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By 0d1n Sun Dec 18, 2016 6:14 am
So I own an MPC500 and I've been using it for 8 years, so it's been worn down; my girlfriend just bought me a new MPC Touch for my birthday and I'm having a lot of difficulty learning how to utilize it.

Here are my questions in order.

1. How do I record?
2. Why are certain notes not hitting when I tap the pads?
3. What's the best way to configure the settings for proper use with the MPC Software and the unit?
4. How can I use the "phones" jack in the back of the unit?

I'll expand on each question so no one gets confused.

1. I don't know how to record a finished song. I know how to record while using the unit, but how do I save the songs I finish into .wav or .mp3? Do I need to use different software to actually record the MPC on my computer or another Audio Interface to even pick up the signal so I could record it through my soundcard? My previous workflow only involved me using Sony SoundForge to record my MPC500 with a 1/4" to 1/8" converter on the "phones" port through my soundcard. The MPC Software doesn't seem to have a recording capability. Any advice on this would definitely be appreciated.

2. There seems to be a loss of rhythmic synchronizing when I tap the pads; I understand I'm using a DAW with a controller but the notes get written on the screen wrong. I'm used to quantizing my beats during production so my timing isn't off ever with the MPC500, but this machine isn't playing what I'm tapping properly, it's out of sync.

3. I'm beginning to believe there's a problem with the settings I'm using but can't find anything more suitable for proper use. (I don't know how to use ASIO, and when I've tried it has sounded bad, and I'm using a SoundBlaster X-Fi Pro, external soundcard). What would be the best way to set it up for proper use on my computer?

4. How can I set up the MPC Touch with my computer to allow me to hear my music through the 1/8" "phones" port on the back of the unit?


Sorry that I'm such a noob, but I actually received this machine as a early surprise and I'm disappointed that I can't figure out any work arounds to these problems. I was still even thinking about buying it since I knew the learning curve might exhaust me, and my girlfriend got me it early so I can play with it before college starts again. Thanks for the help people!
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By MPC-Tutor Sun Dec 18, 2016 9:04 am
Use the Touch's built in audio interface rather than the soundblaster. In MPC > Preferences, set incoming and outgoing audio to 'MPC Touch'. Now connect your audio cables to the MPC Touch audio's outputs/inputs. With the Touch as the nominated audio device, you can also use the headphone jack if you prefer.

To create a WAV or mp3 mixdown, simply select the seqeunce you wish to record and go to File > Export > As Audio Mixdown. Or use the 'Drag & Drop Audio' icon for a more quick and dirty export (16 bit / 44.1kHz wav only)

Sync problem - I suspect that's because you're using the Soundblaster and the latency is poor. After setting up the Touch as the audio interface, remember to tweak the latency settings in Preferences > Audio, get them as low as possible without causing any audio artefacts (distortion, crackles etc).

I will of course mention that I've written the complete guide to using the MPC Touch and I cover all this stuff in detail very early on in the book so we can get moving on with the more interesting things like advanced chopping, layering, sequencing tricks, multisampling etc etc.

http://www.mpc-samples.com/product.php/ ... uch-bible/
By 0d1n Sun Dec 18, 2016 10:41 pm
Thanks for the fast reply mpc-tutor; however, I now have another question to ask you.

I'm not able to hear anything from the MPC using the headphone jack or TRS ports when I attempt to use the MPC as my main audio interface. I see on the MPC software that the music is playing, but I can't hear anything at all. I might be doing something wrong, so I attached a picture to show my current settings.

When you say MPC > Preferences you're referring to Edit > Preferences, or is there somewhere I'm not looking?

Image

Thanks again, really trying to get this all set up properly.
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By MPC-Tutor Sun Dec 18, 2016 11:24 pm
Im a Mac user so don't have much experience on the windows version, but I believe you really should be selecting the asio driver along with the touch audio device. Once asio is selected you can adjust the performance from a dedicated control panel accessible from the same edit > preferences page. I suspect most of your problems stem from using windows audio.