Are MPC 5000 shortcomings serious dealbreakers??

Hello all, First let me say that I read much more than I post- But I have been looking at the bug threads about the 5000, and various opinions about it (mostly negative). I played with with a little bit in the store the other day and I was/am impressed. The most important component of it to ME is the on board synth, it is EXACTLY the piece of gear I have been looking for in an MPC- because I really, really prefer hardware over DAWs and this gives me the 1-2 combo I wanted.

I already have a 2500 and I have ZERO complaints, I am not looking to get rid of it, however If I sell it I would only have to come out of pocket 4-500 dollars to buy a 5000, rather than keep it and just buy a separate one like a fantom, triton, etc and pay 1000 and up.

So my question is, should I just trade 2.5 for a 5000 and wait to see if they actually release an update that silences the rabid critics, or just save up my money and get a stand alone synth?

Is the 5000 that bad? If I do the latter, does anyone have any suggestions on another alternative? Thanks in advance for opinions.

Yo dont let cats in the forum sway you one way or another. I read somewhere (and i agree at times) the 5k forum is like cancer. i copped the 5k and i love it. most cats that complain about it probably dont have one and they get their info from other complainers with other mpcs. there is some validity but I once owned a 2kxl and the 5k is way way better. The price point from 2500 to 5k is a no brainer if you want the extras. I use the adat digital i/o, the dedicated turntable connect, the usb, the synth, love the compressor and effects etc. I dont get all those freezes n such. the OS 2.0 is dope. I also here people smashing on the synth... its a good synth... My dude cant believe that i made some some synth parts in the 5k. get your tweak on. no machine is "thee" wonder machine. and talent makes the difference. but the 5k is a beast period. my opinion. but dont let me sway you either. go to gc or something and set up camp. play with it. watch vids. if you were my dawg i'd say go for it (as I've advised my mans n nem). But proceed with caution. U probably wont use most of the features but hey when you buy a Sports car you dont always drive at top speeds... some never do. but it sure is nice to have the option to do so. i love the machine man.

Also, I sold my mpc 2kxl and went all software with controllers for 2 or 3 years and it was good for me. now with the 5k im like back home with the synth as an added bonus. it works well for me having them both in one box... so easy to tweak the synth params and make new patches.

I would keep the 2500 and get some dope synth. Youll get the best of both worlds. Plus 2500 is being constantly upgraded by the Japanese Jeanious

Joidibeats wrote:I would keep the 2500 and get some dope synth. Youll get the best of both worlds. Plus 2500 is being constantly upgraded by the Japanese Jeanious

Good point... U gotta love the jjos updates. But what type of good synth can you get for the 400 or 500 price diff? worth considering...

I never did get the JJOS but I hear nothing but great things! I could get a good synth but psr reiterates the point about money issues. I watched some videos on youtube of people playing like the one below, and it looks pretty good. For 4-5 MAYBE 600 difference is a separate sampler leaps and bounds better? I mean if so then okay, but for a novice messing with a synth like myself what type of synth could I get for that price point (used or whatever). My main function is the sequencer, and sampler- but the synth is kind of new to me but I def want to get started incorporating it in my music now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-8mOnclzcs

+ 2 for Mpc 5000.

I own:

Mpc 60
Mpc 3000
Mpc 1000 (JJOS
Mpc 5000

The MPC 5000 rules for modern day work flow and the synth is a genius stroke as you can do so many things within the box.

Adat>>>

psr wrote:most cats that complain about it probably dont have one and they get their info from other complainers with other mpcs.

This is the biggest factor to consider when looking at the 5k.

Also while the synth may not be a Dave Smith product, the strength of the synth is how it aligns with the Q-Links to allow for direct access for tweaking.
Akai did a really good job in that regard.

Joidibeats wrote:I would keep the 2500 and get some dope synth. Youll get the best of both worlds. Plus 2500 is being constantly upgraded by the Japanese Jeanious

Unfortunately JJ has become somewhat stagnate in the growth of the JJ OS.
Looking back over the last 6 month makes you wonder how much more you can expect from him.
There was a time he would announce forth coming features and changes but that doesn't happen like it use to.

We knew something would happen when he didn't culminate the OS.
The whole fact that he cut features from OS2 out of OSxl and wouldn't the new OSxl features to OS2 cased users to have to make some choices we didn't want to.

The hope still is that if he does put the OS on the back burner that he gives one last OS that combines OS2 and OSxl into the one consolidated OS it should be.

My only dislike about the whole JJ OS thing is it creates a non-standard PGM that doesn't load correctly on other units.

I have a 2500 and love it, and use synths with it.. If my MPC had a synth inside (5000) i'd be very happy, but things work for me with external gear. Space does become an issue, but if you've got a few sq feet of desktop.... Plus you can keep buying and selling if you enjoy that kinda thing.

anyway, for $4-$600 synths you could get:
JP8080, JP8000. SH201, SH32. Evolver desktop, MoPho, Waldorf Micro Q, Blofeld, FR revolution, maybe an older Nord rack or old virus rack. MicroKorg, MS2000 Kbd or Rack, Novation Nova, supernova (rarer), Novation A station, K station, bassstation. Moog/Realistic MG-1, All sorts of old rack ROMplers. Any Rackmount sampler ever made, a row of modules....
on and on.
and on and on.

~Steve

Yo thanks for the suggestions all- I found one fully loaded for 1400 and I think I will go with it after all. I was leaning that direction anyway, I just wanted to hear if there were serious egregious issues that are unavoidable. I still love the 2500, And I know that if somehow I am making a huge mistake I can always sell it back for another one.

its a coool machine.

Word man. I dont think you'll regret the choice.

Sovereign wrote:the strength of the synth is how it aligns with the Q-Links to allow for direct access for tweaking.
Akai did a really good job in that regard.

I totally agree. I find the layout very easy and intuitive. makes me want to create and tweak patches. I like not having to do midi dumps to recall synth settings / patches etc. its in the box.