And also, while it's true that the RS7000 has TONS of fun and even innovative features(such as their ISS feature and their extensive set of MIDI play-fx) that the MPC doesn't have, the engineers at Yamaha seem to have forgotten several features that made the MPC series successful:

1. The previously mentioned lack of on-the-fly recording.

2. No way to route velocity to play parameters.

3. No way to assign cut-off pairs (like for hi-hats)

4. No way to assign mono/poly/note-off mode to individual drum samples, only the entire drum kit (ridiculous!)

5. No way to switch between tracks while recording.

6. No way to assign velocity switching (for hard/soft versions of a sample)

7. No way to assign decay switching (for long/short versions of a sample)

8. No way to hear other tracks while recording in Grid mode. (granted, MPC's don't have grid mode)

9. No way to create a multi-sampled instrument (the MPCs also do not have this, then again, the MPCs are strictly drum samplers, and not intended to have this capability. The RS7000 is supposed to be both a pitched-instrument AND drum sampler)

Overall, I see the RS7000 as yet another failed attempt at replacing the MPC series. This is too bad, as the RS7000 has many features that I would love to have on a unit of this type.. but without the basics, all the rest is just window dressing.

Hopefully the next in the RS series will correct these oversights.