Review of the Akai MPD16

[Tweak]

Review of the Akai MPD16

http://www.zzounds.com/a--3745/item--AKAMPD16





Let me start off by saying I have never owned an MPC2000. And quickly add that I may never have to, now that I have the Akai MPD16 in my arsenal. Is it cool? Yes! But before we get into that, lets start off with a rundown of what the box of pads actually does, and clear up any misconceptions you might have about the box.
The MPD16 is a control surface. It is not a sampler or a drum machine: It has no sounds of its own. You use it with a sequencer or sampler (or soft sampler/soft synth within your sequencer). Just like a keyboard controller, you can connect it to any sounds source that has a MIDI input. Just like a keyboard controller, it sends note on/off messages and MIDI controller messages.


Read the rest of the review:

http://www.studio-central.com/review_of ... _mpd16.htm

Do discuss this unit, post a reply.

[sMoOF]

Hi

i've had this unit for about a month

Definitely concur with Rich on that fact you can get better beats out of this thing and have more fun whilst doing so.

Once you've tried the pads you won't wanna go back to keys as the response from the mpd-16 pads is much better

For general drumming the pads are better than the Emu Command Station pads as well (which feel a bit soft).

The slider on the left is perfect for wiring to a filter etc. and giving your music a live spontaneous feel


HOWEVER - The MPC-1000 Is on the way and you might want to wait a bit for that unit as it promises much at a low price point. You can see a Flash Intro for it right now on the www.akaipro.com site. There was some info posted but it was pulled. Luckily i have a copy of it...


THE LEGACY
In 1988, Akai professional introduced the now legendary MPC60 to the world.
The MPC60 didnt just change the way we worked - it actually created new
styles of music never before imagined, styles of music that have evolved
over the years but are as relevant today as they were 15 years ago when the
MPC concept was born.

During this period, the MPC has become a household name the world over
amongst discerning musicians, producers and DJs working in a wide range of
musical genres and even though the MPC series has developed over the years
to incorporate the latest technologies, it has always retained its
uniqueness and has never been successfully copied.



However, in building bigger and better machines, we realised that (despite
what some might say!) size isnt everything when customers started asking
for a compact, portable 'laptop' size MPC!

Enter the MPC1000.


SIZE MATTERS
Small and perfectly formed (and not much bigger than an A4 sheet of paper),
this diminuitive MPC is not some compromised little runt of the litter as
you might expec. On the contrary - the MPC1000 inherits many of the major
features of its older, bigger siblings but in a compact form factor that
makes it ideal for carrying around& to your friends, to a gig, to a
session, on a train& wherever. And its a creditable alternative to computer
based systems.



As part of its lineage, the MPC1000 features the sixteen characteristic
velocity and pressure sensitive pads that have been an established (and
essential) component of the MPC series since its inception and which
contribute enormously to to the feelof the instrument arguably, they are
the best pads on any drum machine past or present!

It also features the original MP60s intuitive transport and locate
controls, the unique NOTE REPEAT function plus new additions such as the
two Q-Link sliders that allow real-time control of functions such as filter
cutoff, pitch, level and more.



Add to these a well established, friendly and intuitive user interface, two
separate multi-effects processors (and a master output effects processor!),
resonant multi-mode filters, two MIDI ins and 32 MIDI channels via the two
MIDI outputs, multiple audio outputs as standard, footswitch inputs for
hands-freecontrol and you have most of what youd expect to find in a
rugged, dependable switch on and workand out the cartonsolution to computer
sequencer headaches.

But there are new things too:




The use of compact flash as a storage medium, for example, makes for more
than enough room to save your sounds and grooves in an extremely compact,
portable and readily available format and present testing has verified the
use of up to 2 Gigabyte cards.

Furthermore, the MPC1000 supports the "MASS STORAGE CLASS" USB standard.
What this means is that when connected to a Mac or PC via the MPC1000's USB
port, the Mac/PC sees the MPC1000 as a Compact Flash card reader without
the need for any cumbersome driver installation on your computer (*). This
simple implementation allows you to simply drag and drop data between your
desktop and the MPC1000's CF card to build up sound library on your CF card
or vice versa to back up data on your CF card.


