Akai MPC 5000 review

get any sleep last night there, hoss?

So how does it feel in general. Is there a lot to learn like going form a 2000XL to a 4000, or does it behave just like a 2500 but with more options? Have you bumped into any interesting sample editing features that make it worth the $2500.00. I got my call from guitar center about 3 weeks ago to pick on up..my name was on the list to "try" it, but I can't drop that kinda money without knowing exactly what I'm buying beforehand. Specs alone don't mean anything to me.

I haven't gotten much sleep. But tonight I will continue to bang on it and watch the Lakers-Jazz game.

One thing I will write real quick is that it really is like a super MPC 2500 w/ Akai OS. If you are a user of the JJ OS, you may frustrated with features like sample chopping....I am....more to follow.

Have you updated your os to the new os.I heard it shipped with like 52 bugs

phenix wrote:Have you updated your os to the new os.I heard it shipped with like 52 bugs

The OS update which corrected the 52 bugs was available for download the same time the MPC 5000 was available in stores. Hower, I didn't have to update my unit. OS 1.01 was already installed.

Cool

So what kinda rating do you give it 1 out of 10.... Do you think its the best MPC? and does it even compare to the 4000 in your opinion(if you know much about the 4000)?
and last question was it worth the $2500 investment?

Askia Shaheed wrote:On the main screen, FULL LEVEL sounds like it works and the recorded notes do register a velocity of 127. However, I have issues with pads not triggering sometimes. If I quickly strike a pad several times, periodically a sample will not trigger. But, if I keep my finger on a pad (never lifting it off the pad) and press several times, the sounds will trigger just fine...

I don't know if this will help, but if you got to MODE->OTHER->PAD, there you can adjust Pad Sensitivity, Velocity Curve, Aftertouch. Hope that helps.

I'd be amazed if he could come to those kind of conclusions within 2 or 3 days of having it. In saying that, there's definitely a few of us here waiting patiently for a thorough review of this thing.

I started reading the manual but couldn't find the section on sample importing. What i'm most interested in is what bit rates the MPC can import. I know the machine defaults to 16bit, but I have literally 1000's of 24bit 44/48k samples and would like to know if these can be converted in the box. Anyone know this off hand?

Cheers.

Coz

I played around with the 5000 and the Fantom G, today @ GC! The Fantom G is off the chain, Roland really hit with this one! The thing sounds amazing. Would buy it over the Oasys anyday! The 5000 sounds better than I thought it would. But, my salesman said that is because of the quality samples made by a different company. The question will be, How will your samples sound? The 5000 will not read MPC 2000, 3000, or 4000 format. So, it's won't serve me! I would definitely buy the Fantom G!

The 5000 feels just like the 2500!

Blue Haze wrote:How is the sampler for editing, program making, and matrix and can you play more than one program per midi channel or only one like the previous mpcs?

The sample editing on the MPC 5000 is nearly identical to that of the Akai MPC 2500 OS 1.23. It has just standard features nothing extraordinary. Akai can do much more with this as seen in the JJ OS which is superior.

The MPC 5000 is a 32-channel multi-timbral sound module. You can assign a program and MIDI channel to each track. I assigned a base synth program to track 1/MIDI channel 1A and a drum program to track2/MIDI channel 1A. With my MIDI keyboard connected, it played both programs simutaneously. I then switched the drum program to MIDI channel 2A. I can then set my keyboard controller to MIDI channel 1 or 2 to playback the respective program. This is not anything amazing since the MPC 4000 does the same...but it is an improvement over the other MPCs. By the way..that onboard synth is a nice...very nice touch.

.....................you guys know I love Akai products. But I to shoot straight from the hip on these matters. I don't care if it is the JJ OS or an Akai OS...if there is a bug, I will write about it. OS 1.01 of the MPC 5000 does have bugs.

I was playing around with the Graphic Matrix Editior (Grid Edit). It looks great. With the larger display, you can easily see everything. However, going back and forth between the Matrix and the Main Screen and assigning different programs...sometimes, I couldn't trigger any samples while in the Matrix. At that time, I couldn't record. I went back to the main screen to switch to a different program...then the MPC 5000 froze up on me.

So I already found 2-3 bugs depending how you want to count them. With that, I am going to bed so I can get up early refreshed to try this again.

bomb beats wrote:I played around with the 5000 and the Fantom G, today @ GC! The Fantom G is off the chain, Roland really hit with this one! The thing sounds amazing. Would buy it over the Oasys anyday! The 5000 sounds better than I thought it would. But, my salesman said that is because of the quality samples made by a different company. The question will be, How will your samples sound? The 5000 will not read MPC 2000, 3000, or 4000 format. So, it's won't serve me! I would definitely buy the Fantom G!

It will not read the previous mpcs format????? Are you serious??? So you are saying the various programs mentioned will not transfer into the 5000??? Assuming the 1k, 25k formats only??? Hmmm I got to check on that this statement maybe inaccurate.

Plus the sound library you are talking about it the Loop Masters Series which is very good itself that you can download at the new Akai site or http://www.LOOPMASTERS.com which works with about any sampler soft or hardware covering house to Hip Hop.

I checked the manual pages 180 under specifications and your salesman got it wrong.

5k does read the previous mpc formats with some limitations read up on it. I couldn`t copy from the Adobe format.

The only formats it won`t read or the S1000 and S3000 series. Which is a shame cuz most Akai older series sampling CDs are in these series.

Wow! I just so happen to call guitar center and was told they have 2 MPC5000. One was on display and the other still in box un-open. So I decided to go and check it out, I only had 15 or 20 minute to play around on it and test some of the features. I'm feeling the MPC5000! I tried to get the sales guys to match the price of my preorder, he did but with tax so I declined. I rather wait I've waited all this time not going to hurt to wait any longer at this point.