MPC5000 reviews, bug reports and fellow user support on the most recent standalone, hardware MPC from Akai
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By DjNothing Thu Nov 19, 2009 5:59 pm
I was thinking of selling my 4k and buying a 5k.....

The main reason I would do this (if i chose to do so) would be the built in Synth of the 5k....

To the people that have worked with both machines: is the synth on the 5k worth getting rid of a 4k? And what else would I lose in the process, getting rid of a 4k that I already love?

-Thankx.
By 4dahaterz Fri Nov 20, 2009 3:49 am
<------- Thinkin about getting a 4k in a few months
By b-righteous Fri Nov 20, 2009 4:21 am
Don't sell your 4k man. The 5k synth is nothing worth mentioning. It would be more a cross grade at best. I think the 4k is better overall.
By Btracks81 Fri Nov 20, 2009 9:15 am
DON'T DO IT!!! Nothin against the 5000(I own one), but If a synth what ur looking for than I strongly recommend selling da 4k and get a 25k($800) and a synth(Blofeld $600). Thats a nasty sampler/synth combo!! The synth on the 5k is just a very.very basic synth thats not worth it and IMHO should have never been added to a MPC!!
By seiko Fri Nov 20, 2009 11:08 am
buy a Blofeld synth and MPC4000 and you blow the MPC 5000 (and his synth) away
By oneday2one Fri Nov 20, 2009 1:19 pm
yeah, i guess the synth isn't all that good, ... but i can make some descent organ sounds out of it, ... but my honest favorite sound of the synth, (other than that whistle preset), is the very beginning, when you load up the synth without loading up any presets.

i modify that sound a little, but that is like my favorite sound on the synth, the ground work sound. its strange i know.

the main way i modify it is to change the wave forms to sine waves, and the filter / resonance cuttoff.

maybe some envelope shaping after that, but that's like the most used sound i've found on the synth.

if it were my guess, ... a synth like the blofeld would completely demolish the synth on the 5k.

i know a little about synths too, cause i have a moog little phatty stage 2, .. and last time i checked, ain't too many people complaining about that one. lol.
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By kneebone77 Fri Nov 20, 2009 3:00 pm
Don't do it.
The 4k is practically already a synth.
By pull-over Sat Nov 21, 2009 6:28 pm
don t sell it ...the mpc 5ksynth is okay it have some cool filters and for me the most important think is that is easy to use and hands on...
if you know about synthesis you can get some mad sounds out of it but it is not such a bad as like the blofeld with wavetables/parallel filters and many many modulations...

or get a nice midi keyboard + used mopho and the waldorf largo instead of a blofeld keys...
By pull-over Sat Nov 21, 2009 6:31 pm
don t sell it ...the mpc 5ksynth is okay it have some cool filters and for me the most important think is that is easy to use and hands on...
if you know about synthesis you can get some mad sounds out of it but it is not such a bad as like the blofeld with wavetables/parallel filters and many many modulations...

or get a nice midi keyboard + used mopho and the waldorf largo instead of a blofeld keys...


for me if i had 4000 and i already using it heavy i would stay with it...

for me that i have a 5000 i stay with it and wouldn t trade it for an other model..
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By NearTao Sun Nov 22, 2009 4:04 pm
I like my 1k/Virus TI combo.

As everyone else is saying... keep the 4k and roll your own '5k' by just adding a synth to your 4k. You'll be way happier.

Not knocking the 5k but I can't imagine you'll get the same return of investment selling the 4k to get a 5k.

I've been eyeing an upgrade to a 4k/5k for a while now, but honestly having played with the synth on the 5k it really isn't a make/break factor. It's like car airbags... nice when you really need them but you're probably not going to be using them all the time.

If it's the synth you're after... unless you're really dying for space get a soft synth or a hard synth. Or if you're really adventurous you can always sample single cycles and loop those up and really get busy turning the 4k into a very flexible synth.
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By kneebone77 Sun Nov 22, 2009 9:40 pm
kneebone77 wrote:The 4k is practically already a synth.


NearTao wrote:you can always sample single cycles and loop those up and really get busy turning the 4k into a very flexible synth.
By Mark Madness Wed Nov 25, 2009 8:47 pm
Yo man why dont you just go to guitar center and test one out so you will know if its worth it to you. The synth is cool man but I turned off the auto load cause I was tired of all the kits bein loaded up that I didnt want and it was takin too long and I never looked into how to turn just the synths alone on but I guess I havent learned cause I dont really feel the urge to. I liked that one hollow bass or somethin like that they had on there. There was like 1 or 2 more that were real cool. But ya I wouldnt be sold on the 5k just for the synth alone but I love it for everything else mostly man the things sweet. The BIG SCREEN... now THATS worth an upgrade 8)
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By Blue Haze Thu Nov 26, 2009 10:19 am
Wow that Virus TI/Moog combo sounds mean. I would listen to the fellas. Fav synths+4k. Plus one day sampling your synths even. I tend to use alot of software synths cheaper.
By jacey714 Thu Nov 26, 2009 2:10 pm
Keep your 4000 and buy a cheap PC and load it with VST synths...Am I the only one that thinks the synth on the 5000 sound like ass?