hi all. i generally use a 404 to hold percussion samples to be triggered with a midi device. doing this sometimes makes me wish i had a much higher polyphony... ive been looking at the mpc 500, (32 voices) so i thought id ask you guys what you thought about the quality of it compared to the 404.

Thanks, Jilsk

my advice is: get a 404 if it's between that and a 500. get a 500 if it's between that and a BEATTHANG. or get a 1000 instead of a 404 if you have some nice outboard fx.

I wouldn't buy a mpc500 personally, but instead save for a new mpc1000 since it's still small, has plenty polyphony and can be optimized with a J.J. OS.
People on the mpc-forums seem to not like the 500 and users have reported issues due to build quality, I take their collective experience with mpcs as an indicator. You could also run Ableton Live for around the price of a mpc500 and handle all the poly and triggering you need plus much more.

the newest incarnation of the BEATTHANG looks... actually interesting
http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2009/ ... eat-thang/
it no longer looks like a scam

rechargeable battery? pitch wheel? huge memory? although i dont know if it can sample lol or just use all the preloaded sounds

If it doesn't sample that would be weak, but I gotta say I can't hate on that thing anymore. Looks pretty well thought out, it's still hard for me to get past the name though.

Why is al the marketing of that beatkanhz stank so effing lame. Drop the ghetto talk already it does NOT make the machine look any better, au contraire as the French would say. The whole way this machine has been marketed makes it look so dumb. They just try too hard.

don't get a 500, save for a while longer and get the 1k, as you will want one once you got the 500. im rocking jjos1 and it does the job, alongside an sp the combo is unbeatable imo.

the beat thang is a terrible name, imagine a well spoken brit phoning up to order one, im far from well spoken but still sound like a dik saying it haha

if i had to get anything i would grab a 555... work out a skeleton on the 404 while im out and about, come home and then connect it up to the 555 for some serious damage

thanks for all the replies gentlemen... maybe i will have to suck it up and invest in a dedicated laptop to hold my samples. hardware samplers are more geared towards making beats anyway.... still love my 404 tho!
that "beatthang" would actually be pretty cool if it was a full blown sampler...

thanks jilsk

The Beat Thang (ugh on that name) has to be a sampler, he said you could drag sounds over through USB. So far I give them a 1 for presentation and a 10 for cool ideas. Can't wait to read the reviews when it actually ships.

Maybe cop a 606... Pretty cheap these days and kind of a halfway point between the 404/555 and an MPC...