Reviews and questions about the entry-level MPC500
By pitchbeats Fri Aug 17, 2007 8:37 pm
yo.. i copped a 500 a few weeks ago and im still using the memory card that came with the mpc when i got it but they memory is way too small so i got another card for 1 gb from kingston but it will never let me format the card

does anyone else have this problem?
User avatar
By noramoss Sat Aug 18, 2007 9:52 pm
get more memory for your mpc 500.. 128mb memory.. step up your game.. and if you do that.. all you need to buy is the 1 gig smart disc cards from scandisc and they usually got it for cheap at staples..
User avatar
By forneau Tue Feb 26, 2008 7:38 pm
pitchbeats wrote:yo.. i copped a 500 a few weeks ago and im still using the memory card that came with the mpc when i got it but they memory is way too small so i got another card for 1 gb from kingston but it will never let me format the card

does anyone else have this problem?


Yes, just got a new 500 yesterday and having the same problem. I have 128MB ram expansion as well.

Did you ever get this resolved? I'm trying to determine from others' posts if this turned out to be a hardware or software problem.

Thanks-
forneau
User avatar
By forneau Wed Feb 27, 2008 4:49 pm
forneau wrote:
pitchbeats wrote:yo.. i copped a 500 a few weeks ago and im still using the memory card that came with the mpc when i got it but they memory is way too small so i got another card for 1 gb from kingston but it will never let me format the card

does anyone else have this problem?


Yes, just got a new 500 yesterday and having the same problem. I have 128MB ram expansion as well.

Did you ever get this resolved? I'm trying to determine from others' posts if this turned out to be a hardware or software problem.

Thanks-
forneau


I took my new MPC500 (OS v1.13) back to the store with my Mac laptop (17" Intel Core Duo). I brought a handful of CF cards of different sizes and brands.

1) The MPC display unit in the store (OS v1.11) had the same problems:
a) Some cards originally formatted on either a PC or Mac to MS-DOS FAT32 can't be recognized and locked up the machine in Load or Save modes. Removing card unfreezes the MPC500. Cards therefore cannot be formatted and hence, made useable. This included the popular and widely-available SanDisk 1GB Ultra II.

b) Some cards formatted for MS-DOS FAT32 can be used on the box (for either reformatting or saved to) but do not show up on the computer after USB connection. Card must be removed and loaded into a CF card reader for computer access. That works, but is a pain.

2) All cards worked properly in all modes on an MPC1000 display unit (didn't check the OS version.)

3) All cards formatted on the MPC1000, including those that froze the MPC500 such as SanDisk 1GB Ultra II, worked properly in the 500 after being formatted on the 1000.

This would lead me to believe that this is not a hardware problem on the MPC500, but rather an issue with the 500's OS software in recognizing CF cards that have not been formatted on an MPC system.

Akai needs to resolve this issue with a firmware update. Again, the key point here is (3) above: cards worked fine after formatting in the MPC1000. I'm guessing this would be the same for the other MPC models in the range.

For me, I exchanged the 500 (and some extra $$) for the MPC1000, which works flawlessly and seemed to have better quality sound. The headphone volume gets much louder than the 500. Also, FWIW, the larger LCD screen and additional navigation / select buttons makes the whole user experience much better. There are many additional features on the 1000 that are definitely worth the ~$400 price difference, IMO.

I really loved the mobility of the 500, but would only recommend it to someone who already has a 1000 or above as mobile player or something to fiddle with during a plane trip. That is, if you can find a compatible card (or have one formatted on a 1000...)

Hope this helps.

forneau
By redriding Sun Apr 24, 2011 10:26 pm
OK I found a solution to this problem and registered especially to post the steps so I hope it helps someone out. The caveat is that there's a slim chance your CF card will get corrupted, but in my case I only use CF cards for my MPC so it was worth the risk.

The issue: If you format a CF card (I tested 128MB and 4GB cards) on a PC running Windows (Windows 7 in my case) then the MPC 500 can't read it any more and freezes when you go to the load screen (mode + load). I've also tested this on a SanDisk and AData card.

The solution:

1. Format the CF card in your PC with FAT (Formatting as FAT32 WON'T WORK) and 16K allocation unit size
2. Go to the load screen (mode + load)
3. Navigate to the "Frmt - Format CF card" screen
4. Insert the CF card (Do this at your own peril - this *can* corrupt the CF card because the device is on)
5. The Do It button should start flashing red, press it and formatting should proceed.

I have no idea why this is the case. Clearly Windows formatting does something (or doesn't do something) to the card that the MPC 500 is not happy about and the initial Load on the MPC bombs out because of it. Akai really should release an OS update, but life's too short to wait for such pleasures.

HTH.

http://www.chancerrecords.com
By cfogle Wed Aug 18, 2021 9:42 am
This is really old, but I got an old MPC 500 recently and ran into the exact same problem. redring's solution sounded nice but didn't work for me although the guess about Windows formatting put me on the right path.

REMOVE the **** formatting!!! Then formatting on the MPC should work.

Under Windows (PowerShell or CMD, Admin mode):

> diskpart

in the diskpart shell:

DISKPART> list disk
...[pick the number n of CF disk from list]
DISKPART> select disk n
DISKPART> clean all

This should remove any File Allocation Table etc.

=> Eject card, insert into MPC, format, DONE

Picked this up here: https://www.drwindows.de/xf/threads/mic ... en.131347/