Akai Professional MPC500

The MPC 500 to me just wasn’t worth the purchase. Not saying its not a good machine, because it is. But to be honest it is no where near the experience you will get when using one of the other models (1000,2000, 2000xl, 4000 or 5000) . With the MPC 500 it just seems as if they took the very basic features and put them into the little machine and left out so many of the other capabilities that the other models provide that make them great. If you are going to ge the MPC 500 you mine as well save up your money for a 1000 or just say for the MPC all together and get a SP 400 or something because it has a lot more effects.


UTILIZATION

The MPC 500 is very easy to understand, you will have no problems understanding it. No manual is needed though it does come with one that’s not very big so if you did need to open it up you could probably find exactly what you are looking for very fast.


SOUNDS

The MPC 500 just lacks so many qualities that the other models have. One of the main problems with it is you cant really chop your samples right on the machine itself. When I think of the MPC 500 I think of more of a controller pad like the mdp. Which you mine as well get also, because without a computer the MPC 500 is pretty much useless , well it was for me.


OVERALL OPINION

Overall, I don’t see anyone wanting to downgrade from another model to this one. So if you are a new MPC user don’t get this, just save up the few extra dollars and get a used 1000 if you have too. The only thing that I really do like about the MPC 500 is that its very compact and you can take it anywhere and I think it runs off of batteries too, but im not 100 percent sure because I didn’t keep it long enough to fin out.

The MPC 500 is ok in my opinion. The issue is the screen, because I am used to the 4000 and 1000. The 500 comes up really short. Good thing about it is that its so portable you can take it anywhere and do some sampling. But unfortunately you cannot chop samples on the 500. You must use your computer and then load them from there to the 500.


UTILIZATION

Great price right for this machine. You just have to time it's a small sampler / sequencer super tough for the pros who want to really put a bottom in the delirium mpc I would recommend instead a model above.
Personally I would look to repeat that offer other models, but for now I have and I will not part with it I love it!


SOUNDS

The sound has a good potato, just typed but not bad. (Ca always sounds a little differently after sampling, especially when you normalize)
the pads are responding really well and are top comfort (my fingers are enjoying), I admit that not I do not play drums with the velocities.
The effects are not extra-extra I must admit, and that it have only one output limits the use of external effects ... So here is the smaller less.


OVERALL OPINION

It's been a while and overall I think this a sampler / sequencer exceptional, especially with the composition by ear I think it's really huge! It is a blow to take if you do not know but after the madness MPC is a real breath of fresh air.
Do not think that only the hip hop with this kind of gear, I may as well electro and jungle, break core or even, with disconcerting ease, the foot.
Only regret: the effects good but not great (well who cares it's not what you asked) but mostly there is only one exit. At least two would have been nice, the top four, but I understood that I would have a more compact and less fat (like the 1000 or something like that)

Akai Mpc 500

Specs and Features

Battery powered/AC powered
16 midi channels/48 track sequencer
32 voice sampler
128 ram max
velocity sensitive pads (12)
USB port (storage/transfer usage
Compact flash storage
Wav/Midi file support
Headphone/Analog/Midi I/O
Low-pass filter
On-board effects




UTILIZATION

Like other mpcs it's best used for 4/4 timing pattern based music. I've used it for other types of music again as most music production applications or hardware units, it all comes down to the units and the needs of that producer. I like to use the little box to get ideas out while I'm traveling on the road, it comes in handy when doing production projects for clients:

Artists
TV companies
Video game companies
Websites

That's just a small list but I think you get the what throwing out there.

SOUNDS

The akai mpc 500 comes with some pretty good stock sounds, nothing I would throw away but nothing I would use for all of my production. The sounds are good but please do consider getting your sound by purchasing them or creating them yourself. The A/D converters are not bad I would suggest getting a third party sampler such as a Sp303,akas950 or something with a little bit of character in it. This will give you a lot of flexibility when it comes to production as well as your own sound.

OVERALL OPINION

The akai mpc 500 comes with some pretty good stock sounds, nothing I would throw away but nothing I would use for all of my production. The sounds are good but please do consider getting your sound by purchasing them or creating them yourself. The A/D converters are not bad I would suggest getting a third party sampler such as a Sp303,akas950 or something with a little bit of character in it. This will give you a lot of flexibility when it comes to production as well as your own sound.


In my personal opinion If you are after portability then this is a great unit if you are after more features then the mpc 1000 would be a better option. The 500 unit is a really slim cut version of the 1000 and you can't install JJOS on it which means you will have to get use to the OS that Akai supplies which isn't so great but again that's my person opinion. Also, you can't directly record into the 500 (this is a big draw back) but again still a great machine if you are needing to creat music while you travel

The MPC 500 is the lower end model of the MPC brands. This 500 is ok but its nothing that I would go crazy for. For the price you are better off just saving up a little more money and getting the 1000. Because the 1000 blows the 500 out of the water. You are extremely limited with what you can and cant do on the MPC 500.

UTILIZATION

everything was extremely easy to use.

SOUNDS

Everything with the MPC 500 was extremely easy never once had any issues with it except for the fact that it felt cheap. I don’t recommend this to anyone that uses any of the other MPC models on the market. I purchased this thinking that it was going to be for my portable mobile set up which it is very portable and mobile and you can take it anywhere its even smaller than the 1000. But its just not worth it, the screen is horrible and you can edit on board. You have to hook it to your pc or mac to do the chopping and then import that sliced parts into the 500. That’s ridiculous I don’t know why they would even come out with a model like that.

OVERALL OPINION

Maybe I am just bias because I have been using the MPC’s for a long time and too see them created one that is sub par like this machine is it just upsets me. But to someone that hasn’t every use the other mpc’s before this might feel special to them. It could be just what they need to take on the road with them and do some drum patterns or sampling. But if you are a MPC fan and have used other modules don’t purchase this one, it feels like a toy and will limit your creativity, leave the mpc 500 to the newbies.