Buying an MPC 4000 in 2024

Have an opportunity to get a Blue MPC 4k. Clearly sold on its features - it has the 8 out expander but otherwise the hard disk / everything else is still stock.

However, my concerns are around getting a vintage piece of gear like the 4k.

How prone are they for going wrong? Happy to mod it with the help of a local synth repair shop in due course but am scared about it 100% dying.

Yes, the buttons are definitely limited in lifespan (due to material).
You can clearly tell just by visual inspection which ones were used most... and are about to break. Not a tragedy, though, because even broken they usually are still operational.
(and there are replacements)

Similar is the pad sensor sheet glued to the bottom frame. It will wear out.
I didn‘t check sensor response when I got my 4K (didn‘t know about that screen), the machine looked nice and not heavily used... but the sensors were almost deaf.
Replacement of the sensor sheet isn‘t too difficult, but you have to disassemble the top half of the machine and placement of the sheet needs care.
Any remaining glue of the old sheet must be removed, and the new one sticks like hell, no adjustment possible after placement.

The display ribbon can also wear out, if the machine has been opened frequently.
Mine obviously was exactly that... and by fiddling with the ribbon I managed to fry a part of the display circuit. Learning by destroying
The ribbon is either expensive or difficult to find... so in case there‘s damage it‘s worth „restoring“. That‘s not an official procedure, but manageable. Some patience applies.
Essentially you snip off the worn section and then (very carefully) remove the isolating film on top of the dark lines. These lines are conductive ink and easily wipe off.

Hidden gems: on my board a transistor was fried (and „repaired“ in a bizarre way), but still works. The respective smd transistor is a rare part with internal bias resistor.
(the transistor is related to the display)
I peeked this only when I disassembled the whole machine to find the cause for non-working digital connections.
Nothing suspicious found - but digital connections came back to life. Dunno if this was by replugging all connections or the use of AkaiSys

There was 1 happy accident though: the 4K was sold with 256MB of Ram, but actually contained 512MB. Reseating the Ram did the trick.

In a more general context: I bought the MPC4K as a later starter 2 years ago.
Fortunately there is a service manual online... and I‘m able to read circuit diagrams.
(but I‘m far from understanding all the design details, it‘s a really sophisticated device)

A 20 year old device is a risk by nature and I cannot afford external professional service.
(which wouldn‘t be economical anyway)
So I added a cheapo desolder station, one of those (20bucks) parts testers and an oscilloscope to the existing air/iron soldering station and multimeter to cover most possible „cases“.
Not just for the MPC, but also for Pro Tools and Creamware DSP cards of similar age.

If you have to mess with tact switches, capacitors or connectors, the $100 investment in the desolder unit is well worth the price. These devices are simply a (regulated) soldering iron (gun form) with a hollow tip connected to a pump that (constantly) sucks solder from the circuit board while you pull the trigger. Can‘t be easier.
(these units aren‘t for professional use, but work surprisingly well in amateur domain)
An oscilloscope may be needed for more complex error searches, but not for usual maintenance.

A particular „feature“ of the MPC4K is that you may find yourself working in front of the half-opened machine, powered on.
There is a serious risk that your right hand is in contact with the metal frame, while your left elbow slowly approaches the power supply‘s aluminium cooler.
That cooler isn‘t ground, but carries >1000V of electricity that will hit in the worst possible way (your heart in the middle of the path). That shock can be fatal.

Regarding spares: the Akai Z4/8 samplers use the exact same main circuit board and (afaik) extesions. Both samplers are identical, except that the Z8 has a detachable control panel and for that reason is more expensive.

Consider well, if you want to learn (at least) some electronics... then the MPC4K a fascinating machine.

You guys seriously know your stuff!

Basically MPC4k seems to be in good nick, will test it next week just to be sure. There are few synth/sampler repair places in Melbourne, so they are a backup option if this was too daunting to any of the stuff you mention.

Ultimately this either the best idea I've ever had or the worst, definitely not anything in the middle

MPC4k has massive appeal for me. I make house and the mod matrix and super accurate midi timings basically solve a bunch of problems with a hardware setup. I also have a S2400 which I will pair to get 16 outs going into my DAW. Going to get a 16 input audio interface in next week or so.

robleighton22 wrote: I also have a S2400…...

I can vouch for the 4k reliability not sure about the later blue models,I have heard they were inferior component models but that could be just some people that owned them being unlucky if they failed.

Ive had mine (white model)since 2002 from new,used pretty much everyday since then I’ve gigged with it over that time other than having to replace the RAM that had gone bad and a few dead hard drives it’s been reliable in over 20+ years,I now only use Thumb drives for storage anyway,my unit is still rock solid and turns on everyday without any probs,buttons and sliders/rotarys/pads all work fine,it does look a little tired on cosmetics on the side and back panel,and my screen has a few faint lines on now and then but seem to go after the unit has been left(warmed up) on for a while I will get round to replacing the screen eventually as the backlight is a little dimmer but other than that it’s still going strong,even though I have bought a newer MPC one retro I still use the 4k religiously as I prefer its workflow more than the newer generation

that's great.

well did my trade up yesterday. its an absolute beast in size - but seems in great nick. The only issues im seeing are slightly unresponsive down button on the direction pad thing and the faders are a little stiff.

Workflow seems great - think ive got some of the basics locked down, took a bit to understand zones / multis etc.

Really enjoying how nice it feels to actual write tracks on this - which is what i bought for. I was considering an MPC X - and have own the MPC 1000, 2500, Live and One in the past, so i know the drill. If i didn't already own the S2400 the MPC X would have been an obvious choice, but i actually want a machine that's a bit more stripped down and focused on sequencing on rock-solid timing. MPC 4000 seems so nice to use. The only drawback im seeing for me is that the recording monitor in / direct monitoring only works in the 'Record' section.

to be fair it works ok just needs a hard press. prob will get hard drive, fan, ram replaced and machine cleaned up by a tech in due course.

just plugged a qwerty keyboard in and that works great!

Cool
In my case direct monitoring (while not in record mode) works... all io and monitors are controlled via Pro Tools TDM, with the MPC4k connected by adat lines.
TDM acts as a patchbay and fx processor, but may also track or provide samples on the fly.
A Mutec MC7 (crucial) takes care of a proper clock signal.
I really like this „outdated“ crap

I got my arturia audiofuse 16rig last week, now just waiting cables. But yeah that does direct monitoring so no issue any more. Also cue mix allows me to route my instruments to my s2400 for sampling. Looking forward to having 6 outs of S2400, potentially 8 outs from the 4k and some spare for my Korg Prologue, Behringer Cat and Edge. All of which can be recorded directly to the DaW.

MPC 4k is actually working out great so far - think I've cracked most of the features. Really easy to setup cc automation to my Prologue. The unit just feels so professional to work with. Love it!

robleighton22 wrote:Basically MPC4k seems to be in good nick, will test it next week just to be sure. There are few synth/sampler repair places in Melbourne

https://www.davidauroraaudio.com/ David is excellent for repairs of all electrical and very reasonable prices. If you need any work done.
Mpc4000 and MPC one owner here.

Amazing will reach out! It's actually in pretty good nick but I've ordered some Deoxit as the cursor buttons occasionally get stiff.

Want to get rid of the hard disk, add a fan, add an sdd or compact flash, maybe ran. So would love a tech to help do it properly and clean the unit up.