Exchange tips and tricks for the Akai MPC4000
ByDnez Sat Oct 25, 2003 12:36 pm
I own the MPC2000
with 32ram
and zip

Well I am planning to utilize my MPC more often while in production
w/clients, and live performance

Is the MPC4000 capable to handle some live perfomance?

I will use my laptop (Ableton LIVE 3, rewire w/REASON Properlleheads)
Oxygen 8 Midi controller
MPC4000

I would want to pre-prepare samples, on MPC and pre-assignments to REASON deivices. I will use the MPC sequnce to trigger and record in a LIVE performance building drum sounds and mixing in and out drum sounds

Also in LIVE ABLETON I will use to cue up samples in between performances and here and there sound effects etc...

Well my questions is mainly for LIVE situation, can MPC4000 handle a fast pace LIVE performance cueing up samples, building sequences LIVE?

Any 1 do this now?

I do this with my MPC2000 but again it is limitted to some LIVE technics and it is too time consumming loading, switching to screens to adjust filters etc, if you do not have the optional filter to the mpc?

--dnez
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By butcher Sat Oct 25, 2003 1:29 pm
i dont know about the 4000, but i heard of plenty of people that use the 2kxl live. even on this forum alone. so i dont believe there would be a problem. peace
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By jues Sat Oct 25, 2003 4:02 pm
Hi

I use my 4k live at shows and it works just fine. My only complaint is that even with a HDD it does not load files fast enough! Sure, it's a lot quicker than the Zip drive on my old 2K, but it's no where near as fast as a standard IDE interface should be.... :\

jues.

ByDnez Sat Oct 25, 2003 4:26 pm
Ok,
so could you explaine a brief how you use it
Some people i heard use it to manually play the drum sounds out and not sequnce them

By MPC_Producer Sat Oct 25, 2003 7:59 pm
Dne,

I don't use Live Ableton and I'm still exploring Reason with the 4000 but I can give you some helpful advice. Loading from the hard drive sometimes is a bit slow. I think it's partly because people tend to use bigger sample files with this machine. Even if it isn't, you can load everything in advance using the Autoload feature. You can also load A LOT more than with the 2000XL. The 4000 has Multis and Parts whereas the 2000XL only has its 4 Drum programs. You can load hundreds of samples on the 4000 and have them ready to use on demand.

Have you considered the MPC1000? It's a portable model that should work great with a computer. It has Autoload too. With the CompactFlash card you might go further by having one card programmed just for your live show. Plug in your show card, have the sounds autoload, and you're ready to play! The 1000 is also MUCH smaller than the huge 4000.
Bylevel Tue Oct 28, 2003 4:11 pm
I decided to renewal my 2kxl 2 a 4k. I allready went 2 a store selling akai products and the seller told me that the mpc4k is a **** so i better keep my mpc2kxl and buy a sempler 2 use with. and he allready told me that akai has stopped 2 produce 4k 'cause it has lot of bugs ...

I dont know what to do now. I read lots of good reactions about 4k
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By jues Tue Oct 28, 2003 10:15 pm
Yes the 4K has bugs - Yes I wouldn't trade mine for the world - next.


Autoloading you say? How do I set that up - If I could get my 4k to load the 5 programs I use live without me having to go to the load menu 5 times then I would quite the happy 4k user :)

jues.
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By Lampdog Tue Oct 28, 2003 11:04 pm
level wrote:I decided to renewal my 2kxl 2 a 4k. I allready went 2 a store selling akai products and the seller told me that the mpc4k is a **** so i better keep my mpc2kxl and buy a sempler 2 use with. and he allready told me that akai has stopped 2 produce 4k 'cause it has lot of bugs ...

I dont know what to do now. I read lots of good reactions about 4k


The 4k IS a sampler. Don't buy a separate sampler, he probably just wants the comission.
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By JusDaFied Wed Oct 29, 2003 9:32 pm
level wrote:I decided to renewal my 2kxl 2 a 4k. I allready went 2 a store selling akai products and the seller told me that the mpc4k is a **** so i better keep my mpc2kxl and buy a sempler 2 use with. and he allready told me that akai has stopped 2 produce 4k 'cause it has lot of bugs ...

I dont know what to do now. I read lots of good reactions about 4k


You went to a store and actually listened to what those idiots have to say? If you take ALL the people that work at music stores around the world, and add up their IQ, it should equal that of one person.

By got glide Thu Oct 30, 2003 10:50 pm
yhea sorry but that sales person was talking s.h.i.t .. the 4k is the most amazing unit I've ever worked on..

Bylevel Tue Nov 04, 2003 3:42 pm
THNX
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By itchyvinyl Tue Nov 04, 2003 10:13 pm
Guys at music stores that work on commission........
Certain stores base their commission on the "profit margin" of each item. That means even if two products cost the same to the customer, one product might have a bigger profit margin than the other - so the salesman makes more money on that product, therefore they will tell you anything to sell you that one.

Don't listen to the advice of guys that work at certain big chain guitar/music stores (you know which store I'm talking about.)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By MPC_Producer Wed Nov 05, 2003 3:18 pm
jues wrote:Autoloading you say? How do I set that up - If I could get my 4k to load the 5 programs I use live without me having to go to the load menu 5 times then I would quite the happy 4k user
I don't remember if this is covered in any of the manuals. I tried to find it but no luck. You have to create a folder named Autoload at the root level of the hard drive. Copy whatever you want to automatically load into that folder. Then go into Global mode and change the Autoload setting in the middle of the screen to ON.

The MPC4000's that come with a hard drive have Autoload already configured at the factory for a demo sequence. If I am going to work on something every day for a long time then I use Autoload. It's more helpful for someone using the MPC4000 for live work than studio work.

You mentioned "programs". Did you actually mean "multis" or aren't you using them? Another thing to keep in mind is that you can load an entire folder of files by highlighting the folder name in Load mode. You can load things selectively that way instead of loading everything with the Autoload folder.