The Zen of MPC500

I've had the classic MPC2000 which I replaced with MPC1000 w/ JJ OS. Now I have the MPC500 which replaced the 1000 and I love it. The MPC500 is so zen in that it embodies just the essence of what make the MPC such a beautiful instrument: the sequencer based on the legacy of Roger Linn's original design, the integrated workflow, the tactile pads...etc. I love the simplicity and the limitation it imposes and the creative challenge that brings. The minimal display means less distraction and allows me to focus more. I feel that MPC1000 with the JJ OS 1 & 2 was becoming too bloated with features, some of which I would never use. I love how the 500 brings back the classic way of doing things by ear, like on the MPC2000.

The small footprint rocks too. Perfect for a hardware based live setup where you can quickly run out of space. And the portability invites me to do everything on the MPC500 by itself with nothing else.

I can already tell this will be a fun and productive machine.

totally agree.........your getting one of the best sequencing programs in the world for a dirt cheap price.
You get a gang of features right out the box with a ton of sample time just to get you started.
Thats more than enough. Ive also worked with way less intuitive and smaller LCD screens than the 500, so to me all this nit picking about the screen being to small is just people trying to find fault in something because thats what they do best.
You get what you pay for, and in this case it looks as if i will be more than satisfied.

peace

True, I could work the MPC blind if it had a few more buttons (filter, etc...) and it's because I've learned to use the 500. It is a great sequencer (same as the others), 12 minutes of sample time, good pads, good chopping no matter what anyone says, and enough eqs/filters/effects to do anything if you're good enough. Plus it's portable.

And all of the things it does that I don't even take advantage of like you can make it an amazing field recorder with a good dynamic mic. A good MIDI sequencer for all of your other stuff. I would even use it to record and alter the sound of my instruments if I ever abandoned hip-hop but that won't happen.

For the price you get one for on eBay, I don't think I'll ever sell it if I get another MPC, I'll just have 2.

haha...dare i say it, but my 2k would be collecting dust if i had a 500

DjPound79 wrote:haha...dare i say it, but my 2k would be collecting dust if i had a 500

I traded my 500 for a 2k classic about 6 months ago and within a week sold it for another 500 the 2k was different in good and bad ways tho.

wow.....its amazing to me how akai back in the 90's got away with pricing the way they do on machines that lacked the most basic of features...And people happily gobbled up their product with no fuss whatsoever.
In retrospect of course It was the MPC's sequencer, and that was mainly the reason for spending such a ridiculous amount of money.
But when something like the 500 comes along 10-12 years later, it really makes you wonder why AKAI didnt manufacture something like this sooner. And its a real hard kick to the balls to take when its half the price and stock with ten times the features.

Again, the 2k isnt all it was hyped to be.

peace

DjPound79 wrote:Again, the 2k isnt all it was hyped to be.

peace

It used to be the ish when they released it. The 2k was worth it's reputation back then.

i disagree, the prices for the add-on's were ridiculous and should of been included back then as part of the total package and not as accesories.
300 for an effects card? come on.
32 MB should of been standard stock, by 99 akai should of rethought their gameplan but didnt...But at that point, the 2k already had a loyal following and you couldnt tell them anything. But clearly in hindsight, what with the 500 and the 1000...the 2k isnt looking so hot now.
And if the 1000 or 500 dropped back in 99, i would definetly buy one of the aforementioned way before i would drop cash on a 2k.

Welcome to our cult.

does the 500 have more power/features than the 2k? ie can the 500 do everything the 2k does and more or is that not the case?

Well, the 500 does not have:

• Waveform editing (Workaround: For incredibly complicated chops use a computer; the larger screen is arguably superior anyway).
• Multiple outs (Workaround: Get the levels right on the MPC. Do your EQing on the MPC, which is more precise and has a wider ranger than a cheap mixing board anyway).
• 16 vs. 12 pads (Workaround: Utilize multiple banks or add an external controller. I've yet to find the 12 pad configuration a problem though.

