akai mpc 4000

[d-stroy]

this week we went out to check out the new akai mpc 4000. this 10,5 kg piece looks quite impressive. it has the touch of the mpc 3000, not that plastic crap style as the mpc 2000 2nd edition. the only thing that pissed us off was that cheap plastic jog-wheel...

anyways, it really seems quite a machine, but for the price (about 3500 euro with all options) is quite some money. also i have the first edition mpc 2000, which does its job good, and we don't have that cash anyway, but still...

has one of you guys see and hear any tests, critics or work with this shit already?

[euterke]

I've mine since mid April and this peace of hardware totally rocks.

Since this day I've no social life anymore!!!

The joggle is quite good even if it's look cheap... it's functional

60 gig with the new 1.16 os that give the opportunity to use the Ak.sys to work with your computer and the MPC via USB.

[piscaries]

i'm sure the box is quite impressive, but it seems like for the cash you could buy a good computer that could all and more than an mpc4k. just my 2 cents.

[euterke]

Originally posted by piscaries
i'm sure the box is quite impressive, but it seems like for the cash you could buy a good computer that could all and more than an mpc4k. just my 2 cents.


For near the same price you can buy a good computer + an echo sound card (24 bits)+ a 2 in for out midi + a midi controller
+ Cubase and some 56 bits plugins... this is true.

The difference is when you go out for a live P.A.

-Just one box to carry on.
-Impressive range of sound compare to a laptop sound card bottle effects.
-Incomparable capacity to manipulate you act compare to a playback action (live from ableton is nice but some act have seen were doing playback with the sequencer grid).

-Cons the MPC 4000 can't take email or run starcraft or surf on the Web :!

Anyway I don't blast computer, cauz I like to use one to create sound for the MPC. I like to use my licensed Reaktor or Absynth from N.I. and play sequence on the laptop from MPC.


Best Regards,

[piscaries]

true true true. there is that live aspect to think about. i guess that's what the decision really boils down to: whether you want your rig to be more live oriented or studio based. i'd definately say mpc is the way to go for live, but computer for studio. once again, merely my own opionon. what works best for you is what you should use.

[e-Phreak]

OK, the MPC4k IS impressive...

but! Is it realy worth that money? I'm proud owner of a MPC2k
and I wouldn't change this lovely grey box!

OK there are filters and efx and some other stuff around.. but what's about the overview of all these parameters and knobs...?

I only saw the 4k at the music messe/ffm for a few mins, but it doesn't seem easy to use for me...

[syt]

realy stay honest, ya realy think that performance is so cool with an MPC only?
Not realy or? i think to have a good live performance you have to bring more then just a MPC! makes more to carry but there's no way around! and already a fat LAPTOP with a good MidiController + let's say a Makie 1604 or else and a good seq. program that all runs stable, what do ya need more ? oh ya an MPC would be nice hehehe!:)

[euterke]

I would like to stay honest.


1) You can'T do everything with the MPC4k
2) The machine is really stable for live event
3) For live event u can carried less then a laptop set up.


Yeah it's true... I just bought an HP pavillon ZE5190 a month ago... and for a live event I carried much as the laptop + mixer (EZbus) + Doepfer Dhrebank... + midi cable and audio cable...

So next friday I was doing the final touch for the setup when a blue screen appear and I was not able to get in the XP professionnal anymore... The laptop was stuck with all the sound for my show in it.

So I had to install 2000 in parallel and burn down as a backup and do a big format to reinstall XP.

To reinstall all the software... and I was ready for the show on saturday... but didn't be enough sure with is stability... I decide to brig the big white box instead... Playing back all my sequence and people were really happy I think...

So the big phatty white box never let me down since April 2002...

[d-stroy]

thx for the input!

a friend of mine bought that piece for about 3 weeks ago. well, that machine has got some juice in it. we checked the same samples played first from the old akai mpc 2k, then from the 4k. quite surpising. what sux (my first impression) are the low parameters such as the efx's, a lot of variety, but not as effective as the old one. ok, he got the machine only a couple of weeks ago, may be we didn't get along on that, it's really quite a change from the mpc 2000 to the new one, tell you the trouth, for me it doesn't have to do almost anything with the old one...still don't know if it's really worth the monney though...

[malaclypse]

well, given 4k-euro i wouldn't think about a mpc4k. i'd stay with the good old mpc2k, look for an asr-x - to be triggered by the mpc. it has all the capabilities i miss on the mpc. especially real good effects with resampling. then i'd have one more close look @ ebay to get a roland vp-9000 for a reasonable price (last weekend there was one for 750 euro). together with my nord-modular i should be done.

but as we work as a duo on stage i don't need the samplers, just the nord, a yamaha vl and a preamp.

but for a solo-gig this would be the weapons of choice, ahh, and a few tons of effects 4 sure...