MPC 500 vs akai xr-20

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I was actually going to buy the MPC500. I hated the sound but figured I could sample everything through my EPS first and that wasnt such a big deal. But then I tried the thing...Its a menu diving nightmare. Its got alot of cool features but there was alot more clicking and scrolling around than I wanted. I had owned the 404 b4 and ended up buying another one. Remember that a bunch of features doesnt always add up to better equipment. The biggest thing the SP404 has going for it workflow. I would say its unmatched. Most of the features are a button press away. The other thing is the effects. The effects of any MPC simply cant stand up to the effects you get on the 404. The effects usually provide simple work arounds for some of the features the SP lacks. But anyway, I said all that to say.. try em both out. I would call them equals. Think about how you like to work and what u want to do in the future.
 
algorithm18 said:
Um, YES time stretch! It's in trim mode. Not only that, but there are 20 something presets you can choose to optimise your stretching for different kinds of sounds. The only thing the 404 has on the 500 is the hands-on effects section, and the price tag. Here's a list things that make the MPC 500 better than the SP-404:

* You can't even change the pitch of a sample on the 404!! That was a deal-breaker for me.
* The 404 only has a one track sequencer.
* You can resample sounds on the 404, but not while the sequencer is playing (of course you can do this on the 500. This also means that you can finish a song, resample it as one long audio file and transfer it to your computer via USB).
* The pads. Just look at them. The MPC has big, soft, playable pads, while the SP has crappy little buttons (can't remember if they're velocity sensitive or not... I think they are).
* The 500 can do two effects simultaneuosly, plus one compressor/EQ "master effect".
* The SP-404 can't sequence external gear.
* For portablity, I find the 404 a bit bulky. The 500 is slimmer and better shaped for carrying around in a bag.
* The 500 will take up to a 2 gb CF card, whereas the 404 is stuck with 1 gig.
* Flashing lights? C'mon.
* Press "12 Levels" on the MPC and you can pitch a single sample over a whole octave and play a melody with it accross the pads.
* The 500 has much greater depth in sample editing, with things like envelopes that can modulate differnt parameters.
* You can stack up to 4 samples on each pad on the 500, with velocity switching.

There's probably more, but I should get back to work. In short, I bought the SP-404 based almost soley on the fact that it ran on batteries, to replace my aging Yamaha SU-10. When the MPC 500 was announced, I got one as soon as I could and sold my 404, and it was the happiest day of my life.
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i own an mpc500 and i co-sign 150%.
 
Anyone have any thoughts on if 300 dollars is worth it for a MPC500 or should i save up to a mpc1000 if im mostly gonna use it to sequence external gear?

And to add..as a sequencer, would you say ASR-X is better than MPC500?
 
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the XR is just kind of fun to play with and some of the stock sounds are pretty crispy ... overall I would like to have an XR just to play around with for getting out ideas for drum patterns on the fly ...
 
The MIDI implementation on the XR20 is a joke and the amount of sounds is based on 90's limitations so it is like having one sample CD with an expensive box wrapped around it......get a sampler.
 
Kirasath said:
Anyone have any thoughts on if 300 dollars is worth it for a MPC500 or should i save up to a mpc1000 if im mostly gonna use it to sequence external gear?
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i don't think $300 is too bad of a deal...

you can always go back and sell it for at or around the same price...
 
THERES A LOT OF BS ON HERE ABOUT THE MPC500 FROM PEOPLE WHO DO NOT OWN IT!

I OWN A 500 AND I HAVE OWNED A 404 IN THE PAST, WITH OS 1.31 I HAVE HAD NO SERIOUS FAULTS WITH THE 500, TO BE HONEST AS FAR AS SMALL BATTERY POWERED SAMPLER WORKSTAIONS GO THE 500 KICKS THE 404S ASS FOR MANY MANY REASONS MOSTLY BEING THE PADS ON THE 500 KICK THE SHIZ OUT THOSE HORRIBLE BUTTONS ON THE 404 AND THE FACT THAT THE 500 IS A 10000000000000000000000000000000xs more advanced and solid in regards to sequencing.
FOR SOME REASON PEOPLE SEEM TO LOVE SAYING THE 500 DOES NOT HAVE TIMESTRETCH! WHY PEOPLE LOVE REPEATING THIS LIE I DO NOT KNOW? BECAUSE THE 500 100% DOES HAVE TIMESTRETCH! N IF THERE NOT SAYIN THAT THERE SAYIN THE TIMESTRETCH DESTROYS AUDIO, WHICH AGAIN IS NOT TRUE, YOU JUST HAVE TO HAVE THE COMMON SENSE TO PICK THE CORRECT PRESET!

I HEAR SO MUCH BS ON HERE ABOUT THE 500 ITS CRAZZY SAYIN THE 500 DONT DO THIS, THE 500 DONT DO THAT BLA BLA BLA FROM RANDOM GUYS WHO DONT EVEN OWN IT, OR MORONS WHO CLAIM TO OWN IT BUT DEFINETLY CAN'T OF USED IT FOR ANY MORE THE 30MINUTES!

I THINK A LOT OF THIS BS TALK COMES FROM PEOPLE WHO CANT PRODUCE AND SO THEY GIVE UP N BECOME FULL TIME BS MERCHANTS ON MUSIC PRODUCT FORUMS, THERES PLENTLY OF THESE GUYS LERKIN AROUND ON FP, THESE SAD AND TWISTED INDIVIDUALS TEND TO SUFFER FROM FANBOY SYNDROME AND OFTEN DEDICATE ENTIRE CHUNKS OF THERE PITIFULL EXISTANCE TO PROMOTING GEAR THAT IS IN,TRENDY,KEWL,VERY EXPENSIVE,OR USED BY FAMOUS PEOPLE AND SPREADING NEGATIVITY ABOUT GEAR THAT IS NOT SEEN AS IN,TRENDY,KEWL,VERY EXPENSIVE,OR USED BY FAMOUS PEOPLE, (AND SINCE THE 500 IS THE CHEAPIST MPC IT OFTEN FALLS INTO THIS CATEGORY, AS FAR AS SAD TWATS WHO TALK BS ONLINE ARE CONCERNED). I GUESS THESE INADAMENT WASTES OF HUMAN FLESH DO THIS IN AN ATTEMP TO MAKE FRIENDS ONLINE (SINCE NO1 IN THE REAL WORLD REALLY CARES ABOUT THEM!) OR TO MAKE IT LOOK AS IF THEY ARE IN SOME WAY KNOWLEDGEABLE WHICH I GUESS GIVES THEM A FALSE SENSE OF AUTHORITY WHICH THEY COULD NEVER HAVE IN THE REAL WORLD AND BEYOND DOUBT SOME OF THEM ARE JUST PLAIN AND SIMPLY **** FACED TWATS WHO DO IT KUZ ENJOY ENDULDING IN RAMPANT TWATISM OF ALL KINDS.
 
The XR20 is a quaint little beat machine. It has flavor. You can cook with it if you know how to bump in the first place. And everybody knows the MPC is dope (I mean c'mon). I don't see how the two compare equally.
 
Yeah the MPC500 OS can be buggy but I use it with a Sonic Cell kinda of like a mini Fantom with a better sequencer ...beddroom set-up with power
 
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