Akai's original MPC60 music production station was the size of a small guitar amp and equally heavy. Trying to find space for it on your desktop amid computer keyboards and controllers was always a challenge. Fortunately, advances in technology keep shrinking music production gear without sacrificing features or power, and Akai's venerable MPC units are no exception to the trend; a case in point is the new MPC1000, the smallest MPC unit to date. But despite its compact size, the MPC1000 has a full-feature sampler, a comprehensive sequencer, internal effects, plenty of quality I/O and lots of hands-on controls - and it's ready to rumble with the big dogs.

Akai's original MPC60 music production station was the size of a small guitar amp and equally heavy. Trying to find space for it on your desktop amid computer keyboards and controllers was always a challenge. Fortunately, advances in technology keep shrinking music production gear without sacrificing features or power, and Akai's venerable MPC units are no exception to the trend; a case in point is the new MPC1000, the smallest MPC unit to date. But despite its compact size, the MPC1000 has a full-feature sampler, a comprehensive sequencer, internal effects, plenty of quality I/O and lots of hands-on controls - and it's ready to rumble with the big dogs.

Measuring a mere 2.75-by-13-by-8.25 inches, this wee unit shouldn't cause any space problems on your desktop. Nevertheless, its front panel is well-designed and packs plenty of amenities. A large 240×64-pixel backlit LCD makes viewing information in low-light situations easy on the eyes. The unit has 16 soft-rubber, velocity-sensitive pads, and every pad can be assigned to one of four different velocity curves and a sensitivity setting from 1 to 16. The pads feel good and are ideal for laying down beats. Most buttons, as well as the pads, are multifunction via dedicated Shift and Mode keys. A big data-entry dial, dedicated Left/Right and Up/Down scroll keys and six soft keys directly beneath the LCD make navigating menus and entering data a breeze.

Internal memory comes stock with 16 MB but is expandable to 128 MB. (That's more than 25 minutes of monophonic 44.1kHz sampling time). Sample rate and bit resolution are both locked in at 16-bit, 44.1kHz. Considering most manufacturers' never-ending quest for higher sample rates and wider bit depths, the absence of 24-bit, 48kHz sampling seems shortsighted. The sound is decidedly CD-quality, and although I missed the ability to record and play back higher-resolution samples, this machine does have that fat, round classic MPC sound that everyone has come to love. Standard Flash memory cards (32 MB to 2 GB) can be used to store additional samples and sequences.

Polyphony is 32 voices, which isn't much when you consider that a single preset Program in the MPC can hold as many as 64 sounds. Having a polyphony of 64 voices would seem more appropriate. A Program comprises four banks of pads, 16 sounds per bank. Dedicated Pad Bank buttons allow you to toggle swiftly through the banks of pads for quick access to any pad. A maximum of 24 Programs can be stored in internal memory. The demo Programs and their sequences are pretty weak, but keep in mind that this is a sampler, and with a bit of work, you can make it sound like just about anything you want it to.

On a unit this size, it's a pleasant surprise to find, in addition to the main stereo outputs, two additional stereo outs. From the Mixer screen, the sound of a pad can be assigned to any one of these three stereo pairs and then panned to taste in the stereo field. All of the jacks are ¼-inch unbalanced. One S/PDIF digital out is also available, and it mirrors the output of the main stereo out. The headphone jack is conveniently located on the unit's front panel. The Main Volume dial provides level control for the main stereo out and the headphones.

In keeping with the MPC-series tradition of multiple MIDI ports, the MPC1000 sports dual MIDI ports. Using both ports, the unit can send and receive 32 MIDI channels simultaneously or output MIDI Clock on one port and MIDI notes to the other port without the need for an external MIDI patch bay - very handy. Two footswitch jacks on the front allow you to control a variety of functions - including start, stop and record operations; switching banks; triggering pads; and tempo - from standard, momentary footswitches.