Akai MPC 2000XL vs MPC 1000

Visit my BandCamp page here for sample packs and songs computefunctio... Update...I am keeping the XL and the 1000. Which unit is better and why...

[@Dizzy_the_kid]

In my humble opinion, two of the most beautiful mpcs ..

[@MrAnselm77]

Master compression and eq 🔥🔥🔥🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦👊🏿 absolutely right about the 1000

[@markchristopher2signal2]

Dude, ur the ultimate Akai guy. Subbed. Saw 5 of ur vids.

[@prufrockrenegade]

You can pretty much go as big as you'd ever want with the CF reader on the 1000. I have a 32gb micro SD to CF card in mine that I basically use as a hard drive. Apparently the OS treats the CF drive the same as an HDD, so the upper limit is the same for both. >128gb I believe

[@EvLoutonian]

Came back to say I Dig your video & agree with your no-nonsense down-to-earth observations! (also being the owner of both these models, and also occasionally wishing I also had an MPC 60 &/or new gen MPC also!)

[@DJDigitalJosh]

I only have owned the new MPC1. I love it. The 12 bit samplers like the sp1200 & s950 spark my interest. They have a nice sound. The 8 bit Ensoniq Mirage sounds AMAZING to me, but its so old I'd be scared it would break on me. 🤣

[@tB3o3tR9o9]

with the JJOSXL firmware in the MPC 1000 you can downsample to 12bit

[@DJGolDonTV]

Greatly appreciate your time for sharing this 🙏

[@alanfindingzen]

I actually have a Sandisk Ultra 32gb CF Card that I use with my MPC 1000 and been working beautifully for about 3 years now. The MPC 1000 is a powerful tool to make beats and Seq drum loops. Also great for using in combo with an Akai s900 or s950 for that true hiphop sound. You can get the MPC 1000 sounding grimy regardless or Super clean. ITS what you put through it !

[@augustwest4680]

I was gifted a marantz pmd580 by a neighbor and need to cop some CF Cards.

[@grumomusic]

I have a 1000 with a random 32GB MicroSD card pulled from an old phone, inside a micro SD to SD adapter inside a SD to CF adapter, and it recognises it! The blue and red ones are the first batch - often called the "Optimus Prime" - and the pad sensors tend to fail over time (this was fixed with the second run of black ones), so bear that in mind for the future - it's usually a great excuse to grab some fat pads at the same time though ;)

[@Deeper-sessions]

Hm…. They got the same capacity in GB and Folder organization. You just have to install a CF Card reader

[@lawrenceonethree6872]

You feel the same still?

[@DoubleRock4000]

I have both & the jjos workflow is fast & full of features 💨 but I love the layout & feel of the 2kxl . I was about to sell one of them but I couldn’t 😂 and so I sample & edit in the 1k & resample & sequence into the 2kxl 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@OWOspirit]

"I was about to sell one of them but I couldn’t 😂 " I have 2500 and 4000 :D

[@vintagestereos]

I ended up keeping both. There is something special about the XL. It's not the sound, though it's nice enough. It's the layout.

[@EvLoutonian]

@@vintagestereos layout is pretty nice

[@RoomAtTheTopStudio]

@@vintagestereos Everything is spaced out just right. That's what I like about it over the 500. The 1000 and 500 are more cramped up together with the pads the buttons and the dials. The slider is obviously smaller. I'm glad that you decided to keep the XL with the 1000. Personally I'm not getting rid of either my XL or my 500 even if I get a modern MPC. Just like a guitarist has a choice of guitars for the right sound, it's good to have a choice of MPC or samplers to achieve what you want.

[@lu4enp]

I agree with you in every point, i have the same dilema but when i was thinking on buying one of those, for the same reasons you will sell the 2000 y bought the 1000. Both are great machines but for some people one is better than the other differently. Great video

[@lundsweden]

The MPC1000 would've been close to perfect if it had've been battery powered.

[@SergioMartinez-el8kg]

love the honesty

[@pianokeyjoe]

I prefer the 1000 because from factory it is SSD/Flash drive capable, has more ram capacity(256mb?), and the smaller flat design IS my preferred style. The other thing is that you can install an internal HDD/SSD though it is IDE so you have to buy an old drive or a ide to sata adapter and results will vary. The capacities boil down to the JJOS which I think was one of the reasons it exists if I remember correctly. The 2KXL is nice both stock and upgraded but my friend has that unit and loading samples and saving them can be a chore with the USB flash drive upgrade especially when you have to use a classic Windows PC just work with converting samples and a MAC to access the USB drive virtual floppy images to get at the samples. Oh what a freakin mess! The 1000 has all the features needed, natively even with the stock OS. Floppy and zip drives are just too unreliable so I go 1000!

