Akai MPC-1000 Sampler

AKAI MPC1000 Details ^top

The Akai Professional MPC1000 Music Production Center combines a 64-Track MIDI Sequencer and a 32-voice Stereo Digital Sampler, with 16 velocity and pressure sensitive rubber pads in a compact and rugged package that makes it ideal for carrying around.

The MPC1000 inherits many of the major features of older MPCs such as the legendary 'feel' and 'groove' so that you can be sure that your beats and sequences swing. It also features the original MPC60’s intuitive transport and locate controls, the unique NOTE REPEAT function plus new additions such as the two Q-Link sliders that allow real-time interaction with tuning, filter cutoff, layer switching, attack and decay. Add to these a well established, friendly and intuitive user interface, two separate multi-effects processors plus a master output effects processor, resonant multi-mode filters, 4-way sample layering and velocity switching per pad, two MIDI ins and 32 MIDI channels via the two MIDI outputs, multiple audio outputs as standard, footswitch inputs for hands-free control and you have a dependable alternative to computer sequencer headaches.

The MPC1000 comes with 16MB of on-board memory as standard that can be expanded up to 128 MB of RAM. It includes internal preset sounds in flash memory (factory sounds are user-replaceable). Standard Compact Flash is used as the storage medium. A 32MB Card is included and present testing has verified the use of up to 2GB cards. Furthermore, the MPC1000 supports the ‘Mass Storage Class’ USB standard. When connected to a Mac or PC via its built-in USB port, this implementation allows to simply drag & drop data between the computer and the MPC1000's CF card.

A compact dedicated hardware sequencer/sampler that works well with computers too. Simply put, a real Akai MPC at an affordable price.

The perfect machine to quickly create punchy beats.
Anyone who wanted an MPC but could not afford it!
Typically: Hip-Hop and R&B artist or “producer”, as well as DJ/Live Club performer.

Key Features

1) Akai MPC design

Established, friendly, and intuitive user interface of MPC series
MPC’s legendary “feel” and “groove”
Pattern-based and linear 64-track sequencer with 32 MIDI channels
32-voice drum/phrase sampler with up to 128MB RAM
Great-feeling, velocity and pressure sensitive pads for expressive programming
16 levels function: one sound on all pads with varied level, tuning, attack, decay or filter per pad
Two Q-Link sliders for real-time performance control

2) Computer friendly

Built-in Compact Flash drive and USB port (Mass Storage Class)
Standard WAV files samples and MIDI Files sequences
3rd party offline Pad/Program editor software and sample editing/processing software

3) Ready-to-go

Built-in Analog and Digital I/Os, headphone output and 2 x MIDI In /Out
Internal sounds in flash
Portable laptop size and 19W power (can use car/airplane DC-AC adaptor) – ideal for taking on the road

4) Extensive sound control

4-way sample layering and velocity switching per pad
4-pole filters (two 2-pole filters) filtering for each of the 32 voices
2 onboard effects processors plus 1 main out effect processor; all which can be used simultaneously
Can resample its own output

5) Free Sounds

20MB of free sounds and grooves on included Compact Flash card
Many classic drum machines and real drum/percussions kits available for free download

AKAI MPC1000 Specs ^top

Specifications

AKAI MPC1000 FAQs ^top

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Q. What is the difference between pattern-based sequencing and linear sequencing?
A. The MPC1000 can do both.
With linear sequencing, the whole song is one long sequence which can be recorded continuously in real-time, much like an audio recorder, or edited by copying/pasting bars (such as verse, chorus, etc). This is good when recording tracks while playing live over the whole song.

With pattern-based sequencing, a song is made of multiple short sequences (patterns) that can be re-arranged very quickly in Song mode or even in real-time using the Next Sequence feature.

However, unlike limited “groove-boxes” where patterns are only one or two bars, on the MPC1000, pattern/sequences can be of any length.

