Hey y’all,
So I started making music on MPCs and Sps wayyyy back. I always loved those two lines despite not using them anymore. I was looking at the MPC X and thought that it would push down the demand for some of the older MPCs when they come out and may be a good time to pick one up. I have messed around with near every MPC, but the 5k. I remember that the OS was universally shat on and was curious if they ever got around to making the OS at all usable. Any opinions welcome.
Thanks,
Collin
I have a 5k and I think the OS is 2.0. Works fine for me.
I have owned a 5000, the sound quality is superior over the 1000/2500. The OS is still a bit flakey, there are still some strange bugs. If they only had updated the OS one last time it would have been a gem. Unfortunately it remained unfinished, the multitrack recording was awkward, amongst other things.There were some interesting additions such as continuous sample play, keygroups, the synth. One thing the workmanship for such an expensive piece was questionable; power supply problems, and display problems, ridiculously expensive ram,and cd-rom player. It does read all the old S1000 progs, effects were pretty good; same as the REN and MPCX, in fact the OS was ported over directly to the REN software.
The most politically charged MPC ever made due to the User/Fan dissatisfaction over the unfinished OS.
In my opinion the last true flagship of the Akai MPC, It was basically feature overkill, well maybe a tiny bit
The combined note resolution and grid editing up to 960ppq is just one of the features I love.+ 2 midi in 4 midi outs, eight audio outs + stereo+Adat out, mic/line phono in. Dude go buy one already! If you can!
Yes … there are some issues with the 5K even on OS 2.0, but they havn’t been deal breakers for me and my unit does well (knock on wood) ;).
I expect the MPC live or X will come with some interesting improvements. Some of the demos show better editing features for audio and midi, which allow a much better workflow. Today the price of a MPC live is about the same as of a second hand 5k. I would suggest to get a new unit rather a second hand, if there is no particular reason to go for vintage or the synth, which is included in the 5k.
…i was always happy with mpc’s…the 2000 was my main tool for years back in the 90ies…
but when i met my first 1000 and 2500 WITH jjos, i realised how much further options and beyond stuff akai missed out on for all the years and generations of their timeless basic concept…
apart from the fact that the 5000 is the amount of 20 brickstones in weight and size, it was always a bummer to me, since this one never got it’s own jjos version and had to deal with the original akai os forever…dunno about 2.0 though…but hell yeah, the first os versions it saw were more than just poor…and as far as i know, 2.0 was also nothing but some final bugfixing of the worst no go’s that spooked through that machine since day one…and no, there will never be something u could call a 2.1 something…akai never was elektron…
and i can’t confirm, that the 5000 sounds any better than it’s same generation sisters 1000/2500…best in sound always was the 3000…had the same engine/converters as the racksamplers of that era, when akai was state of the art…the worst is the 1000, but only because the fx where hardwired to the mainout, even when off…no problem once u know and use the single outs if u want that little difference…apart from that, the 5000 has the same engine/converters as 1000/2500…all the difference are the endless additional encoders and bigger sized screen…and the lack of a proper os that would really suit her…which will never come since the 5000 was not really selling that much in numbers to make sense for another dedicated jjos…
timeless mpc models and still serious tools uptoday are the 3000, the 2000xl, the 1000 with jjos
and hey, surprise…the mpc one is finally a truu mpc again, somehow…not so sure about it’s soundquality though…but should be fine…2500 was already a bit too big and heavy…while the 5000 is just way too much for it’s capabilities…and some might say the 4000 was it…but that’s the only one i’ve never touched…so what do i know…
I have used it and liked it a lot, when it worked.
It is the worst pre-Renaissance MPC out there. Don’t buy it.
1/ massive bug: about 50% of the time the thing loaded seq song files incorrectly. So half the time, you would load your saved project with missing note information. It was never fixed by Akai-Numark.
2/ the PSU was straight up dangerous. There was a video on The internet of a 5k catching fire.
After 3 months of using it, I had to replace the PSU. And then immediatly sold it.
Funny thing is, after used many MPC’s, this was actually my favorite one. In terms of features and usability. It sounded great too. But its a piece of shit. Dont buy it. It also crashed loads because of the PSU
i am using for years mpc 1k, elektron boxes, modulars, not every machine fits everyone , much people talk often nonsense, test and think for urself ! in my experience the 5 k is a very very underrated gem:
the mpc 5k works really good for me as it s so easy to use , love the synth, , a bit raw, but with very nice analog character . the first thing i realized was how good this 5k sounds! way better than my 1k and much more better than my one ! it punches u in the face. clear and direct. also the seq has a special groove/swing. everything i program sounds good. it grooves much more than my 1k and mpc one wich are in a/b vs more static and flat.
fx a bit oldschool , for electronics ok, also better than my 1k fx. i like the filters . the sequencer is super easy , u can rec/ copy seq without stopping, it s a bit everything hands on with all the pots and sliders . it s so quick, very comparable to jj os but with some less features, what i apreciate as i like it simple. arpeggios for pads, round robin, 64 voices sampler , 20 synth, a bit an 1 k jjos on steroids !! i changed the screen for black inverted, plus fat pads. much better. the machine feels very sturdy , overall hardware very well build, all sliders, knobs, buttons- very solid- even a bit heavy, but in a good sense- would have liked the pots screwed on the face plate. big tilt screen , giving good overview , easy to read. .usb, io s , plenty of them with adat. good for my fostex 2424. . 8 track basic hd streaming limited only by hd storage! for quick scetches- perfect ! a bit like old time multitrack. for me, the 5k is a keeper ,
now for the flaws: its not very transportable as it s heavy. seems there are some minor bugs. for me it works. when loaded too much samples os becomes bit laggy, load and save time seems a bit slow , same as the 1k.
and the psu… is very tiny and cheap! akai/alesis made a big construction error in letting the cooling airflow blow from out to in!! what a mess… as the back of the 5k often points upwards and the fan is blowing cool air from the upside downwards… not good. result is permanently overheating psu giving short psu life expectancy. i changed the airflow fom inside to out by reversing the fan air flow direction plus adding a fan in the inside at the other end of the psu. a bit tedious as a mainboard must be got out. (beware by doing this with static electricity !!!) result: psu stays cool . mpc saved in alongterm manner.