Rob...here's a random review I found. I'm not qualified to have an opinion, but I know and have seen DJ's put out amazing stuff with various computer software...frooty loops is kinda the bare bones program, even I've used it before and I'm a guitar player. Anything electronic sounds electronic to me, even real drum sequences...but I've played with live drums/real drummers for 25 years so I'm a bit biased.
Here's the review...from harmony central....there are also tons praising the machine...I just know the cost is outragious.
Hmmm. Things are different these days. Dropping $2500 on a MPC60 10 years ago was more of a legitimate sacrafice back then. Quite frankly, Akai hasn't put out anything remarkable or innovative to want to spend that kind of money on a drum machine. You sense they feel the pinch too. In a little less than a few months since the MPC 2500 was introduced (crappy green LCD) the price has already dropped a $1000.00. It's not just the MPC loosing it's shine...Roland's MV 8000 has better sound quality and more functionality. Both manufacturers are guilty of a few digs however: For example...you drop 2k or more...oooOOooh, I need the $#$@$#@ FX card...how much? $300??? ok, here. Damn, I need the extra outs and the spdf...HOW MUCH??? $300 each??? What? the burner option is another 200 bones, an internal HD is another $200. You can add ROMS too! That'll hit ya for another $295 a pop. The Basic priniciple of sampling technology hasn't changed but AKAI has yet to re invent themselves. For 2g's, I can have a Laptop expandable to 2 gig (big, bright, colorful screen with another video out standard), Abelton Live, Cubase/Traktion/Logic, better sound and have more than 64 voices, etc....add a basic controller with pads for the show, voila, I'll be finishing my master or producing in the coffee shop too. You simply can't do that with a MPC. This is why the MPC is loosing it's luster. What the MPC has that's cool that's not worth the money are the touch sensitive pads and real time modulation control. You can do that with a midi controller, however. What AKAI should do is make an MPC plug-in sampler that's bundled with a better controller than the MDP 16 and includes the same midi 2in 4 out, audio ins and outs via Firewire for under a $1000. In the plugin you could play back sample rates without affecting pitch. You want that old 12 bit MPC 60 sound...no problem. The pads could light up in different colors for live fun (help you remember which pad is triggering which sample when you're not looking at the computer screen and you want to perform a little on it...maybe that would be annoying) Anyway, my guess is Akai's MPC 2500/4000 are going to blunder as did their previous samplers S5000, S4000. Either break the 2k to 4k price tag or re invent. The MPC 1000 wasn't a bad idea but for starters when the MPC 2000 has less RAM capacity than the MPC 1000 and FX are no better and there's no midi sync to delay, etc, no mastering, WHY WOULD ANYONE BUY THE HYPE? IT's simply HYPE! There's one draw back to the laptop...boot time. Flip the MPC on and you're on your way. That's the only drawback I can think of.
