Roland released the MV 8800 production station in 2007 as a follow-up to its MV 8000 product. The MV 8000 had been designed in 2003 to compete directly with the Akai 4000. The Roland MV 8800 features basic functions such as multitrack recording, sound mixing, and audio mastering. It also has controls to alter pith in real time. The MV 8800 comes with a preloaded hard drive that includes many of Roland's most popular electronic instruments and a sound library for sampling.
The Akai MPC 4000 was first sold in 2002. Among its many features are the Z-96 sampling engine and an Intel processor. It includes real-time controls for resonance, pitch, and other aspects of an audio track. The MPC 4000 comes with a 60 GB hard drive and an SCSI connection for attaching additional external storage. It also includes 192 filters for audio manipulation and the ability to simultaneously control up to 64 MIDI input channels.
Roland's MV 8800 and Akai's MPC 4000 share many notable features in common. Besides being designed for the same tasks, each offers full connectivity for a wide range of external devices, including a personal computer. This means both production centers can be used on their own, or as part of a larger, computer-based work station. Both include a CD burner and use an LCD screen for displaying settings and audio data.
The differences between the MV 8800 and the MPC 4000 mostly concern their technical specifications. While the MV 8800 uses a 16-bit linear audio data format and a fixed 44.1 kHz sampling frequency, the MPC 4000 uses 24-bit audio resolution and can sample at up to 96 kHz. The MPC 4000 also has four MIDI out ports rather than two on the MV 8800. The MPC 4000 also has phono inputs, which allow you to connect it to a turntable for sampling and recording of live audio mixing.
Both systems have the same basic features and share many of the same advanced functions. The MPC 4000 has slightly better performance specifications and more connectivity options, but the MV 8800 is a newer, more modern system. The MV 8800 is priced somewhat lower, generally under $2,000 while the MPC 4000 falls in the $2,500 range. Ultimately, the decision depends on the specific needs of the user or brand preference.