[@MS-1]

Selling the xl in 2020? Lol. (I Kept mine I bought back in 00 and, bought an MPC One in 20).

[@emmarossignol4445]

I'm caught up between these two. I would be using the MPC for sequencing external hardware mostly, with minimal sample usage, and I'm still going to record the final product in the daw so I don't think I need built in FX that much. Something about the 2kXL just calls me though. For two synths and a drum machine, which do you think would be better?

[@deafbyhiphop]

The 1000 suits all your needs for that

[@vintagestereos]

The XL is special. If I were only getting one for a sequencer I would probably get an XL.

[@RoomAtTheTopStudio]

@@vintagestereos I second that. For sequencing and sound it's one of the best around

[@Deatg-ek8rf]

2kxl

[@lestoasters]

Are you gonna do the 500 vs 1000 on the record input :)

[@DJ279V]

I purchased a 2000xl in 2015 after selling my 2000 a couple years before. Use the machine that fits you, but I warn, if you don't have to sell it definitely keep it bc the vintage machines have something the newer ones don't have - true workflow. You are good either way but selling mu 2000 was a lesson I wont so with any MPC again!!

[@vintagestereos]

Ya, the vintage machines have their own vibe for sure. I don't miss any of them though. Other than how cool the 1000 was since it was so compact and robust. But maybe they will make a mini Live.

[@RoomAtTheTopStudio]

Makes sense. There is a lot of demand for 2000XL MPC units atm so you will get a great price for it. The 1000 is more powerful with regards to effects and OS. If you need a lot of information on one screen then the 1000 also wins there and JJSO tops it off with functions. I like the 2000XL though. It's not as powerful as the 1000 or the 500 but I just like the size of it and the way how it looks. It inspires me. I have the unit space and I like how it sounds. Anyhow I wish you all the best with your 1000 and who knows? You may get a 2000XL in the future once again.

[@vintagestereos]

I know what you mean about feeling inspired by the xl. I feel it from the machine too. There's a magic to it, and openness to the pads and controls. It's solid and professional. You're probably right, I'll have another xl. I am kinda sad to sell this one though. It's a clean unit and feels minty fresh with those pads. If I were a collector I would love it, but then it wouldn't be getting used.

[@RoomAtTheTopStudio]

@@vintagestereos If you aren't using it then it's understandable. I've done the same in the past. Personally I put things I don't use into storage nowadays as I've learned from selling things in the past then regretting it and having to find them or upgrades of them. I originally had a 2000 Classic, a Yamaha MT50, Sony TCD D7 DAT walkman among other things that I sold and regretted then had to replace all of these with a 2000XL, Yamaha MT100, Tascam DA-20 almost 20 years after selling the originals. I don't use cassette 4 track or the DAT machine every day but I have work on those formats that I've needed the machines for. I've even repaired my friend's MPC60 mk2 because we have floppies with sounds and work that we did in the 90's that we need the machine to access them. If you don't have the space to store it then yeah you may as well let it go. If you can store it away though it would be the better option especially as it's a very clean example

[@DaniFazekas]

hey man! I just listened to some of your beats and I was wondering, why don't you upload your beats to streaming services?

[@vintagestereos]

Hey, thanks for listening! I will work on getting more beats out into the world soonish. I want to get some more done first. Not sure where to post either. Any ideas? Ultimately I would like to have some releases on some labels but really don't know which way to go.

[@DaniFazekas]

​@@vintagestereos You can distribute music by yourself, for eg. on CD Baby or distrokid.com. This means that these distributors will upload your music to every digital services like apple music, amazon, spotify etc. and you will get 100% royalties, but you have to pay a annual membership fee, or you can also show your debut album to some labels to release it like Vinyl Digital or HHV records, Effortless Audio etc. I recommend to get in touch on instagram or soundcloud, or I can give you email contact if you like. There are many posibilities.

[@DaniFazekas]

that annual membership at distrokid: Musician Plus $35.99/yr 2 artist or band names

[@liljons6753]

@@vintagestereos song trust ..

[@cymbolic_space1832]

bandcamp is dope and all i use to stream. that being said i also buy my music if i like it.

[@DJDAMIAN72]

You’re absolutely right about the sound of the MPC 2000XL not being very good, or at least not being anything special. I bought an MPC 2000XL in early 2000 and used it till like 2009 and as much as I loved the smooth user friendly workflow and all it’s awesome features (for its time) I do remember being really disappointed by its kind of weak thin flat sound, I guess because I was expecting it to have that dope grimy sound of the 90’s hip-hop I love but then I realized most of that music was done on older samplers with different sound engines (sample bits, sample rates, AD/DA converters). So yeah it’s odd to me when I hear or read some people mention that the 2000 & 2000XL had a fat grimy sound, those people are either imagining things or they’re thinking of older MPCs like the MPC 60. Now I’m not saying the sound of the MPC 2000XL is bad, it’s digital quality CD sound so it will record your sounds almost exactly as they are but it doesn’t add any special fatness, grime or any type of sound color... and too be honest I always felt like things sounded thinner & brighter after recording them on the MPC than they did on the vinyl or CDs I was sampling. I don’t use my MPC anymore but I’m not getting rid of it, specially since I can’t convert & transfer all those files into my computer and ableton live, otherwise I would’ve probably sold it by now since I don’t use it.... dope machine though! 😊

[@vintagestereos]

So true. It is CD quality! It's not the lo-fi sound people think it is. It's still an amazing piece of gear though, and I decided to keep it like you did.

