Exchange tips and tricks for the Akai MPC4000

By ONE Sun Dec 12, 2004 6:59 am
4k...if you get one on E-bay it's not much more $$$ than a 2xl!

By daInfamous_mpc Sun Dec 12, 2004 7:16 am
yeah i have been looking at both and i noticed that i could get a 4k from ebay from like 1200 to about 1750. but what is the big difference between the two.

By jonespnice Sun Dec 12, 2004 5:23 pm
The difference is that the 4000 is so much easier to work with than the 2000, you can basicly do just about everything you need to do with them but with the 2000 it's going to take much more time.
It's like how it is with computer software recordering programs and a digital recorder, I have a digital 8 track recorder that I use to use but now I use sonar and for me to record a 4 bar loop and extend it for 4 minutes long, put effects on each track, ect. it would take about 10 times as long, the mpc2000 and the mpc4000 have this same comparison. peace.
User avatar

By actuel Sun Dec 12, 2004 9:06 pm
i just made the jump for 2kxl to the 4000. best decision ever! seriously!

better effects
more midi i/o & and better routing
internal hard drive
akai.sys
loads more sample edit options
bigger LCD
no more 'shift+___', it's like the mpc60/3k in that all you need is at your tips (don't forget the 'window' button though)
better seq. w/ higher resolution
cd-rw burning and storage
can listen to your existing seq. while your sampling
much faster processing engine
recordable mutes
6 banks of pads to any one program vs. 4
pad mute groups....up to 64
obviously longer sample times
a 'real' dedicated internal sampler w/ mapping, zoning and all that good stuff
Q link


anyway, i'm leaving out a lot reasons why the 4k trumps the 2k/2kxl. i like the 2k series but the 4k is killin it. i've been workin everyday on it since i've gotten it and i love it. i find the learning curve to be pretty easy. there's still a few things i haven't messed with but that's because i don't 'need' them.

i've said it before and i'll say it again, there's only two setups i'd consider in the mpc line: mpc4000 or mpc60 w/ rackmount sampler (s5000, s6000, Z4, Z8).

peace
actuel

By daInfamous_mpc Sun Dec 12, 2004 11:28 pm
Good look!
I also saw something that said that there are different models of the 4k. what are they and what are differences between them.
User avatar

By Wise Tue Dec 14, 2004 12:12 am
actuel wrote:i just made the jump for 2kxl to the 4000. best decision ever! seriously!

better effects
more midi i/o & and better routing
internal hard drive
akai.sys
loads more sample edit options
bigger LCD
no more 'shift+___', it's like the mpc60/3k in that all you need is at your tips (don't forget the 'window' button though)
better seq. w/ higher resolution
cd-rw burning and storage
can listen to your existing seq. while your sampling
much faster processing engine
recordable mutes
6 banks of pads to any one program vs. 4
pad mute groups....up to 64
obviously longer sample times
a 'real' dedicated internal sampler w/ mapping, zoning and all that good stuff
Q link


anyway, i'm leaving out a lot reasons why the 4k trumps the 2k/2kxl. i like the 2k series but the 4k is killin it. i've been workin everyday on it since i've gotten it and i love it. i find the learning curve to be pretty easy. there's still a few things i haven't messed with but that's because i don't 'need' them.

i've said it before and i'll say it again, there's only two setups i'd consider in the mpc line: mpc4000 or mpc60 w/ rackmount sampler (s5000, s6000, Z4, Z8).

peace
actuel


Have you found any thing that the MPC2000XL does that the MPC4000 doesn't do. Like besides the advantages, are there any disadvantages? Of course there's the size disadvantage, but are there any technical disadvantages, etc. Plus could you list a few more advantages. I've been dying to hear from someone that made this step for a while.
User avatar

By incurablebeatlust Tue Dec 14, 2004 1:23 am
actuel wrote:i just made the jump for 2kxl to the 4000. best decision ever! seriously!

