Is MPC 500 still relevant? Will you drop your MPC 500 for something different?
I have MPC 500 but I don’t see any use of it in my current setup anymore.
one of the few machines I didn’t like. The pads were horrible, the fx not good, the workflow with the little display cumbersome.
It was my first hardware actually. Wouldn’t get one again.
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It’s as relevant as you make it.
For me its too frustrating and I never had the patience for the small screen scrolling through parameters and not great pad response, no idea why I have one as it sits unused and feels like a hassle to unload, I would love to trade it. Picked it up years back as a battery powered option for festivals and velcroed it to a little amp but it never saw much use. Now it feels like forever since I’ve had the live and I wouldn’t even bother with it, I’m sure people still make cool things with them but its not for me
You could midi it up to digitakt for some extra stereo sample triggering or sample and play some cv for some extra modulation for a modular or something, but with the lack of outputs or the 1000 would be so much better for that
So to answer, not for music
And unless you find a cool side use for it I would off it
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I really want to make it work for me but I can’t and will part with it while it is still in a good shape…
It’s got to be the worst mpc
Even in its time it was probably best used as on on the go sketchpad for people who had a big mpc to pop the card Into later or just as a cheaper option for those who could not spend much because it was like half the price
It could be a handy midi recorder for some synths or whatnot but for sampling I would really prefer even an iPad or pretty much most anything else to it and I love mpcs. koala sampler seems cool, just that on your phone could be a better experience
Not sure what you were using it for, but it sounds like you know what to do
Maybe someone will chime in with the super secret 500 ninja style magic use of it that I’m not aware of
But imo there is just so much better available now
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I usually use it to hold down a stack of paper on my desk when it gets windy.
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To echo what others have said: it is the worst MPC Akai ever put on the market.
Terrible interface, buggy OS, skipping data wheel, rubbish tact switches (as with all of the 2000-2010 MPC’s), …
You can probably make cool music with it, but it’s an absolute nightmare to use
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Polyphony drop a lot if effet/filter are used.
So I would really use it as a sketch pad and resampling.
Or with really simple program and using program in mono mode to keep polyphony at minimum a bit like the DT can be used on one track with sample lock.
That might lead to interesting result a bit like a tracker in the end.
FX are crappy so… that’s not a big loss.
Basically it’s a mpc without the big engine.
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great as a sketchpad or live performance instrument
prepare your programs on another mpc and it’s quick and easy to use…
the only mpc I’ve ever dropped and it kept on ticking
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!! How many mpc’s have you dropped? What do you like drop test them for durability? 
I’m kidding!! It just sounded funny!!
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lol, it’s the only one I’ve dropped… I’m saying they’re built well
also they seem cumbersome at first but after you use them regularly it becomes quick like anything else
great sequencer for external gear set up too
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I remember it coming out and a mini Mpc sounded amazing. Sadly the initial excitement wasn’t followed by a decent product.
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sorry for bringing up this old topic. There seem not to be too many posts related to the MPC 500.
I’ve got an old MPC 500 that I don’t have the heart to sell (worked my ass off during the summer to buy it like 12 years ago) and I’m wondering how I can use it with my other gear.
I recently got a Model:Samples which is just waaaay more fun and immediate to play with, a Microfreak, an NTS-1, and a PO-33 + PO-32.
I was thinking that maybe I could use M:S for the drums, then the MPC for sequencing synths and sampling/chopping/just using stereo samples in general - has anyone used it this way?
Is there any way I could sequence Microfreak + NTS-1 playing different notes using MPC 500 sequencer and Midi-Thru?
thanks <3
Oh well I sold my MPC 500 to musicians that work on weddings, it is in good hands. As soon as I got my hands on MPC One, M:S - I didn’t play 500 anymore. I don’t think there is any use for it as you spend ton of time to do simple things.
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maybe there’s someone wondering the same and it could help them:
I took some time to experiment with my gear and so far the results are:
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pretty surprised by how well the MPC500 handles sequencing the Microfreak. It all went smoothly and I was able to record knobs etc (wasn’t expecting this, lol, but it’s my first time sequencing a hardware synth)
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I see some potential in “grunge” effect - it provides some cool distortion and worked pretty nicely on a regular 808 kit
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setting up an autoload with some drums + midi settings is a godsend
I start to think it’s not that terrible, lol, if you use it for very specific goals
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