Recording King Guitars: Akai MPC 1000 MIDI Production Center Sampler, Black Review

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(More customer reviews)Where do I even start? Lets get this rollin with some back ground music, this is what this machine is capable of:
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These two tracks were made 100% by the MPC 1000, no computers or software what so ever.
I've had this think for several months now and I think it has been one of the most fun journeys of my life, I don't mean to sound corny but the amount of joy this thing can bring is just astounding.
That being said, if you're looking at this review then you probably aren't fooling around: you want to get serious about making music. If you're like me and have fooled around with some starter programs like FL Studio, but you just never got a good grasp on how to use the software, then this is absolutely the machine for you. And if the price tag is steep then you want to look at an MPC 500 or better yet look around for an old MPC 2000 or 2000xl.
By the way I recommend getting this newer black version of the 1000. There are known issues with the pads on some of the older "blue and red" models which are still fixable, given that the older model is certainly cheaper now than this model. The new black version comes with the pad "fix" already from the factory.
Everything about this machine is solid. It's where you feel okay about putting that much money down on it. One of the first things I noticed was the power plug on the back of the unit is hefty and screwed in tight with two large screws, it's just little things like that that I'm sure allow this to last for a lifetime. I haven't had a single hardware related issue yet.
What really makes this a stand out machine though, which I never realized at first (i thought it was all about the pads) is the sequencing. I mean from top to bottom this is a full on track-producer. There really isn't anything I have found that you can't do here. To break it down: you start by building a track, then melt each track together all under a sequence (the two are on the same main screen), then you compile the sequences together under the song screen.
Once you have every sequence melting together under SONG, you press one button and it converts all of the data BACK into a large sequence, from which you would record with.
Just as vital probably is the step edit page, from which you can edit each track note-by-note. Everything you need is in here. You can change the velocity of any given note, along with the timing and just about any other thing you can think of. There are so many little luxuries that this machine provides like a tempo change on the fly, at any time.
Also one of my favorite features is the 16 levels button. This allows you to take ANY sample, and turn one pad into 16, tuning up and down from which ever pad you select. Ideally this would be useful for say, a piano or key sample. It essentially will turn one key into a whole range and turns the machine into a keyboard. It really really gets you some crazy and different sounding sounds though if you use it on any sample, and it's probably my most used feature. By example, the first track i listed up top: the elec. piano/rhodes keys are a mixture of different chops and the 16 levels applied to them.
It's just so fun learning the ins and outs of the software. It really feels after a while like you dive in to this little world every time you press the power button, it's there pressed into the back of your head and in no time your fingers will be flying. But I strongly recommend you read the manual AND get hands on experience as you go. The manual can teach you a LOT of things that you might miss otherwise. And the manual is actually pretty well written and explanatory, despite the frequent misspells.
And speaking of software I recommend downloading the 3rd party software JJOS (just google akai JJOS and it will be the first site, it's a japanese server but everything is in english). Now at first you might hate this if you install it (don't worry you can factory restore to the original OS at anytime), because this software changes the way the pads work. You will have to go under the [OTHER] Screen and change your pad settings (how sensitive they are) VERY often. To this day it still seems to be the biggest setback of the JJOS, the original akai OS factory pad settings just work, without really any need to tweak anything. I found myself using the FULL button (automates the maximum velocity for each pad so that a sound is at it's loudest at every hit) MUCH more with the JJOS, and still do, which i feel takes a massive chunk out of the potential of the pads: you can play a snare or hi hat without the FULL button and it literally sounds like the real thing, but with it ON, its a solid boom bap, so you will have to find out ways to work around the pad deficiencies(i recommend normalize your samples if they are too quiet) .
WITH THAT BEING SAID: The benefits of the added features of the JJOS are simply irreplaceable. You won't being wanting to go back to the akai OS no matter how many pad frustrations or bugs you run into. For starters, there is a new note (paint) type window. You go into this screen and all of the notes that you laid down in the sequence are literally painted in little blocks on a grid, track by track, pad by pad. This is great for those coming from the FL studio type deals where you like to visualize your notes. It makes refining things super easy now, you simply go over to the note you hear and see and press delete (or copy/move). Granted the original OS and step edit allows you to delete notes just the same but once you get a lot of samples and programs running it can become a headache to find some of the notes you have laid down, and the JJOS visual window helps you find exactly what you are looking for.
Also with the JJOS are some added trimming features. One of the most notable is the trimming and waveforms. I can't even remember how the old OS worked but trimming is very fast now. You simply look at the waveform for the sample and use the scroll wheel to select the start/end points. But a huge advantage is now you can zoom in and out of the wave form as you navigate it. This means you can zoom all the way to the micro level and find your zero crossings if your Loops are popping at the end/start points.
Also there are other added features in the trim page like stripping a sample of the left or right channels, or adding or subtracting any combination of the two. For instance if you play an old record and the bassline is on the left channel and the drums are coming through the right, you can split the sample and strip either out of the mix, or add them together if the panning is just too extreme for the sample and you want to clean it up a bit.
Those are just the two biggest JJOS features, with many others that i just take for granted so I can't think of them.
Wow, to wrap this up I just have to say if you are looking at this page and really being serious about buying one, just go out and do it. Alone this is an extremely fleshed out stand alone machine, but for those of you who like the new school sound with the FL/reasons/pro tools and all that, this can be your foundation and you can perfect your craft with the software on your PC. There are just simply some things you can't do with software and ESPECIALLY without hardware. You can't sit at FL Studio and paint out a bangin drum track with a mouse that sounds like it's the real thing. And if you have had a little bit of experience with software and you want that HANDS ON experience, and just want to be able to pick something up and get results, than this is absolutely a vital machine if you take the time to learn the ins and outs.

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Small but perfectly formed, the MPC1000 is a welcome addition to a now legendary product line which holds a unique position in the evolution of modern electronic music. Inheriting all the features which make the MPC so recognizable, the MPC1000 is not only a perfect compliment to its larger MPC siblings, but a powerful Music Production Center in its own right.