Exchange tips and tricks for the Akai MPC4000
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By NIT3TIM3 Mon Nov 24, 2003 10:41 pm
i plan on getting a mpc 4000 in about a month. i heard that you can asign keygroups or somethin like that....what does that mean...also i know you can resample your own loops but if you have a MicroKorg that doesnt let you save how can you sample the sequence made on the 4000 using the MicroKorg into the 4000...also i know you can have six banks of drum kits/sounds how long does all that take to load up...im really trying to decide to get a mpc 4000 or a 1000.....can you hook an external hard drive up to a 4000...on the cd rom does it read any audio format and say i bought a cd full of instruments how would i lay that out so i can have instruments on the 4000 because i plan on using it as a workstation as well and how elaborate is the usb on the 4000...i would probably use recycle to chop then dump all the sounds into the beast is this possible. another concern of mine is song mode how elaborate is it....ive used a 2000xl b4 but basically only used it to make loops then dump them into pro tools...im gonna be using the 4000 to mix down the whole beat then jus take it to the studio and dump it in....thus i will need to sample in everything....can everyone tell me the cons then pros to the mpc 4000 reguarding this i know it might be played out but i need to know b4 i drop 2gs on one....thanks in advance....

By got glide Tue Nov 25, 2003 1:30 am
well I'm not going to answear your thread directly as I'm pretty sure all your answears lie here in the form..

& to put it very simply

pros: you are not limeted

cons: you'll have to work hard to master it, the interface might seam trendius and hard at first but its really simple once your vission gets clear

my only advice get a hd a usb keyboard and set up a solid startup bank so your mpc is always fierd up with breaks ready to jump around anything you sample
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By NIT3TIM3 Tue Nov 25, 2003 2:19 am
what do you mean start up bank.....can you be a lil bit more specific plz...i would greatly appreciate ur knowledge in this.

By MPC_Producer Tue Nov 25, 2003 2:32 pm
Try to ask just a couple questions at a time so that you get a response. There were a few questions that require detailed answers. To respond to everything would mean having to write pages.

The MPC4000 has an Autoload folder. It can be switched on or off through a setting on the Global page. Anything that you want to load at boot time should be copied into the folder. The MPC1000 also has an Autoload folder. The loading time depends on the quantity of samples and their sizes.

I second the recommendation for a USB keyboard. Buy one of the mini models to save desk space. Having to dial in file and folder names gets annoying no matter how used to it you are with the MPC2000XL.
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By NIT3TIM3 Tue Nov 25, 2003 6:36 pm
sorry to ask so many questions....what do you mean by a usb keyboard though? like a pc keyboard or one with musical notes....plus how do i crate backs of instruments on the 4000?

By MPC_Producer Tue Nov 25, 2003 7:00 pm
It helps to buy a mini PC keyboard with a USB cable and plug it into the front of the MPC4000 where one of the USB ports is located. Buy a small cheap one. You can dial in text, but it is much quicker to type names with the external keyboard.

By got glide Tue Nov 25, 2003 7:11 pm
it seams like you have a long way to go bro .. there seams to be a lot of newcomers going straight on the mpc4k ,, where the hell do you get the cash for this .. man when I was starting I worked for months to afford my first sampler.. I can only say that the 4k is an extreamly >professional< piace of kit very full on and you should start on something more simple get the 1000 it seams to be a great unit aswell, once you know the ins and outs of midi&audio then move on to the 4k if you feel you need to..
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By NIT3TIM3 Tue Nov 25, 2003 7:42 pm
im buying a mpc 4000 and fantom s with my tax return....i did work hard all year to get money to get it. it need a mpc with unlimited potential....i have used the 2000xl in my main studio for a year and half and im lookin to purchase equipment for my crib.i want to make a good investment and buy somethin i will use for the rest of my career....i jus wanna know what the beast can do...

By opt1k1 Wed Nov 26, 2003 5:01 am
got glide wrote:it seams like you have a long way to go bro .. there seams to be a lot of newcomers going straight on the mpc4k ,, where the hell do you get the cash for this .. man when I was starting I worked for months to afford my first sampler.. I can only say that the 4k is an extreamly >professional< piace of kit very full on and you should start on something more simple get the 1000 it seams to be a great unit aswell, once you know the ins and outs of midi&audio then move on to the 4k if you feel you need to..



there's just no reason to be a bitter ****. dude got some loot and wants to buy equipment with it.

anyway, your going the right way, i had a mainly post production setup for a long time with a tascam dm 24 digital console and various other things. i was using software to do all my sampling and sequencing. when i got a 4k it changed everything it just MAKES sense, unlike being negative towards someone who wants to buy high end equipment strictly because it took you longer to catch on to the whole "sense" thing.

also, musicians firned is selling the white mpc4k le's for like $1600 right now and if you know anything about the internal side of home computers you can easily figure out how to throw a big hd and some ram into that and make it as good as your willing.
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By NIT3TIM3 Wed Nov 26, 2003 12:21 pm
i think im gonna buy it from there then....i was priginally gonna buy it from ebay....do yo u know anyone that knows anything about putting in the ram,cdr, and hard drive. also do you have a 4000 and what have been ur experiences with it....
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By NIT3TIM3 Wed Nov 26, 2003 10:21 pm
thanx for that info man....ima buy the LE and then add the hd and the cdr drive. akai is dope for doing that. does anyone know a site or video that shows you how to do it or is it in the manual?does anyone know about the keygroups in the 4000 and the advantages of the sequencer in the 4000 over the 2000xl...

By opt1k1 Wed Nov 26, 2003 10:23 pm
as far as the ram, cdr, and hd go its just like a computer. if you dont feel comfortable enough your bound to know someone who is and willing to do it for free because its simple once you learn it.

By got glide Wed Nov 26, 2003 10:30 pm
opt1k .. I'm not bitter. and I didn't mean to be negetive I was just saying alot of newcomers seam to jump on something like the 4k straight!! I think it gives it a bad rep as they don't get it and dont call me f.u.c.k. you have no reason to show me this kind of disrespect !you got that! mate !! I could have used another word here but I didn't and belive me it took alot of selfcontrole..

I mean seriusly shouln't you at least know midi and audio before using something like this, nit3tim3 sorry didn' mean to offend you or anything but I might have misread but you were asking on how you resample the microkorg into the mpc.. if you have the cash to burn then great!! burn as much as you want, but I'd like to point out that the music I work with at least all started with some getto kids picking up cheap zhit and banging tracks out, you don't have to have the biggest or the best do you .. give me an mmt8, dx200 and s950 and I'll make great use of it.. its about your creatif skilz anit it and getting into something you don't understand is just like killing your creatif flow..

now opty boy don't judge me again ok cos you don't know me and I aint judgeing you, what do you know about my history it never took me no time to catch on to a "sense" thing, I just relize where I stand in relationship to what I can afford and grew on that,.. bha

again sorry for judging you tim3 didn't mean any disrespect fella..
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By NIT3TIM3 Wed Nov 26, 2003 11:07 pm
its all good homie.....i didnt get heated....i have used the 2000xl b4 though for the past year and a half....i jus wanna buy somethin that i wont have to upgrade in the future....the 4000 seems to be that piece....i jus need to know what she can do pass all the specs cuz that shyt dont really mean shyt to me i need to know what everyone likes so much about her....