Any 4k owners with a live/x? Compare sound/time feel etc?

hey folks ...

MPC 4000 owner here. Very happy with the sound and solid timing. Not always happy with the loud-ass fan and slow load time for my samples.

And of course the 4k will die one day, like any old box.

How are live and x as replacements for a 4k? How does the sound compare? Is the timing solid on the x/live, making beats and when sequencing other gear? Anything else you liked/disliked about going from a 4k to one of the new boxes?

Thanks for your thoughts. -pb

the X is a great replacement for the 4000.
soundwise, i think the X is better than the 4000 or the 2500, you won't be disappointed.
i hooked up 2 synths and since 2.1 (software update) i've never had any timing issues.

only thing missing from the 4000 is x-fade looping and the mod matrix.

sinik wrote:the X is a great replacement for the 4000.
soundwise, i think the X is better than the 4000 or the 2500, you won't be disappointed.
i hooked up 2 synths and since 2.1 (software update) i've never had any timing issues.

only thing missing from the 4000 is x-fade looping and the mod matrix.

Totally agree I owned the 2500 hated it really did.. Never use the 4000 wish i did buy it at the time.. Own the 3000 and 2000 great pieces but the X really surpasses them..

percussion boy wrote:hey folks ...

MPC 4000 owner here. Very happy with the sound and solid timing. Not always happy with the loud-ass fan and slow load time for my samples.

And of course the 4k will die one day, like any old box.

How are live and x as replacements for a 4k? How does the sound compare? Is the timing solid on the x/live, making beats and when sequencing other gear? Anything else you liked/disliked about going from a 4k to one of the new boxes?

Thanks for your thoughts. -pb

Sound depends on which output you use on the 4000. (ADAT, SPDIF, XLR, or 1/4. So many options.) MIDI features and Jitter wise: The 4000 is way ahead. The LIve and X are just as bad as the 2500/5000.

It's funny that the only projects files that the LIVE/X or Software 2.0 has an issue with is the 4000. Perhaps, because the 4K is a completely different bench mark.

The LIve/X are instruments first, while the 4000 is a Sequence/Sampler first.

Thanks for all of that!

So the new boxes could take over if my 4000 dies any time soon ... but don’t expect the same timing accuracy over MIDI.

Would have been great if the stuff I set up on the 4k had ported over to LIve/X ... but I wasn’t really counting on that anyway.

Good facts on this forum as always.

percussion boy wrote:Thanks for all of that!

So the new boxes could take over if my 4000 dies any time soon ... but don’t expect the same timing accuracy over MIDI.

Would have been great if the stuff I set up on the 4k had ported over to LIve/X ... but I wasn’t really counting on that anyway.

Good facts on this forum as always.

It does translate over, however you have to reassign so many things that it's easier to just remake it.

CharlesRandolph wrote:

percussion boy wrote:Thanks for all of that!

So the new boxes could take over if my 4000 dies any time soon ... but don’t expect the same timing accuracy over MIDI.

Would have been great if the stuff I set up on the 4k had ported over to LIve/X ... but I wasn’t really counting on that anyway.

Good facts on this forum as always.

It does translate over, however you have to reassign so many things that it's easier to just remake it.

Ah ... got it. Thanks.

The Live and X still look good to me though. Love the power n sound of the 4k, but tired of the long load time, small screen, noisy fan. Don’t always want to deal with cranking it up after I get home from work. the new MPCs look super-easy and quick (assuming they don’t crash).

percussion boy wrote:Thanks for all of that!

So the new boxes could take over if my 4000 dies any time soon ... but don’t expect the same timing accuracy over MIDI.

Would have been great if the stuff I set up on the 4k had ported over to LIve/X ... but I wasn’t really counting on that anyway.

Good facts on this forum as always.

It does translate over, however you have to reassign so many things that it's easier to just remake it.

Ah ... got it. Thanks.

