I've been a long MPC enthusiast!! I had the mpc 2000xl which launched my production career. I then gave it up to go into being a "laptop producer". Well I can honestly say I suffered from "beat tweaking" or becoming a "beat zombie". This is when you spend countless unnecessary hours making a beat and you look like a zombie staring at the laptop moving all these virtual knobs and sliders to get this perfect, or this sounding like that, or that moving like this.
Well the MPC X is the solution to the aforementioned diagnosis! The MPC X gets you back to making the beat and then moving on to the next!! I have literally disconnected from the computer when doing music and the beats are faster and song sequencing is faster and more concise and simplified. Literally, turn it on, pick a project, then start making music. It just eliminates the "tweaker/zombie" mentality and gets you into what matters most, the beat.
Pros-Touch screen allows for fluid interaction between software/hardware, Standalone-no need to tether to computer, upgradabilty, internal effects are easy to use, inputs outputs, and there's more just don't feel like typing this long
Cons-YOU WILL NEED A INTERNAL SATA HARDDRIVE- 525g to be exact unless your sound library is 30years old then you'll need 1tb, learning curve is steep to beginners (see pics MPC x does provide start up projects) but to MPC enthusiasts it will take you less than a day to learn

Once you develop your work flow it will be come a cinch to construct beats and songs. Great job Akai!! Ask me questions if you need convincing, if not just get it and dive in! "˜Mamba-Out';)

This is my first MPC, so what I am about to gush over is probably old hat to a lot of people reading this. :)

First off, love the fact that it is standalone - reasonably compact footprint and built in battery means you can play it just about anywhere you fancy. The touch screen is pretty easy to work with - some parameters can appear on a screen spit, and other controls can be torn off to fill the screen, which I really like.

The pads are made to be played - great feel, adjustable pressure and velocity sensitivity, and color map-able (love how the on board drum kits are color grouped - one color for toms, one color for cymbals, etc.).

The included sample "Vault" is OK, but seems weighted towards genres I'm not too big into - however, sampling, sample editing and pad assignment are extremely easy on this thing - love what I've been able to do so far layering pads, bass and arps using samples from the same synth, and I haven't even delved into making a keygroup yet.

On board effects are decent - was geeked to see an X/Y grid for effects control.

Odds are that Akai will also be tweaking things for a good while - firmware updates are simple to install.

This device is deep, and admittedly the learning curve is steeper than I thought. Aside from the Youtube videos, I bought an MPC "bible" online which is extremely helpful at explaining things. The author intends to keep the book current with the firmware upgrades.

What would I change?

Well, as this is meant to be a portable instrument as opposed to the "X", I would have rounded off the edges to make it less boxy and more lap friendly (I mean Akai has pictures of people sitting in the park with this).

As it's a stand alone device, I would have goosed the storage memory and definitely the operating memory - you can easily up your storage, by dumping unwanted content or adding an internal SATA drive which you will inevitably have to do if you are a pack rat like me. :) Don't know if it's possible to up the operating memory...

Overall, this has been one crazy fun and inspirational instrument.

This thing is amazing. Very glad that I saved and invested in the x.

i got mine.i am killing with it, I love it, thats my baby right there MPC X PRO

The best MPC invension yet, portability is a major aspect of today's world and I carry this with me everywhere. Well built, great battery life, and not as heavy as it looks. A must have, replaced my MIKRO Maschine in a heartbeat.