Akai MPC4000 vs. Roland MV-8000

moyphee wrote:
* Also Akai should consider offering devlopment kits to those interested in enhancing the OS. Roland has consistantly offered superior support and upgrades than Akai. The MV is always growing in features and that's a huge plus.

You can't compare Roland and Akai. Roland is much larger corporation and their product line is extensive.

If they were to release Dev kits to engineers like JJ and had an beta group to test and troubleshoot, it would work just fine. If Akai won't uupdate the OS at least let programmers contribute instead of making hijacking the system. Company size isn't really a factor in that respect.

Firefox and linux works on an open source model and just look at the advances made. An update every 2 years isn't acceptable IMO.

The only problem people have with the MV-8000 is that it is not Akai. Like was stated, it's more of a user error as opposed to a sequencer problem. The MPC-4000 and MV-8000 are both great machines. The only problem I have had with my MV that I bought when it first came out is a couple buttons caving in.

moyphee wrote:The MV seq. is just fine. I actually like it better for my house stuff. The timing issues with the MV stem from the PPQN settings and grid strength. If the PPQN is to high, coupled with low grid strength the timing will indeed be off if your not recording complex patterns.

The MV has quite a few setting on the quantize page . Using "shuffle" type instead of "grid" will throw you beats off. This a settings issue not a sequencer fault in any way. I've got friend in texas that had ththe timing complaint and it was solved by making small adjustments.

I'm running V3.52 in the MV.

Thanks for letting me know that cuz!

well, thats too bad. what good is a swing feature that doesnt even sound good and sequencer that cant hold a beat like mpc does. nobody wants to hear that $hit here.

moyphee wrote:The MV seq. is just fine. I actually like it better for my house stuff. The timing issues with the MV stem from the PPQN settings and grid strength. If the PPQN is to high, coupled with low grid strength the timing will indeed be off if your not recording complex patterns.

The MV has quite a few setting on the quantize page . Using "shuffle" type instead of "grid" will throw you beats off. This a settings issue not a sequencer fault in any way. I've got friend in texas that had ththe timing complaint and it was solved by making small adjustments.

I am not trying to start a fight here..but as an MPC 2500 user, I do believe you can get good sounding drums/sequences with the MV if you know how to use it properly. Haven't you guys heard the snap music created by Jermaine Duprii? Haven't you heard Janet's new CD? Roland states that JD uses the MV. Pure genius..that music is crazy.....

Jah, finally, we agree about something! The MV is a great machine if you know how to use it. JD, as far as I know based on Roland accounts (???) is a big user and some of his joints, that I KNOW were done on the MV are hot. You can really here it on Mariah Carey's last CD. The MV, if mastered properly, is a hell of a machine. I want one in my studio along side my 2500. They compliment each other greatly to me, and each one spurs a different creative side of me. One Lovw and Happy belated Thanksgivivg y'all.

Well, we sort of agree.

I agree that the MV just like an MPC, is a tool that you use to create music. If you know how to use them properly, you can do anything with them.

As far as JD....that comment were tounge -n- cheek. What you are hearing on Mariah's CD is just Roland sounds...practially the same sounds in all commercial music in that genre. Janet's CD is trash....thanks to JD. And his beatz sounds like they can be produced with anything on the market that costs at least $60.

But don't mind me...I am a hater

Prophacee wrote:I jus posted up the 2500 forum yesterday that Beat-hoven won the King of the Beats usin a MV.

So what? I don't see how anybody winning some silly contest is of any relevance to music-making. Music is not about competition.

I have worked with the MV and a grip of different MPC's and I can say that the MV has excellent timing, no problems there.

No comparison between the MV8k & MPC4k. Both are similar in nature but the 4K has the edge. One thing that stands out between the two is the option to do multiple sample rates on the 4k vs. having only one choice with the MV. Another issue is storage. 40GB vs. 60, 80 or 120 on the MPC, that's a big difference. Now as far as the stability of both OS's, I'll take the 5th on that one. The bottom line is you'll get more options out of the 4k.

I am a fan of MPCs and would never use the current MV...however, it is much more than you described. As the MPC 4000 has features that the MV doesn't..the same is true vice-versa. Anyone wanting either will have to decide which features are important to them.

hi dabmeister:

The MV comes stocked with a 40GB drive but the OS recognizes drives up to 120GB. Many users (myself included) have replaced the stock 40GB with 120GB. This a must if track audio on the MV. You could install larger drives but only 120 will be available for use.Variable sample rates were indeed a big oversight with the MV. The MV"s VGA output is pretty darn useful. A negative fl display should have been used for the MV initially (IMO).

I would have to agree that it's more a matter of preference than features. In either case, most users will never exhaust the options on either machine.

I think it is silly to try to use a drum machine for multi-tracking. It only has 8 tracks anyway. Just buy a cheap M-audio or Digi interface that is packaged with Pro Tools LE for better results...

It actually works pretty well. The 8 audio tracks function much like the VS machines. When I do remixes it comes in handy. I was using Sonar alongside the 4K (and my old 2k) for a good while. For simple vocals and such ,it's pretty decent. There's only 8 such tracks so tracking a full band is likely out of the question. In any case i don't think it's a major selling point in any way.