The Live and X still look good to me though. Love the power n sound of the 4k, but tired of the long load time, small screen, noisy fan. Don’t always want to deal with cranking it up after I get home from work. the new MPCs look super-easy and quick (assuming they don’t crash).

http://www.mpc-tutor.com/mpc-renaissanc ... d-beats-2/

One of tutors best articles.

CharlesRandolph wrote:

percussion boy wrote:hey folks ...

MPC 4000 owner here. Very happy with the sound and solid timing. Not always happy with the loud-ass fan and slow load time for my samples.

And of course the 4k will die one day, like any old box.

How are live and x as replacements for a 4k? How does the sound compare? Is the timing solid on the x/live, making beats and when sequencing other gear? Anything else you liked/disliked about going from a 4k to one of the new boxes?

Thanks for your thoughts. -pb

Sound depends on which output you use on the 4000. (ADAT, SPDIF, XLR, or 1/4. So many options.) MIDI features and Jitter wise: The 4000 is way ahead. The LIve and X are just as bad as the 2500/5000.

It's funny that the only projects files that the LIVE/X or Software 2.0 has an issue with is the 4000. Perhaps, because the 4K is a completely different bench mark.

The LIve/X are instruments first, while the 4000 is a Sequence/Sampler first.

This is incorrect.

The same guy that designed the sequencer on the 4k designed the one in the X/Live.

The X/Live sequencer is almost sample accurate just like the 4k, even better then the 3k's sequencer.

smellypants wrote:This is incorrect.

The same guy that designed the sequencer on the 4k designed the one in the X/Live.

The X/Live sequencer is almost sample accurate just like the 4k, even better then the 3k's sequencer.

Really? Have you tested your MPC X or LIVE? They are the same as the 5000 around 2.80 ms of jitter. It use to be really bad but the updated helped to correct some of the timing issues. However It's still not as tight 3000 or 4000 in master or slave mode.

As far as the designer of the 4k sequencer i don't know who did it. I thought the same people who did JJOS is the same ones who worked on the 4k.

CharlesRandolph wrote:

smellypants wrote:This is incorrect.

The same guy that designed the sequencer on the 4k designed the one in the X/Live.

The X/Live sequencer is almost sample accurate just like the 4k, even better then the 3k's sequencer.

Really? Have you tested your MPC X or LIVE? They are the same as the 5000 around 2.80 ms of jitter. It use to be really bad but the updated helped to correct some of the timing issues. However It's still not as tight 3000 or 4000 in master or slave mode.

As far as the designer of the 4k sequencer i don't know who did it. I thought the same people who did JJOS is the same ones who worked on the 4k.

Hey mate, theres a thread on gearslutz about it..

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/electro ... ace-3.html

There are two kinds of MPC4k in this world. The white and the blue. JJ I believe took part in the white japanese 4k until Numark bought Akai and they began manufacturing them in blue and made in China and took JJ for a sucker. Thus the beginnings of a new Akai corp. One to make you vomit.

smellypants wrote:
Hey mate, theres a thread on gearslutz about it..

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/electro ... ace-3.html

It appears they are talking about internal clock is close to the 4000. However when being slaved or pushing external MIDI devices that is where the problems are. From my test, it was the same on both the X and Live.

CharlesRandolph wrote:

smellypants wrote:
Hey mate, theres a thread on gearslutz about it..

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/electro ... ace-3.html

It appears they are talking about internal clock is close to the 4000. However when being slaved or pushing external MIDI devices that is where the problems are. From my test, it was the same on both the X and Live.

Yes the the thread mentions that internally the clock is as good as the 4k.

It also mentions that acting as the master using midi clock the jitter is about .3ms which is lower than the 4k's.

smellypants wrote:
Yes the the thread mentions that internally the clock is as good as the 4k.

It also mentions that acting as the master using midi clock the jitter is about .3ms which is lower than the 4k's.

I can see that, however in my real world application it still has Midi issues that need to be resolved before it can replace the 4000 or 3000 as a sequencer/midi centerpiece. Nevertheless most of the issue have been submitted for improvement, let's hope they continue to listen.

Question: Do you have both the 4000 and Live/X?