Akai MPC 5000 review

i'm not trying to do a VS thread, but this sequencer blows away the MV8000 which I used from 05 to 08... I can't compare the MPC5k to any other MPC becuase I was so caught up into the MV that I didnt even look at MPCs... but now I have seen the light! the difference is night and day

mjames4208 wrote:i'm not trying to do a VS thread, but this sequencer blows away the MV8000 which I used from 05 to 08... I can't compare the MPC5k to any other MPC becuase I was so caught up into the MV that I didnt even look at MPCs... but now I have seen the light! the difference is night and day

I feel ya... whats the differences that you like and dislike MJames about these two machines(MV8000 and MPC 5000)?

truthfully ... Sound, Workflow, Speed of unit itself, Sequencer, and ease of use.
I hated waiting 10 minutes to load up a big project... don't get me wrong, the MV has a lot to
offer.. but i'm glad to be back on the MPC... some things I have to relearn, but it reminds me of my
MPC2000xl days.... all of the other nuances of the 5000 i will learn in time.... but the MPC's sequencer is ROCK SOLID compared to the MV.. don't let them guys over at mvnation fool you all

The MV is a great sequencer (I use to own one). It is just another option for musicians. However, this is an MPC 5000 review thread gentleman. Let's try to stay on track.

Askia Shaheed wrote:The MV is a great sequencer (I use to own one). It is just another option for musicians. However, this is an MPC 5000 review thread gentleman. Let's try to stay on track.

Jah you are a changed man since you receive your 5k. Keep at it and great review.

LvngDead wrote:Here are my 2 gripes with the mv8000.

Starting a new project takes 5 f*cking minutes. Why my sweet little baby do you take so long?

And here's a **** of a bug. It doesn't matter if you create a new project from the start or let one load up, you will always need to reload that project (40-50seconds it takes to reload) TO HEAR THE DAMN INPUTS!!!! THERE WILL BE NO SOUND COMING OUT FROM THE INPUTS UNLESS YOU RELOAD. Heyzeus.

Your start time on new projects is dependent largely on how congested your HD is. All hardware Akai , Roland, or anyone else can't escape this.

I have yet to experience the second error on the 8000 or 8800.

It would be cool if Akai implemented streaming from external sources instead of the HD used for system and library storage.

Blue Haze wrote:

Askia Shaheed wrote:The MV is a great sequencer (I use to own one). It is just another option for musicians. However, this is an MPC 5000 review thread gentleman. Let's try to stay on track.

Jah you are a changed man since you receive your 5k. Keep at it and great review.

Who is this Jah character?

Upon further review:
Today, I wanted to compare the Master Level of the MPC 5000 and 2500. I turned down the MASTER LEVEL for both units. Next, I turned the VOLUME knob of both unit to the far right for maximum volume. I loaded/played the same program/seq into both units. Setting the MPC 5000s Master Level to -30dB and the MPC 2500s Master Level to -18dB produced approximately the same results when monitoring via head phones.

I continued going through all the MODES on both units to identify any changes that stood out:

1. The MPC 5000 doesn't have a CANCEL option when loading/saving files like the MPC 2500.
2. Filters/LFO:
a. 5K has one FILTER per pad, 2.5K has two filters per pad
b. 5k has 11 filter types w/Slopes (1, 2, 4, 6, , the 2.5K has 4 FILTER types
c. 5K has NOISE LFO WAVE, and LFO Depth Panning
d. 5K has LFO SYNC w/15 different settings
3. 2.5K using JJ OS2 has sample editing features 5K doesn't:
a. Insert silence
b. Bit Convert
c. Ring Modulation
d. Sample fade in/out
e. Combine two samples with fade in/out
f. Change stereo sample to mono with VOCAL CUT*
h. Non-destrutive chopping
i. Instantly increase/decrease number of slices/chops

You mention somewhere in one of these topics (maybe this one), that you wouldn't undertake a serious project with the current OS. Does this still stand or have you bedded in with the machine a bit more and got used to its quirks?

Coz wrote:You mention somewhere in one of these topics (maybe this one), that you wouldn't undertake a serious project with the current OS. Does this still stand or have you bedded in with the machine a bit more and got used to its quirks?

I am cautious with any product with a new OS. The best thing you can do is to save your work often. So far, I haven't lost any work. As far as any quirks, I will continue to detail all issues that I have found in the bug thread.

Cool...

I think you've already managed to load some 24bit samples but I was just curious as to if it was possible to import 48 and 96k samples?

Coz wrote:Cool...

I think you've already managed to load some 24bit samples but I was just curious as to if it was possible to import 48 and 96k samples?

Yeah, I just did it with a kick sample at 24 Bits and 96k ... also was able to get a .wav 39MB Song to play without any problem as well, and an .aiff file to play without any problem

i just need to get my dang MPC 2000XL files loaded in, which is not happening

I think that pretty much makes my mind up then. A 5k later on in the year it is then!

I'm gonna get all my 2000XL projects converted to wav files as i'm not too bothered about the sequences. Hopefully it will painless enough to convert them all.

Coz wrote:I think that pretty much makes my mind up then. A 5k later on in the year it is then!

I'm gonna get all my 2000XL projects converted to wav files as i'm not too bothered about the sequences. Hopefully it will painless enough to convert them all.

Well, I just spoke with Akai Tech Support, and Kevin over there, is looking into this problem of the MPC 2000XL and MPC 2000 Files not loading... I also, tried to load some MPC 3000 files, no luck with that as well... I used MPC Editor to try to trouble shoot the program files(making sure that they were ok, and .pgm's would be properly synced up in the same folder as the sounds). So Kevin is going to try this up at Akai, and give me a call back with his answer.


Conclusion:

Kevin from Akai's Tech support just called me back, and said that he concluded the same issue. The Software will have to be rebuilt to support MPC Program Files such as 2000, 2000XL, and the 3000. I am not sure about issues with other MPC's. I believe its been reported that the 1000 and 2500 Official Akai OS's Program Files Transferred to the MPC 5000 ok

I went to my local GC earlier and they had one on display. I spent about a hour on it. The synth and the filters bang! I didn't get to test the HD recorder, arpeggiator or the effects. The pads and buttons feel about the same as my 1k (with the new pads) so no news there. I actually prefer the data wheel on the 1k, because its more ergonomic, although the 5k's wheel is a little sturdier. Once I figured out the layout it wasn't too bad maneuvering the beast. But there are a few big workflow stoppers (and a bunch of smaller ones) that really are irksome, especially after working with the JJ OS.

For example, when you go into disk mode (Load mode on the 1k) you actually have to press F5 to preview a sample. Then you let go of the button, scroll to the next sample (with a slight pause most of the time) and press F5. On the 1k, I can just hold down any pad and scroll down the list to preview. Another one is when you go into trim mode from the main screen, it doesn't display the last sample you played. I believe it actually goes back to the last sample you edited or viewed in trim mode. But if you go into trim mode from the program editor, it will display the sample you were editing in the program editor.

Programming synth sounds with the q-links is fast and intuitive (by the way, they operate in jump mode, where the parameter jumps to the knob position which causes an abrupt change in the parameter). Same with the Mixer Mode. Very nice system that I hope they apply to other parts of the OS. Especially the Program Editor. There are too many knobs and sliders to just be sitting there while you spin the hell out of that data wheel. For example, in the FLT/LFO page in Program Mode the sliders would be perfect for ADSRs, and you could map the filter parameters to the top row of knobs, and the rest of the parameters on that page to the second row.

The sound quality seems more precise in the high frequencies, with more bass response, but take that with a grain of salt, I was in noisy a$$ GC...