Product: Akai MPD-16
Price Paid: US $230
Submitted
11/02/2005
at
06:59pm
by
Tesseract
Ease of Use
:
8
The product is very straightforward: bang on the pads! However, manually inputing the MIDI note numbers etc. can be a bit cumbersome. It would be really nice if the unit had an LED display.
Features
:
9
Has all the bases covered in terms of the control you'd expect from this unit such as pressure sensitive keys.
For those who don't know, the MPD is purely a MIDI controller - it doesn't create waveform sounds, it transmits its data in discrete information packets called MIDI messages. It's important that people new to making beats understand the three main components in beat making, so let me quickly explain them as a public service announcement of sorts:
CONTROLLER - Controllers are your physical interface to your music. The MPD-16 (www.akaipro.com) is a midi controller. I purchased it because my evolution keyboard controller (www.evolution.co.uk), while good for playing chords etc, just doesn't cut it in terms of programming drums. Your playing surface needs to have a certain bounce to it.
SEQUENCER - A sequencer is used to store and edit what you play, usually in the form of MIDI data. Popular sequencers are Logic, Cubase, etc. For programming drum beats, I like to use Mannikin (www.ancientlabs.com).
SAMPLER - The sampler is the workhorse which generates the actual sounds that you hear.
A lot of people seem confused about the MPD and its relation to the MPC. The MPC combines these three elements into a single unit - the MPD is simply a controller ... a good one. It communicates with your setup via USB or MIDI.
Expressiveness/Sounds
:
7
I give it a 7 because the sensitivity isn't quite what some might expect it to be; it takes practice to get to used to hitting the pads at the right velocity. However, the unit does have a full-volume mode which I find myself frequently using.
Reliability
:
6
First, let me say that it's built solid and is heavier than it looks. However, I have run into a problem which I've found others on the Internet also have experienced: When the unit is connected to the USB port of my computer, every now and then Windows crashes and I get the blue screen of death. I'm not sure the extent that this is the fault of the controller, but it still can be a major nuisance and I usually unplug the unit from the USB port when I'm not using it.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Overall Rating
:
8
Yes I would buy it again, although supposedly other companies are quickly trying to gain control of the drum pad controller market so who can really say what the future holds for the MPD. But akai pads are classic, and if you don't have an MPC in your studio, you should at least have the MPD.
Product: Akai MPD-16
Price Paid: 200 (CDN) used
Submitted
08/01/2005
at
11:23am
by
S1KS
Ease of Use
:
8
Use w/ FL Studio and Reason. There is some difficulty in the initial setup, but once you've ironed it all out, its simple to use.
Features
:
8
-16 velocity sensitive pads....
-assignable fader/slider....
-MIDI or USB
this thing is built quite solid...supposedly better than the competitions trigger finger...although it is lacking some of the features they offer (4 assignable faders and some knobs)
Expressiveness/Sounds
:
9
velocity sensitive, with a max velocity option (meaning each time you hit a key in this mode you get the notes at full velocity)
Since it is just a controller it has no sounds, effects, etc.
Good for any type of percussive programming.
Reliability
:
9
So far no issues
Customer Support
:
7
havent had the pleasure of dealing with akai...
ive heard they are not the best, but no personal experience.
Overall Rating
:
9
if it were lost/stolen/damaged...i would replace it.
this thing will basically turn your PC into an MPC (sort of), it allows for more expressive controll of drums and any other samples you assign to the pads. I picked this up prior to the release of the Trigger Finger (m-audio), which ive heard isnt built as well, but it also has some more features which would prove to be usefull on the MPD. Also consider something along the lines of an older sampler/workstation like the ASR-X or X-PRO, only reason i would suggest it is that you can buy one for less $ and it can be used as a midi controller as well as a sampling workstation, which would give you 15 assignable velocity sensitive pads (rather than 16) but in the end it is also a sampler, effects unit, & sequencer...a little more bang for the bank.
