It is NOT Digidesign, Cubase, Cakewalk... It is very much something else. It will NOT appeal to people who want the mouse-click ease of those software tools. The Akai MPC is all about limitations and those limitations make this device a true joy.

For using in an old-school style hardware-sequencing working method and for making techno/dance/hip-hop/house ...the Akai is great...

You do have only 2 midi outs for a total of 32 midi channels. For the house/techno producer, this is more than enough... More channels and gear count as simply a distraction... In other words, if you cant get enough dope sounds together over 32 midi channels, then another 32 will not help you...

The display is very tiny compared to ANY computer monitor... But I find this actually has opened up my mind to thinking about the music in my mind and not peering into a computer screen.. After a while you will get used to thinking in those terms... The human mind is up to the task..

The on-board sampler is not meant to compete with a full-fledged sampler, such as an EMU 6400 or an Akai S5000 ...it is a drum-machine style playback sampler ...And it is great at that... 32 mb is more than enough for drum-machine sounds... For regular 'sampling', hook up an Akai S3000XL or S2000 or whatever...

The Akai is a somewhat minimal techno producers device... it was never intended for the film score producer in his lavish Burbank studio, controlling dozens of samplers and modules and effect devices... It was intended mainly for the project studio of musicians into that electronic sound...

I used a PC for sequencing for a while but found that it just was not conducive to the creative process.. I did not enjoy using the PC and 'enjoyment' causes you to continue with an endeavor ...The MPC is very enjoyable to use and to create grooves with... I am much more productive with the MPC. WORTH EVERY PENNY! ...Get the multi-outs!!!

The entire thing of this machine is that you get 64 tracks you can mute at any time, 32 of them for outside of the machine and 32 for the internal drum sampler. The best rig for using this seems to be popping a drum kit together on disk with a computer, loading it up and boom... I wrote some tight trip-hop beats in a cool 30 minutes with a bass line from my Supernova and time to figure how to step edit the velocity of the kicks to hit the same volume etc.

Akai has thought of just about everything you need for this to be a live midi sequencer, the only thing missing is filtering, which wasn't the important thing it is now when the original mpc2000 was released.

Its getting to be hard to find something truly musical in a world filled with grooveboxes and virtual-anythings... at least a beat written on an mpc is one your hands plunked out.

I like it.

good sequencer!!! Great sampler mixed with drum machine

totaly isn't meant to apply effects to anything, but I send evertying through my electric mistress or kaoss pad, so it's all coo. Plus I hook it up to my nord lead 2, so all my synth sounds are very flexible. Seems like everyone complaining on this list is whining about the mpc's compared to computer sequencer.......way different ballparks. I chose the mpc b/c I like getting into my music, which I can't with computers.

The mpc has it's ups and downs, but if you like external midi setups, and to really get into your music, get an akai. I've owned a rm1x, su700, and roland mc-80, and all those sequencers were totally horrible. I couldn't understand why such newly released equipment was lacking on so much, from number of midi ports, to the need to add $1000 on for expansion. Screw that, buy a mpc, or if you're not comfortable with external midi connections, or don't want to spend as much on gear, go get logic, or maybe cubase, both are good.

oh, and for you mpc3000 butt**cks, why are you even posting to this list. us mpc2000 buyers don't have $2500 to spend on a some Roger Linn special edition sampler, so stay out of this, oh, and i've noticed actually that most people say stray away from the 3000 and stick with the 2000. I just watched cribs on MTV, and what was the CENTERPIECE to one of Outkasts recording studios.....yUP...a nice ol' mpc2000xl