MPC owners are definitely aficionados of their gear — but, be warned, Akai, they can be just as exacting with their MPC grievances as they are with their MPC love. The Cynic writes us with this news from the MPC community:

Not sure if you guys are aware, but Akai has done a really shady thing with the MPC1000.

If you didn’t know the MPC1000 uses individual pad sensors, unlike every other MPC in the range - which use interlink sensors.

The MPC1000 has had multiple problems with the pads, from them going out, double triggering while sequencing, to just not working.

Akai is now offering a $199 “upgrade” kit for owners of the original MPC. They no longer offer replacement parts for the individual pads to my knowledge.

The killer is this though - new MPCs are shipping with the “upgrade” at the same price.

MPC1k owners are going nuts, and have started an online petition to send to Akai.

You can find the petition here:
http://www.petitiononline.com/mpc1000/

…And more information here:
http://mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=61159
http://mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=45209
http://mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=84272
http://mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=84741
GearSlutz thread

MPC1000 (or other MPC) owners with any opinions of your own on this matter, we’re happy to hear from you here, as well.

I’m pleased to announce the first-ever CDM Giveaway. We’ve got over US$4,000 of hardware and software tools for music creation, and we’d like to give you the chance to win them. To do that, we’re holding a good, old-fashioned prize drawing — I’ve been warming up my true random number generator — so that all you have to do is enter for a chance to win. To better your odds, each prize will get a different winner.

CDM Giveaway Info Page; official rules (no purchase necessary).

Here’s what we’ve got:

Akai MPC500 mobile music workstation
Ableton Live 6 music production software
Alesis ControlPad drum pad controller
Glyph GT 050Q 250GB eSATA/USB/FW400/FW800 hard drive
Moog Music Moogerfooger FreqBox VCO effects box
Native Instruments Absynth 4 soft synth
Native Instruments Elektrik Piano soft synth
Numark Total Control DJ control surface
PreSonus FaderPort

…plus boxes of Ableton beanies and AudioMIDI.com Synth Legends DVDs. You can check everything out on the giveaway page.

And get some link love, too: Eligible residents of the United States can enter to win any one of these prizes. Unfortunately, for legal reasons we can’t extend the whole sweepstakes to international readers. To make up for it, we’ll be watching international entries for the best blogs, project pages, and music websites to feature on CDM, and we’ll send out Ableton beanies and/or DVDs to our favorite entries. (American readers, we’ll be watching your pages, too, so be sure to include your URLs when you enter.)

We’ve been putting this together for a while now and it’s been a lot of work, so I’m excited to be able to roll it out. We’ve hand-picked some of our favorite gear and software makers to partner with, or we wouldn’t be doing this.

Full details on the giveaway page. Enter now, because at the stroke of midnight following Monday, June 11, the contest is over. And I really want to get these boxes of gear and swag shipped. It’ll be a lot more fun out of the brown cardboard boxes, I’m sure.

Update: If you’re not from the US – please do fill out the form, if you include nothing other than your URL (so we can check out your site) and your country. (Nothing else is required.)

We’re really sorry we weren’t able to go global on this one for legal reasons (I try to explain why in comments). But that’s all the more reason to find out where you’re from. Server stats provide a very incomplete picture of what country people are from, and we would like to know. And if you include contact info, I might at least be able to get some of you some swag.

Me-too 49-key controllers have been mind-numbingly dull for the most part. The new Akai MPK49, revealed in Frankfurt at Messe, easily qualifies as different. Not only does it add trigger pads as found on the MPC line, but there’s an onboard arpeggiator, functionality borrowed from the MPC, and additional MIDI control options, as well.

1. It’s a control surface: 8 endless encoders, 8 sliders, and 8 backlit switches, each of which can be controlled via 3 selectable banks (8 x 3 = 24 “virtual” controls each, 72 controllers total).
2. It’s a transport control: Start/stop transport buttons that actually send MMC or MIDI start/stop messages. (I shouldn’t have to say that, but not all controllers’ transport buttons actually do.)
3. It’s an MPC-style controller: 12 pads, yes, but unlike the pads on the Korg Kontrol49 or the M-Audio Axiom, it actually functions like an MPC, with note repeat and swing functions. Hopefully the quality will be closer to a standalone unit, as well.
4. It’s an arpeggiator: Akai’s mum on the details, but there’s an onboard arpeggiator in the unit — a rarity in controllers.

And it’s got a full-sized, 49-key keyboard, expression input (thanks!), and a big LCD screen. Looks terrific, though my only question is the quality of the keyboard; I’ve been a bit disappointed with recent entries from Alesis on reliability and feel. (Alesis, Akai, and Numark are now made by the same company; you’ll notice the similarity of this to Alesis’ MIDI controller line.) No pricing or availability yet, but given this unique combination of features, we’ll definitely be watching.

