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MPC 500 Kit Maker

A free kit builder and kit creator for the MPC 500. Drop your own sounds on the pads and export a .PGM program with its sounds, sized to fit the machine's memory.

MPC 500 // Kit makerReady
Program:NewKit
Bank:A
Sounds:0/48
Memory:0.00 MB of 11.5 MB
Pad bank
A10
A11
A12
A07
A08
A09
A04
A05
A06
A01
A02
A03

Drop a sound on a pad, or click an empty pad to choose a file. Drop several files to fill the following pads. Press a loaded pad to hear it. Each loaded pad has two switches, named as on the machine. Play mode, above the pad: One shot plays the whole sound, Note on plays only while the pad is held. Voice overlap, in the pad's corner: Poly lets hits overlap, Mono cuts the previous hit.

Output options
Machine memoryInstalled RAM
The MPC 500 keeps 4.5 MB for itself; export is blocked above what is left
ChannelsMono halves memory
Stereo keeps panning inside samples
Silent tailsSaves memory
Trim cuts silence below -80 dB
File namesDisk compatibility
8 is safe when copied from a computer
Sample memory0.00 MB of 11.5 MB
0 of 48 pads

Have a modern MPC expansion instead? Use the Expansion Converter →

Step by step

How to build a kit for the MPC 500

  1. 01.Sounds

    Drop sounds on the pads

    Drag audio files onto the pads, or click an empty pad to choose a file. Use the A, B, C and D buttons to reach all 48 pads. Press a loaded pad to hear it.

    Reads WAV, plus the formats your browser can decode

  2. 02.Memory

    Stay inside the memory

    Choose how much memory your machine has. The meter shows what the kit needs; mono and trimmed tails make it smaller. Export is only possible when the kit fits.

    16 MB standard (11.5 MB for sounds), 128 MB expanded

  3. 03.Export

    Export and load

    Name the program and export a ZIP with one .PGM and its .WAV sounds. Copy the folder to a CompactFlash card and load the .PGM on the MPC 500.

    Output: ZIP with the .PGM and its .WAV sounds

Documentation & FAQ

Questions and answers

Which audio files can I use?
WAV files of any bit depth and sample rate, including 24-bit and 32-bit float. Other formats such as MP3 and FLAC work when your browser can decode them. Everything is converted to 16-bit, 44.1 kHz, which is what the MPC 500 plays.
Is the program in the MPC 500's own format?
Yes. The .PGM is written the way the MPC 500 saves its own programs, with 16-bit, 44.1 kHz .WAV sounds next to it, so the machine loads it like a kit made on the hardware.
Can I set tuning, decay or mute groups here?
No. Besides placing sounds on pads, the Kit Maker only sets each pad's play mode (One shot or Note on) and voice overlap (Poly or Mono) and leaves every other setting at the machine's default. Those settings are better adjusted on the MPC 500 itself, while you listen to the beat.
Which note does each pad play?
The same note it plays in a new program on the machine: pad A01 is note 37, A02 is note 36, and so on through bank D. Sequences recorded with the default pad assignment line up with the kit.
What happens to my sounds if I switch to another machine?
They stay where they are. The MPC 500 has three pads in a row and the other machines have four, so sounds on the fourth pad of each row (pads 4, 8, 12 and 16) are left out of an MPC 500 kit and come back when you switch to one of them.
Are my samples uploaded?
No. The sounds are read, converted and packed into the ZIP in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server.
Can I convert a modern MPC expansion for the MPC 500?
Yes. In the Expansion Converter, choose MPC 500 as the machine. Expansion kits are built on 16-pad banks, and the MPC 500 has 12 pads per bank, so the converter fills the pads in order: a 16-pad kit lands on A01 to A12 plus B01 to B04, instead of dropping every fourth pad. If you want to decide which sound goes on which pad, building the kit here may be the better option.