Reviews and questions about the entry-level MPC500
By cunoSvaa Wed Feb 06, 2013 5:25 am
ok so i travel... a lot! for work and to see new spots etc I also do alot hiking and ish like that.

im a classic mp user and have tons of my 2000xl samples on cf cards

and the 500 is appealing to me for the fact that its like a 60 and a 2xl in one (no wave format and the bells and whistles)

so can I

-use my 2000xl samples in the 500?
-use 2000xl sequences?
-whats the latest and greatest OS for the 500
-how long does the battery life last? (any suggested rechargeable batteries to use?)

i mainly want the mpc 500 so i can go mountain top and zone out make a few patterns and all that... always wanted to be able to do somethign simliar witha 2000xl

so help a MPC brother out hit me with some knowledge!
User avatar
By Metatron72 Wed Feb 06, 2013 5:36 am
MPC2000/2000XL SEQ (saved as MID file only), WAV, SND, PGM (Most parameters of PGM file can be loaded.)

http://www.akaipro.com/mpc500

Whatever the last Akai OS was that's it, expect no more updates, ever. Although I've heard they didn't leave that OS as buggy as the 1000 and 5000 when they just stopped while they still needed fixing.

I hear about 4 hours on battery life, even 5 or 6 with the backlight on the LCD off.

I don't have one but a few guys here do, two in particular use it a lot and absolutely love it. So you'll probably get some more info that is hands on from others if you check your thread tomorrow.
User avatar
By Riggs Wed Feb 06, 2013 1:24 pm
cunoSvaa wrote:-use my 2000xl samples in the 500?
-use 2000xl sequences?

I haven't had any direct experience with using samples and programs from a 2000 sorry. I don't know if it matters but the layout might feel different since it's has 12 pads.

cunoSvaa wrote:-whats the latest and greatest OS for the 500

Metatron72 wrote:Whatever the last Akai OS was that's it, expect no more updates, ever. Although I've heard they didn't leave that OS as buggy


It's true. The bugs aren't too bad. The Q-link won't layer switch but the manual says it will. You can't select tracks by entering the number like you can for sequences. Tracks are prepopulated instead of being in an unused state. That's all I can think of at the moment.

cunoSvaa wrote:-how long does the battery life last? (any suggested rechargeable batteries to use?)

Sanyo eneloop batteries
http://www.amazon.com/eneloop-Pre-Charg ... ds=eneloop

I got this and an 8 pack so I have two sets of 6 batteries. Works nice. Been using them since the end of 2011. Still good. Gets me about 4-6 hours per set depending on what I'm doing and if I'm using the backlight.
By cunoSvaa Thu Feb 07, 2013 3:50 am
dope... well i dont hink 12 pads will make a difference at all... gimmie 3 pads ill make it work! lol

i just was curious if i can just grab my old cf cards from the 2gxl and keep it rocking or at least chop and trim some of my drums and get patterns down or what ever...

is 350 good for one that is 128mb memory and pad upgrade?
User avatar
By Metatron72 Thu Feb 07, 2013 6:19 am
cunoSvaa wrote:is 350 good for one that is 128mb memory and pad upgrade?


You see them at $299 used sometimes. The Fat Pads are $40 usually. Like 1000's and 2500's you can get a RAM stick that matches the Akai spec for as little as $5. The overpriced Akai RAM is around $79.

So that's not too bad a price, although sometimes the $299 ones will already have the 128MB RAM upgrade, but a lot are the stock 16MB.
By cunoSvaa Sat Feb 09, 2013 6:29 am
hahaha clint... i dont mean that in that sense!!!

i mean that reminds me of the 60... since it has no wave view or chop edits just digits and jog wheel! hahahaha

and if its no possible to go 500 to 2000xl thats a bummer but still would be dope for travel i think...
By carlo Thu Feb 28, 2013 2:07 pm
the mpc 2000 is a fantastic machine i had one new in 97 but its just too big i know you can do wave form edit but its better to do it on a pc with a 500 i use ReCycle so the mpc 500 is a lot better as its new small and has USB you just cant get the parts any more for the 2000 unless some body has a scap one and is selling bits on ebay i was going to buy this mpc last week http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Akai-MPC2000- ... 1e77b649be but i said to my self no its just too old now and i orderd a new 500 today :mrgreen: