MPC 2500
by Schill

Article by hi joiney

History The original MPC60 was designed by Roger Linn who was hired as a design consultant by Akai He developed the functional design including the panel layout and software hardware specifications He then created the software with a team of engineers The hardware electronics were designed by English engineer David Cockerell and his team Cockerell was a founder member of the synthesizer firm EMS co creater of their famous VCS3 along with Peter Zinovieff and had then worked for effects manufacturers Electro Harmonix Shortly after the MPC60 s release the MPC60 II was designed Released in 1991 the MPC60 II offered most of the same features as the MPC60 with an added headphone output and a plastic housing replacing the original metal one In 1994 Akai released the MPC3000 which boasted 16 bit 44 kHz sampling 32 voice polyphony and SCSI data transfer Akai developed and released the MPC2000 without Linn in 1997 It came with 2 MB of RAM an optional effects board and a 100 000 note 64 track sequencer The MPC2000 was replaced by the MPC2000XL in 2000 The MPC2000XL added an improved 300 000 note sequencer a 64 track mixer and time stretch and resample features Four limited edition models of the MPC2000XL were released In 2002 Akai unveiled the MPC4000 the most powerful MPC at the time The MPC4000 featured 8 assignable outputs a hard drive and CD ROM drive The MPC4000 s memory could be expanded to up to 512 MB of RAM the largest amount on an MPC to date Only two years after the release of the MPC4000 Akai released the MPC1000 which was the smallest in the MPC product line at the time of its release It was also the first MPC to utilize CompactFlash memory Both the MPC2500 and the MPC500 were added to the Akai MPC series in 2006 The MPC2500 is a mid range MPC with 8 assignable outputs and CompactFlash storage Designed for portability the MPC500 features 1 MIDI In Out and CompactFlash storage and can be powered by 6 AA batteries MPC Models The following MPC models are arranged in the order of their release date MPC60 The MPC60 was a 16 voice polyphonic 12 bit 40 kHz sampler 99 track sequencer designed in large part by Roger Linn after Linn Electronics closed It was similar to the Linn 9000 Akai released it in 1988 It had 750 kB memory standard expandable to 1 5 MB The sequencer is very flexible and powerful famous both for its swing setting and its easy to use step programming It had 2 MIDI inputs 4 MIDI outputs allowing it to control up to 64 devices The sequencer itself was offered as a separate product known as the ASQ10 also released in 1988 The MPC60 II was nearly identical to the MPC60 but it featured a headphone output and a plastic case instead of the metal case of the original It was released in 1991 Features 16 velocity sensitive pads 2 pad banks 64 voices per program sampling rate of 40 kHz freq response 20 Hz 18 kHz 16 bit ADC and DAC with data stored in special non linear 12bit format for lower noise 750 kB sampling memory 13 1 seconds upgradable to 1 5 MB 26 2 seconds expansion card EXM003 128 sounds in memory 64 sounds per program 16 voice polyphony 2 MIDI inputs 4 MIDI outputs 20 songs 99 sequences 99 tracks 60 000 note capacity timing resolution of 96ppq parts per quarter note syncable via MIDI Time Code MTC MIDI Clock FSK24 SMPTE 1 4 note click SMPTE supported frame rates 24 25 29 97 drop and 30 8 assignable outputs 1 stereo 1 effects send return Internal 3 floppy drive Double Density 720 kB optional 3rd party SCSI interface by Marion Systems MPC3000 The MPC3000 improved upon the MPC60 by adding 16 bit 44 1 kHz stereo sampling increased memory 32 voice polyphony effects filters and SCSI It was released by Akai in 1994 The MPC3000LE Limited Edition is identical to the MPC3000 except for its black custom design It was released by Akai in 2000 and limited to 2000 units Features 16 velocity sensitive pads 2 pad banks 64 voices per program sampling rate of 16 bit 44 1 kHz stereo freq response 20 Hz 22 1 kHz 2 MB sampling memory 22 seconds upgradable to 32 MB officially stated as 16 MB 6 minutes 32 voice polyphony 2 MIDI inputs 4 MIDI outputs 20 songs 99 sequences 99 tracks 75 000 note capacity timing resolution of 96ppq parts per quarter note syncable via MIDI Time Code MIDI Clock FSK24 SMPTE 1 4 note click SMPTE supported frame rates 24 25 29 97 drop and 30 8 assignable outputs 1 stereo 1 effects send return Internal 3 floppy drive SCSI MPC2000 The MPC2000 is a 64 track