Akai MPC-1000

It does not come with many sounds and they are all spread out through the different banks which is a little anoying. The manual is pretty good but like most manuals it only gives you the command/button functions and does not explain them in detail.

Most of the features are easy to use but the effects are average at best. The pads are very stiff and not that responsive unless you use the full volume feature.

Since the unit is a sampler it will be up to you to get good ones. Since you need the full volume mode to compensate for the stiff pads you loose the velocity sensitivity.

i would not use this with out a backup. I had to return 2 units because they came out of the box with corrosion on the midi ports. It is a very heavy unit for it's size. Also the eject button for the memory card sticks out and is a little flimsy.

I would not buy it again. I only keep it at my studio for people who want to use it. I have owned and used many different types / brands of gear that i thought were great but I was completely dissapointed with this unit. I can see why some people think they like it but I think the reason everyone buys one is because of good advertising.

not to hard, the manual is pretty poorly written at times but you can get the gist of it pretty easily. the mpc-forums site has alot of good advice

theres a few things missing from other mpc's like delay and time stretch but i do my editing on pc anyways so the only thing i wishi it had was onboard syncd delay... i miss that!

well what you sample is what you get back! the effects are decent dispite what some people say.. i like the reverd and ive heard alot of complaints with that!

so far no probs! apparently theres a few bugs but mines been acting fine thus far.. since im not a millionair id have to gig without a back up and i would be bummed i trust it

never delt with em

i like it alot id definatly get anohter if it was swiped or broken. its a rad tool perfect for offtime beats and wierd times.. not stuck with 16 steps like korgs and others

Easy. Right out of the box you will notice the pads and will want to mash away some drums and rythms. For newbs, read the quickstart guide and you should be up and running.

TIP: READ THE MANUAL! I HATE PEOPLE ASKING ASSININE QUESTIONS WHEN IT IS CLEARLY DESCRIBED IN THE MANUAL

Presets are presets. Nothing special, too synthy. Its a sampler, sample your own drums

NO time stretch. Atleast as of yet. That was kind of dissapointing.

You can plug in your own memory, upgrade to 256 MB rather than the wimpy stock 16 MB. Hopefully with compatible with Hard Drives in the future(DAMN OS)

Sequencer is great, although it has a tendency to miss samples every once in a while. *ahem* mpc-forums.com *ahem* Hopefully that will be addressed in future OS updates

It has the MPC sound. Not the rugged 60 or hard 2000 but it is very warm and sounds very good.

Hip Hop is what I stay producing and it works great for that. Can't speak on any other music types.

The pads are awesome ofcourse and when you are up and sampling your own sounds you'll realize why its a great product

Not very reliable, Live wise.

When Im playing back sequences, samples sometimes go untriggered and there is a blank space until it the sample is triggered again. Kinda sucks when you're recording and a violin chord suddenly is missing then reappears in the next 4 bars

again, maybe will be fixed with the new OS updates

Sent an email in the afternoon and got it in the evening. I guess they are good...

If it were damaged or lost I would maybe move up to the 4000 or 3000. Knowing all well of the small OS bugs lack of LFO's and effects.

It works well for what it is, an entry level sampler/sequencer into the MPC family. If you're reading this and you're still using Fruity Loops than wait no longer. It is much warmer and more fun to make music on this rather than on a computer program. This is an instrument, not a computer program

software 1.03 (will update os soon. they are up to 1.05)

the presets are horrible, but who cares. just delete them and sample your own stuff.

once you sit with it for a couple days its not to bad to figure out how to start making sequences.

the manual is mediocre at best. provides some overview of functions, but does not break them down. and the index is horrible, so flipping through the manual for one specific term or concept can take a little while. whatever, you're much better of just playing with the machine and reading good web sites for info (www.mpc-forums.com by far has the most valuable 1000 i've seen).

the ability to easily use your computer with the 1000 is its greatest advantage over other mpc's (huge sized storage, and fast load up times being the other pros).


and now off to the cons....


polyphony is ok at best. i've had issues with long cymbal samples that will cut out for absolutely no reason.

sometimes when playing a sequence samples will randomly drop out, but other times play ok. kinda unstable.

effects are ok/extremely cheesy (but still definitely a step up from not having any like in older mpcs). still i only really use the reverb and compressor for the most part. delay would have been nice, but oh well.

the 1000 is ok if you like using computers with it. by itself it is very limited. chopping up multiple samples from one long sample is mind numbing without a computer.
first off there is no zoning feature like on other mpcs (for chopping up samples quickly).

