AKAI MPC 5000 VS. MPC 4000

WHich one should I buy? I know that the 4000 is discontinued...why so? Buggy OS? Crashes? I noticed that the 4000 samples in 24-bit....whereas the 5000 samples only in 16-bit? I realize that the 5000 comes with an onboard synth/arpeggiator. The 4000 does not correct? Might not be an issue as I am planning on using a Kurzweil K2661 in unison with my next buy. As far as ARRANGING songs can anyone fill me in on how the two sequencers compare. Can I have a full sequence playback say as Part A play Part A 4x, Part B play Part B 4x, Part C play part C 4x, etc..... Is all of this doable with both units? I am in the process of returning a Kurzweil PC3 because the sequencer wouldn't let me do true "arrangements"...will both akais let me create full mixes with multiple sequences as "parts"? Anybody know why the 4000 is selling for so much less in most cases and lastly what is the most you'd pay for a used MPC of either iteration? Sorry about the length of this thread but I DO NOT want to buy another piece of gear that I can't get true song playback out of.

Both MPCs are made to be extremely versatile sequencers. You can easily link sequences together to create songs. One of the main differences is the 4000 has a Z-Series sampler compared to the 5000 sampler which is not as advanced. The 5000 does have the va synth in it which is more of a basic synth than a high end va. Either one will get it done sequence wise so choose between a more advanced sampler or a Ion / MiniAK type va synth.

so the 5000 has the better sampler??? CAn you be more specific?

what functionality would I sacrifice getting a 2500 over a 5000?

How can the 5000 sampler be "better: than the 4000 sampler if the 4000 can sample in 24-bit?

Bandmate has a MPC5000 for sale. Used a grand total of about 3 hours lol. Perfect condition. $995

Damn that's a good deal!

He never said the 5000 had a better sampler. He said the opposite. I'd go with the 4000, the 5000's OS is too buggy and hell will freeze over before akai ever do anything about it.

SO lastly can anyone explain to me the main differences between the blue and white versions of this model? I understand that the blue model is the later edition...but then I keep seeing people say they want more money for it because it is "The Blue" model...are there any real differences? WIth the "8 Out" option what usefulness would this have? Planning on buying an MPC 4000 within the next week if I can just get this last matter cleared up.

When Akai made a come back they changed the color scheme of the 2000XL and the 4000 to blue. FYI. The 1000 was first released as blue and then changed to black. As far as I know the white and blue 4000s are the same just like the beige and blue 2000XLs (I've had both beige and blue XLs) are the same internally. The cool thing about eight outs is you can track eight mono drum tracks at the same time.

is there an operating system I should be looking to have installed when I buy the MPC 4000? IS the CD option just for loading sounds or is it a CD burner as well?

"...The MPC5000 has the upper hand in recording capabilities; it has an 8-track streaming hard disk recording---the first of its kind from Akai---and an improved sequencing machine characterized by better sound resolution...."

Can anyone elaborate on what the 8-track streaming hard disk recorder does? I thought you could track up to 64 tracks on either machine? I guess this is where I'm fuzzy about the MPCs...they do in fact record audio correct? If so what is this 8-track hard-disk recorder that the 4000 is lacking do in terms of functionality?

I also read Just Blaze's rant about this topic and he was pretty adament about his disgust with the OS on the 5000.

Will I need an outboard console (like my Tascam 2488) or DAW in order to complete and mixdown songs on the MPC 4000?

The 4000 and 5000 both have 960ppq sequencers so the midi should be the same as far as specs go. MPC users all argue which MPC has the best midi timing. The 5000 does offer 8 tracks of audio recording which is cool but, something I only use for loops that will play along with a sequence. For longer/main recording I use Pro tools. Since I upgraded from a 2500 to the 5000 I feel it was a nice step up. I have used the 4000 and think it is a very nice MPC but, the sampler is more advanced than I need with a drum machine/sequencer. I have other hardware and software samplers that I use.

FWIW. The Just Blaze article was written right after the 5000 was released. The os was real buggy so take the article for what it is. The 5000 os is up to 2.0 and has added a lot cool features and fixed a ton of bugs.

