Looking for mpc program creation / preparation workflows

Hello guys
I'm interessted in howto arrange / prepare programs for the mpc1000. I feel that my current workflow isn't really optimal. Therefor some other workflow descriptions are very welcome!

How I do it currently:
- I have a bunch of one shot samples (~1000) on a CF card. They are more or less sorted by instrument.
- In the MPC load menu i choose sample by sample to create eg. a drum kit. This is quite unpractical, since one can not listen to the already loaded samples within the load dialog (for comparison).
- I already tried to prepare a drum kit on the computer (mac), but I hadn't a good tool for it...

How do you do that? Do you know any good mac tools, which assist you?
Thanks, Stephan

Which OS you have, original Akai or JJ? if JJ OS, which version?
In JJ OS2XL, there are some useful shortcuts, you can listen to samples in the Load menu by pressing Play button or any pad, plus there's a selectable Sample assign to pad Window. Don't really know about Akai OS, never tried it...

Since two weeks I use the free JJOS, before I was working with the original AKAI OS.
Good to know, that there is in general a solution for this issue. Do you know, if I have
to install the OS2XL or if this option is already available in a "cheaper" version of JJOS?
Or do you suggest to install the OS2XL version anyway? I'm a bit inhibited, because of
a lot of UI changes, compared to the original AKAI OS, the price of this version and the
installation effort...

This is what the free JJ OS manual says on the subject:

"Audition of a sample

When the sample is chosen in the file field, the audition of the sample chosen if F5(PLAY) key or arbitrary pads are pressing can be performed."
http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~mpc1000/saveload2308e.htm

JJ OSXL is different, but ultimately more advanced. More options, lots of workflow enhancements. Go for it, study it little by little. Don't go for the intermediate options, they are not entirely compatible with each other - I started on OS1, worked on it for almost a year, then purchased the XL, first tried OS2 for an afternoon and found too many of my sequences and programs incompatible with it (on MPC2500, there's no option to buy OS2 separately any more).

Next day, I installed XL - no regrets. It is deep and continuously evolving.

Thanks for the recommendation! I'll give it a try...

I installed JJOS2XL and tested if it is possible to listen to samples, which are already loaded and assigned to a pad while beeing in the LAOD dialog to get some additional samples loaded (to finally compose a drum kit). This was unfortunately not possible with JJOS2XL as well ;-( The reason, why I want to do this, is the possibility to accoustically compare the already loaded samples (in RAM) with potental additional samples (on CF), which I would load then over the load dialog (preparation of a set of samples on the mpc).

Any further advices are appreciated...

Apart from the issue described above, JJOS seems to be very powerfull..!

Well, I would just load all potentional samples to begin with, then pick the ones I need in GPE, then purge the rest.