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The 5000 looks like an MPC, and feels like one too.

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The MPC 4000 is widely regarded as the most fully-featured MPC ever. However, this has now been discontinued and replaced with the MPC 5000.

There's no mistaking that this is an MPC through and through and, we think, the best looking yet. It's well laid out, though its footprint is large, so don't expect to be taking this box onto a train or plane. Also, it can't be run on batteries.

The interface

The front panel is a tale of two worlds. The first is the legacy left by Roger Linn and the original Akai company – a note repeat button, transport controls, data wheel and most importantly, the 16 velocity-sensitive square pads which are the key to inputting note data (unless you are inputting notes via a MIDI Keyboard) and now also double as mode changing buttons, which help speed up the workflow.

The second world is Numark's, the company that has owned Akai Pro since 2004. The screen, which is very similar to the MPC 4000's, is much larger, easier-on-the-eye and facilitates grid/sample waveform editing. Overall, this MPC is much easier to program than its smaller screened siblings.

There are more Q-link controls than on the 2500 and 4000 and these can be assigned to a huge range of internal parameters and to control other MIDI equipment. Potentially, the 5000 is a great controller for all MIDI gear and can work as a great live interface for controlling plug-ins or DAW software.

The general workflow is superb, which is mainly thanks to the intuitive panel layout and screen. It's great having the pads in the middle and the Q-link controls to the left - you can hit the pads and tweak parameters in real time with your left hand. Anyone who's familiar with the older MPCs will feel at home instantly and new users will be flying around in no time.

Our only beef with the external design is the plasticky feel of the armrest and side panels. The rubberised soft armrest on the MPC 3000 still reigns supreme!

Under the hood

Internally, this MPC works in a similar way to older models but the software has been expanded. It comes with just 64MB of sample memory – this can be expanded to 192MB – and there's also the option to install a CD-R/ DVD drive (this should really be included at this price).

The beat-making process is essentially the same as on other MPCs, but beats can now be layered with synth sounds or audio.

Simult mode enables four pads to be triggered by one pad, while internal resampling with effects is also possible and samples can be loaded/saved to the memory card or hard disk. You can also connect the MPC to your DAW via USB and drag samples forward/back between the DAW and the MPC. This is one major productivity advantage over the older MPCs.

Sample editing is comprehensive. Chop Shop v2.0 enables ReCycle!-style sample treatment, automatically giving you the option to sample into slices and assign the samples to the pads, while creating a new program.

Single hits or phrases can be chopped from a continuous WAV file, organised and manipulated into a new beat. Samples can also be pitch-shifted and timestretched using 18 special algorithms. Audio is outputted via 10 balanced jack outs, ADAT (eight channels) or S/PDIF.