AND THERE IS NO EASY WAY TO MOVE SINGLE EVENTS IN STEP EDIT!!!
example: say you want to move a snare hit forward or backward a little bit. you cannot just select that snare hit and move it. you have to copy it, paste it in the new time you think you want, and then delete the old snare hit. if you did not put it in the right spot you have to start the whole copy/paste scenario all over again.
it is extremely retarded and time consuming to have to edit sequences like this. until they address little things like this i suggest everyone thinking about getting a 1000 to hold off. knowing akai they might wait awhile and just drop another machine (1000xl possibly??) screwing everyone who bought the 1000. or there might not be any plans for this, and they are just gonna leave 1000 users dissapointed and scammed out of their money.

dont get me wrong, in many ways this machine is good, but its seems like they might have crippled this machine for either unveiling a new machine in the future or just not caring about their customers.
ohh, almost forgot. sometimes samples randomly drop out when a sequence is playing. there are many other issues with it as well. just look around on the internet.

the 1000 has its good side, but everyone only talks about that. i just want to let anyone thinking about purchasing it to know the many BAD sides to it. research alot before you buy it!!!!!

oh and i also had to exchange mine 2 or 3 times because half of the pads were extremly unresponsive and i had to punch them as hard as i could to get them to play anything, while the other half were easy to play. if you DO buy one make sure to test out the actuall unit you are going to buy in the store. some 1000's feel ok and some feel horrible.
and BTW, i'm not some crazy oldschool mpc loyalist trying to crap on the 1000 for no reason. i'm just trying to look out for people thinking about buying this.
i wish someone had told me all this before i sunk all the money i had into it.

sound is nice and warm. defintely punchy and bassy. great for hip hop.

sound drops out randomly in sequences.
i would never use this live.

BUT i haven't had it really crash completely on me yet either so i guess thats a good thing.

regardless though, sequences play incorrectly like 10% of the time.
random as hell.

deinifetly would not use this live.

akai will address SOME issues in os updates, and thats when they feel like it.

but overall i feel they are extremely sketchy.


beware, and think twice before you spend money on their products.

severly limited in comparison to other mpcs as far as editing/sequencing goes.

a bit unstable as well.

ehh...

ver 1.04 the latest that they have put out.

The manual is ok. I basically just went ape shyt on it till i was cranking out beats. But it serves as a good referance.
As for the presets....you can use them and funk them up with other samples but, you dont by a MPC for presets...use them to practice.

I think the all of the features are great....even the ones it does not have. This machine makes me think out of the box, thats the best feature. As for the effects, I have found a use in some form or another for everyone...it depends on what you do with them...The tools are there... Be creative. Midi??? dont use it....im not a big midi fan...it takes the brains out of music...Im old school...play it till you get it right...like the old boys of music.

this all depends on what you sample... but it does reproduce the audio very correctly. But then i normally freak the hell out of the sample till you cant tell what the hell it was in the begining anyway.
It reacts to my feel or groove very nicely...the swing feature takes some time to get used to...i can keep a tempo due to my percussion background...had a motif and never once did i use quantinise...

as for the velocity....i had to reset mines to my own feel...everyone should. Get personal with the machine...it goes a long way to your indivisual sound and feel.

Depend?? I had a faulty one first but i took it back and the new one is rock solid...so it's very reliable...this is the brains of my setup...FOREVER...thanks akai.

never used them...and as for email, they responded within a day so thats cool with me.

if it was lost...i would never lose it...but if it was stolen i would wish the person who took it a good life....i would go buy a new one the same day..
I have owned my MPC for about 5-6 months now and im really getting into it more and more. Love it!!
The only thing I think could be better would be that it shipped with more internal memory.
you really cant compare it to anything else...Im a firm believer in it's the user not the equipment...how else can you explain Pete Rock and Dj Premier using old gear and cranking out hits still.

I wish it had a tilt screen, maybe one oscilator from a synth just to run my sample thru...i really cant think of anything truthfully...it pretty complete.

as for helping me make music...it's normally the start and finish...and if i run into any road blocks...i THINK around it.

try it for yourself...it's a keeper for me

1.04 version of software
Who cares about presetas
Editing is simple
OK, Akai should have their US offices look over their translations for errors

Pads are awesome. I'm a long time MPC user and these pads totally deliver. The effects are fine. Wish it had delay.