With the MPC1000, you can work on each pattern in a loop, switch patterns, and in Song mode, simply specify the order the pattern playback and number of repeats to create an arrangement. At any time, you can change the arrangement without tedious copying/pasting.

In addition, if you decide to modify a pattern (say, the chorus sequence) after having created the song arrangement, it will automatically be modified in all the instances of the same pattern (i.e. all the choruses in this example). With linear sequencing, you would have to copy/paste the edited bars again, as many times are there are instances. Of course, with the MPC1000, you can also create of a copy a pattern if you want to modify only one instance.

Q. Are there internal sounds in the MPC1000?
A. The MPC1000 comes with 5MB of internal sounds in flash (retained after power-off). Factory sounds can be replaced by user custom sounds. There are also around 20GB of sounds on the included 32MB Compact Flash card. Furthermore, more free sounds including classic drum machines and real drum kits and percussions are available for free download from the Akai Professional website.

Q. How do I get more sounds in the MPC1000?
A. You can load sounds from Compact Flash cards, transfer standard WAV files via USB from a PC/Mac computer, or sample your own sounds via the analog or digital inputs (from a CD, for instance). The MPC1000 supports mono and stereo samples.

Q. Can I edit the sounds of my MPC1000 on a computer?
A. Yes. Samples are standard WAV files and can be edited and processed in any sample editing software, such as the ‘Audacity' freeware for Windows and Mac OS.
Programs can also be edited offline on a computer using 3rd party Program editor freeware such as ‘MPC1000 Program Creator' for Windows XP/2k and ‘MPC Pad 187' for Mac OS X.

Sounds (programs/samples) and sequences can be transferred between the MPC1000 and the computer either via USB or via a Compact Flash card.

Q. I have a sample of a bass sound assigned to one pad. How can I play it on all the pads at different pitch?
A. Easy. Simply press the ‘16 LEVELS' button, hit the pad that contains the bass sample and enable the 16-TUNING mode. Now, the bass sample can be played across all the pads with 16 chromatic tunings.

Q. I have created a beat on my MPC1000. How do I put it on a CD or send in on internet as an MP3?
A. Once you have created a beat on the MPC1000, you can resample its own output as a stereo WAV file.

You can then transfer this WAV file to a computer (via USB or Compact Flash) and burn it to CD or encode it to MP3 using any software/shareware/freeware.

Q. How do I connect my keyboard/synth to the MPC1000 and how do I control the sounds of my keyboard?
A. Connect the MIDI Out of the keyboard to the MIDI In 1 of the MPC1000 and the MIDI Out A of the MPC1000 to the MIDI In of your keyboard.
Set your keyboard to LOCAL OFF.

On the MPC1000, Mode: MIDI/SYNC, MIDI tab, set "Active Track Receive Channel" to ALL and "Soft Thru" to AS TRACK. After that, your keyboard will play the same sounds as the pads, i.e. whatever is set on the selected Track. The MIDI field of the selected sequence Track, on the Main page, controls where you direct the MIDI output from that Track. You can use this in combination with the Program field, so one Track can control both the MPC1000 sampler and/or an external synth. To automatically select sounds on your synth, you can embed Program Changes in a sequence by recording them or using the Step Edit Insert command.

Of course, this only covers the MIDI data, not audio. To hear both the sound from the MPC1000 sampler and from your keyboard, the audio outputs of both units should be connected to a mixing board.

Q. What is the benefit of having two sets of MIDI In / Out?
A. The two MIDI Inputs allow connecting a MIDI controller (keyboard, drum pads) to one input while the other input is used to receive MIDI Sync from another unit such as a digital recorder. Otherwise, you would need an outboard MIDI Merger.

The two Midi Outputs allow the MPC1000 to control 32 external MIDI Channels (16x2), in addition to the 24 internal Programs. This is very useful if you have more than one outboard multi-timbral sound generator (for instance, your keyboard and a sound module).