[@favouritethings11]

@@vintagestereos BS it definitely has a character to it

[@vintagestereos]

@@favouritethings11 ok. I respect your opinion. Thanks for weighing in.

[@favouritethings11]

@@vintagestereos it's not an opinion

[@Deatg-ek8rf]

2000XL is life

[@kanehenderson5142]

May I ask where you got that screen on the 2000xl? It’s beautiful,and mine has a few broken pixels

[@AgentsofRush]

MPC Stuff (If you're still looking)

[@clutchhawks1268]

You checkout the fx on the sp404sx

[@kanehenderson5142]

Also,have you sold it yet?

[@jbrawny4123]

Really wanna get an MPC, however whenever i sample i sample alot of 1 song, almost 75% of a sample gets used and chopped on my beats so do you think an MPC would be worth it, or should i stick to my DAW?

[@antthorny6519]

youre sampling more than a minute of a sample ? ?

[@jbrawny4123]

@@antthorny6519 no, im taking portions of the sample, bits and pieces basically, not just 1 part thats looped

[@antthorny6519]

JBrawny I think the mpc 2000xl has like 5 minutes of sampling time so if you do like a three minute sample you could just cut the pieces you want and make them a new sound and delete the old recording and probably get away with it

[@antthorny6519]

JBrawny but in stereo mode you only have three minutes of sample time

[@jbrawny4123]

@@antthorny6519 oh shit, thats great might get that one, hoping i can find someone who can sell it

[@wakilorokunle9650]

Which one would you suggest for an absolute beginner?

[@deafbyhiphop]

Mpc 1000. You cant wrong with either one tbh

[@vintagestereos]

I would get a Korg ES-1. They're cheap, sound great, and are basic enough to introduce you to sampling.

[@MGDrums05]

indeed, keep the XL bud

[@Mikeppodcast]

Which one would choose 1000, 2000xl or 2500?

[@vintagestereos]

The Live is best. Then the 2500. Then the 1000. Then the XL. All my opinion though.

[@kamikaze6295]

Do you still think Live 2 is the best?

[@cvltzilla]

I have both and the 1000 is better in every aspect imo

[@vintagestereos]

I agree except for the pads.

[@cvltzilla]

@@vintagestereos the bk model has the same pads. Just smaller

[@alfredschnozzenstein1657]

Like he mentioned in the video, it would have been nice if the 1000 had a tilt screen; on top of that, in my opinion, it would've been nice if Akai would've made the pads for the 1000 as big as the 2000xl. Another thing (again, my opinion) I think Akai in the future should go back to the drawing boards and update, or modernize the MPC 1000 and 2500. For the 1000, an update for the pads, the system (still sticking with JJOS, but updated), a few cosmetic changes and the tilt screen. And as far as the 2500, I think the overall look is good, but like I said with the 1000, more or so cosmetic changes and update on their system.

[@lyricalruffer6779]

@@alfredschnozzenstein1657 the updated 1000 you're describing is basically the 2500. They can't update JJOS because its not their OS, its a 3rd party one made by JJ. Akai will never revisit these old machines but thats okay they live on in the diy community. JJ is still updating JJOS to this day, he loves the mpc 1000

[@alfredschnozzenstein1657]

@@lyricalruffer6779 Are you serious? I seriously thought that the MPC Studio was going to be the modern/ updated version of the 1000. I really like the MPC 1000, but the only mini issues (to me) are the pads and tilt screen. In your opinion, do you think it is worth getting the 1000, or may older MPC’s considering their age? Do you think music can be made on those old MPC’s to make the music we listen to now? I’m just curious because I’m still debating.

[@eman0828]

They don build MPCs like they use to anymore. The quality in the AKAI brand is lon gone every since they sold th company to Numark aka InMusic. The quality control has been a major decline. Cheaper quality components are used and the need stuff is full of Alesis parts. My MPC5000 only lasted 8 years after the power supply went out on it. Is a known issue as it shares many of the same parts as the Alesis Fusion HD keyboard that was a flop. Both share the same power supply that's known for overheating. My 20 year old Yamaha MOTIF ES6 keyboard and 18 year Roland Fantom-XR out lived my MPC.

