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The good people over at Akai Proffessional have blessed me with the chance to try out the MPC5000.  Now I’m a music fan all day, but as far making it, my skills are lacking to say the least.  I recruited a friend of mine and music producer Vaughn Andrews to take it for a spin.  To say he liked it is way too easy, check out what he thought in his words.

           

First thoughts:When I first opened the box I was impressed with the size and fullness of the unit. It gives you the impression that the MPC is transitioning into an all in one work station and a key component to any studio.mpc5000_back_lg.png
The good:Like a kid in a candy store, I ripped open the package and immediately started using the sound library already preloaded in the MPC5000. The built in synth is a great new feature. The sounds can be filtered and edited straight from the interface.
The drum and percussion library has a few sounds that I’m pretty sure to hear in future beats to come from other producers. I also enjoyed the ability to edit any sound sampled or preloaded in the MPC.
The bad:The only draw back from trading in your old device for this new “Juggernaut” might be the comfort factor.
The real:

A user may have a hard time cutting the umbilical cord from the old and moving forward with the new. If I could offer any advice to those that might go through “MPC Withdrawal”, its worth the rehab…
-V.A.

Here are a few of the MPC’s key features:

  • 64-voice drum/phrase sampler with 64MB memory built-in. Expandable up to 192MB RAM
  • Three-oscillator virtual analog synth engine with built-in arpeggiator
  • Over 300 Virtual Analog synth presets included
  • Eight tracks of Direct-to-Hard Disk recording
  • Over 40 all new effects available within a modular 4-bus effects processor
  • Master compressor and equalizer
  • 960 ppq resolution
  • Built-in hard disk drive
  • Optional CD-R/DVD drive
  • USB 2.0 port for computer connectivity
  • CF Type-2 card slot (up to 2GB)
  • Chop-Shop 2.0 – slices a stereo loop into individual samples with automatic pad assignment
  • Patched Phrases – creates multiple splits in looped samples to ensure proper tempo sync without changing pitch
  • Continuous Sample Track – ensures samples play in perfect sync no matter where you start the beat in a loop
  • 12 Q-link controllers for internal automation, external MIDI control and quick parameter editing
  • 240 x 128 hinged backlit LCD
  • 10 built-in analog outputs, plus 8 ADAT-optical outputs and stereo S/PDIF IO
  • Powerful new multimode filter
  • Two MIDI inputs and Four MIDI outputs
  • Turntable phono inputs with RIAA pre-amp
  • XLR / 1/4″ combo jacks with selectable mic/line levels
  • Sample library provided by Loopmasters.com

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