MPC5000 reviews, bug reports and fellow user support on the most recent standalone, hardware MPC from Akai
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By Jauly Thu Nov 29, 2012 1:18 am
Hi mpc 5000 users,

it's great to have so many LFO wave forms in program mode to choose from, but it looks they all are useless for free running modulations on percussive sounds.

I can select the LFO to modulate the sample (filter, amp, pan, pitch), but it doesnt work like an LFO, it works retriggered with the same start value on each played note, like an envelope! I want to modulate drum sounds (hi hats, snare etc.) to get modulated while the music is playing, but the LFO always keeps resetting, so it is not possible to have evolving modulations. When sync is off, the LFOs should run free, but they don't do. Is there a way to switch the key trigger on/off? This was possible even on the old Akai S-samplers.

Moreover, when key synced trigger is desired, the random (not noise!) LFO waveform starts always at the same inital amount when a note is played...so randomizing the pan or pitch on percussions is also NOT possible.

Um, no free running lfos? And no key triggered random values?

Do I get something wrong? OS is 2.0
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By psr Fri Dec 07, 2012 8:25 pm
I use them all the time. It seems to run free me. but then again I usually use it with synch to what ever division. maybe I've never really noticed. I dont know what my time is looking like this weekend but if I get time I will load up some stuff and check it out.
By ehasting Mon Dec 10, 2012 5:21 pm
I cant find any way of getting free-run LFO either on the MPC5000. Seems more like a lack of feature, since sync is more about getting lfo cycle to the BPM.

we would need a switch saying restart on trigger, or free-run.


its a bit shame, should been mandatory on a drum sampler.
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By Jauly Wed Dec 12, 2012 9:44 pm
ok, then it's not just my imagination... strange thing there is, if the LFOs are key synced (as it seems to be), the first random value of the LFO with s/h waveform is always the same.

shouln't be as well, not? otherwise it would be such a great feature to "humanize" sounds...
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By Jauly Thu Dec 13, 2012 12:56 pm
Yeah, sad but true. The LFO section is so huge, but useless. Only workaround is to sample direct the whole programmed phrase... but this is comsuming memory for nothing. What a waste of potential. Same issue on the MPC 4000 as well?
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By wellfunk Fri Jan 11, 2013 11:56 pm
You can add an effect in your FX menu, then send the sample from chosen pad in the Mix menu to that specific bus. This will leave you having HP- / LP-filter sweep, Tremolo and Auto-pan from what I can see. So if you're not pumping a lot of effects into your projects then you should start there =) You will still be limited to the spaces you have on your 5K unless you wanna send the audio to an external source.
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By Jauly Wed Jan 23, 2013 5:39 pm
wellfunk wrote:You can add an effect in your FX menu, then send the sample from chosen pad in the Mix menu to that specific bus. This will leave you having HP- / LP-filter sweep, Tremolo and Auto-pan from what I can see. So if you're not pumping a lot of effects into your projects then you should start there =) You will still be limited to the spaces you have on your 5K unless you wanna send the audio to an external source.


Thanks, I've thought of that but this is really circuitous. I wan't to save up FX for general things (tracks) and I like to handle every single sample with it's own modulation details in program menue bar - as I am used it since the akai S1000! Usually you pick LFOs on VCA or VCF for direct sound modulations, like on all Akai S-Samplers before.

Can't get an idea why it won't work on the 5000 the way it should.
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By wellfunk Sat Feb 09, 2013 3:46 pm
Jauly wrote:Thanks, I've thought of that but this is really circuitous. I wan't to save up FX for general things (tracks) and I like to handle every single sample with it's own modulation details in program menue bar - as I am used it since the akai S1000! Usually you pick LFOs on VCA or VCF for direct sound modulations, like on all Akai S-Samplers before.

Can't get an idea why it won't work on the 5000 the way it should.


Hey mayne, I realized you can switch the LFO to Sync with the tempo. That will make the LFO be continuous instead of retrigger when you hit the pad. But you will be stuck with controlling the rate after quantized values.

EDIT: This is not true... Can't remember why I thought this :hmmm:
Last edited by wellfunk on Tue Feb 12, 2013 11:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.