Bottom end of the newer MPCs.... really sucks....

I really dont understand how Akai cant fix the bottom end of these newer MPC machines... The bottom end of the 1000, 2500, and 5000 really SUCK!! I spent $1,700 on a MPC 5000 and I cant even use it for my drums... I have to use my 3000 for the drums because I cant stand the thinness of the 5000 sound... I need my machine to give me the same sound thats going in, come out sounding the same way... the 5000 just takes all the bottom end out of my kicks and I just dont understand how Akai cant duplicate the sound of their older machines in the newer ones!! I mean EVERYBODY knows the old Akai machines have the best sound so I dont get why they cant make their newer machines sound the same way... I think Akai needs to start focusing on the SOUND of their machines instead of puttin in a bunch of pointless new features... SOUND is what matters at the end of the day......

I totally agree with you on this one. Older MPC's sounds much better. I believe even Just Blaze wrote about this same thing.

I know man... dude the only way to get a good kick on the 5k is to stack up like 3-4 kicks....

Is it even possible to fix the actual sound of the unit with a firmware update?

jacey714 wrote:Is it even possible to fix the actual sound of the unit with a firmware update?

no definitely not... it has to do with the converters inside the unit... I was just saying that Akai should really try to make their future MPCs have a similar sound to the classic MPCs... Which they should have been doing all along...

i agree.... even compared to my old 2000 the low pass filter doesn't cut it.

these little things are what bring the buzz down.

I run my 1k outs directly to an API A2D and it brings that low end love right back. By itself it always sounded kinda flat to me.

I been said this!!! My 2000XL hits harder still.... at the same time... my other partner has a MPC 5000, and if i load his drums in(dry in both of em), and vice versa, his MPC hits harder then mine(not sure why)

well, i've had the 2000xl, 1000, mv8000 twice, and a presonus firebox.

i've continually thought the sound coming out of the 5000 was the 'fullest' and best.

its one of the few reasons that i actually really like it.

are you guys sure your monitoring setup doesn't suck?
remember that bottom end has totally to do with proper bass trapping, because of the shear size of the standing sound waves in the bass frequency.

what's the other thing i noticed?
the sequencer, ... it's been a while since i had my 2kxl, ... but compared to the 1000 and the 8000's that i owned, ... and even cubase/firebox, .... the sequencer on the 5k absolutely unbelievably destroys everything.

what i want to happen when i hit the pads, ... "ALWAYS" happens when i play it back. i have NEVER truly experienced this before.

really good effects.
and more of them than what we've had in the past.

i actually use the HD tracks.

and the synth, .... i use it all the time. its not a virus, or a blofeld, or even an absynth or thor/subtracter, .... but it is its own thing, ... and i most definitely use it.
its a very good sound source, and i have a lot of control over it.

i can make great organ like and ep like sounds, ... but i can also make them uniquely mine.

i love the pads too.

and the big screen.

and the sexiness.
... people that know nothing about music, are always impressed when they see it. they can't help but touch it.

best drum machine i ever had.
def' better than all my others.

I use the eq and compression inside the MPC with all my beats..I don't think anything hits harder. I compared this to an XL I had right next to my 2500..the 2500 sounds the same as the XL without compression/eq, but with it, knocks it clear out the water.
Not sure what you have in your setup, but try eliminating as much signal paths as possible. My setup is super basic because I found that more equipment = more noise, and more noise required more equipment just to reduce the noise! I don't even have a mixer (beside my turntable mixer) and I have appropriate length chords (reduces interference). Also make sure you have decent chords...they don't have to be monster cables, but stay away from cheap cables...I've heard night & day difference from individual sounds when using budget cables.
Another thing, when I need my kicks/bass to be thick and heavy, I ALWAYS sample in stereo.

my 2500 hits hard. I do sample my drums from my ASR-X, S950 and then tweak them tho.
(no noise from either machine)

like they say its what you put in these clean machines that determines what you get out.

OP: You should get a akai mfc42. That shit is wicked with an MPC.

dmarz45 wrote:I was just saying that Akai should really try to make their future MPCs have a similar sound to the classic MPCs... Which they should have been doing all along...

Isnt this the sales pitch they were using to sell the 5k? Or was it the timing they said was like the 3k? so many lies... lol

oneday2one wrote:well, i've had the 2000xl, 1000, mv8000 twice, and a presonus firebox.

i've continually thought the sound coming out of the 5000 was the 'fullest' and best.

its one of the few reasons that i actually really like it.

are you guys sure your monitoring setup doesn't suck?
remember that bottom end has totally to do with proper bass trapping, because of the shear size of the standing sound waves in the bass frequency.

what's the other thing i noticed?
the sequencer, ... it's been a while since i had my 2kxl, ... but compared to the 1000 and the 8000's that i owned, ... and even cubase/firebox, .... the sequencer on the 5k absolutely unbelievably destroys everything.

what i want to happen when i hit the pads, ... "ALWAYS" happens when i play it back. i have NEVER truly experienced this before.

really good effects.
and more of them than what we've had in the past.

i actually use the HD tracks.

and the synth, .... i use it all the time. its not a virus, or a blofeld, or even an absynth or thor/subtracter, .... but it is its own thing, ... and i most definitely use it.
its a very good sound source, and i have a lot of control over it.

i can make great organ like and ep like sounds, ... but i can also make them uniquely mine.

i love the pads too.

and the big screen.

and the sexiness.
... people that know nothing about music, are always impressed when they see it. they can't help but touch it.

best drum machine i ever had.
def' better than all my others.

lol

adding a OLd Rack like an emax or s950 can give u an old 12 bit sound...
the synth is a nice ad and usefull with many types differnt Filters but do i need it really?nope but ist cool to have it...
the effects are ok i don t expect a big lexicon hall in this maschinie i would use my daws hall anyway...
the transent shaper is okay but not to be compared with the spl one but hey it's cool to have it...
i don t need no 500 mb ram cause it is a sampler not a rompler why converting a a big libary if my motif is better or the emu emulator x can do it better?

the mv8000 is dope maschien no doubt but the only thing i wasn t feeling was the filters...

i m satisfied with the 5000 i had a few mpc also the 2500 with jjos i only switched to the 5000 cause they are cheap used...

oneday2one wrote:are you guys sure your monitoring setup doesn't suck?
remember that bottom end has totally to do with proper bass trapping, because of the shear size of the standing sound waves in the bass frequency.

sorry homie, but both of these MPC's travel all over the country into major studios frequently, so we know its not the monitoring...

as well as in my own studio, testing both machines, effects dry, side by side, swappin out cables, so they can run exactly the same, there is a difference in both of the MPC 5000's and my 2000XL, which his MPC 5000 hits harder then mine but my 2000XL is easily the best choice of sound

Anyone who relies on the older MPC 'sound' needs to step their production game up and learn how to process sounds. There's countless bit reducers, saturation and vintage EQ and compression plugins available that will all give a better sound than the default a/d converter in an old MPC.

Coz wrote:Anyone who relies on the older MPC 'sound' needs to step their production game up and learn how to process sounds. There's countless bit reducers, saturation and vintage EQ and compression plugins available that will all give a better sound than the default a/d converter in an old MPC.

I have the 5000 and the 3000 I love em both but if you do all that processing and put it in a 3000 itll still sound better than the 5000.... Im not trying to run my shit throught 100 eqs to make it sound right... I just load up dry kicks in the 3000 and make that shit rip harder than anybody elses shit....