Heres the deal. I decided to go all computer early this year. I bought Sonar Producer and a fast computer. My beats sounded awful and I found out there's a thing called Jitter with computers. Basically, the midi notes don't always hit where they should. After using an MPC2000 for five years I quickly missed the timing of the mpc. So, I went out and bought an MPC1000 for the dig out and usb. Awesome little drum machine.

Hell ya. You can't depend on XP and software. This thing is always there for you and ready. Writing music is quick and tight.

Ok to work with. I have experience with other Akai products. One thing I don't like about Akai is the way they never fixed the OS for the S6000.

I would totally buy it again. NO doubt. I'm getting the extra ram for it today and a nice big flash card. Then, You can pretty much travel anywhere with this thing and not worry about it crashing or any of the other 5 million things that can go wrong with a computer.

I hope everyone understands that you don't buy a sampler for it's presets.

Synchs very easy with external midi devices including your computer.

It's best feature is it's limitations.
You can't do major click-and-drag operations.
You have to listen, go back and rerecord, or make some adjustments in the step edit window... I think this forces you to use your ears instead of your eyes, which I like

again... rating the factory sound bank doesn't make sense. It sounds as good as what you put in to it.

built well, small enough for travel.

Perfect companion for software studio.

Version 1.01
The presets are made for a demo in stores i guess, but the quality is high enough to sart at once to get a feel for the machine.
Editing patches is very easy and but i use a mpc-editor on my computer
so the program-files are ready made for getting them into the machine in seconds. Changing programs is made quick , easy and in realtime...
The manual is clear and complete, but you nearly dont need it anyway: all is very intiutive.

If i knew before what i know now about the mpc sequncer and pads, i would have buy one mpc long time before...The pads are really really great to play for me, they got the right punch to make a groove with my fingertips easy-lee. I use to trigger my clavia nordlead synth with the pads and since then everyday new melodies come to me. The pads make a synth sound funky, the envelope coming with that trigger got the right punch.My English is not good enough to tell my impression of the pads- they are exactly what i was searching for.

The sequencer is a intelligent beat poet, i play some hihat patterns for example, combine them with the note-repeat and when the midi-recording is done the sequencer give me his suggestion on what i was playing: he always understands what i was trying to play and translate it into his machine groove that comes cool like ice. Love.


I like the effects, i also miss a delay but the bit-grunger got a cool distortion. Use it on a 808 bassdrum-sound and u feel like dizzee rascal.Press "16 levels" and u can play that sound tuned over the 16 pads. Another gold feature that is,hehe.
Each sample has its own two filters, envelope, trim, loop and tune and also 4 velocity-zones for each pad are included. Love.
It has a nice little mixer for panning, out-mode, volume and send effect for each sample in each program.
There are two sliders for tuning or filtering (...) each sample in realtime. Best for filter-house music like the french ppl use to do.
Timestretch is missing , but you can do that on your computer.

U got 2x16 midi channels out- so your environment will be busy.
Its easy to synchronize it with cubase, logic, reason or ableton live.
Its also possible to import midi-files.

Like i said: the onboard effects are cool, the sequencer is magic-tightand u can change its swing quick and easy. The machine is perfect for house, techno, big beat and last not least its the hiphop machine itself. Dunno if u can play rock with it but it rocks anyway.

Seems very stable to me, never had a problem yet.
Saving your work is a bit tricky, but if you once understood the difference between programs, sequences, ALL-files and Project-files its no problem to switch the machine out and start at the same point next time. Using it on stage is cool, because just one click and the pads can be used for track muting. Just play track for track with ur fingers and the mute/unmute them to arrange in realtime. Killer.

Dont know , machine works fine. But the www is full of tutors and helpfull sites.
If u got that machine it feels like being part of a new community and they all love that machine and telling you they rock with it better than you haha.