[@vintagestereos]

True. I found the 5000 to be especially poorly built. Like a prototype.

[@eman0828]

@@vintagestereos yup esp having mine for 10 years as the knobs and everything kept falling off of it. That thing was a peice of junk! The volume knob even had a crackling noise as the switch was going bad. It took me three years before deciding to throw my MPC out to the garbage dumpster even since it broke in 2020 that got stuck in a boot loop. After I read in varies of mpc forum's of the boot loop issue. I finally pulled the Har drive out of it, took a hammer and smashed the MPC into peice and tossed to the dumpster in January. It wasn't worth fixing because I would be putting the same fault power supply in the unit if I bought a used power supply and then it fails again.

[@acetateassassin7933]

The sensors on the blue 1000 are garbage, the black one has the sheet.

[@xxx7917]

Mine is blue and has a sheet sensor

[@acetateassassin7933]

@@xxx7917 later batch of the blue one went back to old style cause new ones didn’t hold up

[@babar141]

What happened to your mpc 5000

[@vintagestereos]

Sold it. I didn't end up loving it. Too bad, it was pretty cool.

[@envisagefilmshouston]

How do you export and stem out tracks for a DAW??? Does the MPC1000 give you an option to export stems separately?

[@vintagestereos]

The only way I ever knew was to track it out individually. It was an absolute pain and waste of time. If you want seamless interfacing with a DAW then get an MPC Live. They are light years better than the vintage MPs. It's like funky assed aliens were tired of seeing us struggling with file management and bestowed their galactic beat making abilities to us in the form of the MPC Live. Plus it's portable. And it has so, so much more inside. Can you tell I'm in love?

[@envisagefilmshouston]

@@vintagestereos haha I have a MPC ONE but I’m in love with the MPC 1000 idky is like a toxic relationship 🤦🏻‍♂️ you know she ain’t shit but she has certain qualities you love is like you can’t let go 😂😭😭😂

[@envisagefilmshouston]

@@vintagestereos I found out how to track stems on MPC1000 HD quality

[@kamikaze6295]

😂​@@vintagestereos❤

[@MrGenarogutierrez77]

👍

[@BigDaddyMacc]

Omg that mpc2000xl is sexy as f!

[@likerowe]

have you sold it yet? hahah holler at me if not.

[@likerowe]

boo, just read your update. if you change your mind, let me know.

[@vintagestereos]

I did sell it on Reverb for $1600. I still have an MCD version though that I'll be holding on to.

[@RayoBeatz]

you are gonna regret selling the 2000XL ;_;

[@vintagestereos]

I've sold over 10 of them since that video. I miss holding it and looking at it, but that's all.

[@brendodorset3720]

hi, does anybody know the solution to this problem? I own a MPC 1000 which runs the 3.16 free OS version with 128mb memory installed. I have 128mb card with 10mb (12 sequences) of data saved to it. I loaded the 10mb, (nothing else, no presets sound) into the MPC memory. when I try to record more notes to a track, it says: "INSUFFICIENT MEMORY". why? internal memory is 128mb. you load 10mb to it and you can't record anything else because there's no available memory? when you look at the available internal memory it shows: "CARD free: 118mb", "WAVE free: 110mb", "SEQ free: 13kb"... I need sequence memory. Is it possible to assign/transfer memory space from "WAVE" to "SEQ"? or is this a OS version problem?

[@vintagestereos]

Not sure sorry.

[@alfredschnozzenstein1657]

If I may, I know your comment is from 3 months ago, but based on the issue you're having, I would highly recommend you check out the link below. The owner of the channel (apparently) was one of the team members that actually worked on the system and the JJOS for Akai, but got fired. Despite that, the person STILL updates the systems for most MPCs and they are pretty responsive if you either message them or leave a comment on one of their videos with similar issues as yours. Hell, the solution to your problem might be a video he has already covered, and the beauty is that his choice of MPC is the 1000, so since you have one it will benefit you a lot. Hope I helped. kzbin.infofeatured

[@brendodorset3720]

@@alfredschnozzenstein1657 thank you very much. I'll check the link you've sent.

[@alfredschnozzenstein1657]

@@brendodorset3720 Wow, that was a quick response despite it being 3 months ago! I hoped I helped out and if you have any questions, please don't be shy! I'll be more then happy to help.

[@1v0reeeeee]

Looks like a cash register

[@Soho-Fart]

how would you compare the aftermarket jjos2xl for the mpc1k to your mpc5k factory os?

[@vintagestereos]

I didn't have the 5000 for very long, but from what I've seen there are some similarities. I found the 5000 OS to be very easy to understand without reading the manual. JJOS on the other hand is taking me some time to get my head around.

[@OGRagtoproy]

Prefer 5000 ;)