Which can arguably be compensated for by:

• Faster processor
• More effects
• Portability and battery power
• CF card rather than magnetic media or hacks

I would say it is more powerful but with a few gotchas.

"disagree, the prices for the add-on's were ridiculous and should of been included back then as part of the total package and not as accesories.
300 for an effects card? come on.
32 MB should of been standard stock, by 99 akai should of rethought their gameplan but didnt"

In 1997 4megs of ram was standard in home computers. 8megs of ram was reserved for higher end computers, but the prices were still around $30/meg!
It's hard to comprehend now, but think about this.
In 1979, the synclavier (the first keyboard sampler) cost about $200,000- $300,000!!! The Fairlight was released commercially in 1980, and was a affordable at $20,000!!
In 1983, The Emax HD-1 was a STEAL at $2600! Internal hard-drive (20mb and approx $1200) not included, and the removable drive was approx $1400 extra also! The Emax has 512k of memory. The 16bit Emulator III was released in 1987. Cost $10,000!
The MPC revolutionized the music game when it was released. You also have to remember, back in these days, each function had a separate device. You had a unit to sample with, another to sequence, another to trigger, and many needed a different device to save! The MPC had it all and was self contained. The MPC-60 was KILLIN' IT with 750k of memory..remember, the SP-1200 was king of the hill before the 60.
So fast forward, 1999, 32mb standard? Yea right, but $300 for an effects unit sounds very reasonable. If your comparing the prices of old to current prices, then yea, its a rip-off, but when you compare the prices to those 5-10 years before 1999, I don't think akai was trying to rip anyone off.
...the flash ROM was always high tho!

Every company rips you off as much as they can. They calculate the highest price a consumer would be willing to pay for a product without scaring away the majority of their core audience. If they're an underdog entering the market then they undercut others just to get a foot in the door, sometimes even at a loss.

Case in point, look at the Technics 1200 or the Pioneer CDJ-1000. Absolutely nothing in those products that can justify the price anymore, especially since the cost of research and development has long since paid for itself. Marketing? There is virtually none required for either product. The high price is there because A) those who want them will find the money somehow for them and B) the high price, in this case, creates an illusion of luxury -- so in contrast to cheaper decks that might perform equally as well, the 'standard' continues to appear top notch while the others are 'cheap.'

Was the 2000 overpriced? I don't know because I can't really remember the retail price back then. What I do know is that I was sampling on my PC with a Sound Blaster card back in 1992; that card was probably $150 then and by the late 90s it was going for 1/3 of that.

Point being, Akai's profit margins were probably reasonable. They could've lowered prices but there was no reason to: there was no real competition to undercut. Now that we are moving into computer-based production people are downloading Reason for free. Has Akai responded appropriately? Not really, not from a price or feature point and if they don't fix that issue it could be their demise. At the same time, the MPC is still the only game in town when it comes to hardware samplers (with the exception of the MV, which I think is an answer to the reign of software) and Akai is (perhaps wrongfully) banking on that. They may be positioning themselves as the 1200 of samplers: the industry standard that does not really need changed and can sustain demand on its reputation alone. Probably a bad move.

buy used.

point well taken.

What i really had in mind though when i was writing my criticisms on the 2K, was that in 99 Korg and Roland were coming out with some kick ass samplers. I bought a korg es-1 and now also own an esx-1. The OG es-1 came out in early 2000 and had 93 seconds standard stock, internal EQ, sequencer and built in compression, with complete automation and a gang of effects.
Sure it wasnt an MPC by any means, but than again at the time the 2k didnt offer half the creative possibilities of an es-1. The ES was 500 dollars and the 2k was 1,500.
So apparently for korg to produce a mini-workstation such as the ES-1 and for them to make it available at such an affordable price cost of materials must of went down considerably...and of course from what you guys said, it did.

So this leads me to believe that akai will and has always kept their prices inflated, while using cheap materials to produce their machines. But like bedouin said theyve forged a reputation and people will pay for their products simply on the merit of the AKAI name.
Despite their inferior build qualities.