sampler sequencer introduced in 1997 and discontinued in 2000 It comes with 2 MB sample memory as standard and can be expanded to 32 MB It supports a sampling rate of 44 1 kHz in 16 bit stereo or mono Features 16 velocity sensitive pads Internal 3 floppy drive 4 pad banks 2 MIDI inputs 2 MIDI outputs 100 000 note capacity 64 track sequencer 2 MB sampling memory upgradable to 32 MB Optional effects board EB16 Optional 8 outputs and digital I O board IB M208 SCSI interface MPC2000XL MPC2000XL SE 2 The MPC2000XL is similar to the MPC2000 but with added features including four pad bank keys time stretch along with other new features In 2004 the 2000XL MCD version was released which features a CompactFlash card reader as standard in place of the floppy drive or Zip drives used in earlier models There were 4 limited edition 2000XL SE MPCs created between 2000 and 2003 There were two versions of the SE 1 one with an improved control surface compatible with growing number of sound libraries and one with aesthetic changes The Limited Edition SE 2 and SE 3 also had only aesthetic changes The 4 SE models can be seen here http www loopers delight com tools akai MPC2000 MPC2000 html Features 16 velocity sensitive pads Internal 3 floppy drive or 100 MB Zip drive upgradeable to an MCD card reader 4 Pad Bank keys Adjustable angle screen Time stretch 2 MIDI inputs 2 MIDI outputs Note repeat key 300 000 note capacity 64 track sequencer 2 MB sampling memory upgradable to 32 MB Optional effects board EB16 Optional 8 outputs and digital I O board IB M208 SCSI interface MPC4000 Released in 2002 the MPC4000 was intended by Akai as a top of the range flagship product Not only was it the most fully featured MPC product yet building on the MPC60 3000 and 2000XL but it also incorporated the sampling engine from the latest model in Akai standalone sampler range the Z8 building on the legacy of Akai s well respected S series samplers Today the MPC 4000 has disappeared from the AKAI Product pages supposedly because it was not a great sales success and is therefore replaced by the more market orientated MPC 5000 which was released in spring 2008 The MPC4000 gained some notoriety amongst users for having a bug ridden OS and poor product support with some originally advertised product features still not implemented in 2006 Features 16 velocity and pressure sensitive pads 2 MIDI inputs 4 MIDI outputs 96 kHz 24bit sampling 16 MB sampling memory upgradeable to 512 MB IDE bays for installation of internal hard disk drive and CD ROM drive Optional plug in boards Effects board ADAT board S P DIF wordclock board 8 analogue outputs board SCSI interface MPC2500 The MPC2500 is the mid range of the Akai line of MPCs It has a 100 000 note 64 track mixer with 64 assignable MIDI channels It has 16 MB of RAM standard and can be upgraded up to 128 MB of RAM with the AKAI EXM128 stick of RAM It contains a USB port for computer connectivity It contains a CompactFlash slot for storage of samples and can be upgraded with a variety of hard drives The MPC2500 contains 2 MIDI inputs and 4 MIDI outputs The MP2500 also has the Chop Shop feature which can chop a sample into as many as 64 pieces A CD drive can added for burning and reading capabilities Also comes with a 128 mb compact flash card with sound kits Features USB port Mass Storage Class CompactFlash card reader 16 velocity sensitive pads 2 MIDI inputs 4 MIDI outputs 100 000 note 64 track MIDI sequencer 16 MB sampling memory upgradeable to 128 MB Included standard effects include Chorus Flanger Bit grunger 4 band EQ Compressor Phase shifter Tremolo Flying Pan Reverb and Delay It contains 8 assignable outputs and 1 stereo output It has two assignable Q link sliders and knobs 240 x 64 hinged backlit LCD screen The CD M25 CD Drive can added JJOS compatible MPC1000 The MPC1000 is a 64 track sampler sequencer It comes with 16 MB sample memory as standard and can be expanded to 128 MB It supports a sampling rate of 44 1 kHz in stereo or mono Its features include a USB port an internal CompactFlash card reader two MIDI inputs and outputs and effects and multiple analog outputs as standard Its sequencer s resolution is 96 ppq There have been wide spread problems with the pad sensors in the 1000 In the original MPC1000 sensors a thin square of carbon impregnated rubber is glued at each corner above a copper coil When a pad is depressed this carbon impregnated rubber is compressed against the copper coil allowing current