Beginner on MPC

I just bought my first MPC1000. I recently bought a XR20 and realized while the sounds were nice, you max it out fast since you can't sample. So traded that in for a MPC1000. I've been using a Korg Triton for the past few years but had to sell it a while back, so as you can image the format is completely different with the Akai devices.

I just wanted to know what do I need to get started with it. It came with only 16MB memory and no compact flash card.

So the items I'm thinking I need to get are:

128 MB Memory Card
SD to Compact Flash Adapter (I have a 8GB SD card)
MPCStuff Extra Sensitive Thick Pads
Upgrade the OS?

I will be getting a turntable pretty soon here. I saw that there was a hard drive kit for the MPC. What is the purpose of this if I have a huge SD card?

My final question is that I have over 5TB of music. That includes about 1.3 TB of classical music and oldie music. Is there a way for me to pull any of these mp3 or wave files and sample from that instead of using a turntable?

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

Congrats on picking up an MPC 1000! Here are my suggestions, and although they may differ from other users on here, this is just based on what works for me. I tend to take the factory recommendations pretty seriously, but there are alternatives available that are probably just as good at a much lower cost.


2GB CF Cards - This is the max capacity suggested in the manual, probably based on the highest available when the unit came out... a bit hard to find now.

AKAI Brand RAM Upgrade - WAY WAY WAY overpriced, but again I am all about using OEM equipment when available. Professional installation recommended, but many people including me have installed it ourselves with no issues

MPC Stuff Thick Pads - I JUST got these 3 days ago, and they are amazing to say the least. No more double triggers, better sensitivity, etc...

Hard Drive Kit w/ HD - Allows you to save internally once installed, and saves you from having to pop your CF cards in and out of the MPC.. If you have a ton of samples and utilize many of them, the Hard Drive is a good option.

Pelican Case - If you plan to transport your MPC 1000 at all, I recommend getting a Pelican or other industrial hard case for it. The Pick N Pluck foam allows you to customize the case to fit the MPC and accessories nice and snug to protect from damage when in transport.

OS - I use the AKAI OS, only because I have not found it lacking for any of my current work. I hear amazing things on the forum about JJ, so I'll let users of that OS elaborate more for ya.

A note on sampling your music collection.... If it is in MP3 format, it is already compressed and will not be the best sound quality. You can always convert those MP3s to WAV, but you will not be adding that quality back in by doing so. Depending on your projects, it may be worthwhile to sample from .WAV or CD or vinyl so you start with better quality sounds. (sample libraries are also a great option, but somewhat overused in my opinion). As far as vinyl goes, I recommend the Shure M97XE Audiophile cartridge if your new turntable accepts it. Its elliptical stylus is excellent

Good luck and enjoy your new MPC!!

PC 133 144PIN CL3 SODIMM 256MB is the proper RAM spec. CL3 is the key, do not a stick without the CL rating (Clock Latency).

Follow those specs you may find one for $5. Certainly under $25.

And as Spinscott said, have fun with the new MPC.

Thanks for the input fellas!

So I'm guessing the hard drive is the way to go for sure.

I have TONS of loops (from using Acid Pro for years), how can I get all these sounds into the hard drive?

Do I need to get a HD, format it in the MPC, and then using a CF or a external HD (via USB) transfer all that data into the internal hard drive?

sinwun wrote:Thanks for the input fellas!

So I'm guessing the hard drive is the way to go for sure.

I have TONS of loops (from using Acid Pro for years), how can I get all these sounds into the hard drive?

Do I need to get a HD, format it in the MPC, and then using a CF or a external HD (via USB) transfer all that data into the internal hard drive?

For an internal HD you need the Akai HDM-10 mounting bracket/kit. Then it's a matter of getting a standard IDE notebook drive. 149GB is common and those format at I think 120 or 125GB. You may need JJOS (Free one even should work) to format over 80GB drives. There a few things from the Akai OS that do not apply when using a JJOS.

On that same note with JJ you can use CF cards over 2GB. 4GB is the largest I use, but others here have had 8GB and even 16GB in some cases work.

I'm not sure how dependable the SD to Compact Flash Adapter would be in this situation. On the old 2000XL MCD machines (and those converted to a CF multi reader) The SD slot was useable, but I always hear stories of lost saves, file corruption and so on. The CF cards work great provided you don't ever bend the pins in the reader slot.

In most people's experience a couple large capacity CF cards seem plenty instead of an internal HD. Personally I have one in my 2500 but I never bothered on my 1000. On a machine that loads on average 115MB of samples you don't really need to have 120GB of sounds right there. (And I have half a TB of sounds myself.)

You have 2 options for all those loops you made on the computer. First make sure they are all 16bit 44.1khz or else they won't load. Then your two options are to plug in a USB cable and go to the load screen on the MPC and press USB/Mount. Then the CF card in the slot shows up as a removable disk drive in Windows Explorer or Finder on OS X. If you also have an internal you can toggle between the two on the MPC's screen.

Then you just copy the folders over drag and drop. The MPC uses USB 1.1 which is very slow, so you may want to spend $20 on a Belkin or other brand USB CF reader. Then you can copy at much faster USB 2.0 speeds when using CF.

But to be clear the HD/CF Card is an either/or and both proposition. It isn't even as complicated as you feared it might be.

Once the HD is installed internally (make sure the jumper on the back of the HD is in the right position, which I can't recall off top ), and then yes you format the HD using the MPC's load/save screens.

http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~mpc1000/

That's the link to the JJOS page. Definitely grab the free one as it's essentially the final Akai OS with bugfixes and a few additions. The OS1, OS2 and OS2XL can all be installed as well but save will be disabled on those until a password is purchased.

In spite of the low budget site they are 100% ON THE LEVEL. Customer support is excellent, and a language barrier as they are native Japanese speakers is the worst it gets. And with the ability of JJOS to take a screenshot and sending them files if need be, even that is a non issue really.

If you can afford the $123 a JJOS2XL purchase nets you all three paid OS's. There is a comparison chart ion the site to illustrate all the differences in the 5 total OS's counting the standard Akai one.

I'm no expert, but as you get into the MPC more don't hesitate to come back to this forum. There are some very advanced 1000 users here that always share their methods and are glad to help.

Upgrading the os was a must for me. Your mileage may vary. I'd suggest getting to know akai os first and then moving to JJ os free. Much of the additions in jj os free are ergonomics (not having to scroll around as much to trims samples comes to mind and a better file browsing screen).

If your 1k is your only or main piece of kit I'd recommend os2xl. Although not an actual daw, it adds some daw functionality that can be useful allowing you to get all the creative work done on the mpc and then tracked out on a real daw for final mixing etc.

It all depends on how you use your machine.

have fun

This ram works perfect

http://www.amazon.com/Memory-MPC1000-MP ... pd_cp_MI_0