First seen at VJ blogger S.O. Sample’s site, and I have to say, this could be an unbelievable VJ keyboard.

Every week Matrix of Matrixsynth will highlight a handful synth related content that comes through the web for the week. Consider these the hors d’oeuvres of the synth world, a glimpse of what comes through the synthwaves for the week.

First up. “Yamaha One” via polaranta, of Syntezatory.prv.pl. Need I say more? At least once a month polaranta comes up with some of the most ridiculously imaginative and usually quite funny shots. Nice hi-tops. Yamaha CS20M pictured.

Under the Side Panel. What you are looking at is the uncovered side of a Korg 900ps. This image was sent into the Analog Heaven mailing list by punkDISCO, who discovered it on his Korg. If you look at the red circular stamps you will see what looks like a date, 52.8.26. The 52 appears to be the year “Showa 52″(Emperor Era). The year represents 1977: 1926 + Showa(52) - 1 = 77.

Love your audio gear so much you wish you could wear it around your neck, but a loudspeaker on your throat would a) strangle you and b) make you look like too much of a dork to attend high-society functions? Complete Technique jewelers feels you.

From sterling silver turntable cartridges plated in gold with embedded cubic zirconia to tiny silver pendants of speakers, CT manages to say both bling and audio geek at once. (Prices hover at just over US$200 to start.) Their custom pieces are when things start to get really interesting, however. Via the always-hilarious Don’t Believe the Hype Beast, we learn they’ve created a custom pendant of the Akai MPC 3000 sampler for producer Hi-Tek.

Complete Technique Custom Audio Jewelry

For a real custom job, I’d like a tiny pendant that actually functions as an audio device. In the meantime, you can part yourself with your hard-earned cash for non-functional personal adornment, if you feel so moved. (Sadly, the engagement ring does not keep with the audio theme — I was imagining two lovely young synth geeks, bound together in their eternal love of each other and the Minimoog.)

Along these same lines, don’t forget the brilliant MIDI bracelets, pictured here, by producer - Chicago music scenester - electronic musician - jeweler Liz McLean Knight, aka Quantazelle. Anyone got more resources? We could have a whole audio technology lover’s Tiffany’s.

More photos after the break, including my favorite which has nothing to do with music.

Matt writes us to let us know he’s gotten his hands on Akai’s MPD24 MIDI pad controller, which just started shipping. (I know some of you have already purchased one and are still waiting to get it!) He’s got some first impressions up with a series of photos, to give you a better sense of the hardware:

Matt writes: “I’m absolutely LOVIN the MPD24 so far, had it almost a week now :)” and asks if we’re reading for some “gadget drooling.”

Akai MPD24 MIDI Pad Controller Review [MakeTunes]

The MPD24 looks terrific for someone wanting a real MPC-style experience from your controller, while still using your favorite software. I still like the Korg kontrolPAD for its X/Y touch controller, more compact design, and emphasis on drum performance, but the MPD24 looks good if you want additional controls. The big question for me, though, is how the pads compare to Akai’s MPD16, the Korg, and the M-Audio Trigger Finger. Hopefully I’ll get my hands on a unit soon.

Real sequencers and drum machines force you to approach groovemaking with a different technique than software. I discovered this completely by accident when I invested a few hundred bucks in a tiny Alesis MMT-8 scratchpad sequencer. The Alesis and I got along famously, to the point that it became my songwriting tool of choice. It was only when I needed more than 8 tracks or fancy editing that I powered up a computer.

Few manufacturers are willing to invest in the development of a new hardware sequencer these days. That’s what makes Akai’s MPC500 special — it’s the latest (and smallest) incarnation of Akai’s renowned rhythm sequencer family.

Akai’s MPC hardware was terrific in its day, launching whole genres of music. But today, software like Ableton Live (and FL Studio, and many others that function brilliantly with 4×4 sets of pads) give us the flexibility to make new kinds of music. So, even as the MPC hardware has continued to evolve, many of us want more.

Now you just need a hardware controller so you can use these applications musically. Akai’s own offering, the MPD16, got just about everything wrong, with (inexplicably) a lone fader, middling pad quality, and little to differentiate itself from competitors. M-Audio’s Trigger Finger offers more controls for less money, with faders and knobs, but many of us have been disappointed with the responsiveness of the pads across their surface area. I’m preparing a review now of the Korg kontrolPAD, and its pads basically blow the Trigger Finger away; with an onboard X/Y controller it’s the perfect compact controller. But nothing gives you the full array of controls and feel of the MPC.

Enter Akai’s MPD24. Now this finally looks serious: a more logical array of controls and what looks like a fantastic case.

It looks like an elongated Star Trek phaser, but the Akai EWI4000S is actually a brand-new MIDI wind controller. New digital instruments for wind players (like the Yamaha WX5) are fairly rare; it’s nice to see something fresh. And the Akai has plenty of features that suggest it’s worth a look: