Exchange tips and tricks for the Akai MPC4000
By John Vandenberghe Mon May 09, 2016 12:11 am
As the title says, is it worth it?
I am getting along quite well with the 1000 but some limitations, notably the midi ins and outs are starting to get annoying
How much better is the sampler in the 4K for instruments? And is it still good for non destructive chops?
I have jjosxl
Thanks
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By major_tom Mon May 09, 2016 12:30 am
jjos attempts to give you most of the features of the 4000 plus some extra ones. that might be an option. wont help with the midi outs but if you have a thru box it might not matter as much.

there are some limitations on the 4000 that make it perhaps not as expressive like the default mod matrix velocity routings... nobody seems to have it figured out well enough to describe how it works or how to control it. they just pretend it isnt an issue. and it might not be in some musical circles. you just have to decide if you can live with it.
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By RepRSP Tue May 10, 2016 5:37 pm
i´ve switcehd from the 1000 to the 4K a few years ago and did not regret it a bit, so me personally I can suggest going for the 4000.
By dustymaestro Wed May 11, 2016 11:09 pm
Youll get better midi, midi thru is not as fast as a dedicated midi port.

The sampler was made for instruments. There are large sample libraries available. You can always get some single cycle wave files also. There are tutorials around also for using an autosampling program to create your own.

A lifetime instrument, dig in. Theres also topics here on the modulation matrix. A simple search will explain the basics. A tip keep your levels low. It has a high polyphony count.

I miss mine, its in storage while traveling. I used to have the 1000, I dont miss it.
By vout Thu May 12, 2016 9:28 am
Go for it - if midi is important in your setup, the 4000 has the tightest midi timing of any MPC. Also they seem to be undervalued at the moment, I've seen several 4000's go for £4-500. They are Big! The basic spec is good but there are lots of expansions available (ADAT, 8-outs, Digital i/o, ram, internal HD etc) so check the spec when buying.
By John Vandenberghe Sat May 14, 2016 5:22 pm
Mostly techno, some breakbeats.
I am using my mpc for beats and some other sounds along with a push 2.
I think I would rather an octatrack over a bigger mpc
Thanks for the answers tho!
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By major_tom Sat May 14, 2016 9:17 pm
no worries, i went the same route after i got the 4000. good luck!

take a look at this for techno. or breaks, anything really. trust me.
By Freddyfresh Thu Jul 21, 2016 10:41 pm
I have 4000 got it week it came out also had Octatrack which is great only for mangling samples or using as straight up sequence style drum machine totally different animal then the mpcs
have fun with it
By wavejockey Tue Jul 26, 2016 9:10 am
major_tom wrote:take a look at this for techno. or breaks, anything really. trust me.


sometimes i make a pattern on the Zaquencer and then record it into the MPC4k 'cause it so easy to come with strange sequences - also the easy way of setting a duration (note) on the ZAQ instead of playing/human feel of the MPC make an excellent duo