MPC 2000XL Samples, Tutorials & Sounds

Akai MPC2000XL Overview

The MPC2000XL is an older generation MPC which was a slightly improved version of the MPC2000. While not in the classic status of the previous MPC3000 and MPC60, the MPC2000XL still represents an era of build quality that seems to have been left behind with the latest breed of MPCs.

day studio where ultra fast and reliable USB, Flash and Firewire connections are more prevailent. Still it's a great machine and these days can be bought with CF card or zip drive upgrades, so the storage issue isn't so bad. You may however struggle with the measley 32MB max memory, and in comparison to the more advanced OSs of the MPC2500 and MPC5000, you'll certainly be experiencing 'OS evny'.During it's day, the XL reigned supreme with great pads, and advanced OS with waveform editing, but these days certainly shows its age in certain respects, especially when it comes to data storage - flakey SCSI ports (whose fuses blow really easily) and a floppy drive are not really ideal in the modern studio, although later models feature a CF card or zip drive, so it's not all bad.

MPC2000XL Review

We wrote an article a few years back that compared the MPC1000 to the MPC2000XL - while the focus is firmly on the MPC1000, it gives you a good insight on the XL and whether it's worth buying a second hand one over a new MPC1000.

MPC2000XL Samples

Unlike the newer MPCs, Akai still made the MPC2000XL have a default sound format of SND, which is the native MPC sound format found on samplers like the MPC3000. This was still the days when sampler manufacturers no doubt thought making it as hard as possible to use samples across different makes of sampler was somehow a good thing. Thankfully these days WAV files seem to have taken onboard by all the big players, including Akai. That said, at least Akai included the option to load and save Wav files in the MPC2000XL - however to save in WAV format, you do need to manually select WAV files each time. Also as a bonus over the MPC2000, you were able to read PC formatted disks in the MPC2000XL, which made transferring your sounds from a computer much easier.

Download some free Akai MPC2000XL samples , which you are free to use in your beats. If you want even more free MPC2000XL samples, sign up to the MPC-Samples.com newsletter and you'll instantly get a link to a heap of free drum sounds plus a free 35 page ebook that teaches you the ins-and-outs of setting up a home studio (including soundproofing & sound placement).

When you need professional produced samples, check out our sister-site MPC-Samples.com - there you'll find tens of thousands of MPC2000XL drum samples, multisamples, and breaks - all of which come highly recommended by great producers such as Public Enemy's Earle Holder and legendary Hip Hop pioneer, J Rawls (Black Starr).

Akai MPC2000XL Tutorials & Manual

The official Akai MPC2000XL manual assumes you already know all there is to know about sampling, which is rarely the case with new owners of an MPC. It also doesn't give you any tips or advice on how to actually make beats; all it does it show you what each button does.

It was this poor manual that prompted me to write my ebook, 'Beat Making on the MPC2000XL '. Inside I wrote 48 tutorials that teach you how to use an MPC2000XL in 'real world' situations - making kits, writing your own breaks, sequencing tricks, recording beats, using effects creatively and much more.

I've included an example tutorial form the book on this site, MPC2000XL Tutorial - Chopping on the MPC2000XL , this also includes all the files you need to recreate the tutorial exactly. If you found that helpful, you can buy Beat Making on the MPC2000XL from MPC-Samples.com , and it can be download instantly after purchase.

Akai MPC2000XL Operating System

The official MPC2000XL operating system from Akai is (to my knowledge) no longer being developed, but there's no real bugs to worry about anyway. The latest version contains some tweaks for people using CF card. People using internal zips and floppy drives should download the older version 1.14

Akai MPC2000XL Forums

Hang out with fellow MPC2000XL users at the dedicated MPC2000XL forum at MPC-Forums.com. You can also post up your music for review, chat about other studio equipment, ro just simply chill and chat to your friends.