SO to clarify regarding the MPC 4000: It does NOT record audio. When I think of a sequencer/workstation I imagine composing say 4 measures. CAlling the 4 measures "Loop A"...creating a second 4 measure loop CAll this loop "Loop B"..."Loop C, D, E etc." are then created each with varying tracks, part mutes, etc. Then I create arrangements of the "PARTS" stacking A-B-C-D-A-C-E etc. to create finishd songs...hopefully adding live performances to some sort of automated playback and saving the finished work on the Akai! this IS in fact the way an MPC works right? It does support arranging patterns as described, track mutes, playback, song saves right? Am I way off? Is the MPC more of a linear style sequencer (Like the PC3?) I will be recording my "songs" from the MPC into a standalone Tascam 2488 so I Gotta know since I won't have the drag and paste editing options of say Pro Tools. SOrry if I seem like I'm asking the sane questions over and over again...I guess this is the result of having assumed the PC3 would be able to "stack" song parts or "loops" into arrangements which it clearly does not. Now I'm paying a restocking fee and want to know the finite details on whatever workstation I pick up next.

yep, that's pretty much how the MPC works. you should be fine.

not sure though if you really need the 4000 over something like the 2500, 1000, or even a 2000XL.

I was reading about the new MPC 5000...

"The new 8-track direct to disk recorder lets you produce your whole song in the MPC and then mix it down with the internal sequenced programs and any input thru material."

So if this feature is lacking on the MPC 4000, how does audio recording, mixing, and song production go down?

Can anyone explain what the 8-track recorder will let me do on the 5000 that I WON'T be able to do on the 4000?

The 4000 does not have an 8-track recorder in it. It has the better sampler but, the v2.0 os for the 5000 added a lot of these features. The 5000 has the 8-track audio recorder and VA synth engine. I'm not here to argue with 4000 owners because I do think it is an excellent MPC but, my choice was the 5000 because of the newer features. If 8-tracks of audio is enough for you then get a 5000 if not, you will need some type of hardware audio recorder or a computer based DAW program. If the later is true then a 4000 or 5000 will work as your main midi sequencer. You will have to decide how advanced of a sampler you need.

Yea, I think I want to go with the 4000 because of the better sampling rates....but I need to know...SInce it lacks the hard-disk recorder...does that mean that i can't "record" on the unit? ...I can still "record" like I would say on a keyboard workstation (Motif, Fantom, K-series) right? Saving my songs and arrangements on the MPC 4000 and playing them back on the MPC 4000 right? I mean I can see the RECORD button on the unit so it must do something like this right?

Maybe I am misreading the overall jist here, but I'm still unclear....without a hard-disk recorder, where does all the data that I am manipulating, sequencing, and arranging go?

I will be doing my mixes on a Tascam 2488 neo...so I've got plenty of breathing room....I'm just confused as to what the MPC 4000 will do as far as storing and playing back the work I do onboard.

I want to be able to finish my songs on the MPC, and then essentially just press PLAY on the unit (to where my songs playback) and send tracks to my Tascam. Is this thinking right?

have you tried reading through the manual for the 4000 at all? looks like it's available here:

http://www.akaipro.com/mpc4000

the 4000 has a hard drive, but it's used only for storing sequence and sample data (its CD-RW drive is used for the same, most other MPCs use floppy/zip drives as standard for storage). yes, it does record audio, but only up to ~50 minutes of mono @ 16-bit (less for 24-bit). the multi-tracking on the 5000 is a different thing altogether. also, the record button isn't used for recording samples, but for recording sequences which control either the internal sounds or external devices on each track.

and yes, you should be able to do exactly what you need with it (though i'm not sure that the 24-bit and advanced sampling capabilities of the 4000 are something you'll really need).

So if you WERE going to recommend the MPC 5000 over the 4000, what would your main selling points be? EVeryone keeps seeming to say the 4000 is the superior unit, what about those of you who have used both and prefer the 5000?

honestly, i'd just go with the 2500 myself. with the Tascam you won't need the 8-track inside the MPC, and i'm not sure i'd want to have a VA synth inside the MPC anyway (though these two things are useful if working primarily with the 5000). i'd actually lean towards an older unit (60, 3000) for the sound, but i love the more advanced features of the 2000XL and newer MPCs. it sounds like a 2500 or even the 1000 would suit you just fine really.

did you say you could get the 4000 for $800 though? if so, i'd probably do that just for the price comparison. i don't know where i'd put it though, the 4000 is one BIG machine.

So as a sequencer/arranger the 2500 is just as versatile as the 4000 and 5000? What about as a sampler. WHat features do the 4000 and 5000 offer that the 2500 doesn't? WHat about the 3000....what are the advantages that that model offers???

If you consider that the 4000 and the 5000 have similar sampler capabilities now that the 5000 is at the version 2 OS, this chart might be helpful.