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5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Buying the MPC Sample

sunwarper

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After spending the last few months with the Akai MPC Sample, there are some things it does better than almost any sampler in its price range… and a few strange limitations and workflow decisions I really wish I knew about before buying it.

In this video, I’m going through 5 things I wish I knew before buying the MPC Sample, including USB audio and connectivity, sample management, chopping and time stretching, sound design and automation, the Step Editor vs. a traditional 16-step sequencer, effects, resampling, and some of the workflow quirks I’ve discovered after actually making music with it.

Despite those quirks, the MPC Sample has become one of the fastest and most fun samplers I’ve used for getting an idea started. So this isn’t really a review as much as a look at what it’s actually been like to live with the MPC Sample for the past few months.

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20 Comments

@PabloDeModeOfficial 4 weeks ago (edited)

There are more quirks I discovered recently. When switching sequences, if you wanna get rid of the sample in section b (another sequence) and just leave drums and bass, the sample will eventually ring out if you chop it freely. So there are two workarounds for this: 1) setting the sample to note on or 2) put a non sounding sample in one of the pads and set it to the same mute group of the main sample, in sequence b play it from the start. Also, with the effects, you need to resample the pad in order to use another effect in other pads. But hey, this is not meant to be used as the MPC live or the traditiinal DAWs, you need to curate samples that are good from the start, adjust volume, filters and pitch to match the key of your song, sequence and have fun with the pad Fx. Main compressor has a saturator and a limiter built in already if you listen carefully to the track with that plugin only; it is more like a channel strip and you even get that color button that at this point everyone was hungry for it and now everyone loathes. Just my thoughts. I personally enjoy using this device as it is.

@Jux925 4 weeks ago

Very good criticism of the workflow. I wish this feedback has given to Akai company and they may make a firmware update to fix some of those problems.

@flatmatic 4 weeks ago

The only thing I hate about the MPC Sample is the browser when you have hundreds of folders on your SD Card (in the root directory) let's say you scrolled down to the folders starting with the letter R you leave that folder and the browser jumps back to the very first folder starting with A or numbers so again if you want to go back (painfully scroll down to your folder which starts with R or S,T,Y...you have to scroll a lot which is very annoying)
It is overall an amazing device for any kind of music Sampled hip hop, house, dubstep, RNB, DNB anything

@tsevetgestoorde 3 weeks ago (edited)

i feel exactly same. Everything you say is spot on. (Maybe add the file browser remembering the lower directory, so you dont have to scroll all directory's from the beginning) This should be an easy fix in software. Also [SHIFT] + encoder should scroll faster, like pages

@BrancoArgentaPlus 3 weeks ago

Another great thing would be a merge pattern option instead of just overwrite, or at least be able to choose which pad to copy over an existing pattern without erasing the existing pattern, I've been waiting for this feature for years on the SP as well, but nothing I gave up

@spacestationradiodrone 3 weeks ago (edited)

Good job on the video. You can erase a specific part in a recorded sequence quite easily (14:23). Make a copy of the sequence you recorded. Go to SEQ more, hit shift and sequence, then use the encoder to delete any parts in the sequence you want to eliminate. You'll then have 2 different sequences. Those can then be resampled or chopped up for even more vairety. Much easier than the button and knob dance on the SP 404.

@Dr.Rolfski 3 weeks ago

In the end it's a sketching device, that really shines as a companion device for a regular MPC. Where you import MPC Sample projects to further work them out. Much like what the Move is for Ableton Live. Stick to the sketching and it's a brilliant device. Heck, it does sampling and chopping even quicker than regular MPCs. Go beyond sketching though and you quickly run into its limitations, or what you describe as a "wall".

@jamestoalan3274 4 weeks ago

As i make a beat the first pattern i make,copy seq.then add to it,copy sequence,add guitar copy seq,add keys & so on...arrange them into the banks for what song im making,intro verse,chorus,outro etc.instead of having to delete,step edit,copy etc.with 16 seq.per bank is alot of variation basically 16 tracks per bank,and of course you can pan,filter,fx on each pad.once you remember what pads 1-4 are always for what ever,you then always put what ever instruments on 5-8 and so on...i hope this helps some one

@crocodopolis 4 weeks ago

Appreciated (and agree with!) your workflow critique at the end.

@ferndog681 8 days ago

I bought an Mac 2500 back in the day and had to sell it to help with my college tuition and I never really got the chance to use it or learn it. I am now older but always wanted to try production

@eri.ju1 3 weeks ago

What I really miss is a "Merge SEQ" function as well as the possibility to set a sample to mono after recording it in stereo. A plus would be naming sequences so building the song is easier. Right now I'm always switching between sequence and song view and need to figure out which sequence is next.

@BrancoArgentaPlus 3 weeks ago

It definitely needs resample to pad and absolutely that erase sample pop up !

@ManCalledMif 4 weeks ago

9:00 TR REC style is to be avoided (just my opinion). We already have that. Real time sequencing and editing (while still more immediate than the classic MPC) is worth the development

@pablowentscobar 4 weeks ago

If you use a midi controller you can do pad to pad resampling. That solved one of the biggest issues for me

@Ninja6485 4 weeks ago

Not sure if yours does this, but mine always starts with the color compressor on by default. If you don't remember to turn it off when you open a new project, it will be on. I figured it out when I kept hearing mysterious compression artifacts on my master bus, even with a new project. Luckily, once you turn it off on a project, it stays off.

@beatsbydonjulio401 3 weeks ago

Kills Vics extractor works great for stem seperation

@DuckAlertBeats3000 3 weeks ago

It comes with a USB C cable though

Beware if you're planning to use an Android phone to record to, there are issues with clicks and pops currently (they're aware apparently at least that's what they told me) but for now, recording out is awful.
Going in is fine though