yo, please help me decide which to buy

The MPC's are pretty damn expensive over here, and I want to buy it in the store so I had the guarantee and shit, so no eBay for me, and if I order it from a store on the web it's going to cost me a lot anyway, in shipping and customs.

The only store I can buy from here, carries MPC1000 and 500. And the 2500. 2500 looks hot and is probably the best (?) but it's way too expensive for me. So the only real choice is between the 1000 and 500, the price difference between those to is $400. So is the extra 400 worth if for the 1000 over the 500? I mean what's the difference really, except more pads?

yeah... thanks for clearing that up with good arguments.

Get the 500.

The pads are a new design.

Personally I would never get the 1000 for fear of its pads breaking, no matter how good its OS is.

So is the extra 400 worth if for the 1000 over the 500? I mean what's the difference really, except more pads?

the difference is monstrous. the os loaded into the 1000 is incredible, and learning an instrument in itself beyond just being good at playing fingerpads.

HOWEVER as for the pads, i'd agree with sensei if the pad problem wasn't something an average consumer could handle given the right materials. the pads are the only drawback that make the mpc1000 questionable.

the mpc1000 is like some car company releasing an otherwise really nice car - the only drawback is that the steering wheel is made out of licorice in order to save the company money. all you have to do is put in a steering wheel that won't break.

my advice is to get an mpc1000 on ebay or craigslist - one that says broken pads or w/e - and fix em. you could fix em for 20 bucks and save a couple hundred in the long run.

i might have to start refurbishing mpc1000s and selling em...

what's the problem with the pads? do they wear out fast, or just suddenly break/stop working?

and if you warranty don't the store replace them, send it in for you or something?

akai built the mpc1000 pads with a VERY poorly constructed design that wears down after not much use.

the issue is the contact between the pad and the sensor. the conductive surface comes loose of its surface and the pad is "broken..." but broken like an untied shoe, not like a smashed wine glass.

it was a really filthy move on akai's part - they advertise these pads as being equal to the others. too many moving parts, idiotic and cheap design. however, when fixed up, the mpc1000 pads are really great - i play live drums with them in complete confidence. by the time i'm done with the full design of this pad solution i guarantee satisfaction and will provide materials/directions/video example.

the actual concept would have worked if they spent more than 5 minutes figuring it out - i'm currently working on a beta of a design i put in myself based on the original that works sooo much better than the original mpc1000 pads. it's not done yet but it's in comparatively excellent working condition.

and if you warranty don't the store replace them, send it in for you or something?

you can, but they repair it w/ the same shtty structure that the 1000 came with. unfortunately for the machine, the pads have damn near destroyed its credibility - understandably so, i guess, since most consumers don't have the stones to open up their computers and add ram/hard drives, let alone open their mpc to see what they could do to fix the problem.

however, the code in the 1000 makes the machine the most powerful mpc for standalone use outside the 4000

in short, i'm saying that bad initial design or no, the mpc1000 is your best bet unless you need more midi outs or absolutely don't want to deal with basic electronics at all. it's REALLY easy to fix though, that's why i'm saying to get one used because you'll save soooo much money rather than buying a 4000 or 2500.

it'll be different when jj's os is carried out for the 2500, but it seems that the 1000 is the man's priority due to interest and sales. the mpc1000 is the most sold mpc

thanks for your good answer man, i will go for the mpc1000. so it's easy to fix the pads once they "break"? I'm used to building computers and stuff but I'm no electronics expert... modded some consoles though, hope it's not too hard.

also, this jj os i'm hearing about, i understand it's much better, but where do i get it? and is it free or cost money?

and, what kind of cable do i use to connect my mpc to active monitors?

also, can i use this: http://www.korg.com/gear/info.asp?a_pro ... egory_id=8

instead of the pads on the mpc? because i've really gotten used to it and they certainly don't break

it is easy to fix if you have the materials. all in all the materials (velostat, vinyl, tape, etc) would probably cost 30 bucks or so + shipping total to fix the pads, but i'm gonna be offering all the stuff for under 20 bucks including shipping in the US (i'll figure something different out for international) as well as full support. by the time i am ready to set up my shop online, i'll have made it easy enough that a third grader with marginal art class experience could put the pad fix in.

i'm selling this stuff as a small business venture, but i'm not expecting to make a huge profit - the way i see it, it's less expensive for everyone if i offer all the stuff prefabbed in a package rather than people ordering all the stuff online from separate vendors. plus, i've pumped a bit of money into this project tryin different materials, so i'd love to at least break even for my time, research, trial, error, wear, tear, and work.

the jj os does cost money, 30 bucks. you're paying for a lot of power - a similar program for pc would be enormously expensive. not to mention you're paying for future upgrades and new features that have never been seen in an mpc before. check out the dedicated forum for that.

remember that all in all (unless your mpc is maxed before you buy it) you'll be buyin optional ram, a hard drive, mem card, pad solution, and jj os. the ram, hard drive and mem card would be the same w/ the 2500 - it'll probably cost you about 100 for the whole shebang, unless the person you buy it from already put that stuff in. then the pad materials and jj os is another 50 together. add all that with the initial price and you've got a slightly larger figure, but still far below most machines comparable pricewise and above it function wise.

quarter inch cables will connect the mpc to active monitors.

and yeah you can use that padkontrol w/ the mpc1000 as a midi controller, but not as a "mouse"

ie, you could use it to play drums on, but say you wanted to hit mode/pad 01 (slider page) - you'd have to use the mpc pads.