a few questions about the MPC 500

hello im new here but have been interested in music production for a long time. i make mostly mid-tempo instrumental hip-hop. i currently own an alesis micron but i used to work with a laptop and reason. i gave that up though because i just didn't like the work flow on a computer.

since getting my micron ive been doing a lot better even though you can't do nearly as much things as reason can do. i just like the idea of having actual gear.

i want to incorporate sampling into my production and the obvious choice would be an MPC, as most of my money goes on records im probably gonna go for the 500 but i just have a few questions about it.

i was wondering how well is the facility to chop samples in comparison to the MPC 1000?
ive heard things like it's almost impossible to chop samples in this thing and although i could chop my samples up in soundforge i would prefer to be able to do everything without touching the computer.

ive also heard that the pads are kind of bad, ive heard they need to be hit rather hard in order to get full volume. what are people's opinions on the pads on the 500 (i don't really care about the fact that it only has 12 pads)

and finally is the 1000 just worth the extra money??
i have no interest in portability or anything as this thing would be permanently in my room so should i just splash out more cash and get the bigger brother??


anyway sorry about the questions but hopefully somebody here can help me out.

peace

Don't know anything about it's sampling capabilities, but yea the pads on the 500 are much stiffer..but so are the ones on the 1000. If you wan't a nice sounding and feeling machine i suggest getting the 2kxl. U can find em on ebay or craigslist for maybe even cheaper than a 500.

i was more interested in buying a new product (something with a warranty).

i know that some people complained about the pads on the MPC 1000 and i think this was because Akai outsourced the development of the pads in comparison to other MPCs in the series (please somebody correct me if i am wrong).

what is the story with the pads of the 500, were they outsourced just like the 1k?

Dont know about the pads but the 500 seems like a waste of money to me if you dont need the portability. Check the comparison forum for differences to the 1k, biggest disadvantage is the small display though. You have to chop by ear (no waveform display) and the sequencing is so much more powerful on the 1k with the JJ OS. I love my 1k for that and the usb connection but if you only sample from vinyl and other external sources the 2kxl should be good for you too.