Akai Professional MPC500 Reviews

Sweetwater Advice

Nick Schenkel

Finally, an "all-in-one" way to work on MPC files while on the road! The depth of this unit is absolutely amazing given its small size.

Carson McClain

The legends of hip hop and R&B production have all used MPCs to create their beats and sample their records. This is the first step you need to take if you want to be a real producer. You will need the RAM and 2GB Flash memory card, so save up and make the call. The MPC is the industry standard.

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Customer Reviews

Andy H.
from Parkersburg, WV
October 28, 2008Music Background:
musician, recording engineer

Great Song writing tool

Makes song writing easy! Very portable. We took it on a long trip and hooked it up to the car stereo to come up with some new song ideas. We are also going to use it to trigger samples on stage at gigs. Having the sounds built in is awesome! No laptop to drag around with you and you can even put in your own samples. The pads are very responsive and playing drum samples is fairly easy. The pads are touch sensitive so the moment you touch the pad the sample is being played. Can't be beat.

David Rhoderick
from Troy, NY USA
December 12, 2008Music Background:
Musician, engineer, producer, turntablist, composer

AWESOME

Boy are MPCs expensive! This one is the cheapest and it's definitely worth it. I am writing this review mainly to debunk the stories of how the display is bad. Unless you have used any other MPC extensively, you really don't miss it. The layout of controls is simple and easy to understand. The wave editing is awesome and easy. It took me more time to record it, put it on my laptop, and edit it using software than it does to trim and edit samples in the MPC. The only reason I gave it a 4.5 out 5 is because of the price, which is maybe a little expensive, and that there are only 2 effects per sequence and 1 Q-link fader. Wish there was more but the filters for each sample allow a lot of versatility. Note repeat is awesome.

inSync Review

Nick Schenkel
8-22-2007

Inspiration can strike anytime and anywhere. In today's fast paced world, musicians need the ability to capture ideas when they have them, and the MPC500 makes it all possible. For many musicians, carrying a laptop, MIDI controller, microphone and all of the cables is just not feasible. To that end, Akai has introduced the MPC500; the first truly portable version of the famous MPC line. With twelve drum pads, four sample banks, a full sequencer, the ability to layer four sounds on a single pad, sampling capability, USB and MIDI connectivity, and a small form factor; the MPC500 is a music production powerhouse that can be run off of six "AA" batteries. Able to handle files from its larger siblings, producers that already own an MPC finally have a way to get work done on projects while away from the studio. Although there is a learning curve, and (due to the small size) the menus can be difficult to get the hang of, once you get used to working on the MPC500 you will discover an incredible depth of control and power. For those wanting a way to make beats anywhere, the MPC500 is certainly up to the task.

Elijah Marlink
3-28-2007

When the MPC500 was introduced, my first thought was that it would be a low function, low-power unit that would not be a cost-effective way to work. After I got it out of the box and spent time with it, I realized my first assumption was wrong within minutes.

AKAI has taken the MPC's main core features and crammed them into this smaller, more portable unit. The idea behind this is to be compatible with other MPC units. The MPC500 can accept patterns, sequences, and samples from its bigger siblings, and process them, edit, re-sequence on the go, then be brought back. This makes it the perfect mobile editing, sequencing, and sampling compliment to the not-so-mobile MPC family.

AKAI has introduced the MPC 500 as their first battery-powered unit using six AA cells. This makes it the first truly portable MPC unit. Not only is the footprint smaller than a compact laptop, but the battery will outlast a laptop battery even while recording your samples. Matched with the same capacity CompactFlash used in the MPC1000 and 2500, the MPC500 can easily handle the same size and quality samples as the larger units.

Even though it makes a perfect match to the existing family of MPCs, this unit is more than capable of standing on its own. Whether you want to sample, sequence, edit samples, manipulate effects, or just create backing drums to play to, the MPC500 is the most cost effective, comprehensive, and user-friendly way to get into professional sampling and sequencing.