mpc4000 vs mpc60II vs mpc3000

folks,
i have heard rumours the mpc4000 is riddled with problems and is a bear to work, that it crashes often and isnt that good. what are the pros and cons of the 3 major mpc's, i know the general tech stuff such as sample time, bit rate and whatnot, but can someone sum up these devices in a solid comparison...

Have a search around the forums - there's a fair few discussions on this subject.

mpc 4000 = the future of MPC's, if you want to get one with the most longevity get this one, functions as a studio in a box, with a full fledged powerful sampler. The OS will be de-bugged as users report trouble (a new "rule" for gear it seems nowadays) but when that happens (in about 1 yr to get it all out realistically) it will be as solid as the rest.

the Mpc 60 II is alot like the 3000, basically the upgrade allows the MPC 60 to take the features that the 3000 has but the 60 didnt, a "poor mans" mpc 3000, used by dj Premiere for ALL his stuff. The memory being so tiny is why I wouldnt get one.

the MPC 3000 is/was roger linns last combo mpc with akai. (if Im wrong mpc 3000 correct me) basically it is an mpc 60II with more memory. Many claim it has the "magic groove" but personally I cant tell any difference in a blind sound test with the 2000XL and the 3000 playing the same samples.

Basically the 60 & 3000 are used cuz peeps claim they have the "rough" sound, that hip hop heads like. This is what is mainly used to justify the crazy prices peeps charge. of the 3, If I was trying to use the mPC as a total studio Id get the 4000, and call it a day. no more stuff to but once tou max that thing out. not for at lest 3-4 years, just external gear, like keys, efx etc., and then not really, no need for a triton or sound modules, just use the mpc 4000.

I was building a studio around the MPC but planeed to use lotsa sound modules, keyboards etc and allow my gear to expand, use alot of midi, etc. I'd buy the 3000. If I couldnt afford the 3000 a 60II is a good level 2 choice. basically a modular studio where parts come in and out, but the mpc is the one constant.

for the cost, I would buy the 2000XL, since there is no "magic groove" and the 2 midi i/o are more then enough for me.

the 4000 is off the chain , listen to our tracks

Like anything new...from cars to inventions and such... u are gonna have people who are gonna pioneer these new items. The 4ooo is such, If u buy anything in market as far as music... u are gonna get the bugs and what nots because the people who make these items make them upon your requests. They are not produccers who are inventing samplers for the better of the game... they are suits who looks for new ways to drain money... in other words they have no clue! When you get a 4000 and invent a new trick on the 4ooo that the people who made it dont even understand... than u will have another bug. Sampling machines are producers mixin pot, u are gonna try everything in the book to get your own special ingrediants after trying so many others recipe. When that happens ...than u see the true value of your machine. At the same time the more bugs that come up like the 2000 had and all the rest (asr).. the more the suits can fix them and get you on your way to a nice easy smooth road of music. Remember... if u wanna be the first to have in anything... u have to except the fact that u will be the pioneers of finding the bugs before next years crew. Peace.

What up Infinity nice to see you on the 4k board. You rock a 1200 and a 4k or what?
Anyways the 4k is the machine(for me) I've owned a 60II, the 3000, and the 2000xl. All were awesome machines in their own right and apon their own merits. I feel like technology has progressed and the 4k is a reflection of the process. For me the newer technologies make it easier to get complicated ideas out of my head in less time with less work arounds. The 4k is another step in this direction. Combined with a computer DAW that handles midi as well, we get closer and closer to what I would consider the holy grail. We are not quite there yet, but the 4k is awesome. In the studio MPC 2000xl pales in comparison IMO but for stage work I think the 2000xl is the one to use. Hardly anything can go wrong with the 2000xl in a live setup, no harddrive to f*ck up, compact size, ect. MPC 60II sounds the best of the bunch for drums but the 4k sounds the best for all other samples not percussive related. I think the drums on the 4k can sound a little timid when combined with the rest stereo mix out. If you can, definately invest in the 8 out option and mix/process your drums seperately from the stereo out. Everyone in here should know that routine by now.
If you know you want your drum grimulated, get an old 12 bit sampler and use that strictly for drums then use the 4k for all the rest of your samplez. That sh*t is hot.

GIGATON is right....the 4000 is the machine of choice for me also.....wish it would let you just dump a whole cd-rom of sounds(strings,pianos,etc.) to the hardrive without having to load every patch...but hands down this is awesome..I have stoppped using my computer for sequencing..

also if you wanna hear something done on the 4000..check out my site

http://www.mabproductionz.com

the track playing in the background was all done on the mpc4000

later,

RIO

all i know is that if the mpc4000 sounds like the Z4 i just picked up for 500 beans, it can suck my dick. no offence it really sounds light in the ass and digital, no prescence.

yo gigs, hit me up on the pm, lets talk studio440, maybe we can trade some sample disks or sumthin, i got a ton of em.

oh shoot you joined the dark side and copped you a 440 thats right but yo kid you are gonna call the 4k a*s nah! f* it though hit me up I have a few cool discs for the 440. It's all about the drums though. How are you using the damn thing?

p.s. get a 4K and we can start collaboratin till then word to satan I will check my pms often. chill

Gigaton wrote:oh shoot you joined the dark side and copped you a 440 thats right but yo kid you are gonna call the 4k a*s nah! f* it though hit me up I have a few cool discs for the 440. It's all about the drums though. How are you using the damn thing?

i cant get my z4 to sound even close to the quality my 60/3000 is spitting, ive tried everything, i figured maybe it sounds the same as the 4000. whatevs though. i might slang the 3000 and Z4 and just get a 4000, we'll see. im just worried all my 3000 songs will sound like shit in the 4000.

about the 440, im actually using it to do completely different sounding shit seperate from the rest of my rig. it does bizarre and wonderful things to the samples i feed it, its crazed.

p.s. get a 4K and we can start collaboratin till then word to satan I will check my pms often. chill

hahaha!!! aight.

the 4000 is the shiznit , it is making my xl tracks not sound as good but as far as making new bangers u know its the shiznit know that u found the possibilities , u can eat keyboards , literaly. and the little drum tricks i have found out an come up with are super bangin. two words auto normalize nuff said if u serious u better get the 4000

BH nugget

the older machines have their charm,
but they are stuck in the technology of their era
(eg floppy discs! tiny little LCD displays, hardly any RAM, etc etc)

The MPC4000 is well kitted out with the technology of 2002
(half a GB of PC133 RAM, USB1.1, a parallel ATA100 IDE channel for a hard drive and a CD-R/W, ADAT interface, etc etc)

The eagle eyed amoungst you will have noticed it is now 2005 and we have standard specs in the computing world now of rg 2 gigs of DDR400 RAM, USB2.0 / Firewire 800 / DVD-R/W , serial ATA etc etc
Even the MPC4000 is beginning to show its age.

Mind you, MIDI is just the same as it was in 1983