With regard to internal memory, you get 16Mb of on-board RAM as standard
(with 5Mb dedicated to preset sounds) but this can easily be expanded up to
128 MB using standard laptop size memory.

THE THREE Fs- FEATURES, FUNCTIONS, FACILITIES
Behind the stunning retrocosmetic styling that pays homage to a halcyon era
of dedicated drum machines, the new MPC1000 is a thoroughly modern sampling
drum machine and multi-track MIDI sequencer that is more than equipped with
features, functions and facilities to let you explore new musical ideas
without restriction.

MAKE YOUR BANK MANAGER SMILE!
Impressive specs, good looks, loads of features and everything else aside,
the best news of all is that this power for musical expression now costs
less than ever before.

So, if you have ever dreamed of buying into the MPC legend to realise your
musical ambitions, nows your chance!




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

KEY FEATURES
Established friendly and intuitive user interface of MPC series.
Easy-to-use MIDI sequencer/drum sampler offering a great alternative to
complex computer based products.
Great-feeling, velocity and pressure sensitive pads for expressive
programming.
A 16 levels function giving you one sound on all pads with varied level,
tuning, attack, decay or filter per pad.
Two separate effects processors and one main out effect processor; all
which can be used simultaneously.
4-pole filters (two 2-pole filters) filtering for each of the 32 voices.
Two Q-Link sliders for realtime performance control.
2 x MIDI In and 2 x MIDI Out.
32 MIDI channels.
16Mb RAM standard, expandable to 128Mb .
Internal preset sounds in flash.
Save/load your sound and sequence data to/from Compact Flash.
Portable laptop size ideal for taking your act on the road.

[/quote]

[Tweak]

Thanks for the info sMoOF! The MPC1000 looks like a true winner.

[owel]

Check this out... it's funny.

http://www.akaipro.com/global/mpc1k/mpc1kfs.html

Oops... never mind... for a while they have a 404 page there with funny messages like "404 Page Not found... the MPC1000 you're looking for is not here, are you sure it's not vaporware?".

[doktorziplok]

can the pads send midi cc's as well, or are they limited to just note data? is it safe to assume no aftertouch?

[sMoOF]

there is aftertouch...

i think you can program the pads to send ccs like mod and pitch bend ...but i haven't figured that out yet

the fader can be programed with the aforementioned software to send out any CC


OSX version was released

[Tweak]

Indeed, it sends poly aftertouch. Makes sense I didn't see it before as I have that turned off on my seqs. Much more useful than channel pressure, which would effect all the pads by pressing one.

[sMoOF]

Your right poly aftertouch is unusual... so unusual i'll have to figure out a use for it

btw you can assign the fader just by tapping out the CC with the pads which is pretty neat

...this little unit seems to have plenty of tricks...

[Rocks88]

I have read other comments on this gear and they mostly center around the pads needing to be hit dead on center or you will not get a response. Is this the case that you guys have experienced as well?

Now, for the bad... this unit has terrible response. If you try doing rolls or any fast notes (32, 16T) it misses tons of notes whereas my keyboard does not. I would've thought it would be the opposite since a keyboards keys need to spring up whereas the pad is a faster response but it's not the case. Also, you MUST hit the pad dead center. Most of the time if you hit it near or on the edge it either won't trigger or will trigger with a ridiculously low velocity. Another problem is the sensitivity. I've seen in another review that it was said that the pads need to be hit very hard and it's true. I adjusted the sensitivity to maximum and it made things a lot better but I still wanted it to be more sensitive. Basically, what it comes down to is if you're doing really simple drum parts that don't require any fast rolls you're in business and this is a great unit.

[Tweak]

The velocity response is different that I would initally expect--I can see how the poster got that impression. The pads seem to work best when velocity does not control volume 1:1 on your sound source. In other words, it sounds like a dropout sometiumes if a velocity of 10 equals a volume of 10 and 127 to 127. However, if velocity at the sound source is scaled where v0=64 volume and v127=127 volume, it sounds right.

