Remember, the nice thing about having too much RAM is that you don't HAVE to
use all of it

As for overpriced, at least used, I can't agree with that... They generally go for
about $1500 used (you can find them cheaper then this), where I see many
fully expanded 2000XL's going for $1000-$1200.

-----
As for overpriced, at least used, I can't agree with that... They
generally go for about $1500 used (you can find them cheaper then
this), where I see many fully expanded 2000XL's going for $1000-$1200.
-----

Here in france a MPC 4000 with 512 mb is around 2000 euros, often more, which is a quite a difference, while a MPC2000XL is about the same as you said.

For 2000 euros you can get a superfast (used) Mac G5 which would take 10 second to load a 512mb sample library with Kontakt. i hate computers but there's a too huge gap here.

i'll wait for the MPC 5000 with my good old MPC2K !

matthieu :)

chakbull wrote:-----
As for overpriced, at least used, I can't agree with that... They
generally go for about $1500 used (you can find them cheaper then
this), where I see many fully expanded 2000XL's going for $1000-$1200.
-----

Here in france a MPC 4000 with 512 mb is around 2000 euros, often more, which is a quite a difference, while a MPC2000XL is about the same as you said.

For 2000 euros you can get a superfast (used) Mac G5 which would take 10 second to load a 512mb sample library with Kontakt. i hate computers but there's a too huge gap here.

i'll wait for the MPC 5000 with my good old MPC2K !

matthieu

I was a 2XL user and I haven`t looked back. I`ll hear from you about a 5k in about 3 to 5yrs. Take care.