By
Antonym
Sat Nov 11, 2006 6:58 pm
qlink and midi control change in grid coming soon, see my sig and decide for yourself. the new operating system has some of the coolest features i've seen taken from the 4000 and software like reason and ableton plus some clever and convenient rethinking of existing hardware that i have never seen in any machine/software to date.
as for build, the only thing built less strong is the pads, and there's a movement to adapt the 500 pads (whose anatomy is based on older model mpcs) to the 1000 (which had a poor initial design which requires a lot of DIY upkeep).
now hear this: buttonwise, framewise, sliderwise, wheelwise - VST confirms that the 1000 and 2000 have similar rate of disfunction, that is that one is not built more hardcore than the other. pads are the only issue - nothing else is built cheaper. i carry my 1k with me everywhere - that's day to day. i walk about a mile and a half (large college campus, lots of classes) daily w/ my mpc in a bag bumping against my thigh. i use it a LOT, and not too gently. this thing is the closest thing to me that doesn't have blood, brains, and a respiratory system.
as for the software, the argument that hip hop was made on less is all well and good, but hits were made by banging two rocks together once. if people couldn't use software features (which end up just maximizing existing hardware utilities) there would be no reason for an mpc4000.
the os for the 1000 pushes the machine closer and closer to a cut down mpc4000 - not in its sampler qualities, but in its display of information qualities, with stuff like qlink/midi cc grid edit. also it features stuff like qlink swing and shift timing, which has not been implemented into ANY mpc before this...this makes going back and touching up your groove REALLY smooth and REALLY convenient.
the pad issue is very frustrating and not for the fragile or timid, but if this gets taken care of by akai releasing a hardware upgrade, hands down the mpc1000 with the jenius will be the most logical, cost effective, and reliable choice imagineable - the only reason to upgrade would be a need for more sliders or outs. until the pad solution comes (IF it does), people who want to take their 1000 seriously will be forced to take matters into their own hands. i'm sure a solution does exist, but it's gonna take a lot of research on my part. of course i'll be posting my findings.
not to say the 2000 isn't great, but the new os just gives you so many more options/more headroom. when you run out of space in a machine and your technical innovations slow down, you stagnate. this does not appear to be in the forseeable future for my mpc1000.