It is really the velocity scaling of the source that makes for this problem and not the pads themselves, which are very sensitive--too sensitive for some sources--that is the problem.

[sMoOF]

switching to a Log instead of linear velocity curve in you sampler helps

[doktorziplok]

well, on a whim i bought the mpd16 today. so far so good, this thing is much more intuitive than i had initially thought. the response from the pads seems really "tight." tight meaning a tap on a pad results in a much shorter note than a tap on a keyboard. good for drums, but i bought it with another use in mind. i've been programming scales into the pads so that way i can just tap the pads and not worry about being out of key. hopefully in future software updates akai with include the ability to program multiple notes to a pad. it's worth the $205 i paid, but i would like to see it sell for around $170. i can definitely see the mpd16 becomming a heavily used device in my studio.

[Tweak]

Yes the note offs happen quick, that's for sure. I guees that is better than having it sluggish. You can adjust that by increasing the release time at the source. Indeed setting up maps for different key signatures lets one go to town. I have done an a minor and I can use the transoise function in the sequencer to make it any minor key.

[nmodi]

Hey Tweak,

Just discovered the MPD-16 from another recent post here. Looks like a cool little unit. I may have to rent one and check it out before I buy, though.

I was considering trying to find a used Roland SPD-11, since I can't afford the SPD-20. How do you think the Akai compares to an SPD-11 (in terms of drumming capablity - I know the main difference is the lack of sounds in the Akai)?

This whole "16 levels" thing is kinda confusing. Does it mean that EACH pad can be set to respond to only 16 levels of velocity from 0-127? Or can you set the pads themselves to send 16 levels from 64-127 (4 velocity/level)?

Also, how fast can you tap? If I were to tap a "flam" with two fingers, would it send the midi events separately? Or a crazy tabla routine?

Sounds like this thing could keep me happy until I can afford a V-Club set...speaking of which, I noticed in another review you mentioned you have the Yamaha Express kit - how do you like using that compared with the MPD-16?

Lot of questions - hope you have a few minutes to answer them!

Tweakheadz once again proves to be the best resource on the net!

Thanks

[Tweak]

You can tap pretty fast. Though you do have to train the fingers to tap in the center of the pad. Sorry for the late response.

[Nemis]

I am here asking you all because I have very,very little knowedge on this stuff. yes I am below you. What would be the best thing to hook up to the MPD 16 instead of the Z samplers, maybe from a different company, something relatively cheap. Please help me out with this. Thanks so much

[Tweak]

You can hook it up to anything that has a midi input and makes a percussive noise. Drum machines, synths, samplers, software synths..

[Nemis]

Thanks so much for the info. I'm a drummer and recently i switched from an accoustic set to an electric set. The reason is because I see the electronic sets as more versitile, and being so eclectic with my musical tastes an accoustic set doesn't cut it. My elec set is in the studio which means when i wake up in the middle of the night with some inspiration i got nuthin to put it down on or even put the thought to action. Hence the MPD16 and a midi device. I am looking into some hardware, not really into the software stuff. Is there anything you'd personally, or any one of you would personaly reccomend thats relatively cheap? Again, thanks so much for your time and the information you have already given.


Matt

[Missioncontrol]

Can you trigger 2, 3 or more notes with one pad of the Akai MPD16?

[Tweak]

Nope. one pad; one note.

[nmodi]

Could't you apply a midi map/filter (whatever it's called) in your sequencer to map one note to several?

Take this with a grain of salt, I'm just guessing it's possible - never done it myself.

[Missioncontrol]

...but i bought it with another use in mind. i've been programming scales into the pads so that way i can just tap the pads and not worry about being out of key. hopefully in future software updates akai with include the ability to program multiple notes to a pad....

Hey can you explain to me what you mean, what you are doing?

[Tweak]

> it's called) in your sequencer to map one note to several?


Yep, that works! At least in logic it does.

[Saffron]

where do you get your sample sounds from? i cant fint out how to use 'Native Instruments Kontakt' that should be a very good sample software for computers.

[nmodi]

Doesn't Kontakt ship with a bunch of samples, drumkits included?