I got it since 3 months now and made a couple of techouse and hiphop tracks with it. Before i used to do that with CubaseSx, Reason and FruityLoops. Nice too, but I love the MPC1000 because its a real instrument, you play on it (wonderful pads), u play with it and it plays with you and for you. You dont have to think that much, dont have to look that much, just play with the pads and press record if you like what you hear, track by track, sequence for sequence and arrange the tracks in realtime with the pads.
And because its an instrument u'll be getting better in playing the pads everyday. Feel the flow of playing and finding new patterns, not with your brain but with your heart and ears. Word.

Software version : 1.01 (1.05 should be out by now, haven't had time to update). The built-in presets are very usable; those that came on the extra 32-meg memory card aren't that awesome. They only occupy 9 mb. What I've noticed is that they're mono samples, and pitched +6 semitones (or something around that range) - then pitched down as they're used in the sequence. Patch editor? Wave editor in this case. Cut 'm up with Soundforge or ReCycle and save 'm on the card, then put the card in the MPC (or better; upload 'm directly via the USB connection!

I didn't need the manual yet. I think that says a lot about the machine; it's really a joy to use and intuitive for me.

32 voices of polyphony, and the 'keyboard' in this case consists of 16 rubber pads with a solid feel and velocity sensitivity - albeit that this can be switched off at will so everything's at the same volume. Built in effects sound good - there's a mastering processor in there that puts an extra layer of shine on whatever you make. It can sound good if you use decent samples; it can sound awesome if you use good samples. Expansions : 128 mb internal memory (a SO-DIMM-like expansion, only from Akai itself - which I purchased with the product). Instead of using some bulky kind of SCSI drive or an antique floppy drive, this one uses CF cards that go up to 2 gb of storage. Wicked.

MIDI : 2 ports in, 2 ports out. With single daisy chaining you'll be master of 4 instruments with no trouble; and the MPC's sequencer is as sturdy and solid as a rock (that's what it's famous for). Another thing it's famous for is its ease of use - it requires the IQ of a pack of sugar to create beats in no-time.

It works according to some kind of 'tracker' concept. You can build your rhythms, grooves and whatnot. You can make sequences that only take 2 or 4 bars or so, and 'chain' 'm together so it's really easy to build songs quickly. Or, you can simply record all the measures in the track at once. There's a lot to explore in there.

Realism depends on what you sample, naturally. Some of the preset rock kits aren't that useful - but hey, you're free to wipe the memory and start over again. I'm even thinking of selling my Novation Drumstation (after sampling it dry, of course) because this baby can handle all my percussion needs.

From its inception with the MPC-60 - it has been used for hiphop. But it's been used for other kinds of music, too; various dance producers use an MPC-2000 for their sequencing needs because it's tight, solid, and excelllent for live use. What you get is an excellent phrase sampler; and I've had a studio sampler but it was not right for what I did with it (I rarely use 'tuned' samples - one shots, loops, stabs and hits is what I need) and a sequencer that's a dream to work with. The onboard effects consist of dual filters and 2 FX processors, and the aforementioned mastering processor with EQ and compressor. I'm going to experiment some more with it once I figure those out in detail, albeit that I think I can't do that without the manual. Filters are neat, but I probably have to dive some deeper - the assigned Q link faders only scratch the surface of the range of 'm, I hope. Speaking of those - yes, 2 assignable faders for various destinations. Load in a few scratch samples and act like a deejay by changing their tune!

I think the OS will develop and grow - fixing minor bugs because this one's based on the MPC 2000's OS which had enough time to mature. I'm not expecting radical differences like on the Virus C I have - they suddenly popped in with 512 extra memory locations, other filter models and whatnot.

I'd use it on a gig. Gladly. But first, I'll have to load it to the brim with material, of course! I've also installed ReCycle on my DAW so cutting up beats to extract percussive material should be an absolute doddle.

When you're done sequencing, you can simply dump all & everything - samples assigned to pads, the sequence itself and your track - in a single folder. No hassle with various places you have to get your samples from; everything in its place. An 8 because it hasn't been stress-tested for the purpose.

Never dealt with the company; but the expansion arrived neatly in a box with a clear manual, together with the machine itself. The 32 mb CF card was a really nice extra I didn't expect. One of the things I hated about my studio sampler was that, once you bought it - it wasn't the end of the story! You need an outboard SCSI harddrive, an outboard SCSI cd-rom drive, preferably a SCSI interface card to the computer, awfully expensive cables, and yeah, an internal SCSI zip drive might help too because 3.5" floppies -suck-.

