the 2k i nice, had one for 2 weeks, it kept freezing up on me, rebooted the OS and still kept freezing so i got rid of it. the pads are butter along w/ the sensors. the data jog wheel is dope.

SP-1200 is a beast!!! But damn that sample time

this is a good question, i think.

as mentioned earlier, the 1000 is ALL about the menu-diving. for dudes like us that turn on a 404, hit a bank button, and go, menu-diving on a 1k is the anti-flow. the 2kxl has fewer menus as i understand it, mostly because akai didn't try to make the 2k portable (which the did w/ the 1k), so they just had knobs and buttons to get where you want. 2500 is the best for this IMO.

also, the original pads on the 1k are hard. the akai OS doesn't really help, nor does the free JJOS. however, akai's OS2, or JJOS 4.99 allow you to adjust the sensitivity in a much better way. so you can get more response from these harder pads (by which i mean: harder than a 2k, which ships w/ pads like butter).

i ordered some replacement pads (black ones) for my 1k, dropped them on, and honestly, it feels like a totally different machine. i think there is more space between the pad and the sensor, so there's a lil more cushion when hitting the pads down. or maybe they've got slightly more supple rubber for these guys, donno. but i can feel a dif, and i like my 1k a LOT more now.

personally, i think w/ the JJOS, pad replacements, hard-drive options, etc., it is only a matter of time before the next classic underground album is made on a 1k rather than with a classic like the 2k, etc.

i don't like menu's here... the 1k w/ the jjos turns the 1k into a beast..., more confusion for me, but dope none the less. the pads on the 1k are hard. stupid question but is it possible to put the 1k engine and put into the 2k body, i mean i know there is a 2kxl, but is it??? that would sick... but i like simplicity, turn on sample and go...

Yeah when I first got it I was always paranoid about running out of sample time and would go to great lengths to pitch up everything before sampling but honestly I never ran into any issues. I have a startup template disk with a sub bass tone, long 808 kick, normal kick, two snares, open/closed hh, shaker, snap/clap and still have 7 seconds left of sample time which is more than enough for me since I don't really straight up loop stuff and the sp1200 has such great pitch functions. I normally have about 2 or 3 seconds left over after finishing beats.

back on topic though. I agree that the 1k with jjos or maschine will be the next classic unit.