before i get an MPC 500 i have a few questions

first of all id like to say that this site has been a great resource to me in my research into the MPC machines. so thanks to everybody here.

i currently make instrumental hip-hop and use turntables, mixer and a roland sp-303. the sp-303 is nice but i can only make loops not whole songs. that is why i would like to add the MPC 500 to my setup.

i just have a few basic questions about the unit.
the MPC 500 has 12 pads. but how many banks does it have? like how many sounds can i keep stored on my MPC at any one time.
i have heard lots of complaints about the 500 including it has no chop shop but that doesn't bother me because i chop by ear anyway on the sp-303. but i have also heard that it has lots of bugs.
is this true?
also can plug the outs of my 303 into the ins of the 500 hear the pattern/samples on the 303 while playing samples on the 500?

thank you for reading and any help is appreciated.

Hi there, what a polite introduction!

There are 4 pad banks on the mpc which equates to 48 samples. However, this is only a limit for a single program, you can keep as many samples on the mpc as your memory allows (up to 128MB) and you can use multiple programs on any song. You are limited by the number of tracks (48 as well, so 48 programs max) and polyphony which is apparently up to 32 or something like that (although I understand this goes down with effects, etc). If you resample your sampled breaks, the limits are quite literally endless.

There are a number of bugs some people have experienced, probably best do a search of this forum. I personally have noticed a few glitches but nothing major and nothing a quick reformatting of my memory card (after successfully rescuing my sequences and samples) hasn't resolved. Some people have gone so far as to take theirs back or send off to Akai but I have been delighted with mine.

Yep, you can do this, in record mode, not a problem. You can't edit the sequence on the MPC, or track mute, while you do this, but can certainly play and stop.

You can download the manual from the akai website and this is worth doing to assist with your decision - I read mine a few times before getting mine and it was well worth doing.

Good luck!

^^^^^^ btw, supplied memory is 32mb, 128mb is after an upgrade.

16mb

oops, yeah sorry, mine came maxed

thanks for the help guys. i plan on buying the 128mb ram when i get the 500 but is it hard to install (im sure there are guides on the net anyway).

one more question. since i use an sp-303 i never really got involved in time-stretching as this is a function which the 303 is not very good at. just to clarify time-stretch is when you have a loop lets say at 100BPM and you want to make it lower like 90BPM and it doesn't effect the pitch of the sample. the 500 can do this right? and if it can how well does it do it. like what range of BPM does it deal with before noticeable deterioration happens?

The 500 has a timestretch function. I was satisfied with the quality of it, when I found how it works. You can't set the BPM, but you do have presets.
For example, if you want to stretch a sample containing a female vocal, you can set the female vocal preset, so the process won't effect you're sample in a negative way.

Stretching like this on the mpc has never giving me a disapointing result.

so it has presets?

im sorry i find this a little difficult to understand .

i always thought that timestretch let you set the BPM value of a sample altering its original speed but the same pitch.

lets say i have a melody sample at 95BPM and i want to lower it to exactly 82BPM. are such precise BPM changes doable within the 500?

bowza wrote:so it has presets?

im sorry i find this a little difficult to understand .

i always thought that timestretch let you set the BPM value of a sample altering its original speed but the same pitch.

lets say i have a melody sample at 95BPM and i want to lower it to exactly 82BPM. are such precise BPM changes doable within the 500?

Yes, you can set the BPM, dunno what Menco is on about lol!

From the manual:

"You can select parameters at the left field on the lower line, and set the value at the right field on the lower line.
Origin
This is where you set the original tempo of the sample manually. If you don't know the tempo of the sample, set this value to 100.
New ♪
This is where the new tempo is entered. Time Stretch amount is automatically calculated based on original tempo and new tempo. When
100 is set as the Original tempo field, the value of the New tempo field is set as a percent value.
Preset
The MPC500 uses 18 preset algorithms to carry out the timestretch process, so you can select a preset that nearest resembles your sample’s
content. If the results are not to your liking, try experimenting with different presets."

thanks man. you've basically answered all my questions

im really looking forward to getting this machine now.

final question (i know they just keep coming but i promise this is the last one ). the 500 has swing parameters? on the 303 i can only set quantize value but i can't add swing, unless i play it like that naturally. it would be nice, but not essential, to have built in swing available.

Yeah, when you set timing correction to 1/8, 1/16 or 1/32 you can set swing value from 50% (no swing) to 75% to get that shuffle groove. This can either be done live as you lay down your beats or you can correct a previously recorded sequence.

Download the manual and search the pdf for "swing" to read more.

sorry for my late reply.

thanks so much for the help guys. you really answered all my questions. can't wait to get this machine now.
peace

I have a sp-303 nd mpc 500...they work extremely well together...have made any full songs with them both but I've tested out some stuff to check compatibility and they MIDI up fine and seem to work well. I like the simpleness of each...from concept to song you cant beat the combo