Lost? Ha, it's small in its size, but hopefully not. If it was stolen, I'd mash the perpetrator's face to a pulp, or if I wouldn't get him, work fulltime (I'm a student working part-time) to get the machine ASAP back here.

It's definately worth what I paid for it - but I was impatient. A guy I know from a producer's forum is getting one from Ebay; and that's (with the expansion!) quite a bit cheaper than what I've paid for it. But I don't want to bid on stuff, I don't want to wait, and I don't have a creditcard. And what if, any anthropomorphical representation of a force of nature forbid, something went wrong with it? Send it back for repairs? So I simply ordered it at a music store that's relatively nearby.

I've been playing synthesizers since 1991 - started with a Juno-60. Sampling came later; first with tracker computer programs (Fasttracker II), then with sample-sequencers like Sonic Foundry (now Sony)'s ACID and Soundforge (from the same company), and at last with an ESI-4000 (with the SCSI woes). I was tired of not being able to use my sampler properly (I must say, I wasn't feeling that much invited to dive into it, either) and I wanted something I could use on my lap. I can turn the computer off, hook up a controller, sample my synths, apply effects - everything without having to stare at a screen, because I'm doing that on a daily basis anyway.

I love that I can simply express myself in a better way. Using your own samples; layering, doing something more with percussion than just a simple 909 bass opens a lot of perspectives. I don't hate anything about it yet - I just wished it had brushed metal side-panels instead of the orange plastic ones :).

I've compared it with a second-hand MPC-2000 - which has some extra functions, but I'm not complaining. Such a machine would've given me extra SCSI troubles, if the previous owner didn't include the drives needed. Another device I've compared it with was a Yamaha RS-7000 - because that has a sampler too, and a card-based storage medium. But the memory can't get that big, albeit that its sequencer is a bit more creative (loop-remix and stuff like that). It also has a sound engine included which I don't need (2 sample based synths anyway), and I like to have 'dedicated' gear - samplers should sample and that's it.

It helps me to make music. I'm a knob-twiddler by nature; I delve too deep in sounddesign and stupid details, and then forget about what I actually wanted to make. This machine put the fun back in the composition process again.

Gearpile:
Access Virus C, Waldorf Q rack, Clavia Nord Micromodular, Yamaha AN200, Roland XP-30 (controller), Yamaha W5 v2 (workstation), Akai MPC-1000 w/ EXM128 memory expansion, E-mu ESI-4000 w/ Turbo expansion, Yamaha 01v + ADAT digital mixing desk, Kawai K1m module, E-mu Vintage Keys module, Novation Drumstation v1, Alesis 3630 compressor, Digitech DSP-16 effects unit, Sound King SKAP257 effects unit (Behringer clone), Emagic AMT8 midi interface, Steinberg Midex 8 midi interface, Hoontech DSP-2000 C-port audio interface, Alesis Monitor One Mark II.

Did I forget anything? Oh yes, an Arp/Solina string ensemble that's on the attic.

Looking back at what I've gathered, it's probably rather unhealthy.. :P. Remove the firewall to mail me.

I love the mpc-groove , its so easy , you need fresh samples , some time, talent and everything else makes the mpc. The presets sucks, but hey the first thing you should do is delete them,(i dont know why akai started to make presets,) The manual is a bit confusing, but if you had any mpc before it is no problem to bounce with this machine

The build in effect are ver very good, but there is no delay and time-stretch that sucks , but if you ve got a pc or mac you can do it with it, the mpc has got an USB PORT, that very cool you will never need a hd or cdr, it comes along with 16meg of Ram thats very good and enough for the beginning,the midi capabilitie is the normal mpc standard. The sequencer has a cap. of 1000000 , and that is very good and enough. show me another sequencer that that sound so tight like a mpc, IT RULES,IT RULES IT RULES and not ja rule (can you feel me)

The sound is good 44.100/16, Its a sampler !!!if you got fat samples it will sound fat,
Its a perfect hip hop machine the sounds are tighter and fatter like the 2000xl,
The effect are perfect but i miss a delay very much !!!!!!!
The velocity is perfect ,mpc standard

it looks very reliable, its a perfect gig machine cause it s so small.

i dont know

i would buy it again, it worth it,
i use this machine with my korg triton le, mo-fat, and my protool mac
and logic plat. and a lot of plugins it perfect fits in my project studio