to pass through This moving part causes the problem as the carbon impregnated rubber sloughs away from the glue and eventually breaks loose This is the MPC1000 pad flaw In 2007 Akai offered a pad upgrade to correct this mistake retailing at 180 USD The pad sensors design returned to the design of the pad sensors in previous models This upgrade has been seen to be pre installed on the MPC1000BK N and some versions of the MPC1000BK not the MPC1000 blue outer casing Before this pad problem was eventually fixed by Akai a MPC 1000 user designed built and sold kits of a pad fix under the name Nym Nym s kit is no longer available By comparison the more recent Akai pad fix uses better sensor technology Sensitronic FSRs Features USB port Mass Storage Class CompactFlash card reader 16 velocity sensitive pads 4 pad bank keys 2 MIDI inputs 2 MIDI outputs 100 000 note capacity 64 track sequencer 16 MB sampling memory upgradeable to 128 MB Effects as standard Multiple analog outputs as standard Timestretch and pitch shift added in OS 2 0 JJOS compatible MPC500 The MPC500 is the smallest MPC ever made and is the first truly portable MPC created It can be run on 6 AA batteries but also can be run on a 12V DC plug It combines a 48 track MIDI sequencer and a 32 voice stereo digital sampler The MPC500 is the first MPC that only has 12 velocity sensitive rubber pads It comes with 16 MB RAM but can be upgraded up to 128 MB of RAM It has a CompactFlash slot for storage of samples One major appeal of the MPC500 is the fact that you can take a project created on the MPC500 and transfer it to any current MPC with a CompactFlash reader The MPC500 has a USB port for computer connectivity It has one stereo output making it the only MPC currently in production that does not have assignable outputs Features USB port Mass Storage Class CompactFlash card reader 12 velocity sensitive rubber pads Stereo L R in out 1 MIDI in and 1 MIDI out 4 pad banks 2 x 16 character LCD screen with back light Standard effects include Chorus Flanger Bit grunger 4 band EQ Compressor Phase shifter Tremolo Flying pan Reverb and Delay Approximately 4 5 hours of continuous use with LCD backlight on 465 5 sq CM footprint MPC5000 The MPC5000 was launched at the 2008 winter NAMM trade show Its main innovations are an 8 track streaming hard disk recorder a 20 voice 3 oscillator virtual analog synthesizer with arpeggiator a new sequencing engine with 960 ppq resolution pad and track muting and mixing 64 continuous sample tracks It also has a new FX engine with 4 FX buses and 2FX per bus and is considered by Akai to be its flagship MPC In addition the MPC5000 features a 64 voice drum phrase sampler with 64MB memory expandable up to 192MB The display is 240×128 twice the size of the MPC2500 and MPC1000 but smaller than the one on the MPC 4000 Integrated Chop Shop 2 0 now supports stereo chops and Patched Phrases It is also the first MPC to include Random and Cycle sample playback in addition to velocity Zone Play A turntable preamp is also included as on the MPC 4000 Although being marketed as the ultimate MPC the MPC 5000 lacks some of the advanced sample editing capabilities of the older MPC 4000 Also some of its hardware specs are lower max 192 MB RAM vs the 4000 s 512 MB smaller screen despite the falling prices of hardware since the 4000 s 2002 launch The numbers to numbers comparison of specifications has resulted in some unfavorable comparisons on the MPC community forums Comparison The following table offers a side by side comparison of a variety of statistics across the MPC product line The specs for the MPC 1000 and 2500 refer to the original AKAI operating system unless mentioned otherwise Model Release Date Price MIDI Inputs Outputs Audio Outputs Sampling Rate Sampling Memory Upgrade able Sampling Time Storage Method Pad Banks Note Capacity Extra Features MPC60 1988 5 000 2 in 4 out 8 L R 12 bit 40 kHz 750 kB 1 5 MB 13 1 sec 26 2 sec Internal 3 floppy drive 4 60 000 MPC60 MK2 1991 5 000 2 in 4 out 8 L R 12 bit 40 kHz 750 kB 1 5 MB 13 1 sec 26 2 sec Internal 3 floppy drive 4 60 000 Headphone jack Plastic case MPC3000 1993 3 500 2 in

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The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Solenoid Valve , China Pulse Valve, and more. For more , please visit pneumatic equipments suppliers today!

Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines
whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.