Akai MPC 500I’ve had my MPC 500 for a couple of weeks and in my limited experience using it, I appear to be having an issue. I’m not sure if it’s a setting that needs changing, if the 500 is faulty, my limited RAM (I have 128MB on order) or if it’s purely a limitation of the 500 model.

In a nutshell, I have created a sequence and have it looping while I play with some samples over the top. When playing patterns over the top, it appears to be affecting the playback of other samples in the sequence.

More often than not, by pressing a pad to trigger a sample it is causing another sample in the sequence to end prematurely. Also, when holding down a pad the assigned sample only plays for 1 bar and then cuts out.

Here is a YouTube video of my problem

The set-up:
- 8 Bar loop.
- Six tracks.
- Default programs in memory.
- Loaded Strings (mono) program.
- Loaded program of mono samples from a TV show I’ve sampled.
- Tracks 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Muted.
- No effects applied to any samples.

Explanation:
- 00:03 – Track 1 playing. Low strings.
- 00:19 – Un-mute track 2. Drums.
- 00:36 – Un-mute track 3. Unknown, could be empty!
- 00:52 – Un-mute track 4. Synth?
- 01:07 – Un-mute track 5. High strings.
- 01:24 – Un-mute track 6. Voice.
- 01:40 – Load strings into track 7.
- 01:47 – Demonstration of sample not playing to end.
- 02:10 – Playing pattern with strings, voice sample play to end.
- 02:20 – Playing pattern with strings, voice (track 6) sample cuts out.
- 02:35 – Playing pattern with strings, voice (track 6) sample cuts out.
- 03:03 – Demonstration of sample not playing to end.
- 03:14 – Stop loop, show full length of string sample.
- 03:22 – Start loop. Demonstration of sample not playing to end.
- 03:40 – Playing pattern with strings, low strings (track 1) not playing to end.
- 03:55 – Select program with voice samples.
- 04:17 – Demonstration of voice (track 6) sample cutting out.
- 04:25 – Stop loop and show full length of voice sample.

There’s quite a bit of unnecessary bits in the video and explanation, but I tried to capture as much of the problem as bearable.

I have updated the firmware from 1.10 to 1.13, which didn’t fix the problem.

Is this a hardware or software limitation? Is it likely to be fixed in a later firmware update, or can the audio processors only handle a certain amount?

I have dropped Akai Pro an e-mail explaining the above hoping that they can offer an explanation and/or fix.