Akai MPC2000XL

The Akai MPC2000XL is the MPC a generation of beatmakers learned on. Released in 1999 as an upgrade to the MPC2000, it brought CD-quality 16-bit sampling, a bigger sequencer and a friendlier workflow to the pad-based beat machine Roger Linn started with the MPC60.

History

The MPC2000 arrived in 1997 as a cheaper successor to the MPC3000, but Akai had rebuilt the operating system without Linn, and some producers felt it lost the feel of the older machines. The XL answered the complaints two years later. It added a Next Sequence key for switching song sections on the fly, dedicated bank keys, a track mute button, a tilting screen, time stretch, resampling and folder-based file management.

How it works

Sampling at 16 bits and 44.1 kHz with 32 voices, the XL shipped with 2 MB of memory, expandable to 32 MB, a floppy drive and 16 velocity-sensitive pads. Expansion boards added eight outputs, digital I/O, SMPTE sync and an effects processor, and many owners fitted Zip drives or, later, floppy emulators.

Who used it

Kanye West made early productions on the MPC2000 line and was still performing with an MPC2000XL on stage in 2011. MF DOOM and Pete Rock both worked on one, DJ Shadow is among its best-known users, and it shaped the next wave of producers such as Marco Polo and RJD2. For countless bedroom producers around 2000, it was the first serious sampler they could afford.

Buying one today

The XL is one of the most affordable classic MPCs. Test every pad (worn pads are common and replaceable), check the screen and its backlight, confirm any memory upgrade actually shows up, and check the floppy drive or whatever storage has been fitted. Listings mix in the plain MPC2000 and later models, so read the model name on the panel.