The MPC4000 is the biggest, most powerful MPC Akai ever built, and the one the heavyweights reached for. Under the hood sits the 24-bit/96kHz Z96 sampling engine borrowed from Akai's Z4 and Z8 rack samplers, so this is far more than a drum box: load multisampled pianos, strings and basses as keygroup programs and play them like a proper sampler. The legendary MPC swing and rock-solid MIDI timing are all here, plus six Q-Link controls, a big backlit screen, and compatibility with a huge range of libraries (Akai S1000/S3000/S5-6000, MPC2000/3000, Roland S700, EMU 3 and 4). Sampling, sequencing, slicing, time-stretching and resampling, it does the lot in one heavy steel box that laughs at laptops.

FEATURES & PROS:

• Flagship Engine: 24-bit/96kHz Z96 sampling from Akai's Z4/Z8, the best-sounding MPC architecture.
• Drums and Keygroups: Program drums like a classic MPC or play multisampled instruments like a rack sampler.
• That MPC Swing: The famously tight timing and groove the hip-hop world built itself on.
• Six Q-Link Controls: Four knobs and two sliders for real-time, hands-on control of any parameter.
• Massive Compatibility: Reads Akai, MPC, Roland and EMU formats, so decades of sample libraries load straight in.
• Deep Toolkit: Sampling, slicing, time-stretch, pitch-shift and resampling, all onboard.
• Studio Legend: The flagship MPC behind countless records from Dr Dre, Kanye West and J Dilla.

GENRE / USE

The flagship of the MPC line that built modern beat-making. It is a studio centrepiece for hip-hop, electronic and pop production: program drums with the signature MPC swing, then play multisampled pianos, strings and basses from its rack-grade engine. Equally at home chopping breaks, sequencing a whole track, or resampling a mix down to tape-like grit.

THE WORD: Sweetwater's reviewer rated it an excellent upgrade that "takes the MPC2000/3000 to the next level," praising how the Z96 engine plays full pianos, strings and basses, not just drums. Read the Sweetwater review.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Model: Akai MPC4000
• Released: 2002
• Type: sampler, sequencer and drum machine (music production center)
• Sampling: 24-bit/96kHz Z96 engine
• Polyphony: 64 voices
• Pads: 16 velocity and pressure sensitive
• Controls: 6 Q-Link (4 knobs, 2 sliders)
• Compatibility: Akai S/Z, MPC2000/3000, Roland S700, EMU 3/4 formats
• Expansion: RAM, effects board, 8-output board, ADAT/SPDIF options
• Connectivity: MIDI, USB, digital and analog I/O