better effects
more midi i/o & and better routing
internal hard drive
akai.sys
loads more sample edit options
bigger LCD
no more 'shift+___', it's like the mpc60/3k in that all you need is at your tips (don't forget the 'window' button though)
better seq. w/ higher resolution
cd-rw burning and storage
can listen to your existing seq. while your sampling
much faster processing engine
recordable mutes
6 banks of pads to any one program vs. 4
pad mute groups....up to 64
obviously longer sample times
a 'real' dedicated internal sampler w/ mapping, zoning and all that good stuff
Q link


anyway, i'm leaving out a lot reasons why the 4k trumps the 2k/2kxl. i like the 2k series but the 4k is killin it. i've been workin everyday on it since i've gotten it and i love it. i find the learning curve to be pretty easy. there's still a few things i haven't messed with but that's because i don't 'need' them.

i've said it before and i'll say it again, there's only two setups i'd consider in the mpc line: mpc4000 or mpc60 w/ rackmount sampler (s5000, s6000, Z4, Z8).

peace
actuel


now im sold. ive have been wanting a 4000 but was wary of the learning curve involved..
User avatar

By actuel Tue Dec 14, 2004 10:05 am
Wise wrote:
Have you found any thing that the MPC2000XL does that the MPC4000 doesn't do. Like besides the advantages, are there any disadvantages? Of course there's the size disadvantage, but are there any technical disadvantages, etc. Plus could you list a few more advantages. I've been dying to hear from someone that made this step for a while.


simply, no! a few times i thought i'd come across some 'missing' features but what was missing was my ability to locate the feature....and it was there. other than the size and learning curve (which isn't that bad) i haven't come across anything. some things are located in different spots, some are more in depth than the other mpc's, and a lot of it has been new to me. if you have any mpc experience, i can say the 'new' features really are just extrapolations of what you already know.

again, i absolutely love mine and have zero regrets....but if your scared to read the manual, poke around and try things out, and problem solve then i'd stay away because just like with the other mpc's, it takes time/minutes to learn the machine first. as soon as i got it, i knew the best way to learn an mpc: let's make a beat. so through each step, i could see what the hell this beast was capable of. i've made 3 beats in three weeks and that includes: working 15 hours a week and full-time school with finals happening as we speak. i'm not saying this a 'stroker' but the learning curve 'can't' be that bad because i'm gettin' it done.

peace and good luck

actuel

By F.O.B Wed Dec 15, 2004 6:07 pm
I have owned both. Overall I like the 4000 better, but I do like the sequencer on the 2000 better. Out of all the MPC's my favorite would be the 3000.

By lo-fi Sat Dec 18, 2004 4:15 am
You're asking this question in the MPC4000 forum. I just happen to be browsing here. I'm a happy 2kXL user, and I wouldn't trade it for a 4k if it was free. It all depends on how much you want your machine to do. For my way of working, less is more. Even though I have Logic Pro, a big mixing board, a bunch of synths and outboard stuff, the MPC is the heart of the set-up, and I personally like that heart to be really basic. For me, it's limitations help me get things done quicker. When I used to sequence in Logic and sample on an S6000 I had a zillion possibilities, but it was hard to get anything done - with the (very basic) 2kXL I get more stuff done, and it's better stuff because it still has that, direct, spontaneous feel to it.

... but that's just my $00,02 ...

By Paul Oakenfold Sun Dec 19, 2004 3:00 pm
I had a 2000XL which I enjoyed immensely - but after getting a 4000 you will never look back, it's so much the fuller package - it's got so much power you'll never outgrow it, and it makes the 2000XL look like a kids toy in retrospect.

Don't waste money messing around getting a 2000XL then upgrading, your time and money would be better spent getting a 4000 and learning to fly the thing. The 2000XL probably only has 20% of the power/features of the 4000.

By daInfamous_mpc Sun Dec 19, 2004 4:04 pm
i got the 2kxl but i having done any complete tracks but so far i am having fun and learning how to operate it..