Akai MPC500

If you want to make beats, there's a whole world of options out there, from grooveboxes to step sequencers to drum machines to computer-based programs. The choices can seem overwhelming. Do you want a unit that's easy to learn, a unit that has the most features, or the unit that's the best for live performance? zZounds knows you're more interested in making music than doing product research, so let's just make things simple: you need an MPC. See, only one machine has been there from the beginning of Hip-Hop and other sample-based music, yet continues to be the go-to tool for today's hottest producers, and that's the Akai MPC. The MPC, or Music Production Center, brilliantly combines real-time audio sampling, the ease of drum machine programming, and the sophistication of a multitrack studio in a one-stop groove shop. And for producers on the go, the Akai MPC500 is the most portable MPC ever made.

All MPCs are designed to get your basic ideas down fast, and to help you grow those ideas quickly, too. It's all about preserving your inspiration, and that's why the Akai MPC has remained standard-issue gear for in Hip-Hop and Electronic Music producers for decades. To that legacy, the MPC500 adds unprecedented portability. It's smaller and lighter than a laptop, and even runs off battery power, yet it's jam packed with the pro features that make it a true MPC. Plus, the projects you work on in the MPC500 are fully compatible with other MPC's, including the flagship Akai MPC5000. You can do your preproduction on a train, in a plane, or on the tour bus, and then bring it to the studio to finish the job.

Designed To Inspire

Simple to learn and fun to use, the Akai MPC500 is sure to inspire greatness. The awesome rubberized MPC pads are the centerpiece of this killer machine. They feel great, are velocity sensitive for dynamic performance, and are responsive enough to capture the craziest rhythms you can tap out. Those trademark Akai trigger pads make the MPC500 more of an instrument than merely a tool, a difference that'll make your beats slam and kick with an organic flow. The twelve trigger pads have four layers each, giving you access to a total of 48 different sounds in one song. Add to the MPC pads a real-time Q-Link slider, and you'll have instant control over volume, stereo panning and effects parameters to add you own sonic signature to basic patterns. Creating crazy, multi-level grooves is easy, too. Just hit record, play a part, then hit overdub and layer another part on top, as many times as you want. For really dense patterns, record at a slower tempo, then speed it back up for playback--since the MPC500 is completely MIDI-sequence-based, you get no change in pitch, just grooves that sound like you've got the fastest hands in the land. Finally, you get that unmistakable MPC sound: big, fat, and punchy. Everything just sounds better coming out of an MPC.

Akai MPC500: Small Size, Huge Sounds

Weighing in at under three pounds, and measuring a mere 10" by 7" by 2", the Akai MPC500 is like a flyweight that could have gone toe-to-toe with Tyson in '86. No bigger than most laptop computers, this MPC will slide easily into a backpack or messenger bag, making it easy to take to live gigs. This tiny box has all the features you'd expect from one of Akai's bigger machines, including top-notch audio connections. You get a pair of 1/4" outs to hook up to pro-quality mixers, a pair of 1/4" ins for hooking up keyboards, basses, or dynamics microphones (like the legendary Shure SM58), and a stereo 1/4" jack for connecting your favorite headphones. You even get MIDI in and out, so you can use your MPC500 for syncing to external gear, controlling external sound modules, or triggering MPC sounds from another controller in your rig. Not that you need one. Your MPC500 is just as at home in the studio as it is on the road.

Akai MPC500: Built-In Sampling, Sample Editing

Your Akai MPC500 comes pre-loaded with some great sounds, but its built-in sampling is really where it's at. The MPC500 features a full-fledged stereo sampling and editing suite right in the box, so you'll be able to cut your own hits, beats, and effects and assign them instantly to trigger pads for use in your MPC tracks. Dual 1/4" inputs with a big input record gain knob let you sample from just about any source, from CDs and Vinyl, to plugged-in electric bass and even dynamic microphones. Akai outfits the MPC500 with 5MB of sample memory at the factory, but this can be upgraded to 128MB for an amazing 25 minutes of CD-quality mono recording time. You can even layer in up to two effects over your samples, like reverb, compression, and phaser, for added impact. The MPC500 really is a mobile production studio for hip hop and electronic music. In addition to making your own sounds, the MPC features both a USB connection and a CompactFlash reader for loading new sounds from thousands of professional sample production studios and artists. Your sonic options are limitless with the Akai MPC500.

If you want to start making beats for real, you're gonna need a groovebox that sounds great, is easy to learn, and has the features that'll help you hang with the big boys. With the Akai MPC500 you'll have all the production power you need to produce the next monster hit, and you'll be able to take that power with you wherever you go. You just can't go wrong with a genuine Akai MPC.